billege

warrrreagl....

Ok, our mods are not insane. I can't see it as a remote possibility that any member would be banned for poking around to see why a loser got banned. I suppose if you started PMing mods, or opening threads just to say "You a-hole banned a person for no reason and you suck you bastards," then you might get talked to. You know?

I'd also like to opine that you've got a really odd way of looking at some things. Specifically the way you look at your role in "getting someone banned." You're just taking ownership of things that aren't yours to own.

Thinking of sacrificing your participation here, because you're "too worried that I'd "killed" someone," is just wrong. Plain wrong.

Let me explain why I feel this way, and I hope you take it to heart.

(I can't speak FOR the mods, but I've been a member for a long time, I can speak to the TFP's, and mod's behavior over the past years.)

First off: you aren't responsible for what happens to a member if you bring a post, or posts, to a mod's attention.

PERSONAL responsibility is how things work here. If you decide this post offends you, and you report me to a mod, s/he is going to look at my words. I understand they work closely together to achieve consistency and fairness. If they agree with you, that what I've written is offensive, and more to the point, not part of the TFP's culture or mission, I'll get a PM from the mods. How I react to a PM is all mine, as was responsibility for what I wrote.

See, you have no ownership of my words, or my behavior. If I tell a mod to "fuck off, I'll post what I want," and get banned, how in the world did you cause that? Did you come to my house and make me post? I don't think so.

warrrreagl, you're upholding your responsibilities to this community by telling mods, "hey, I think this needs looking at." The community appreciates it, as I do too. I know the mods do too.

You do not need to, and really should not, ever feel any guilt for reporting a post to a mod. You had nothing to do with the poster's actions. Nothing.

The loser is ultimately responsible for his or her own banning. It's not the mod's fault. It's not your fault.

This community goes to great lengths to make very clear what our expectations are. We have stickies, we have a newbie forum, we have thousands of members willing to provide gentle nudges. When nudges don't work, we have mods. They go to, at great personal expense, great lengths to work with a troubled member. Mods help them understand why and how their post is an issue. Whatever happens, it's a member's responsibility to own their behavior. Not yours.

If you're reporting things that are NOT a problem, don't worry, you'll likely hear back from a mod, "hey buddy, I see your point, but we're going to do this...." I don't think you ever have to worry that a mod would go off half-cocked and ban someone because you reported a post. That's just not going to happen.

Chill out, keep on posting, and remember that this community depends on you to actively report things that are not part of our culture. I say "good job" to you.

__________________
I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence:
"My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."