Peanut Gallery Commentary on the Staff Log of Bannings and such like.

[Violet]

I'm kind of annoyed that Randy was banned. Jenny says she banned him for plagriarism and that this was a majority decision... Ok. For one, it seems like a pretty silly offense, and even if you want to justify such a ban per the rules of the forum (which I would criticize in Randy's case, as he always engaged specific critiques), why disallow PMs?

Really, it more comes down to whether a person respects temporary bans and repeated warnings. He didn't, and that's the real problem: a lack of respect towards the staff's enforcement on smaller offenses very much leads enforcement protocols higher and higher until all that's left is the final protocol.

Whether I was party to the majority decision or not, is irrelevant: there was a majority decision, and it was to permanently ban him. It was a very heavily discussed topic, and in the end: that's the decision that won the votes. It's certainly not from a single offense of plagiarism that we have reached the point of a permanent ban.

If Randy particularly wants to come back, and is willing to engage with largely original content (and certainly only his own content): he can appeal to the staff for a decision reversal, and for all I know he might get it. Depends on how he does it, and IF he does it.

This, i.e. the elimination of all "our" more engaging opponents, is what makes me completely disinterested in these forums at this point... it's like this place is only useful if I get the urge to come smell my own shit.

I do not know who "your" 'opponents' are.... but I would say that very much depends on the people of the forum (including you) not dogpiling upon people with viewpoints that differ from those held by the majority... and for when they get banned by the staff: we're fairly reasonable until someone either takes it way way over the line, or ignores and disrespects what our official interaction with them represents.