I still don’t think it’s a good idea (and it doesn’t seem likely to happen, either) but if it does, it should be called Damnesty. (D)ope b(a)An (amnesty). Damnesty.
Also, you know, because it would be bringing back a kind of village of the damned.
I apologize if I missed it earlier but is anyone aware of a banned poster who would like to come back? It doesn’t count if their intent is to troll.
I’ve taken up to around a year off at times because the atmosphere here seemed really toxic. I don’t miss those posters, most of whom were eventually banned (though not before alienating and chasing off women, minorities, and queer people, who I do miss).
I was thinking “Bamnesty” myself. Maybe if it ends in fiasco it would henceforth be known as Emerilgate.
Agreed. Mostly. Very slight caveats below.
As I recall, I have disagreed very mildly with a couple over the decades because by the rules as they were then I thought they were tripped up on technicalities/ mild offences after years of being difficult posters. As the rules stand now, they’d just be banned for being long-time troublesome posters. Which, fair enough. I don’t recall being too broken up about any of those, because they were generally gadfly pains in the ass.
On the other hand we’ve lost a couple/few otherwise decent posters who were just too fucking temperamental. I don’t recall thinking any of those bannings were unjustified, because those posters would always unquestionably cross the line. Rules, are rules. I slightly regret that they couldn’t better toe the line, but at the end of the day they made their own bed and it is just a message board.
Do I think any of them should be invited back? Not really. I actually think most did after suspensions and what not and eventually ended up fucking up again.
I have a vague memory of there being a temporary amnesty right after 9/11 to allow a couple of New York area banned posters to let people know that they were ok.
Thats clever!
Then there’s the concept of a Forum of the Banned, in which zombies banned for past offenses against the commonweal are granted a return from the dead to post in that forum only, which is not open to other posters.
Aside from potential entertainment value, probably not a terrific idea. 
On the Giraffe Boards we have something similar called The Box. It’s a special subforum. Anyone can post there but some people can only post there. It can be for a day to cool down or for a week or month as sort of a suspension lite. Some posters are there for the duration. It’s the step before being permanently banned. Of course some people go straight to a ban.
That way those who are boxed get the attention they seek, and those not boxed get their cheap entertainment.
IIRC, I was boxed early on for “using too many commas.” Hur, hur. Never been back. I much prefer the moderation here.
There was a time early on where we did joke boxings. Most people had fun with it. You asked us to ban you over something that annoyed you so we did, fourteen years ago. Hurr hurr
Just a reminder, lets not drift the discussion to the Giraffe Board. Not the thread for it and generally discouraged.
It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure I would have remembered that if it happened. I don’t think it did.
I don’t recall that at all. Can you link to the posts or name the posters? PM is okay if you would rather do it that way.
I don’t remember exactly and not positive that it even happened. I had only been posting for a few months at the time.
This has been stated several times, but never with any evidence.
At least one poster who was held up as an example of this came back to say, no she was just too busy.
Martin Hyde and hell no.
This really isn’t the thread for this discussion but I know at least one transgender poster that left as the Dope was so unwelcoming and insulting to transgender people.
I know of far more women posters that gave up posting due to the misogyny. A few have returned as things are improving. That is great news I think.
Hopefully that settles this in this thread. Anything further should be in a new thread.
@Ilsa_Lund got banned by @Lynn_Bodoni for using too much ASCII art. Ilsa got better but, AFICT, voluntarily disappeared a year later.
This was way before suspensions were a thing, BTW.