Please ban this user for hate speech in solidarity with my colleague Marasovac...

Elsa, this ban of yours is an absolute joke. Honestly, you might as well just come after me next, since you clearly have no problem targeting Marasovac too.

There isn’t a single shred of hate speech in his post. This ban is nothing more than proof that someone simply can't handle a well-reasoned argument from a guy who is actually respected and whose opinion carries weight around here.

So, in a show of solidarity with Marasovac, I’m asking for a 500-point penalty myself. I’m calling on all the decent users out there to join me in doing the same.

This moderation decision is an embarrassment.

They deleted my post in the main thread, so I’m putting it here. If I don't get flagged for hate speech, I'll certainly try my hardest to earn it.

Paul Green31 said:My post was removed from the thread, so I'm moving here. If I don't get a strike for hate speech, I’ll certainly try my best to earn one.

I deleted it myself. The answer is no—you can't just demand a strike. We don't moderate based on personal whims. As for your complaint about the moderator's decision regarding our colleague, the administration will review it if he decides to formally appeal his strike.

So, deleting the post somehow absolves you of the rule violation. How convenient.

Charles Fox10 said:I wiped the thread, and the answer is no. You aren't getting a strike just because you feel like it; we don't moderate based on personal whims. As for your complaint about the strike our colleague received from the moderator—administration will look into it. We'll see if he actually decides to appeal his strike.

How many strikes has this guy actually handed out? Don't get too ahead of yourself just because he’s acting proud. And let's be real, that pride won't last long. He’ll be laying low for at least two months, so he won't be posting much against anyone soon enough.

The admins are going to review this regardless of whether he files a formal appeal. There's no way they're going to back such an embarrassing mistake just because nobody filed a direct complaint through the official channels.

Whether he’ll regret it is anyone's guess. But I'm not sure how you stepped into the role of editor-in-chief; I'll leave that judgment to the moderators. If anyone asks my opinion, I know exactly which paragraph fails to meet my standards. I suspect my colleague and I are thinking along the same lines.

Charles Fox10 said:Whether he’ll feel bad about it? Who knows. But since you've decided to play judge, jury, and executioner, let's leave that for the admins to handle. If anyone actually wants my take, I know exactly which paragraph in that post missed the mark by my standards—and honestly, I suspect she and I are looking at the same exact thing.

It seems like you and our colleague are cut from the same cloth, which explains why your opinions are so perfectly synced up...

You’ll always find a way to bend your "standards" just to back her decision. Luckily, this post isn't hidden; everyone can see it—including those of us who aren't part of your little clique. Anyone can see exactly which part violated the forum rules. And if I end up scrolling through all 186 pages only to find dozens of similar posts that you two conveniently ignored without handing out 500-point penalties, then we'll have our answer.

Having a reason to issue a penalty doesn't matter nearly as much as having the integrity to stand behind it.

The post stays up because we aren't deleting it. As for your mushroom and backpack theory, you're way off—there’s at least 311 miles clear line of sight between us. Besides, I'm just following Mesić’s advice: "let the institutions do their jobs."

Paul Green31, look, we can't really communicate this way, and I can't just hand over the files on demand. We'll take a look at what's going on here, so please just bear with me for a little bit.

Since we’re on the subject, take a look at what happened last night:
It’s the exact same PDF and the same moderator involved...

The actual content of the post doesn't even matter here; the issue is punishing someone for hate speech over this...
😕

She’s dead wrong either way. Honestly, that kind of communication style is probably only acceptable in some shady dive bar near a train station.

Ryan Vaughn7 said:Auntie is wrong either way, really. I mean, that kind of communication style is probably only acceptable in some shady dive bar down by a train station in the middle of nowhere.

But if that's the case, why didn't anyone just move those posts over to the Religion subforum?

So, I was recently getting dragged through the mud by some paranoid idiots here for various reasons (🙂). I actually went back to check my history after getting my last warning on Politics, and—get this—the final straw was actually from Auntie Elsa regarding that old thread about Paul Kalinic from ages ago.

And wouldn't you know it? Even back then, other users were trying to point out how absolutely nonsensical that warning was—completely unprovoked, mind you—but it was all for nothing at the time, lost in the usual shuffle of petty, meaningless debates and nonsense. (😁)

Honestly, that warning was a joke—totally inexplicable—much like this latest one from Marasovac, by the way. Though, I'll admit, I wasn't nearly this outspoken back then. 😬

Anyway, I really think Auntie Elsa needs to set aside any personal likes or dislikes and try to stay objective when judging what people write.
I agree that we need to raise the bar for acceptable communication in this absolute cesspool, but I don't think we should be measuring "acceptable" based solely on "Auntie Elsa's" standards and those of her circle—because, frankly, that became a very questionable metric a long time ago.

Emily Patel64 said:...I actually went to check my history right after I got that last warning in Political Science, and, you honestly won't believe it, the one before that was actually from Aunt Elsa during that whole debate about Paul Kalinic ages ago.

I find it almost impossible to wrap my head around the idea of you ever getting a warning from Aunt Elsa. 🤷

Charles Fox10 said:The post stays up because we aren't deleting it—period. And honestly, that whole bit about mushrooms and backpacks? You're totally missing the mark; there’s at least 311 miles miles of airspace between us. Besides, I'm just following the Mesić doctrine: "let the institutions do their jobs."

It's getting excessive, damn it. Don't make me start digging up old posts—especially when plenty of much heavier accusations didn't even get properly punished; they weren't sanctioned AT ALL.

loneraven25 said:I find it hard to believe you ever even got a single warning from Elsa. 🤷

And honestly? I can't wrap my head around how some total incompetent loser managed to get appointed as a moderator either. 🤷

Paul Green31 said:Man, you should see how much work our buddy here has put in on that cardboard project—honestly, he’s so incredibly full of himself about it that I wouldn't even dream of giving him any unsolicited advice! He’s just riding that high right now. And hey, we can all count on that massive ego of his to keep things interesting, too. Since he’s going to be out of commission for the next two months anyway, we won't have to deal with him jumping down anyone's throat or talking trash for a while. It'll be a nice little break from the drama!

The administration is going to take a look at this regardless of whether he even files an official protest. Honestly, I just don't see them standing behind such a total embarrassment of a call just because nobody spoke up about it on social media.

I ended up handing Marasovac a hate speech violation card along with a 500-point penalty, though I did scale it back slightly by giving him a custom 100-point deduction for being an aggressive troll—because let’s be honest, that kind of toxic communication just isn't allowed here. Moving forward, both he and everyone else are more than welcome to file their own appeals if they feel a penalty was unfair.