# What if the Dope offered a ban amnesty? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 22, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371 "2023-07-22T00:22:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [July 22, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/41 "2023-07-22T13:38:34Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I’m trying to locate the member that blew up over I think a Modnote and went after the Moderator in thread. MildlyAnnoyed, maybe? > [@MildlyAnnoyed BANNED for arguing with moderator instructions and cursing him out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mildlyannoyed-banned-for-arguing-with-moderator-instructions-and-cursing-him-out/925084): > > [https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannon-was-banned-from-twitter/924884/36](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-bannon-was-banned-from-twitter/924884/36) This is inexcusable, but especially for just a modnote. The suspension has been made permanent after Mod discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/42 "2023-07-22T13:46:20Z")
I avoid political threads because I come here to get away from the stresses of everyday life (which are considerable), not compound them. But, to the best of my knowledge, the person I referred to is neither misogynistic, or racist (if they are, then I agree—ban them for life). The majority of posts that I’ve read by this member are informative and thought provoking, but not without a few clunkers. The member has not been banned, but I think it could go that way if recent stresses get the better of him, or her. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/43 "2023-07-22T13:53:23Z")
Thank you. I think that was the incident. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/44 "2023-07-22T14:05:40Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > The majority of posts that I’ve read by this member are You do understand that this isn’t a viable standard? Because we can count the number of times there were complaints about bannings that, largely, went away once the complainers actually read the offending poster’s posts in forums that the complainers made clear they don’t read. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/45 "2023-07-22T14:18:40Z")
Of course. But, in this case, the posts I _have_ read by this person lead me to believe that they quite the opposite of a bigot. If they _do_ get banned (which is in no way assured; they are more likely to just leave), it would most likely be for doubling down, getting over-stressed and lobbing ad hominems toward perceived attackers. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/46 "2023-07-22T14:19:42Z")
Which raises the idea of a forum / category level ban. What if we have somebody who’s fine in, say, IMHO, CS, and FQ, but cannot resist going full frontal frothing hateful in P&E? Could they perhaps be banned from just P&E? I don’t know if Discourse supports that technical feature, nor if there is enough interest on the part of Mods to try this degree of hairsplitting as a halfway house on the way to redemption or a complete ban. Nor do I know if there are enough challenging members who’d benefit from that treatment and who’d still deliver enough value to the community. Adding complexity to the rules for all to benefit a very rare and not all that valuable bird is often a losing proposition practically speaking. Even if it seems to be serving the cause of greater “justice”. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/47 "2023-07-22T15:18:36Z")
A forum ban isn’t all that different from a topic ban, which is sometimes imposed. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/48 "2023-07-22T15:36:05Z")
Granted, I am one of the posters that came back after a _very_ long absence, so I don’t know all the various things that happened in the ~15 years I wasn’t paying attention. But I can’t think of _any_ of the banned posters from the early 2000s when I was active that I would want to give one more chance to. There was more than one that caused serious issues with lies, vitriol, and just being out and out asses. While I miss the feel of the boards back when both it and I were much younger, I’m glad of the people that are here now. Yes, I agree that it would be great to have some fresh blood in, or even old blood refreshed, but rather than let those who’ve proved to be consistent problems back, finding a way to woo back some of us that just slipped away for our own reasons would be a better way to go. Just my two pennies. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/49 "2023-07-22T15:45:45Z")
I’ll take those two pennies (now I can afford lunch) and offer a suggestion in return: Start a thread asking for names of former members we’d like to see return (those who drifted away, and those who were banned, but generally contributed thoughtful posts, and show potential for rehabilitation). Make it “by invitation only.” If you can provide contact information for these folks, all the better. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/50 "2023-07-22T16:16:14Z")
> [@Who's missing that you really want to see on the Board?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-missing-that-you-really-want-to-see-on-the-board/914010): > > Title says it all. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/51 "2023-07-22T16:21:21Z")
Great minds think alike, I suppose. I’ll add **SentientMeat** to the list. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/52 "2023-07-22T16:30:14Z")
Most of the people that I want to see back I either keep in touch with in other ways and have no desire to come back, or have passed on. But there are a few that I don’t have info on that I’d love to get back in touch with. I’m going to have to add a few of them to that thread. You never know. I did manage to find @Tripler after 15 years. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/53 "2023-07-22T17:06:18Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > So, _what if_ (really - it’s _just_ an idea) there was an amnesty period, where previously banned posters were allowed to rejoin the boards. That’s what suspensions are for and the way the Board worked before suspensions were implemented. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/54 "2023-07-22T17:35:32Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The other practical challenge with “rehabilitating” that persona (_sic_) here is that we already have a pretty dedicated vigilante troll patrol. And a certain number of offenderati with their various hot-buttons. As someone who hangs out in the vigilante thread, you are probably not wrong, although giving it credit, there is a fair bit of pushback on identifying posters as Socks/Trolls just because you dislike them or their POV. I will say as a long time reader who only created an account after the Discourse move, -one- of the reasons I hadn’t was that while reading some older threads were a hoot as an observer, I wouldn’t have dared participate because how vicious some of the attacks were. The whole ‘attack the post, not the poster’ was often a light gloss, or some of the troublesome posters went riiiight up and past the line with few if any _immediate_ consequences. Doesn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the often quite skilled snark and invective, but it was a classic ‘nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live/interact there’. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/55 "2023-07-22T17:56:36Z")
I can’t think of a single banning that didn’t make me breathe a sigh of relief. Mind you, i never know about 95 per cent of them. But the ones i have noticed have definitely erred on the side of too many chances. The one thing i would consider is if returnees could be limited to the pit. I mostly stay out of there and understand that it’s allowed to be unpleasant. Overall though, our mods are not paid, and turning their jobs into an endless treadmill sounds like a great way to lose all of them. Seems to me only the mods should have a vote on this one, and anyone who thinks it’s a great idea should maybe volunteer for a while. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/56 "2023-07-22T18:01:11Z")
I agree with all of this. I have disagreed with a warning here and there but never with a banning and many of those should have been banned sooner than they were. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/57 "2023-07-22T18:05:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The posters we _do_ want back were rarely banned. They left of their own accord. _Because of_ the banned posters. Women, and minorities, and trans posters who just didn’t stick around because the bigots were allowed to stay way past time. And I have no doubt, one or two decent posters who were modded for _reacting to_ the bigots and trolls. > > _Those_ are who should come back. Not a bunch of trolls and assholes. This. Exactly this. Awhile back I revisited a thread dating back to the Christine Blasey Ford testimony. It was an unusual thread in that women were sharing our experiences, and we were pretty much left alone by the trolls of that era. In rereading it, I was saddened by how many of those posters are no longer here. I’m not qualified to speak for minority and LGBTQ posters, but I know we’ve lost some for the same reason: by tolerating the line-skating, bad-faith trolls as long as we did, we let them stink up the joint. I’d love it if people who left due to those trolls were to get an invitation to return, along with reassurance that the trolls are gone and won’t be allowed back. Any charitable instincts should be directed towards these folks, not the perpetrators. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/58 "2023-07-22T18:19:29Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The posters we _do_ want back were rarely banned. They left of their own accord. _Because of_ the banned posters. Women, and minorities, and trans posters who just didn’t stick around because the bigots were allowed to stay way past time. And I have no doubt, one or two decent posters who were modded for _reacting to_ the bigots and trolls. Yeah - notifying the people who have fled, that particular jerks have been banned would be a better idea (not really a good idea, but a better idea) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/59 "2023-07-22T19:23:55Z")
I kind of miss the threads about “who would win in a fight” and “why can’t flashlights do this” from a certain poster that was banned for socking. Also there were a couple of “entertaining” posters in my time here who were instabanned for freaking out and threatening to sue dopers for questioning their comments in posts. ---
**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:** [July 22, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371/60 "2023-07-22T19:43:06Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Also there were a couple of “entertaining” posters in my time here who were instabanned for freaking out and threatening to sue dopers for questioning their comments in posts. They _had_ to go, for pretty obvious reasons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-dope-offered-a-ban-amnesty/987371.md?page=4)