A one-month suspension ain’t exactly the end of the world, but I’m glad it is being given a second look.
I didn’t realize I was supposed to start a new thread. Apologies for posting in the notice thread.
I think the “nigger” post may have been properly warnable according to the gray more-art-than-science standards of forum moderation, but the reasons given were not good ones. Speculation about a poster’s innuendo, assumptions, or premises is not generally modded as “putting words in someone’s mouth,” nor is it generally considered an insult to suggest that someone has prejudiced preconceptions or premises. I think the word choice is what set it over the edge, which strikes me as a mistake, but I’m aware that on this forum we have rules about word choice that are as much aesthetic as anything else. The bigger problem, as all seem to agree, was a suspension issued for two warnings fairly far apart.
The problem with such questionable discipline is that so many posters just shake their heads, turn, then walk away feeling as if the fight just isn’t worth it.
And not just that. He was attempting to show how racist the other poster was by somehow magically knowing the other poster was just thinking nigger nigger niggers…
Which is just bullshit.
I don’t know about the whole how bannable/supsendable Kobal is based upon a total history but IMO that warning was totally justified.
And some may bitch and moan that a debateable/questionable warning is the straw that broke the camels back. Well, don’t rack up enough warnings that its a debateable/questionable one that does you in.
Being provocative is not against the rules. Some posters’ entire GD posting history is a series of deliberately provocative one-liners.
And inference isn’t magic. It can be right or wrong, based on more evidence or less. But the suggestion that inference as to an underlying premise or motive is some forbidden practice in GD is ludicrous. It happens in every thread, necessarily so because most often it is someone’s unstated premises that are the issue.
Which is to say, one other warning (in this case).
So are backless dresses, chocolate tortes and dry red wines. The poster’s post was right there above Kobal’s who didn’t even use quote marks, much less a quote box. I think the "putting words in peoples’ mouths’ complaint is overblown at best.
It’s not “putting words in someone’s mouth” to make an inference about what they’re really thinking, nor should it make any difference whether that is expressed using provocative or calm terminology.
I’ll agree that the inference in this case was weak and left largely unexplained. You really want to make that the standard for punishable inferences?
If I flat out call you a racist in a GD thread what would the result be? Would I get a warning? I’m guessing the answer is ‘yes’, even if what you said implied that you were in fact a racist. This was worse, since it uses what should be a banned racially charged term AND did more than imply that the poster was a racist by saying that Kobal2 knew what the other guy was thinking (and, based solely on what I’m seeing there has no justification…my WAG is Kobal ran into this guy before and based his assertion on that, because if it was based only on what he was quoting he was reaching big time).
I think that the warning was completely justified, as was the one for the jackass comment. I’m glad the mods are huddling up on the suspension and it will be interesting to see what they come up with as a ruling. The thing with suspensions are that they are the final step before the ban-hammer, and I don’t want to see Kobal2 on the edge like that if it can be avoided, even if he did cross a line.
I do. “Nigger” is arguably the most offensive word in American English. If I post that what you really wanted to say was “nigger, nigger, nigger…”, I am saying you are not just a racist, but the worst kind of racist there is.
GD is supposed to be the place where reasoned debate rules the day. Posting like that do nothing but degrade the level of debate. I’m happy to see folks admonished for do so.
After reading the posts, it seems to me that both warnings were acceptable (even though I think the warning policy on this board isn’t very consistent).
But like others : suspended for two warnings over 4 months for a prolific poster? Unless I’ve missed some recent significant changes in board policy, this is unheard of. Suspensions have been used in my experience here as a last warning before suspension for consistently problematic posters, which Kobal2 isn’t.
Four warnings in the past 15 months and six total. Jonathan didn’t link to the other warnings because they were more than a year old. But while we attach less significance to warnings the older they are, fifteen months is not outside the time period we may consider, especially for similar offenses. Both the warnings from last year were for jerkish remarks.
