I think my point has been missed. I was never arguing about the particular poster in question. I object to the manner of that particular communication by a moderator. I thought it was trashy and undignified, and I still do. It doesn’t matter to that discussion that the poster is a sock or whatever else. All I’m seeing is excuses for poor judgment.
OK, I acknowledge poor communication. Did so earlier in fact.
But trolling thread needed closing.
I thought that the thread had degenerated to the pit, should have been moved to the pit, and, in retrospect, should have been started in the pit.
Characterizing the degenerate gambler as a troll, is just trolling, unless it’s something worse:
Let’s all be more inclusive at the SDMB, by excluding people.
If sock, kill it with extreme prejudice.
If not sock, it’s irritating but entertaining. And ultimately not mean spirited towards fellow posters unlike most of our trolls / socks.
We shall see …
Just to make sure the air is clear, @Roderick_Femm objected to @What_Exit’s poor communication, which W_E has admitted to (twice). The poster in question has been banned with (multiple TBH) cause. I don’t believe that the OP had any other specific objections.
For other concerns, I don’t blame many posters for having doubts or hesitation, especially those who haven’t gone back and looked through the volume of said poster’s work recently. And compared to some of our more obvious trolls/trocks, this one was quite understated - which let them coast for quiet a while.
With all that said, I think the topic is pretty much resolved, no?
By the OP’s logic, when a mod issues any warning for trolling, they shouldn’t call it that in their warning post. Ridiculous.
A year was too long, then. You guys give too much rope, IMO.
I will say, I was enjoying the debate over whether it was reasonable to take the matter into one’s own hands or not.
And I was quite surprised at some of the positions taken.
So now he’s been “Banned for trolling, misogyny and as a sock”
And I’m confused. If he’s known to be a sock, why wasn’t he immediately banned for that? Why all the evidence making the case for him being a troll?
Because as investigating the trolling, determined to be sock also, which we already suspected. Also noticed the modnotes on misogyny and was brought up in the Modloop.
As to the trolling, it is explained in the announcement.
The quoted statement was not a warning, it was an announcement of the thread being closed, and of further discussion of the poster’s privileges being done by the mods. Your extrapolation of the import of my post is inaccurate.
I was preparing to ban the poster in question, a sock and a troll. I suspended them immediately, which is generally more than a warning.
So how about some constructive criticism, how should I have phrased?
No, it was a thread closure and a suspension, which is worse than a warning.
Are you saying that it’s cool for mods to call people trolls in lesser offenses like warnings (or even notes that someone is getting close to trolling) but not more serious ones ? That’s a bit backwards.
No, it’s spot on, unless you really did mean the above..
I believe they could appeal to the moles in place at the troll farm out there in that Savannah to give up their socks. But that would dim the entertainment we provide them when the well runs dry. 
I have no dog in this fight whatsoever, but based on this OP I imagine Roderick Femm would have preferred something more neutral like: “Thread locked and USERNAME suspended for 1 day pending modloop discussion of potential trolling.”
I concur.
Or the announcement of the thread being locked and the user being looked at for possible violation of board rules. Leave it ambiguous until official.
This seems to be the way it usually works.
I do appreciate it when the mods announce a suspension/banning and link to the problematic posts.
It reinforces the assumption that this is a fairly-run board. And if nothing else, it’s a cautionary tale (“See this? This is what you should never think, let alone do.”)…
Thanks to @ShadowFacts, @Saint_Cad, and @Thudlow_Boink for filling in for me better than I might have done for myself, while I was perforce away from the board for a few hours. Those posts express what I was trying to say.
With that, I have said my say about this particular thread closing.
Sock of Who??? We wanna know!
Just about my favorite movie quote ever. I have an obsession with collecting signs that say “Bear Creek”.
Hard to come by, but Oh, so worth it!