# Why was Silverstreak banned? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 1, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291 "2010-02-01T20:57:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/41 "2010-02-02T15:03:22Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Can we at least provide a forum for people to say that it sucks that we don’t provide a forum for people who just want to say that this forum sucks? Because I would like to post in such a forum. If we had such a forum, then we wouldn’t need it. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/42 "2010-02-02T19:40:52Z")
See, this is the sort of thing I don’t like. The reason he got banned was “because we don’t like him”. The board can of course have whatever rules it wants, but I feel it is important to point out that rules which are that arbitrary are not really rules. Instead, the “jerk rule” is basically a disclaimer that gives the staff an out to ban someone that they don’t like (or that doesn’t like them). ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/43 "2010-02-02T19:43:48Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > See, this is the sort of thing I don’t like. The reason he got banned was “because we don’t like him”. No, the reason he got banned is because he did nothing but bitch about the mods. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/44 "2010-02-02T19:44:33Z")
Silverstreak interrupted several threads with off-topic complaints and posted ONLY complaints for the last several weeks. OTOH, ivn1188, you are still posting. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/45 "2010-02-02T19:51:35Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > See, this is the sort of thing I don’t like. The reason he got banned was “because we don’t like him”. I think it would be more accurate to say that he got banned because he didn’t like us. And insisted on telling us so at every opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/46 "2010-02-02T23:06:08Z")
Now let’s be honest, Silverstreak was a useless twat. That being said, he was banned for no specific rule-breaking but for being a jerk? Just so I am clear on this… ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/47 "2010-02-02T23:47:02Z")
> [@CircleofWillis](#): > > Now let’s be honest, Silverstreak was a useless twat. That being said, he was banned for no specific rule-breaking but for being a jerk? Just so I am clear on this… For being a jerk who had provided no contribution to the board beyond complaints and deliberate misunderstanding of staff posts and who gave every indication that as long as he posted, here, he would continue to provide no contributions other than complaints. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/48 "2010-02-02T23:49:15Z")
Being a jerk IS rule-breaking. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/49 "2010-02-03T00:07:03Z")
I’m still curious to see who will be banned for the ultimate as \*\*TubaDiva \*\*pointed out: The one supreme rule higher than the “Don’t be a Jerk Rule” > [@](#): > > \*\*Please remember that you are our guest here, and that we reserve the right to exclude you at our whim, for any or no reason whatsoever. \*\* I hadn’t even realized that that rule was still there… So has anyone ever Died by **Whim** officially? ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/50 "2010-02-03T00:13:18Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > For being a jerk who had **provided no contribution to the board beyond complaints and deliberate misunderstanding of staff posts and who gave every indication that as long as he posted, here, he would continue to provide no contributions other than complaints.** Is the bolded part a specific rule? Or is this under the purvue of don’t be a jerk? > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Being a jerk IS rule-breaking. Agreed one hundred percent ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/51 "2010-02-03T00:19:52Z")
> [@CircleofWillis](#): > > Is the bolded part a specific rule? Or is this under the purvue of don’t be a jerk? [nitpick]purview[/nitpick] Take what **tomndebb** said as a description of his main version of jerkiness. The actual, official reason for banning was “being a jerk.” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/52 "2010-02-03T01:03:35Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > I hadn’t even realized that that rule was still there… > So has anyone ever Died by **Whim** officially? If we banned posters by _Whim_, this place would look like [Tunguska](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/53 "2010-02-03T01:12:18Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > If we banned posters by _Whim_, this place would look like [Tunguska](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) :eek: Even that is preferable to banning by [Wham!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wham!), which would require the mods to wear 80s Big Hair wigs and sing _Wake Me Up Before You Go Go_ prior to clicking the button. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/54 "2010-02-03T01:15:22Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Take what **tomndebb** said as a description of his main version of jerkiness. The actual, official reason for banning was “being a jerk.” Again, I’m not trying to be obtuse, but the main description of “jerkiness” is [QUOTE=tomndebb] provided no contribution to the board beyond complaints and deliberate misunderstanding of staff posts and who gave every indication that as long as he posted, here, he would continue to provide no contributions other than complaints. [/QUOTE] ? ETA: qualifier: at least according to Tom. ALso, if this is Tom’s interpretation, do others have different interpretations? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/55 "2010-02-03T01:43:03Z")
There are all kinds of ways of being a jerk – nonstop bitching about the way he was treated, paired with a refusal to learn the basics of life around here (e.g., what happens in which forum), was the way **Silverstreak** chose. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/56 "2010-02-03T01:50:27Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > There are all kinds of ways of being a jerk – nonstop bitching about the way he was treated, paired with a refusal to learn the basics of life around here (e.g., what happens in which forum), was the way **Silverstreak** chose. OK cool. So what I am hearing is that there really isn’t a solid definition of “being a jerk” but we know it when we see it? (Kinda like Ed Meese and porn.:p) Therefore we don’t need someone to break an actual rule that is written down in stone, they just need to… be a jerk, right? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/57 "2010-02-03T02:32:57Z")
You got it. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/58 "2010-02-03T02:38:16Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > You got it. Excellent. Do warnings follow the same guideline? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/59 "2010-02-03T02:43:53Z")
When a mod issues a warning, he or she specifies the rule that person broke, such as “being a jerk,” “threadshitting,” “personal insults,” or “ignoring a moderator’s instructions.” This information is sent via PM to the person getting the warning; the moderator usually also posts in the thread, quoting the problematic post, indicating that the person got a warning, and specifying what the grounds of the warning were. ---
**Author:** ![CircleofWillis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/54ee81/32.png) [@CircleofWillis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CircleofWillis)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291/60 "2010-02-03T02:46:22Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > When a mod issues a warning, he or she specifies the rule that person broke, such as “being a jerk,” “threadshitting,” “personal insults,” or “ignoring a moderator’s instructions.” This information is sent via PM to the person getting the warning; the moderator usually also posts in the thread, quoting the problematic post, indicating that the person got a warning, and specifying what the grounds of the warning were. In short, yes, warnings are subject to the same rules (which is what I meant to say)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-silverstreak-banned/527291.md?page=4)