Banning

[submarinepainter]

Originally Posted by Ziggae_6

People tend to have all kinds of motivations why they come to these boards. One thing is generally true, just because there are rules posted doesn't mean they will either be enforced or enforced consistently or there won't be someone subjectively making rulings up and claim to acting in the best interest of the board. I think you actually have to see how its enforced in individual situations. I don't think people are really that clueless about the rules as much as they are trying to test the boundaries and test the Mod's (the objective ref's) reaction to their actions.

I think the best analogy is probably soccer refs--they try to control the action and then call more penalties if they think the play is becoming overly aggressive. The same foul isn't always called. You can tell when refs think they're refereeing two aggressive teams, the fouls are called early for any little infraction.

correct it is just like life itself, it is all interpretation, what I don't like is when some just single a mod and pick at them . remember we all are human

[wind]

Originally Posted by submarinepainter

correct it is just like life itself, it is all interpretation, what I don't like is when some just single a mod and pick at them . remember we all are human

Really? Are they singling a mod? Or is there a problem with a particular mod? If we are all human, isn't it entirely possible that a particular mod has issues with overreacting?

I'm just asking questions. Don't shoot the messenger.

[SenaxFlatulus]

Originally Posted by wind

Personally, labelling a post as a lie or a poster as a liar is bound to be problematic.

According to the TOS, labeling a post as a lie is permissable. Calling the poster/user a liar is not. The thing that distinguishes the difference is the fact that one is attacking the message, the other is attacking the messenger.

Originally Posted by wind

Why not just ask the poster for more evidence? Or say the facts don't support the assertion. Or acknowledge we have a misunderstanding, or that we don't see eye to eye.

These are all very smart tactics to use. They are courteous while still requiring the person they're directed at to justify their point. They're not as threatening as saying, "That's a lie!" I find this is a much more productive way to debate, although I'll sometimes consciously decide to be more aggressive in other situations. Sometimes if I'm angry or want to intimidate, or just plain trying to respond "in kind," I'll label their post as a lie because it's allowed according to the TOS.

Originally Posted by wind

Calling someone a liar ought to be against TOS.

It is. As you point out, it's against the Terms of Service. It's considered a personal attack by the mods.

Originally Posted by wind

It's flame bait IMO. Flame bait by a mod is bad news for the board IMO.

I agree. However, I don't think a mod labeling a post a lie is flame bait. That's why there's a difference between saying, "That's a lie!" and "You're a liar!" In heated discussions, it should be permissible to point out falsehoods in your opponent's posts, yet respectful enough not to call them a name... even if you can prove they're a liar.

I recently had a user disagree with a warning I gave them. They were mad because they felt that the rules here were skewed to the point that it's more desirable to be polite to liars than it is to point out narow-minded people personally. They were under the perception that I was protecting a racist and therefore was biased. They said,

As long as ONE is polite and doesnt get personal with others then ONE can have racist views, post blatant lies, perpetuate hatred and ignorance.

I completely agreed with them. (Which probably boggled their mind.) I am equally as apalled at racist users here, and bigots who post their poisonous views, but as long as they don't violate the TOS, they're allowed. I wish they would go away, but that's not being realistic. People post lies all over the place, and this site is no exception. We have to take the bad with the good in order to have the amount of freedom this site gives all of us here. It's up to us to sort it out and point it out for others, if we care.

There are limits though. And this is not a democracy. This is a privately owned board which can be more or less restrictive as the owner dictates. We all enjoy their hospitality now, and the community here that they've enabled via the internet.

I personally have learned a lot from my experiences here and plan on staying until they ban me.