What can I tell you? “A policeman’s lot is not a happy one.”
Well, there goes that win streak.
It’s clear to me that some people post here compulsively (as I said), and they have apparently invested enough time and effort into their online personas that they feel like they have to continue to be agitating and insulting and thus never change their spots. Rarely have I seen a “suspendee” come back and be a model citizen; usually they’ll get themselves banned in pretty short order (as was the case here), or they’ll leave the board for good (e.g. Lekatt). I guess I like to read these threads so I can indulge in some amateur psychoanalysing. 
I do not disagree, and as I said I wasn’t objecting to this ban. I understand that these posters have had a lengthy list of “second chances”. And I agree that it is important not to create a double standard where frequent posters are treated differently.
But back in the long ago I was a teacher, and presently part of my job is to train wild animals, including some rather uncooperative ones. One truth is operable in both tasks – correction without consequences is virtually worthless. And in point of fact, mod notes and warnings are basically without consequences. Except, of course, for bringing one closer to that invisible line after which comes BAN. Inserting a suspension into the chain of events is valuable because it is indeed an actual consequence. But even with this, the present system is note (no consequence), warning (no consequence) (repeat some undefined number of times, none of which have consequences), then suspend (consequence! the first one!) then BAN. (A consequence, sure, but one from which the offender will never learn anything or make amends.)
So under the present system, there really is but a single consequence between even multiple transgressions and the ban hammer. And maybe not even that, as some are banned with never a suspension. (And again, sometimes that is the correct action.) I understand that returnees from suspension have been mostly recidivists who ended up banned anyway. In part though that may be a factor of small sample size. But even more it may be because the suspension was the first real, palpable consequence those posters got. It would be really great if people were all mature enough to take a note or a warning sufficiently to heart as to modify their behavior. And certainly a suspension ought to be a real motivator. Indeed, I’ve had model students and current critters for whom a small rebuke can be a total game changer. But, sadly, this is not the rule. Many require a bit more, shall we say reinforcement, to effect permanent change. But, given that, can become valuable performers.
I know that our purpose here is not to improve the posting habits of people, nor to make them more interpersonally aware. We’re here to “fight ignorance” – or at least, to entertain ourselves. But part of that entertainment value comes from having a broad, even quirky and sometimes annoying, bunch of contributors to this community. And keeping some of the more, eh, entertaining ones around, to provoke conversation and stir controversial discussion, isn’t such a bad thing if we can find a reasonable way to do so. We really don’t want the Boards to become some vanilla place inhabited only by the most polite and diplomatic. Where’s the fun in that? So if our sometimes-bad-boys-and-girls can be corrected and/or coerced, I’d rather see them stay around. And those who will never play by any rules at all can still be removed from the program.
Crap, missed the edit window:
I just discovered the parallel thread in this same forum! No time to read it now, but I wish I’d seen it earlier. There seem to be valuable suggestions, some similar to mine. Too bad they weren’t merged. Oh well, maybe later…
Might I suggest using a points system, which the board software allows.
When someone receives a warning, they get a certain number of points and an expiry date, variable according to the seriousness of the offence. If their points total ever gets beyond a certain level, they get suspended. And because the warnings expire after a period, they won’t get suspended for years-old warnings.
Perhaps if you labeled them “Mod Note”. They would be more noticeable.
Gonzomax is banned, yet those despicable fucks at BP are still allowed to operate on US soil!?!
Vaat a country!! [/Slavic accent]
Of course I recognize that, after 15 warnings and a suspension, one can’t really build the case that he wasn’t warned. So long, gonz.
Reported.
Give him a break. he was never even suspended.
Or even warned. The mods will probably have a secret meeting and ban him for his political leanings. The usual closed-door policy, as usual.
He deserves nothing less for advertising recessed lighting and flea treatment together.
If anyone ever got piled-on, it was Gonzo – seems he couldn’t post one darn thing w/out being called all sorts of names. Yeah, he went overboard was often off-topic but the way I see it, he took all the abuse sent his way better than just about anyone I’ve ever seen on this board.
So you ban him for (fairly) meekly defending himself from all the attacks…yet all the bullies get to stay. Bad move.
All the best to you, Gonzo…you’ll be missed.
Thing is, when you have 15 warnings, you’ve already likely pissed off a bunch of people. So getting jumped on is pretty normal for that sort of thing.
And all he ever had to do was not violate the rules. It’s not that hard. I say some pretty hateful things without breaking them.
Sometimes I wonder if some posters are reading the same messageboard as the rest of us.
Regards,
Shodan
Dunno. For instance, would you agree that both of us can be – and have been – way more crass than Gonzo ever was? If you do, we’re reading the same board. Difference being that we got/get away with all sorts comments because we apparently know how the play the game – or, as BigT calls it, don’t “violate the rules,” man.
Guess Gonzo wasn’t smart* enough to walk on the SDMBs razor’s edge.
*There’s something to be proud of: being a prick and getting away w/it :rolleyes:
Please. The guy couldn’t follow a line of questioning from A to B.
By the way, congratulations on Rajoy winning! Things are looking up for Spain.
I never realized that gonzo was so popular with the left leaning board members I guess. :eek: I always thought most board lefties were more of the opinion that even though he and they were nominally on the same side that they would have prefered he wasn’t ‘helping’ in any debate or discussion. Wow…live and learn.
-XT
I can’t believe you actually think that is why people made fun of Gonzo so much. It has nothing to do with his opinions. It’s because his posts were always a fragmented, inarticulate mess. He was simply bad at typing and bad at expressing his views.
I don’t dislike gonzomax and I’m not happy to see him banned, though I’m also not particularly sad. But he was just not very good at posting.
What you just said describes how I viewed him to a T, FWIW.