# The Banning of Shodan **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 14, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763 "2020-05-14T02:33:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/321 "2020-05-15T18:52:59Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > … > We know that some words are offensive by their very nature or in how they are used. We know that you can appear to be perfectly polite while expressing hate speech. We all know that even in the most formal forums, GD/GQ/P&E, jokes are a constant presence. We know that offense can be taken without offer, and often is. Is it reasonable to insist that others must respect our rights not to be offended by certain use of language? Freedom not to listen may be almost as important as freedom of speech… Isn’t that an argument for never taking any action against any poster here? After all, we are free to ignore any troll posting here. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/322 "2020-05-15T18:52:59Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It is like those “three strikes cases” where the previous two striker as manslaughter and sexual assault, but the third is stealing a bike. You aint going to prison for just stealing that bike. Pretty apt. However I’ve never been on board with those exact sort of “three strikes” calls. The _original_ CA three strikes law was a bit of an abomination IMHO. I’m in agreement that this looks a little bit ticky-tack to me. Not that **Shodan** doesn’t have issues. He is far, far too in love with “liberal tears” for his own good. He couldn’t resist tweaking folks on the opposite side of the political spectrum and I agree that lately my impression was that he seems to have gotten a little more over-the-top and less polite than he used to be while doing it. Labeling some scholar he doesn’t know a harpy because he disagrees with her academic argument is more than a little ridiculous, even if he meant it as hyperbole. But IMO it’s a pretty mild brand of ridiculous. I don’t mind changing standards, but I think most people should have gotten a note rather than even a warning on this one. For someone with multiple warnings and a prior 1 week suspension? I suppose I’d be fine with a stronger sanction, but probably not banning. That is unless he had been _specifically_ told not to use that word before, which is something that is a little unclear to me from the wording of the warning. In which case so be it - it’s on his own head for violating specific instructions. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/323 "2020-05-15T19:04:07Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Isn’t that an argument for never taking any action against any poster here? After all, we are free to ignore any troll posting here. Absolutely. And when we choose not to ignore, we can argue with their positions all day long (and we do), but we should probably be a bit circumspect in denying them the right to say (any) things that offend us. At least that’s my current thinking. I’m willing to reconsider my position with sufficiently compelling arguments. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/324 "2020-05-15T19:08:59Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Absolutely. And when we choose not to ignore, we can argue with their positions all day long (and we do), but we should probably be a bit circumspect in denying them the right to say (any) things that offend us. > > At least that’s my current thinking. I’m willing to reconsider my position with sufficiently compelling arguments. It sure sounds like you’re saying no troll should be banned, including Shodan. I disagree as I feel that the trolls here choke the place to death like weeds in a garden. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/325 "2020-05-15T19:10:27Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > It sure sounds like you’re saying no troll should be banned, including Shodan. I disagree as I feel that the trolls here choke the place to death like weeds in a garden. Sorry, too late to edit previous response. It’s not an argument not to enforce any established rules. I have no issues with current board rules. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/326 "2020-05-15T19:11:37Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Pretty apt. However I’ve never been on board with those exact sort of “three strikes” calls. The _original_ CA three strikes law was a bit of an abomination IMHO… I completely agree. But that does remind me of a newspaper headline about the first person to be sentenced in California under that law. The suspect mugged and beat the crap out of a wino and took everything that the wino had on him. The headline: “First person convicted with his third strike stole 27 cents.” ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/327 "2020-05-15T19:21:44Z")
One might think that posting on this board would be instructive for our conservative brothers and sisters. Being in the minority can be extremely frustrating. Why is that when a liberal is banned, and it’s happened countless times, there aren’t wailing/gnashing threads in ATMB about innocent victims being culled from the ‘in’ group? Oftentimes the mods are accused of circling the wagons; they aren’t the only ones. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/328 "2020-05-15T19:22:45Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > That is unless he had been _specifically_ told not to use that word before, which is something that is a little unclear to me from the wording of the warning. In which case so be it - it’s on his own head for violating specific instructions. Hard to figure out what JC meant or might be referring to. A couple of searches show that 1) this was Shodan’s second use of the term “harpy”; the previous instance was in 2005, and 2) JC has used the term 4 times, twice in connection with this incident, once quoting someone else (who was warned for something else in the quoted post), and once in connection to harpy eagles. I can’t find any evidence of any exchange between them on the subject. > [@BlankSlate](#): > > One might think that posting on this board would be instructive for our conservative brothers and sisters. Being in the minority can be extremely frustrating. > > Why is that when a liberal is banned, and it’s happened countless times, there aren’t wailing/gnashing threads in ATMB about innocent victims being culled from the ‘in’ group? Oftentimes the mods are accused of circling the wagons; they aren’t the only ones. This seems to be a circular argument, in that it relies on the notion that it takes as much to ban a liberal as to ban a conservative. This is exactly what’s in dispute. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/329 "2020-05-15T19:23:24Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Why is that when a liberal is banned, and it’s happened countless times, there aren’t wailing/gnashing threads in ATMB about innocent victims being culled from the ‘in’ group? Oftentimes the mods are accused of circling the wagons; they aren’t the only ones. Because there are many “liberals” on the board, and losing one doesn’t affect the discourse all that much? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/330 "2020-05-15T19:29:28Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Because there are many “liberals” on the board, and losing one doesn’t affect the discourse all that much? I don’t know. I feel like those people complain all the time. It’s like they see discrimination in every single decision. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/331 "2020-05-15T19:37:17Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Because there are many “liberals” on the board, and losing one doesn’t affect the discourse all that much? Should supposed rarity of political position give one more leeway when it comes to breaking the rules? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/332 "2020-05-15T19:42:56Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > … > I’m in agreement that this looks a little bit ticky-tack to me. Not that **Shodan** doesn’t have issues. … I disagree with Shodan on almost everything, but I am on record in giving him another chance- short leash, nothing political at all. Not GD or Politics. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/333 "2020-05-15T19:49:38Z")
> [@blank slate](#): > > i don’t know. I feel like those people complain all the time. It’s like they see discrimination in every single decision. iswydt… ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/334 "2020-05-15T19:54:46Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Should supposed rarity of political position give one more leeway when it comes to breaking the rules? No. It could, however, explain why there is not an outcry when a long-time “liberal” member is banned. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/335 "2020-05-15T19:56:26Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I can’t find any evidence of any exchange between them on the subject. Mods often correct posters via PM (I know from experience). Mod reports are not visible to us. The mod loop is not visible to us. With that in mind, why do you expect that you have constructed a full picture of past events by going on an armchair-quarterback expedition armed only with a keyword search? Especially, when it’s been stated and restated that this was more about a pattern of behavior than saying a certain naughty word. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/336 "2020-05-15T20:02:03Z")
Anyone else earworming The Barber of Seville? ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/337 "2020-05-15T20:04:27Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Are you kidding me? That’s always the excuse people trot out when someone they know does despicable things. She abused her kids, but she was a Girl Scout leader and everybody loved her. He beat his wife, but he was a policeman and saved lives. He flew a confederate flag, but he’s the town mayor and was re-elected five times. > > We’re online. That a poster may do good things in the real world doesn’t decide how his posting record should be judged. Or maybe it does: it’s even worse that a supposedly good person wastes our lives by being an asshole on our message board. Why do we need to be his targets? > > Unbelievable. Unbelievable that you’re comparing what someone posts to those despicable things. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/338 "2020-05-15T20:11:42Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Anyone else earworming The Barber of Seville? Ain’t you a stinker! ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/339 "2020-05-15T20:15:16Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > One might think that posting on this board would be instructive for our conservative brothers and sisters. Being in the minority can be extremely frustrating. Then why are you denying their lived experience? Why don’t you listen and believe? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763/340 "2020-05-15T20:29:56Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > Unbelievable that you’re comparing what someone posts to those despicable things. The confederate flag one is pretty apt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-banning-of-shodan/853763.md?page=18)