So this is the reason I was banned:
I stood up for myself and I dared to question what I regarded to be an unjust punishment. The Moderators of The HPN Forums found the following post so intolerable that they deleted it and banned me permanently.
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A defense
I was not given the chance to defend myself before SIP banned me for four days, so I would like to take the opportunity to do so now.
In my last post before I was banned, I wrote the following:
If you want me to act civilized, it is very simple. Refrain from lying, baiting and name-calling. Act respectfully yourselves and you will be amazed at how civil I can be.
SIP took this to mean I was calling her a liar. This is not the case, as I clearly address multiple people (note the plural “yourselves”) and it is a generalized request for certain future behavior. In fact, what I said very closely resembles the rules we all had to agree to when we registered on this forum:
HPN registration agreement: By registering on this discussion system you agree that you will not post any material which is knowingly false, inaccurate, abusive, hateful, harassing (...)
Shortly after making the request that everyone abides by these HPN rules, I was banned.
If a member is to be banned, it is appropriate for Moderators to cite the rule that was broken and also cite the post in which the rule-breaking took place. This did not happen. When I next attempted to log on, the charges of the ban appeared as follows:
Ban Reason: Continuous arguing, whining and complaining about other Mods and members
I’ll address this by breaking the charges down into separate components.
1. Continuous arguing
I have studied the rules of the forum and have yet to find where it is an infraction to argue continuously. On the political threads where debate is expected, there are precious few members who do not argue something at length. Apparently there is a point at which the amount of arguing breaks these unstated rules. I would ask the Moderators to please clarify how we are to determine at what point arguing becomes “continuous” and is in danger of breaking this unwritten rule.
2. Whining
Again, there does not appear to be any rule against whining. I would ask the Moderators to please point out the passage where whining is prohibited. It would be helpful to know how “whining” differs from “calling attention to one’s concerns”. I ask the Moderators to explain the difference between the two, and I will be sure to refrain from “whining” and henceforth only “call attention to my concerns”.
3. Complaining about other Mods
I’m sure this reference to “other Mods” does not mean that I am a Mod, otherwise I could have unbanned myself. I will assume that this was written by SIP and the “other Mod” is Olwen. I would ask SIP to please show where I have recently complained about Olwen. (If I am mistaken, and this was written by Olwen, please show me where I have recently complained about SIP.) Also please show where it is against the rules to complain to Moderators, or to complain about Moderators.
If one’s complaints are justified, what would be an appropriate way to address them fairly and effectively?
4. Complaining about other members
Please show where I have recently complained about other members, and where in the rules I am forbidden from doing so. It is reasonable and right to complain about members who break the rules by writing “false, inaccurate, abusive, (and) hateful” posts. Again, if one’s complaints are justified, what would be an appropriate way to address them fairly and effectively?
I would also appreciate Moderator responses to the following questions:
1. Has no other HPN member argued for long stretches on the political threads? If they have, why have they not been banned, or at least warned?
2. Has no other HPN member whined about anything on the forum? If they have, why have they not been banned, or at least warned?
3. Am I to believe you Moderators do not complain to each other about me? And that your friends have not complained to you about me? If you have complained to each other about me -- a member of this forum, like any other member -- why haven’t you all banned each other?
To sum up, none of these charges are against the rules, and therefore none were an appropriate basis for banning me. At least part -- and perhaps all -- of the charges could be said of any number of members, and yet no one else has been banned for arguing, complaining, or whining. I can only assume, then, that the real reason for banning me has not yet been stated.
I look forward to a rational and calm discussion about this.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So here is the official reason the Moderators gave for the permanent ban:
"n/a"
"Not applicable." In other words, "We don't have to give you a reason. We are above reproach."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A defense
I was not given the chance to defend myself before SIP banned me for four days, so I would like to take the opportunity to do so now.
In my last post before I was banned, I wrote the following:
If you want me to act civilized, it is very simple. Refrain from lying, baiting and name-calling. Act respectfully yourselves and you will be amazed at how civil I can be.
SIP took this to mean I was calling her a liar. This is not the case, as I clearly address multiple people (note the plural “yourselves”) and it is a generalized request for certain future behavior. In fact, what I said very closely resembles the rules we all had to agree to when we registered on this forum:
HPN registration agreement: By registering on this discussion system you agree that you will not post any material which is knowingly false, inaccurate, abusive, hateful, harassing (...)
Shortly after making the request that everyone abides by these HPN rules, I was banned.
If a member is to be banned, it is appropriate for Moderators to cite the rule that was broken and also cite the post in which the rule-breaking took place. This did not happen. When I next attempted to log on, the charges of the ban appeared as follows:
Ban Reason: Continuous arguing, whining and complaining about other Mods and members
I’ll address this by breaking the charges down into separate components.
1. Continuous arguing
I have studied the rules of the forum and have yet to find where it is an infraction to argue continuously. On the political threads where debate is expected, there are precious few members who do not argue something at length. Apparently there is a point at which the amount of arguing breaks these unstated rules. I would ask the Moderators to please clarify how we are to determine at what point arguing becomes “continuous” and is in danger of breaking this unwritten rule.
2. Whining
Again, there does not appear to be any rule against whining. I would ask the Moderators to please point out the passage where whining is prohibited. It would be helpful to know how “whining” differs from “calling attention to one’s concerns”. I ask the Moderators to explain the difference between the two, and I will be sure to refrain from “whining” and henceforth only “call attention to my concerns”.
3. Complaining about other Mods
I’m sure this reference to “other Mods” does not mean that I am a Mod, otherwise I could have unbanned myself. I will assume that this was written by SIP and the “other Mod” is Olwen. I would ask SIP to please show where I have recently complained about Olwen. (If I am mistaken, and this was written by Olwen, please show me where I have recently complained about SIP.) Also please show where it is against the rules to complain to Moderators, or to complain about Moderators.
If one’s complaints are justified, what would be an appropriate way to address them fairly and effectively?
4. Complaining about other members
Please show where I have recently complained about other members, and where in the rules I am forbidden from doing so. It is reasonable and right to complain about members who break the rules by writing “false, inaccurate, abusive, (and) hateful” posts. Again, if one’s complaints are justified, what would be an appropriate way to address them fairly and effectively?
I would also appreciate Moderator responses to the following questions:
1. Has no other HPN member argued for long stretches on the political threads? If they have, why have they not been banned, or at least warned?
2. Has no other HPN member whined about anything on the forum? If they have, why have they not been banned, or at least warned?
3. Am I to believe you Moderators do not complain to each other about me? And that your friends have not complained to you about me? If you have complained to each other about me -- a member of this forum, like any other member -- why haven’t you all banned each other?
To sum up, none of these charges are against the rules, and therefore none were an appropriate basis for banning me. At least part -- and perhaps all -- of the charges could be said of any number of members, and yet no one else has been banned for arguing, complaining, or whining. I can only assume, then, that the real reason for banning me has not yet been stated.
I look forward to a rational and calm discussion about this.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So here is the official reason the Moderators gave for the permanent ban:
"n/a"
"Not applicable." In other words, "We don't have to give you a reason. We are above reproach."