# Poster Warned then Suspended for debating in Great Debates **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 21, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092 "2019-10-21T16:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/81 "2019-10-23T15:30:24Z")
Missed the edit window. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > Sounds like the kind of justification Laura Ingraham would use for cruel treatment of migrants who cross the US border without documentation. :dubious: Or those made for jailing black people for sitting at white only diners, or jailing gay people for engaging in “sodomy” before those laws were made illegal. (DADT would be an even better example, since those people chose to join the military—but that didn’t make the rule a just one.) Now obviously this is nowhere near as serious a situation. But sometimes it takes larger examples to convey a principle. And the principle here is that you can’t just fall back on “The rules were openly declared, therefore when they are enforced the fault is all on the person receiving the punishment.” The key question is not whether a procedure was followed, or someone was warned not to break a rule, but whether the rule is fair. And to say that one type of ideological perspective cannot be brought to bear in a debate on a fucking debate board? That is not a just or equitable rule. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/82 "2019-10-23T15:30:38Z")
Once again, a private message board is not a government, and a private message board restricting speech is not violating anyone’s rights or freedoms. It’s fine to quibble about the rules of the board and the application of these rules, but it’s ridiculous to compare this to broader politics and discussions of rights and freedoms. The actions of a private message board, in a free society, on what kinds of speech to allow, have nothing to do with governmental policy regarding speech rights, and nothing to do with governmental oppression. It’s utterly ridiculous to compare the two. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/83 "2019-10-23T15:31:57Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Do you have the same view of “protesters” being arrested? Or about people being arrested or worse for resisting the police? Most people here don’t, and are pretty anti-authoritarian - I don’t know your views specifically but at least **Czarcasm** and **Mr Dibble** fall into that category. What would be the difference between a message board and an authoritarian regime, I wonder… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/84 "2019-10-23T15:34:13Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > And to say that one type of ideological perspective cannot be brought to bear in a debate on a fucking debate board? That is not a just or equitable rule. Keep pretending it’s about what he said, and not how and where he spewed it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/85 "2019-10-23T15:34:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > What would be the difference between a message board and an authoritarian regime, I wonder… The same difference between a persecution complex and actual persecution, I would guess. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/86 "2019-10-23T15:35:14Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Consider the late unlamented **Huey Freeman** who was also a raging asshole. The particular bee in **Huey** ’s bonnet was the unfair treatment of black people in society which, if this board really is as loony left as suggested, ought to have been warmly welcomed. And indeed we tried to engage. But **Huey** was a massive jerk, although he did eventually restrict his raillery to one thread, and he got banned for it, just like **Will**. Or **handy** , [who was banned for for posting medial “advice” after being told not to](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4272226#post4272226). This isn’t new, folks. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/87 "2019-10-23T15:36:37Z")
So I guess those who fall back on the “private message board” angle agree with Rand Paul when he was momentarily and accidentally honest? For those who don’t remember, he admitted that he only believed federal civil rights legislation should have applied to governmental institutions but should not have forced private businesses like restaurants and hotels to serve black people if they didn’t want to. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/88 "2019-10-23T15:39:13Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > So I guess those who fall back on the “private message board” angle agree with Rand Paul when he was momentarily and accidentally honest? For those who don’t remember, he admitted that he only believed federal civil rights legislation should have applied to governmental institutions but should not have forced private businesses like restaurants and hotels to serve black people if they didn’t want to. Do you have _any_ analogies that actually pertain to the situation being discussed here? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/89 "2019-10-23T15:39:26Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > So I guess those who fall back on the “private message board” angle agree with Rand Paul when he was momentarily and accidentally honest? For those who don’t remember, he admitted that he only believed federal civil rights legislation should have applied to governmental institutions but should not have forced private businesses like restaurants and hotels to serve black people if they didn’t want to. Huh? Those restaurants and hotels have the right to kick out anyone of any race if they are behaving disruptively. I would agree that the SDMB should not have the right to ban people based on their race, and I don’t believe that the board has. Not sure what this example has to do with the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/90 "2019-10-23T15:44:55Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > No, he simply saw things from a different perspective to you. That you think disagreeing with you counts as being jerkish and irrelevant (to expand threadshitting to a more general sense) says more about you that anyone else. > > To put it bluntly, your opinions are not always right. Neither are mine, neither are anyones. To shut down opposing opinions in a debate is to embrace ignorance and tribalism, things that most people here claim to be opposed to. Do you think it’s possible that someone could have a dissenting or unpopular opinion AND also be a disruptive jerk unwilling or unable to follow board rules that are reasonable and necessary for constructive debate? Because that’s how most of us see it. The former is acceptable, the latter is not. Does it bother you at all that virtually everyone here including the moderators disagrees with you? (“Moderators”, plural, because the banning decision AIUI was a consensus of the moderators.) You might want to take a moment to consider the old adage that if everyone tells you you’re wrong, maybe the problem is you. Trust me, outlandish statements evincing total unawareness of reality like “I would hope the Powers That Be will … remove Bone as a Mod immediately, due to his inability to stop his personal feelings about posters affecting his modding” do nothing to help your credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/91 "2019-10-23T15:49:29Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > To shut down opposing opinions in a debate is to embrace ignorance and tribalism, things that most people here claim to be opposed to. You keep coming back to this - shutting down opinions - but it’s not accurate. As a threshold matter I think it would be illustrative if you could answer a couple questions: Do you believe that moderators should enforce rules to prevent thread hijacks? Do you believe that topic bans should be an available tool for moderators to impose? ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/92 "2019-10-23T15:53:42Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > And to say that one type of ideological perspective cannot be brought to bear in a debate on a fucking debate board? That is not a just or equitable rule. It’s a good thing no one is saying this then? I’m also opposed to animal cruelty, so it’s good that we’re not endorsing that either. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/93 "2019-10-23T16:03:29Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > So I guess those who fall back on the “private message board” angle agree with Rand Paul when he was momentarily and accidentally honest? For those who don’t remember, he admitted that he only believed federal civil rights legislation should have applied to governmental institutions but should not have forced private businesses like restaurants and hotels to serve black people if they didn’t want to. So what, exactly, is the similarity between an ethnicity, and a behaviour? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/94 "2019-10-23T16:04:41Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Huh? Those restaurants and hotels have the right to kick out anyone of any race if they are behaving disruptively. > > I would agree that the SDMB should not have the right to ban people based on their race, and I don’t believe that the board has. Okay, how about nightclubs that ban as “disruptive” fashion choices that technically anyone can avail themselves of, but which are very disproportionately chosen by black people? That’s A-OK with you? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/95 "2019-10-23T16:06:21Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > So what, exactly, is the similarity between an ethnicity, and a behaviour? Fair enough. My example of DADT was better, then. As long as military members kept their mouths shut and didn’t engage in homosexual activity, they could not be kicked out for “being gay”. They knew the rules going in, amirite? ETA: We can also bring in McCarthyism and Hollywood blacklists here. Private entities who chose not to do business with people who attached themselves _by their own choice_ to a radical political ideology that made most people uncomfortable. There is simply no way to say “that’s different” about that one, so instead I will predict it is met with resounding silence and maybe a thread closure. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/96 "2019-10-23T16:07:11Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Okay, how about nightclubs that ban as “disruptive” fashion choices that technically anyone can avail themselves of, but which are very disproportionately chosen by black people? That’s A-OK with you? I can’t tell if this is performance art of leading things offtopic. It’s quite baffling. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/97 "2019-10-23T16:07:41Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Okay, how about nightclubs that ban as “disruptive” fashion choices that technically anyone can avail themselves of, but which are very disproportionately chosen by black people? That’s A-OK with you? Nope-try again…hopefully with an analogy that has _something_ to do with repetitive disruptive behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/98 "2019-10-23T16:09:54Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Fair enough. My example of DADT was better, then. As long as military members kept their mouths shut and didn’t engage in homosexual activity, they could not be kicked out for “being gay”. They knew the rules going in, amirite? Are you protesting that jerks should have equal rights? ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/99 "2019-10-23T16:14:46Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I can’t tell if this is performance art of leading things offtopic. It’s quite baffling. Projection much? Are you ever going to actually cite where Will introduced a libertarian ideology into a completely random topic like “the weather”? Or do you keep making these vague remarks because you don’t have any such evidence? It certainly is not true about the topic that incited his final warnings. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092/100 "2019-10-23T16:15:27Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Fair enough. My example of DADT was better, then. Define “better”, please. I think you’re using a different definition… > [@](#): > > As long as military members kept their mouths shut and didn’t engage in homosexual activity, they could not be kicked out for “being gay”. They knew the rules going in, amirite? I’m sorry, are you asking whether I supported DADT? I’ll answer that just as soon as you explain in what way it mirrors being a jerk. > [@](#): > > ETA: We can also bring in McCarthyism and Hollywood blacklists here. Private entities Ermm, \*what \*was McCarthy’s job, again? Are you using your own definition of “private”, as well? Good job on pre-emptively nailing yourself to the thread closure cross, though. Very _sub-till_ 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-warned-then-suspended-for-debating-in-great-debates/842092.md?page=6)