# tapu, banned, now unbanned? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 4, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253 "2012-07-04T23:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [July 5, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/21 "2012-07-05T19:25:51Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Wow, I’m sounding ever so much more important than I was before I got here! One of the perks of buying a membership. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/22 "2012-07-05T20:36:37Z")
I didn’t buy a membership. I don’t know why it says that. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/23 "2012-07-05T20:39:08Z")
Somebody, the kind soul, bought it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/24 "2012-07-05T20:44:49Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > You should be very proud, you have been singled out in a way that I’m not sure any other doper has been. It’s not common, fortunately. > [@tapu](#): > > I didn’t buy a membership. I don’t know why it says that. 😕 Because you were banned and unbanned. I believe that changed your user group. I don’t think anyone bought you a subscription (you’d know). In any case, sorry for the trouble and thank you for your patience and positive attitude while we worked this out. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/25 "2012-07-05T20:49:01Z")
Such a mysterious adventure this has been. When does all the excitement die down? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/26 "2012-07-05T21:15:05Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Such a mysterious adventure this has been. When does all the excitement die down? > > 😛 After the goat, or is it squid this month? ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/27 "2012-07-05T21:16:59Z")
You guys have goats?? I get a goat?? OH BOY!!! I can’t believe I found this place! ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/28 "2012-07-05T21:20:31Z")
You’ll be less excited after you meet Marissa. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/29 "2012-07-05T21:38:22Z")
I prefer a boy goat. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/30 "2012-07-05T22:57:35Z")
So would Marissa. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/31 "2012-07-21T00:34:39Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > > [@elbows](#): > > > > You should be very proud, you have been singled out in a way that I’m not sure any other doper has been. > > It’s not common, fortunately. Except for _everybody_, that one time… You know, just after _you_ got your grubby, evil hands on the ‘Administrator’ controls. 😉 [QUOTE=Marley23, who continues with:] > [@tapu](#): > > I didn’t buy a membership. I don’t know why it says that. 😕 Because you were banned and unbanned. I believe that changed your user group. I don’t think anyone bought you a subscription (you’d know). In any case, sorry for the trouble and thank you for your patience and positive attitude while we worked this out. [/QUOTE] Which brings up the question: “Why aren’t we _all_ now ‘members’, then, since we were _all_ resurrected from your board-wide ban?” 😕[sup] **squared** [/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/32 "2012-10-12T02:02:18Z")
Bumping this thread beacuse it was just mentioned and linked (for no obvious reason I can tell) in another nearby ATMB thread today (10/11/2012). Now, upon re-reading this thread, I caught a subtle nuance I missed earlier: _You can surreptitiously (sort-of) become a real MEMBER of SDMB simply by getting banned and then unbanned?_ Now that’s a cool perk! Now it’s clear why some users deliberately sass the mods and get themselves banned (commonly called “suicide by mod”)! It’s a strategy to become a paid member for free! They’re gambling on being able to sweet-talk the mods into letting them back! Has anyone gathered any statistics on this? What are the odds of success? ETA: Besides, there seems to be a fashionable trend of bumping old ATMB threads going on just lately. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253/33 "2012-10-12T13:27:36Z")
Anyone can become a Member (you too) by paying the yearly subscription fee of $15. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tapu-banned-now-unbanned/627253.md?page=1)