# Zenster banned? What's all this then? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 24, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338 "2003-10-24T15:54:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/21 "2003-10-24T21:41:47Z")
It just galls me that he had to go out taking on **county**. It would be like John Elway ending his career slipping on an icy sidewalk. Yeah he flew off the handle, but **county** was being a monumental ass. I don’t know what his prior transgressions were, so I’m not going to cry foul just yet. I don’t recall seeing him being uncivil on a regular basis though. Hope to see soon **Zen**. ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/22 "2003-10-24T21:46:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Questions about banning should be directed to the mods via email, if for nothing more than the preservation of the bannee’s dignity. Were I to accumulate several thousand posts and get myself banned I would expect a pit thread contemplating it. I would feel slighted if no one bothered. I don’t think there is any rule against banning threads so long as they are done in the Pit. Lord knows we have had enough of them. If I had to guess I would say Zen takes no offense, and may be pleased that he was important enough to merit an extended discussion. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/23 "2003-10-24T21:48:51Z")
This is sad and so bloody wrong. I’ve never been one to post much to “why was … banned” type threads, and have usually respected the mod’s call (even if I disagreed). But this? **Lynn** is normally a pretty damned sensible mod, but in this case, is she wrong or is she wrong? She’d taken a bead on **Monty** with her rifle, but he moved and she missed the shot. Along came **Zenster** … So the _real life threat_ of **Zenster** ’s axe handle remark is conditional on a Doper (wherever he or she may be posting from): 1. Being in a car. 2. Being in **Zenster** ’s country, state, town, street… 3. Parking in a Fire Lane 4. Outside his house 5. While it’s on fire 6. While **Zenster** is present And this: > [@](#): > > Then again, maybe I’d just find a nice warm (ungreased) place to hide it and call it quits. …isn’t enough to make it obvious it was mere hyperbole? The SDMB is getting just a wee bit too precious, I fear. This is a very sad day for this place. It’s taken me half an hour to post this: I suspect even the hamsters have walked off the job in disgust. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/24 "2003-10-24T21:48:51Z")
I haven’t interacted with **Zenster** much and I didn’t particularly seek out his posts. However, lately, I’ve noticed a lot of them that I encountered seemed angry, or bitter, or something. This banning really doesn’t surprise me, but it does make me wonder what’s going on in his personal life. I hope he’s OK. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/25 "2003-10-24T21:48:51Z")
I don’t think you need to worry, **World Eater** , unless you’ve already got a pretty thick stack of disciplinary notes in your permanent record. This seems to me to be more of a violation of the “don’t be a jerk” rule, applied in this case to “making physical threats when you know damn well you’re on the hot seat”. **Zenster** ’s temper got the best of him at a time when he should have been a little more circumspect. Considering the warnings and notices he’s received in the past, I’m don’t think this banning is out of line. I also can’t say I didn’t see this coming. His jerkishness was getting more and more prevalent of late, and while he did have some good contributions, it looked like he was on a downward spiral. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/26 "2003-10-24T21:49:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*And **techchick** got banned earlier this month, after she had a five-alarm melt down and threatened to hack the boards in her LiveJournal. \*\* Wow, I must have missed that one. I hope she comes back soon. BTW, I didn’t think talking about a banning in the pit was verboten. Did I miss a memo? ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/27 "2003-10-24T21:50:38Z")
I’m speechless. **Zenster** , it won’t be the same without you. If all it takes to get banned is speaking passionately about subjects that matter to you, well then fuck it. Y’all can go right ahead and ban my ass as well. Why? I simply do not get it - posters are allowed to start obscene threads on a daily basis. Let’s talk about the latest oral sex techniques, but God forbid someone speaks out against some idiot parking in a fire lane. I’ve lost a fair amount of respect for the moderators of the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/28 "2003-10-24T22:00:45Z")
Damn. Just… damn. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/29 "2003-10-24T22:03:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blonde \* > \*\*I’m speechless. > > **Zenster** , it won’t be the same without you. > > If all it takes to get banned is speaking passionately about subjects that matter to you, well then fuck it. Y’all can go right ahead and ban my ass as well. > > Why? I simply do not get it - posters are allowed to start obscene threads on a daily basis. Let’s talk about the latest oral sex techniques, but God forbid someone speaks out against some idiot parking in a fire lane. > > I’ve lost a fair amount of respect for the moderators of the SDMB. \*\* He didn’t get banned for speaking passionatly, or for speaking obscenely, or for being against parking in a fire lane. He got banned for threatening violence against another poster. This is a major no-no. IIRC, this goes beyond “keeping the boards nice and civil” and into “protecting the Chicago Reader from potential litigation.” The Reader has pretty close to zero incentive to keep the boards up and running, and the instant they become a liability, the Dope is done for. I’m glad the mods have a zero-tolerance policy for this sort of thing, even when it means a poster I liked and respected gets the pointy end. Hopefully, he’ll be able to mend some fences with the administration and come back to us. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/30 "2003-10-24T22:09:55Z")
Miller - Hy-per-bol-ee. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/31 "2003-10-24T22:10:22Z")
We REALLY prefer that people write to us by email. However, I will say this: techchick threatened to hack the boards. THAT ban is forever. I had suspended her privileges when she was apparently not in her right mind with grief, and I had intended to reinstate her when she was more in control of herself. But she threatened to hack the boards, and there’s a longstanding policy of banning people forever for THAT, no matter where the threat is uttered. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/32 "2003-10-24T22:12:42Z")
C’mon, I think I told my five year-old I’d _kill him_ if he didn’t pick up his toys right away. He knows I don’t mean it literally, and he’s _five_! ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/33 "2003-10-24T22:12:59Z")
I dunno, **Blonde** - I speak pretty passionately on a number of topics and I haven’t been banned yet, and I’ve been here for quite some time now. Or is there a pool going I don’t know about? Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/34 "2003-10-24T22:14:21Z")
I think this is one of those occasions, like highly sensationalized trials, where we don’t know, and likely will never know, all that _really_ transpired. That being said, I’ll keep my own counsel and not take any sides, except to say this; **Zenster** always was and still is my friend, and I hope he can come back some day, if he’s willing. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/35 "2003-10-24T22:16:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ilsa\_Lund \* > \*\*I am always awed at the incredibly short leeway that LONG TIME members are given, and then NEVER a chance to participate again. BANNED forever \*\* I tend to think the rules are the rules, and that post count should not matter when it comes to enforcing those rules. You break the rules, you get kicked out. On the other hand, I will miss Zenster. He always seemed like a nice guy to me. Take care, man. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/36 "2003-10-24T22:18:11Z")
Here are links to some posts where Zenster was warned by a moderator about breaking the rules. There may be more that my search didn’t pull - these were the easy ones to get. Junior Mod Warning from Coldfire :[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4123465#post4123465](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4123465#post4123465) Junior Mod Warning from Cajun Man: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4042128#post4042128](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4042128#post4042128) For political pot shots in GD from DrMatrix: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3651877#post3651877](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3651877#post3651877) Post from Coldfire about insulting people in MPSIMS: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3578920#post3578920](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3578920#post3578920) Another one from Coldfire in MPSIMS about raking someone over the coals in MPSIMS: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3519166#post3519166](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3519166#post3519166) These are all from the last few months. I know that if I’d been chastized by the staff on more than one occasion, I’d be a little more careful about what I posted. Apparently Zenster just didn’t care to follow the rules. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/37 "2003-10-24T22:20:19Z")
I’ll miss Zenster. In that thread, and I admit I only kept up with the first two pages, I thought county was joking. He wasn’t? ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/38 "2003-10-24T22:23:04Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ve lost a fair amount of respect for the moderators of the SDMB. I’m sure they’re pretty devastated too. I hope they can make it through. Coldy, Lynn, Unclebeer, if the loss of her respect is just too much to handle, don’t do anything drastic ok? My email is listed, I’m here for you. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/39 "2003-10-24T22:23:16Z")
I am not sure if what **Zenster** said was realy threatening violence against another board member, because of all the requirements put on that members action before the violence would occur, and the fact tat the violence was clearly hyperbole and derived from a similar suggestion of such violence being done to others by the threatened party. To-wit (twit?) I would beat the shit out of **Polycarp** if I found him sleeping with my underage niece. Though **Polycarp** is mentioned as is doing violence to him, the situation in which the violence would be offered involves thet the threatened was doing something both illegal and immoral. Since in truth I would beat the shit out of anyone (overage) if I found him sleeping with my underage niece. Then the fact that I would do that implies the earlier threat to all over-age dopers. The only difference between this and **Zensters** threat in the other thread is the doper mentioned, and the relative severity of the imagined doper’s actions. P.S. **Polycarp** ’s name was chosen as he is the most respected Doper, and if you disagree with that I’ll have to beat you up 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338/40 "2003-10-24T22:30:42Z")
I don’t know… Sometimes, **Zenster** seemed like two different people. When he was being helpful, he was very helpful. When he was being charming, he was very endearing. When he was acting like an ass, he was an incredible ass. Applies to a lot of us, I’m sure. But, the warnings are a dead give away. I’ve been warned before. Bottom line is: to stay here, you play by the Dope’s rules. That being said, though, it seems like the Dope is getting a wee bit anal in the interpretation of some of the rules to some people, and not stringent enough in stopping (or at least censuring) some very jerkish behavior by others. Whatever the cause, provoking the mods will get you banned. Sems simple enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zenster-banned-whats-all-this-then/209338.md?page=3)