# Talking trash about banned posters? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 20, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049 "2017-05-20T00:36:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/1 "2017-05-20T00:36:07Z")
In the past I clearly recall mods making it clear that we should cease and desist from discussing banned members (since they can no longer respond). Yet we’ve had 3 Pit threads now where doing so is now apparently _de riguer_: [Omnibus Trolls R Us Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=793796) [Who was the worst troll on this site?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=825029) [Strange restaurant lady](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=826619) So has the policy changed now? We can say whatever we want about bannee’s? Yet it is clear from some other [recent closed threads here in ATMB](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=826162) that any discussion about why someone got banned is frowned upon (and usually ends up resulting in the thread being closed). Can any mods clarify? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/2 "2017-05-20T01:45:59Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > In the past I clearly recall mods making it clear that we should cease and desist from discussing banned members (since they can no longer respond). I remember times where posters were banned and specific threads they started were locked because the OP could no longer respond, but not mods saying members could never talk about banned members. > [@](#): > > Yet it is clear from some other [recent closed threads here in ATMB](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=826162) that any discussion about why someone got banned is frowned upon (and usually ends up resulting in the thread being closed). That’s about mods giving details regarding bannings, not members talking about bannings. ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/3 "2017-05-20T03:42:49Z")
If there is indeed a rule against members discussing trolls in the Pit, I hope it will be changed. In the _Omnibus Trolls_ thread, most of the discussion is about live trolls and socks. Once a troll is banned, discussion usually ends quickly. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/4 "2017-05-20T11:54:56Z")
It seems fair. Nothing’s preventing them from defending their old sock with one of their new ones. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/5 "2017-05-20T12:34:44Z")
In general, you shouldn’t discuss banned users since they aren’t around to defend themselves. That rule hasn’t changed. The important thing here is that the threads in question are all in the BBQ Pit. There are a lot of things that you can do in the BBQ Pit that you can’t do elsewhere on the board, like insult other posters or accuse others of trolling. I don’t moderate the Pit, but it’s my understanding that insulting or discussing banned users is allowed there. Just keep it in the Pit. It’s not allowed elsewhere on the board. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/6 "2017-05-20T13:31:34Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > In general, you shouldn’t discuss banned users since they aren’t around to defend themselves. That rule hasn’t changed. Is that a rule? In posts 4 and 27 in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=672290) thread from years ago, former mod C K Dexter Haven says that the mods will be/are discussing whether or not insulting former members will be allowed and he never posts back with a decision. In post 4 he says: > [@](#): > > There is a fine line somewhere. We don’t allow insulting of other posters (aside from in the Pit), but we DO allow insulting of non-posters (ranging from politicians and celebrities to mothers-in-law and landlords.) Although he follows that up with saying mods need to discuss it, no ruling ever came down (unless there’s a thread I missed) and former members are now non-posters. What about discussing banned members when there is no need for them to defend themselves, e.g., saying something complimentary? ---
**Author:** ![MHaye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@MHaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MHaye)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/7 "2017-05-20T17:30:54Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Is that a rule? In posts 4 and 27 in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=672290) thread from years ago, former mod C K Dexter Haven says that the mods will be/are discussing whether or not insulting former members will be allowed and he never posts back with a decision. I’m not sure it was ever a rule. However, it _ **was** _ a policy of the Mods. When I first started lurking (which would be about three years before joining up) mods consistently closed threads Pitting posters who had been banned. Even now, announcements of suspension or banning in ATMB get put up and locked, thus discouraging discussion of the user unless some particularly egregious decision had been taken. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/8 "2017-05-20T17:55:56Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Is that a rule? I don’t think it’s a written rule, but it has been policy in ATMB for as long as I have been a mod here. **C K Dexter Haven** is referring to insulting people who have no connection to this message board, like politicians, celebrities, even landlords and someone’s mother-in-law, to use the examples he gave. That’s not the same as someone who was an active user here and then was banned. As for complimenting someone who has been banned, I personally don’t see any problem with that, but it could lead to potential issues that might be moderated, like a discussion about the aforementioned banned user that wasn’t all positive. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/9 "2017-05-20T17:59:35Z")
I think in “the restaurant lady” thread, someone just wanted to see the thread again, with no reference to the person in question (who wasn’t the OP) being banned. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/10 "2017-05-21T13:50:49Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > In the past I clearly recall mods making it clear that we should cease and desist from discussing banned members (since they can no longer respond). > > Yet we’ve had 3 Pit threads now where doing so is now apparently _de riguer_: > > [Omnibus Trolls R Us Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=793796) > [Who was the worst troll on this site?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=825029) > > [Strange restaurant lady](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=826619) > So has the policy changed now? We can say whatever we want about bannee’s? Yet it is clear from some other [recent closed threads here in ATMB](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=826162) that any discussion about why someone got banned is frowned upon (and usually ends up resulting in the thread being closed). > > Can any mods clarify? I don’t recall any rules against discussing a banned poster, but I think there is a rule against, say, Pitting a banned poster. None of the threads mentioned here are for the purpose of simply insulting a poster, banned or otherwise and in fact, only one of the three is about a specific poster (and that seeks information not epithets). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talking-trash-about-banned-posters/787049/11 "2017-05-22T04:28:44Z")
What I am aware of is a general practice of closing Pit threads that are (or have become) just about bashing a banned poster. Merely mentioning them I’ve not seen moderated, and have even seen it be allowed outside the Pit if not too disparaging. I do note that closing threads is more common just after the poster is banned, but my guess is that this is just because the mods are on the lookout for those threads. Though they usually let them go for a little bit, to allow some parting shots in. Of course, I’m not **Miller** , and he may differently.