Where's the free speech in this?

I’m honestly pretty disappointed by the Ban's decision regarding one of our users. I have to ask: do we actually have freedom of speech here to express our views publicly, or are we all just supposed to keep our heads down and stay quiet?
I happened to see her post, and it didn't break a single rule on this forum. It actually scares me that a user like Napornin got banned just for answering a question about "what people are saying where they live."

Her response was basically this:

People here—and I mean this—are disgusted, angry, and scared. From what I hear from Americans I talk to, many would rather stop watching the news altogether. On news sites, I can't even quote the comments mocking their left-leaning liberals and journalists. There's even a petition started here in the States to cut off government subsidies for NBC (you know, the national broadcaster everyone is forced to pay for through taxes regardless of whether they own a TV or just a tiny radio)...

What was so controversial about that post that an exemplary member like her gets banned?
If I'm breaking any rules by posting this, feel free to ban my account too.
I know plenty of people here support her, especially since we all know Napornin and her long, honorable history on this forum.
Thanks 🙂

Fortunately, I don't feel any burning need to lurk in this thread or contribute much to it—even though I see some of these people out and about in my own city, so I can't say I'm fully aware of all the specific debates happening here. However, I did take a look at Dorijan’s guide when he was locking the thread regarding the moderation of this discussion. If the core issue here is supposedly "hate speech," and if this specific post is the reason she received a ban, then frankly, I think there's been a massive misunderstanding—it seems someone has confused actual hate speech with simply reporting on its existence within a certain community.
I'm weighing in to support the enrollment because I know Napornin personally, and believe me, she understands exactly what hate speech is and just how dangerous it can be.

Rachel Palmer56 said:I’m totally floored by the Ban on Napornin. Seriously, what happened to having an actual opinion here? Do we just have to keep our heads buried in the sand if we want to stay on this forum?
I stumbled upon her post, and honestly, she didn't break a single rule. It actually scares me that someone like Napornin gets banned just for answering a simple question about "what people are saying where they live."

Her response was basically:

People are, frankly, disgusted, angry, and terrified. Americans I talk to say they don't even want to watch the news anymore. On the news sites, I can't even quote the comments mocking the liberal elites and journalists, let alone mention how there's even a petition circulating in the States to cut off government subsidies for NBC (that state-run broadcaster everyone is forced to pay for via their license fees regardless of whether they own a TV or just a tiny radio)...

What was so controversial about that post that an exemplary member like her gets slapped with a ban?
If this post breaks any rules, feel free to come for my handle too.
I think anyone who’s been around long enough to know Napornin's long and honorable track record here will back me up.
Thanks 🙂

I’m right behind you on this one..
Unfortunately, Napornin was actually replying to me..
Let me just copy my post from the thread about the warnings:

"Look, I love that the mods are active, but this immigration thread is getting out of hand.. you can't even have a relaxed conversation because posts are being deleted and warnings are flying left and right..
Personally, the warning I just got doesn't bother me much—I'm a pretty low-key user and unlikely to rack up enough points to get officially 'punished'—but I agree with you, lonebadger6 is definitely handing out warnings for no reason..

I got flagged because I asked a user living in Europe to give us some first-hand info on how Americans are reacting to the chaos hitting the continent (of course, her post was nuked, along with the post from romantic ass, who chimed in with an example from Sweden), and then I asked why their replies were being wiped..

So, here’s the play-by-play:
Me: Hey Napornin, what’s the vibe in the US? Can we get some first-hand intel?
Napornin answers.. romantic ass jumps in with the Sweden example..
I try to reply to them a few minutes later, and boom—posts are gone..
Me: Where did Napornin’s info on the American mood and romantic ass’s bit about Sweden go?
Then I get a private message..

Basically, we're dealing with a situation that's bringing the whole West to its knees, but apparently, lonebadger6 thinks it’s wrong to ask fellow users living abroad to tell us what the atmosphere is like in their neck of the woods..

Again, I'm not sweating the warning, and I'm not asking for it to be removed, but I think lonebadger6 is overreaching in an attempt to control the topic, which just kills any real discussion..

It’s a shame. This is the first time I’ve had a complaint about the politics section, which I’ve always thought was one of the best-run parts of this site, along with the mods who run it. I’ve always had nothing but good things to say until now.."

Sorry, Rachel Palmer56, but the answer to your question is pretty simple: we don't have the right to express ourselves here, no matter how nicely we wrap it up..

At first glance, Napornin’s post might look pretty harmless. But if you take a second to really look closer, it’s definitely not quite what it seems. It’s actually incredibly easy to rearrange those specific letters to turn the message into some serious hate speech. I honestly have to give a huge shout-out to the moderator for spotting that and shutting it down immediately.

Napornin, that was a sneaky way to try and slip it past us, but it won't work on this board!

Do we have the right to express our own opinions? Of course we do...

Do you actually have the right to comment on the moderation? No, you don't, because it’s clearly laid out in the forum rules, the subforum guidelines, and probably mentioned a thousand other times besides... getting a strike for something like that carries a 30-point penalty...

So exhausting...:

I’d better not start quoting people’s reactions, unless I’m looking to get an immediate ban from this incredibly beautiful, humanitarian, and highly enlightened forum...

Maria Reyes35:

Where did all those posts from Napornin about the town halls in Oregon and the romantic spots in Washington disappear to...

If you ever find yourselves wondering why someone else actually got a card in the future, feel free to just ask, rather than typing out these endless manifestos built on nothing but pure guesswork...

It was meant to be ironic. Honestly, sometimes that’s just healthy—it's how a person vents their frustrations when they feel like they have absolutely no agency in the situation.
If you all keep going down this path, people are going to start turning to satire to make their points, and I know that isn't something you want to deal with. This forum is filled with sharp, witty individuals, and let’s not forget that fighting for one's freedom is a fundamental right for everyone.☕

You're all overreacting. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if everyone just took a breath and chilled out a little. There's something incredibly intense—almost absurd, really—about the way the "topic guidelines" claim that hate speech will be "cut off at the root."😱

Maybe you didn't quite catch my drift, so I'll try being much more direct...

On this forum, discussing the moderation team within specific threads is strictly against the rules.

There. Short and sweet. No exceptions allowed. There is an entire sub-forum dedicated specifically to that kind of talk, which is exactly where we are right now...

Look, I get what you're saying, but honestly? People are clearly hitting a breaking point here.

This could very well be the root of the issue—I'm actually quoting supermoderator Dorijan directly

- Since I stepped in as a supermod over at Politics (and likely even longer than that, though I can only speak for my actual tenure here), there hasn't been a single instance where a moderator was told to stay away from a thread in the Politics section. Basically, nobody is being discouraged from stepping in, let alone being forced to step back.

So, here’s the thing: in your attempt to avoid "discouraging" anyone, you're essentially allowing someone who lacks experience—or frankly, someone who isn't quite ready for the job—to moderate the most volatile, powder-keg topic on this entire forum. And then, predictably, people like Napornin end up getting banned. Well, newsflash: someone has to learn how to do this, and mistakes are part of the process.

I see you weren't kidding after all 🙂 Napornin ended up getting banned because she decided to lecture the moderators. It’s so incredibly obvious that this ongoing "misunderstanding" can't be anything other than blatant trolling, which is also against the rules...

EDIT: To be more precise, since I know how things work here, she only got a warning for commenting on the moderation team. She actually hit the ban threshold because she racked up five warnings from four different moderators in such a short window, which gave her just enough points to get kicked out...

lonebadger6 Asks:
Do you have the right to speak your mind? Yeah, absolutely... I mean, of course you do...

Do you have the right to comment on how the moderation is handled? Well, nope—you don't... it’s clearly laid out in the forum rules, then again in the sub-forum guidelines, and honestly, it's been pointed out about a thousand other times too... anyway, getting a strike for that kind of thing carries a 30-point penalty.

lonebadger6 said:Maybe I didn't quite make myself clear—so let me try this again, but much shorter...

So, just a heads-up for everyone hanging out here—on this forum, we have a strict rule against commenting on the moderation itself within the discussion threads... it keeps things from getting too messy, I guess—so let's just keep the focus on the topics at hand and leave the mod talk for elsewhere... stays much calmer that way...

Do you remember what I wrote—I think I mentioned this to you specifically once—about how moderation isn't just about slapping stickers on things wherever you feel like... it’s more about making sure the environment and the whole atmosphere stay right for everyone to have a comfortable discussion...

Check out these revolutionary ideas... so, yeah, apparently there's a non-moderation policy regarding commenting on the mods—but instead of just dropping a massive, angry rant or getting hit with a ban, you could just delete or edit your post. Honestly, isn't that kind of genius?... 🙂

lonebadger6

So, I just got hit with a strike, and honestly? There’s zero explanation for why I was flagged...
Was it the trolling? Was I talking back to the mods? Insulting someone? Stirring the pot or derailing the thread? Who knows...
The fact that there isn't even a reason listed in the notification just goes to show how clueless I am when it comes to getting penalized on this site.

But seriously, what actually caught me off guard wasn't even the strike itself—it was the sudden mass deletion of posts and the flurry of strikes without a single warning.
Look, I get it. If a moderator calls out a thread for going off the rails—assuming they aren't just being power-trippy—and people keep ignoring them, then fine. Let the mod broom sweep the floor. But doing it mid-conversation, nuking a bunch of posts and handing out penalties out of nowhere without any heads-up? That's just messy.

I can already hear the replies: "It's the mods' call, they have the authority, deal with it." And yeah, okay, fine, I accept that. But I've been hanging around this forum for years, and I have never seen anyone manage a thread quite like this.

Since playing games or begging to have my strike removed is pointless, and I'm really just here to vent about how much I hate this style of moderation,
Peace out.

@ Eminem 🙂 It all comes down to how much the mods decide to step in... and whether that user is already on thin ice with a bunch of warnings. Or maybe they just got a yellow card the night before because a mod was feeling generous and sent them a DM to chill out before things escalated. And honestly, they aren't the only one, since we all know this topic is a powder keg... some people take the hint and back off, others argue a bit through private messages and stay civil, while some just refuse to listen 🙂

Creating a decent vibe where people can actually talk comfortably is also on the users themselves.

That goes for every single thread, including this one. If you’re confused about something, just ask—you can always hit me up via DM or post right here in the subforum. But please, don't start those "freedom of speech" threads using quotes from posts that didn't even get flagged... if you don't actually know what's going on, just don't 🙂 I think avoiding that would help keep the atmosphere a lot more relaxed 😉

Look, posts generally can't be edited unless it's just minor cosmetic tweaks. Either way, the actual content stays put. That might have been allowed once upon a time, but it hasn't been the rule for years now. Please don't try to teach people how our moderation works here.

The Provenance, if you aren't clear on why the warning was issued, just ask a moderator over at the Democratic Party or start a thread in the official appeals section...

Once there's an actual discussion about the immigration thread—one based on full quotes rather than just snippets where the controversial parts are missing—then feel free to come here and file an appeal. This situation is just another example of why we don't support appeals filed on behalf of someone else. The person who received the warning knows exactly what happened, and they'll get a message showing their full post, which they can then use in their own appeal if the reasoning seems unclear. That way, the entire context is visible.

Exactly.