12 replies to this topic

[ViolettVol]

I just found out that The Fountain was "temporarily banned" from this forum. I am apalled because I alwasy valued his posts and never saw anything in them that would warrant a ban. He has been helpful to me many times and It's sad for me to see him receive such treatment. If there are some issues between him and other members of the forum, maybe they should settle them in private messages and the moderators should stay out of it instead of favoritising some members over others. I'm really disappointed. I want The Fountain Back here or I might consider leaving this place myself.

[maxwatt]

The ban is temporary, and was warranted by repeated ad hominem posts and almost trollish behavior, despite repeated warnings over time. It is a cooling-off period, not outright banishment. Had not many of his posts been useful, that would have been an option.

[ViolettVol]

The ban is temporary, and was warranted by repeated ad hominem posts and almost trollish behavior, despite repeated warnings over time. It is a cooling-off period, not outright banishment. Had not many of his posts been useful, that would have been an option.

And which were those ad hominem posts and what are the examples of his trollish behaviour? Im asking because I dont like to see someone sort of "convicted" without proof. If anything, The Fountain's posts have always struck me as elegantly worded and courteous. He even defended me from some potentially sexist comments on one thread. Some jokes/attacks directed AT him in certain treads, on the other hand, WERE ad hominem and - not to use fantasy metaphors - plain rude. I did not see THOSE users banned.

[1kgcoffee]

What little I have read of the recent drama did not seem to be bannable/trollish behavior. Would you mind citing specific examples?
I actually kind of got the impression that gaslighting was going on. Like TheFountain was being messed with a little bit and then made to seem like a lunatic for bringing it up. Then temp-banned for showing some emotion. Not saying that's necessarily the case, but it would be nice to clear the air with some examples. If it is the case that some mods dislike him, why? Does it have to do with the fact that he's a non-contributing member, his outspoken anti-paleo views? Was a rude PM sent that we are not aware of? I'm not accusing the mods of unjust behavior, but I would to know more of the details.

[maxwatt]

There were a number of PMs back and forth between the individual and a number of moderators.. I was not aware at the inception what was going on, nor did I have much to do with the denouement, but there have been issues for some time, staying near the line and occasionally crossing it. There have been an umber of warnings in the past, more than would normally have led to banishment. The reactions to criticism bordered on instability, IMO. I believe the cooling off period is only for a few days.

[niner]

Was a rude PM sent that we are not aware of? I'm not accusing the mods of unjust behavior, but I would to know more of the details.

Yes, there were some PMs that were beyond rude. This thread is the one that precipitated a short (72 hr) 'cooling off period' (i.e. a posting ban).

[ViolettVol]

I think there should be some policy against messing with members - we are trying to have serious discussions here and if someone was doing things just trying to get a rise out of The Fountain, its them who should get a warning not him . I've always found his language very scientific and if someone prefers colloquialisms thats their deal. I would start swearing too if people constantly downgraded my posts just for fun.

[mikeinnaples]

You are making a rather large assumption that his posts get downgraded for fun rather than content. Shoot me a private message and I will be happy to at least expain to you why he has gotten down votes from me in the past. I cant speak for anyone else though of course.

[ViolettVol]

You are making a rather large assumption that his posts get downgraded for fun rather than content. Shoot me a private message and I will be happy to at least expain to you why he has gotten down votes from me in the past. I cant speak for anyone else though of course.

Tried to pm yopu but the forum says i ve used up all my pms for the day even though i have nit used this feature today, what is usp?

[Brafarality]

Fountain's cool, plain and simple.
I think most people who devote their time and effort into an exchange of opinions and knowledge on one particular forum become guarded because of all the effort put into establishing a name and presence: And, of course, anyone can leave any forum at any time, but sometimes people devote months and years into a profile on any particular forum and I can sort of see how it could be disturbing to have a new moderator come along and take a disliking to someone. Like, wow, I just put months into this online dialog and made many friends and acquaintances and now am being ostracized because I offended the wrong person. True, a moderator's power is the most petty of powers and, therefore, there is a tendency to inflate it just to feel more important.

I forget who wrote it, but a moderator in a thread I browsed recently wrote something like this:

"Because you refused to heed our warnings, and because you refuse to be polite, this thread is....LOCKED!"

THIS person should be banned before The Fountain, just for thinking and writing like that because it indicates a self-important dramatic flair that is wholly unwarranted in a position that is supposed to promote vibrant discourse and community. Just my thoughts.

Edited by Brafarality, 28 October 2011 - 05:34 AM.

[ViolettVol]

Fountain's cool, plain and simple.
I think most people who devote their time and effort into an exchange of opinions and knowledge on one particular forum become guarded because of all the effort put into establishing a name and presence: And, of course, anyone can leave any forum at any time, but sometimes people devote months and years into a profile on any particular forum and I can sort of see how it could be disturbing to have a new moderator come along and take a disliking to someone. Like, wow, I just put months into this online dialog and made many friends and acquaintances and now am being ostracized because I offended the wrong person. True, a moderator's power is the most petty of powers and, therefore, there is a tendency to inflate it just to feel more important.

I forget who wrote it, but a moderator in a thread I browsed recently wrote something like this:

"Because you refused to heed our warnings, and because you refuse to be polite, this thread is....LOCKED!"

THIS person should be banned before The Fountain, just for thinking and writing like that because it indicates a self-important dramatic flair that is wholly unwarranted in a position that is supposed to promote vibrant discourse and community. Just my thoughts.

I totally agree, I though moderators as is the case in most forums, at least those I moderated, are volunteers who get the special tag under their name and some authority to keep forum going smoothly. However, they are not supposed to be tyrants and have unlimited powers, forming alliances with certain users and taking a dislike to others.

A healthy discussion is where all opinions are welcome and sometimes these discussions get heated! Just look at political debates - swearwords get used there as well! A moderator might caution people to use more productive wording, but just closing a discussion because it isnt going the way a certain group of users would like it to go is an easy and cowardly way out. I've read the threads Fountain mentioned and can clearly see he was goaded into getting angry and then punished for expressing emotion. Well, let me tell you that is preschooler behavior. Target a person on and on and then punish them if they push back . Very adult. Some of the best advice I got on this forum was from The Fountain and I have absolutely no issue with his way of expressing himself. He is self confident, which every knowledgable person has a right to be. If you dislike his opinions you can make that known without becoming offensive jokesters and then running to the mods for protection. I though this forum was supposed to be a democracy, not a tyrrany ran by a group or cronies.

[niner]

I don't have time to go into the details, but you guys are only seeing a fraction of the picture. The short ban that was given to TheFountain was not unreasonable. You just don't know the whole story.

[The Immortalist]

I would start swearing too if people constantly downgraded my posts just for fun.

It's just an online forum . If someone is swearing and getting upset just because of getting their posts negatively voted by some other user than that person is obviously immature.