Quote:
Originally posted by shakran
OK, I'm confused now. Where the hell did that come from? The admins haven't been banning people for their opinions. If they were I'd be banned right now. BuDDaH and I have been going at it like crazy in a thread over in the politics forum for over a week now and I have not been banned, disciplined, or threatened in any way. A lot of you guys seem to be running around pretending this is Russia in the 1950's, where if you say anything the "officials" don't like, you quickly disappear. While that may be a fun paranoid fantasy to hold, it's just not happening around here.
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Well my post above was an opinion gotten from the info in this thread and info from trusted other members who remain nameless. My opinion is just that, and I know it changes nothing and I didn't post it with that intention or with the intention to create any more drama. Let me just say that I've come here and been very careful about things I post to avoid the ban screen, and the times I have taken a risk have always been deleted as being too controversial for this forum. I don't like it and I have less desire to contrib but I know I'm low on the pecking order here, a face in the crowd so to speak, so I post it somewhere that welcomes it and chalk it up as a loss.
I see a lot of posters who seemed pretty cool who all the sudden are banned with no way to know why they were banned...the post(s) they were banned for are deleted. I can't figure why whoaitsz was banned save for his final journal entry, and I disagree with that too. He made a stand on how he felt about journal monitoring, and while his entry remains his entire board account is taken away. This guy gave a lot to the forum, honestly more than I have, and his anger shows he felt betrayed by his community.
I know you, the TFP, owe no one anything and it's free to post here, but I think banning a good community member for disagreeing with the leaders of his community isn't the best way to go. I know his tone was vehement, but I think it demonstrates his involvement in the community. He's never been a troll that I've seen. I see this and have every reason to think I'm next. I've posted several times during my time here thinking I'll come back to the banned screen when I log back in. I've had several benign posts deleted, some were understood after a PM, others are still a mystery. If a good poster like whoaitsz can be banned I surely can. That was the reason I said that above.
I like and respect the intelligence of a good amount of ppl here, and I like that flames are controlled, but I definitely feel I post under the shadow of a ban. I make sure my posts are as clear and non threatening and I'm sorry to say, at times PC as possible and I still expect to be banned one day for someone taking something the wrong way. If I feel this way, I can guarantee others do as well.
This place has evolved and still is evolving. Of course there will be kinks to iron out, and I know it's believed you don't have to serve all the interests of your members. But members are human too and vent and spout off sometimes. It's like when your SO really pisses you off but 3 hours later you want to hug her again. I've been in the thick of forum drama as a moderator, and I know a troll from a disgruntled community member. I am just saying ppl should be given less to worry about being banned, because I know I am not alone in my words but I'll let them speak if they wish.