I protest!

About This Message Board
1

I received a warning in Starving Artist’s Trump thread (here) for bringing up the paper towel tube thing.

I had never heard that the “incident” was verboten, and as far as I can tell no effort was made to advise people that this rule was in place. Jonathan Chance seems to have assumed that everyone knows about it, but I post here at least once pretty much every M-F and don’t (or didn’t.)

In fact, as I noted in that thread, I thought he was making it up until I did a search. Frankly, I think it’s ridiculous that I was warned for something I had no reason to know was prohibited. Plenty of other posters have had dumb comments follow them around (admittedly, probably not to the same degree other than Hal Briston, who didn’t seem to mind that much) and don’t have rules about what may not be brought up in their presence.

I have three complaints here. First, the rule itself is ridiculous. Do I get to demand a rule about things from my posting history I don’t want mentioned? If discussion of paper towel tubes is prohibited outside the Pit, why haven’t the relevant threads been deleted?

Second, the warning is unjustified. Again, I didn’t know about the rule, had no reason to know of it (I didn’t participate in the Paterno threads, other than perhaps a couple of posts when the story first came out), and there is nothing intuitive about the rule. It’s not as though this is off-board stuff.

Furthermore, my subsequent review of prior discussion of the rule indicates that it May Be Spoken Of when it’s related to the thread. By defending Trump, Starving Artist made the thread at least tangientially related; Trump has primarily been under fire for calling Mexicans rapists - hence the post I was warned for - and for his comments about John McCain.

I’m sure there was plenty of prior discussion about the rule that I didn’t see, and if it’s here to stay, fine. If you want to make it a moderator instruction, also fine. I will respect (or at least follow) the rule as long as it’s in place. I didn’t have the opportunity to do that here.

2

It is an asinine rule, and enforcing it is a problem for exactly the reason you suggest: how the hell are people supposed to know about such a narrow, specific, stupid rule unless they happened to be involved in the threads where it has come up before?

3

There’s also the old adage:
You’ve made your bed, now lie in it.

Which is why I think the warning is inappropriate.

4

I have to agree. Do we all get protection from our stupidity?

And, has been mentioned, how do we keep track of these rules? How are we notified when there’s an update? Global PM?

Who else has this protection? It would be good to know now…

5

I agree with the appeal. I knew of this totally ad hoc rule because I saw mention of it in an ATMB thread. But it is entirely possible to have heard of this incident or even to have read that thread and not be aware of the rule prohibiting further discussion of it.

I don’t think RNATB is in any danger of receiving enough warnings to be suspended, but this one ought to be withdrawn on principle.

6

Even if it makes sense to tell posters to knock it off if they are derailing a thread with paper towel tube commentary, that doesn’t mean it should be a warnable offense (unless and until they don’t knock it off in the thread).

7

You might be surprised. I have four including this one (though spread over 5 years, and I have 60,000 posts altogether). I have a tendency to forget that I’m not in the Pit from time to time.

I don’t think I’m in any current danger of being suspended or banned - I’m largely a pretty good citizen, if a bit overly snarky - but you never know.

8

Wow, I was unaware of that rule.

That said, can I add any references to rocks and quarries to that list? I think we can make this work for the common good.

9

If I recall correctly, there’s one other guy, and I think the rule is we’re not allowed to mention him. He joined the board to complain about people saying what a jerk he was.

10

I also feel compelled to point out that I did this before and nobody said anything.

11

I got a warning for making a similar joke a little while back, thus my comment to you in that thread. I think it’s bullshit also but unfortunately I did know about the rule but just forgot it. Whatever, I can live.

SA spent months and months defending his position and the “tube test” and now he gets to hide behind some friendly mods. It’s pretty lame.

Also, if SA isn’t the one reporting things then I can only imagine JC just has a google alert set up for “Paper Towel Tubes.” If SA isn’t reporting the post, why should people get a warning? He’s the one that should be offended or not isn’t he?

12

If we reach the point where we lift RNATB onto our shoulders and march around cheering, I just wanna point out that my backs been bothering me.

ETA: I also have a SA warning in my small but estimable collection, given rightchere in ATMB.

13

Agreed. I’m aware of the joke, but only because it was so rampant when the Paterno thread got to be so long. I was never involved in the Paterno thread, didn’t read it, didn’t participate in it, but I saw the reference enough times to know what it was about and who it was attached to.
Count me in as another voice saying I had no way whatsoever to know that making that joke was an automatic warning.

14

Starving Artist did bring up asses. Just saying.

15

I think we should be able to make you some sort of back brace using…

Oh, nevermind.

16

You know, that has been extensively talked about and debated, there was a couple ATMB threads about it, etc. You are a rather prolific poster, I can’t see you never having the opportunity to know about it. In any case, a snarky comment about someones posts several years ago is being a jerk, imho. No reason to rehash and bring up old shit, especially as it wasn’t relevant. Especially in Elections, your post wasnt in the PIT, and can you say it wasn’t a personal attack? So, even if you didn’t know, the post was inappropriate.

17

Aww, I laughed hard enough to throw my back into place. :smiley:

18

This is the second time I’ve seen the paper towel tube issue raised in ATMB with respect to a warning.

It’s the SDMB equivalent of a speed trap.

19

Someone get Zeldar to make a spreadsheet. With DrDeths post, it’s now 10-1.

20

This is my personal litmus test for whether my position is correct.

If DrDeth disagrees, I rest assured I’m in the right.