What's the worst ban a forum member can get?

Daniel Ward87 said:The ultimate punishment for anyone on a Forum is getting promoted to moderator. 🙂

Lmao, okay, that’s officially the quote of the year. 🙂

Is deleting a post even considered a punishment? Honestly, I don't think so, because the whole point is just to defend the vibe or get things back on track on Reddit, not to actually penalize someone for breaking a rule. Plus, those Cardboard posts can sometimes just stay up anyway.

ambermason16 said:🙂

Let me break this down for you... just look at what happened the other day. Someone dug up a thread from 2005 and reignited a massive argument they weren't even part of, all because some moronic post hadn't been deleted yet. By the time I checked back a few hours later, four people were already locked in a total meltdown. 😬 The issue isn't about suppressing views or being "primitive." The real problem is that most users—with very few exceptions—get way too emotionally invested in the Forum. They lose all sense of restraint and launch into these collective pile-ons the second they spot a disgusting post. It’s constant mockery when someone posts something that clearly wasn't written by a Mensa member, or endless off-topic chatter when someone drops a chat-style comment. Nobody is hiding anyone's opinions or covering anything up; we are simply steering the conversation back to the actual topic and making sure it stays in a format that everyone can actually tolerate.

Just imagine walking into a thread for the first time, only to find twenty pages of pure chaos because someone decided to claim women belong in the kitchen when the topic was supposed to be interior design. Wouldn't you immediately think the moderators had lost their minds? 😁

The fact that we might archive or "card" a post before leaving it up doesn't stop people from jumping in to argue, and argue, and argue again. Honestly, I get it sometimes because an absolutely unforgivable comment will pop up every now and then... but that doesn't change the reality: a post needs to be scrubbed before it ruins both the entire thread and the reputation of the community.

That’s the fault of the colleague who didn't check when the thread was originally written.
Something else irritates me.
A user posts something attacking me—borderline insulting. I respond. Maybe my response was worse and earned me a Cardboard warning. I won't argue that point. My post gets deleted, but theirs stays up. That’s what bugs me. 🙂🙂
It also drives me crazy when I get a warning while the guy who provoked me gets nothing. 🙂

Daniel Ward87 said:The ultimate punishment for anyone on a Forum is getting promoted to moderator. 🙂

I'll probably end up with a Cardboard because of you. 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

analogwalker5 said:Is deleting a post even considered a punishment? Honestly, I don't think so, because the whole point is just to defend the vibe or get things back on track on Reddit, not to actually penalize someone for breaking a rule. Plus, those Cardboard posts can sometimes just stay up anyway.

Is deleting a post actually considered a penalty or not? I honestly have no clue...
All I know is that this whole "training for toughness" thing just really rubs me the wrong way... Just feeling a bit frustrated...
I can't quite put my finger on why this hits me so hard. I can't really explain it logically...
I know a moderator making a move like that isn't exactly "fighting a losing battle," but whatever... it still bugs me, plain and simple...😳
Maybe... this reminds me of something... I can't quite put my finger on it... Just like this one...
In my two years on Reddit and through about 700 posts, I’ve managed to stay unbanned... Not even the one for hitting the point limit or that sudden one that catches you off guard. I've picked up a few Cardboards and a few extra points here and there, but nothing too crazy...
Four deleted posts? Honestly, that's a pretty small number. But I have to say, seeing them get wiped out rubbed me the wrong way. In my opinion, there wasn't anything controversial in there at all. I wasn't picking fights, and I definitely wasn't being insulting. It didn't feel like they were even necessary to "restore order" to the thread...
If the mods think their "controversial" posts actually deserve a penalty, I’d much rather see them hand out actual yellow or red cards... maybe even attach some specific point deductions to each one...
Just a heads-up for next time... 😉

Brandon Lopez6 said:Honestly, a permanent ban is the only thing I’m actually "afraid" of. That’s the ultimate penalty for me.
So far, I haven't had any of my posts deleted—not that I’ve ever written anything so legendary that I’d think, "Man, this belongs in a museum, or maybe pinned as a site-wide announcement because it's just that good." 🤷

I’ve been suspended once, I think 🤔. It wasn't exactly a tragedy; you just sit back, lurk for three days without posting, and then you're back in the game. A temporary timeout is one thing, but a permaban? Being locked out from commenting for six months or forever? That's different. I’d probably be bummed about not swapping emails with certain people since most of our chats happen in DMs, and then I'd have to deal with the hassle of making a burner account just to reach out. And knowing how this place works, they'd probably sniff out the clone and... yeah, forget it. I'm not looking to appeal a permanent ban anytime soon. 😬

Most of the time, when I get flagged, I know I earned it. Usually, after a post gets nuked, I’m just sitting there waiting for the DM notification to hit. 😬But sometimes, the worst part isn't even the penalty itself—it's the injustice of it. It bugs me way more when the person who baited me walks away scot-free while I’m the one getting the strike. Getting penalized while the instigator stays clean? That’s what really sends my blood pressure through the roof. 🙂

I didn't vote in that poll above because none of those options really qualify as the "worst" punishment to me. To be real, all of that is just part of life on an online community. It’s like being in school—some kids got failing grades, some got kicked out of class, some even caught a slap from the teacher. Everyone experiences it differently; some go through the whole gauntlet, some only half, and some stay totally untouched. But honestly, I think users who have never even seen a single warning are a pretty rare breed. 😬

I'm not looking to offend anyone, and I definitely don't use hate speech. I'm really not a hateful person, and I'm certainly not trying to start any drama...
Sure, I get misunderstood every now and then. I do my best to clear things up whenever I can, but if that doesn't work, at least I know I tried. Beyond that... it’s out of my hands. Same goes for being permabanned...

ambermason16 said:🙂

Let me break this down for you... just look at what happened the other day. Someone dug up a thread from 2005 and reignited a massive argument they weren't even part of, all because some moronic post hadn't been deleted yet. By the time I checked back a few hours later, four people were already locked in a total meltdown. 😬 The issue isn't about suppressing views or being "primitive." The real problem is that most users—with very few exceptions—get way too emotionally invested in the Forum. They lose all sense of restraint and launch into these collective pile-ons the second they spot a disgusting post. It’s constant mockery when someone posts something that clearly wasn't written by a Mensa member, or endless off-topic chatter when someone drops a chat-style comment. Nobody is hiding anyone's opinions or covering anything up; we are simply steering the conversation back to the actual topic and making sure it stays in a format that everyone can actually tolerate.

Just imagine walking into a thread for the first time, only to find twenty pages of pure chaos because someone decided to claim women belong in the kitchen when the topic was supposed to be interior design. Wouldn't you immediately think the moderators had lost their minds? 😁

The fact that we might archive or "card" a post before leaving it up doesn't stop people from jumping in to argue, and argue, and argue again. Honestly, I get it sometimes because an absolutely unforgivable comment will pop up every now and then... but that doesn't change the reality: a post needs to be scrubbed before it ruins both the entire thread and the reputation of the community.

If a post is gross, why just delete it? Wouldn't it be better to just ban the user instead? That would stop everyone else from posting about them automatically...
Even if someone drops a disgusting post and it flies under the radar for a while, I honestly think handing out a ban works better than just deleting it...
In that case, we should probably just wipe all the replies to that "questionable" post...
I was wondering, though—just so I don't get the wrong idea... what exactly counts as a "disgusting" post around here?...

I guess I'll start here... Mockery... When you spot a post that definitely wouldn't pass a Mensa entrance exam...

It’s honestly pretty arrogant—if you can even call it that—to assume our opinion carries more weight than anyone else's...
And secondly—why even bother deleting "low-value" posts?...
Wouldn't it be more logical—and honestly, just fairer—to penalize the people who started this whole thing by mocking others with those "low-value" posts?...
Isn't mocking people actually breaking the rules? Doesn't that deserve some kind of penalty?... 🤔

Just finished chatting... saw the new post...

Deleting chatty posts is fine if they get totally out of hand and turn a thread into nothing but a massive chat room...

Nobody's hiding anything or covering up what you guys think, just... Let's get back to the main point, and let's keep it civil enough for everyone on the Reddit to enjoy...

Just bringing the conversation back to center... keeping things friendly and easy for everyone on the forum... 😕
Are all you guys on Reddit actually just people with short fuses!?... 🤷
It feels like I'm coming to this conclusion... Just because there are a few short-fused people here who get offended easily and can't help but jump on a "controversial" post, does that mean we really need to cater to them? Like, should we actually start deleting posts just because they trigger someone... all just to keep the peace and maintain some fake sense of harmony...?
I wouldn't say that's quite right... 🤷
Just my humble opinion as an average Reddit user. Don't take it personally... 🙂

...Just because someone decides to box things up and walk away doesn't mean the rest of us on Reddit can't keep the conversation going... We'll just keep commenting on the controversial stuff forever if we want to... I get why people get heated sometimes. Occasionally, someone drops a comment that’s just totally unhingable... but that doesn't change anything. Posts need to be taken down before they tank the whole thread or mess up everyone's karma on Reddit...

Wait, isn't it actually against the rules to comment on Cardboard posts...?
Even if the comment on that controversial post doesn't break any laws...
That’s how they explained it to me recently...
So, I ended up getting a red card because apparently I broke the sub-forum rules and racked up 35 points... all just for commenting on parts of a post that had already been banned. I reached out to the moderator to ask for some clarification on what actually happened...
She told me she had to penalize me, even though there wasn't anything wrong with my post. Apparently, commenting on a thread that's already been sent to the Cardboard bin is against the rules... 😛
So... I’m just a few days away from hitting zero points on my infractions list. 🍿
It got me thinking—it would be great to actually add this specific explanation to the Reddit rules.
People will probably argue it’s unnecessary because it should be obvious.
But in a civilized society (including this community), a lot of things are just understood.
Still, someone here felt that even the "obvious" stuff needed to be written down as an official rule.
Like, you’d think a ban on harassment or hate speech would go without saying.
Yet, there it stands, proudly listed as one of our core rules.

So why not officially add a rule against commenting on Cardboard posts, even if it's clearly implied!?

Daniel Ward87 said:The ultimate punishment for anyone on a Forum is getting promoted to moderator. 🙂

👏

...if only they realized just how much truth there is in that statement! 😉

Daniel Ward87 said:The ultimate punishment for anyone on a Forum is getting promoted to moderator. 🙂

Look, man, I don't see it that way... nobody's forcing any moderator to pull duty. If someone's finding the whole thing too much to handle, they should just step down.

Honestly, when it comes to what actually hurts, the worst punishment in my book would be being stripped of the ability to speak my mind freely. But since that isn't exactly an option on the menu here, I guess I'll just go with a three-day ban from the poll questions instead. 🙂

In my book, the absolute worst kind of penalty is when I get hit with a strike for "insulting other users"
even though I haven't actually insulted anyone
or when they just cite "violating community guidelines"
without ever specifying which exact rule I supposedly broke

It’s also incredibly frustrating when a post gets flagged and removed simply because someone decided to report it

Look, I honestly don't care if my post gets deleted
or if I end up with a strike on my account
it’s just that when there’s zero explanation provided
that’s when I truly lose my cool, like a pressure cooker about to blow
God bless

Look, getting a Cardboard for breaking rules usually means you tripped over something listed in the pinned PDF at the top. Every single PDF has its own specific set of guidelines, so you really ought to read them before you start typing. What flies in one section of the Reddit might get you a Cardboard in another without any heads-up. If a moderator hands you one, you can always just ask them which exact rule you violated.

I normally include an explanation in the thread warning, but yeah, sometimes I just drop a Cardboard without much fanfare. The rules are right there at the top for everyone to read and figure out where they messed up. If things aren't clear, people can always just shoot me a DM and ask.

Yeah, I have to admit, things feel a bit confusing here sometimes
It seems like certain topics are totally fine on some subreddits
but they’re strictly off-limits on others
So, when I’m jumping between different subreddits
I honestly get a little mixed up in my head
And I’ll end up dropping a post in one section, completely forgetting that I’m not actually on the other one
which leads to me mixing up all the rules
And then there's the situation where I'm just trying to participate
only to have a mod hit me with a massive Cardboard penalty of about forty-five points
all within a two-month span

It kind of reminds me of those road trips I used to take
back when I was driving through the Midwest
like when you're heading from Ohio toward Tennessee
crossing through Indiana and Kentucky
where every single state seems to have its own weird set of driving laws
In one place you might need your headlights on during the day, and in another, you shouldn't
And heaven forbid you forget which rule applies where
because you'll get slapped with a fine that costs, I don't know, a couple hundred bucks
That’s pretty much how I feel whenever I'm navigating this site
switching back and forth between different subreddits

ironcobra13 said:Yeah, I have to admit, things feel a bit confusing here sometimes
It seems like certain topics are totally fine on some subreddits
but they’re strictly off-limits on others
So, when I’m jumping between different subreddits
I honestly get a little mixed up in my head
And I’ll end up dropping a post in one section, completely forgetting that I’m not actually on the other one
which leads to me mixing up all the rules
And then there's the situation where I'm just trying to participate
only to have a mod hit me with a massive Cardboard penalty of about forty-five points
all within a two-month span

It kind of reminds me of those road trips I used to take
back when I was driving through the Midwest
like when you're heading from Ohio toward Tennessee
crossing through Indiana and Kentucky
where every single state seems to have its own weird set of driving laws
In one place you might need your headlights on during the day, and in another, you shouldn't
And heaven forbid you forget which rule applies where
because you'll get slapped with a fine that costs, I don't know, a couple hundred bucks
That’s pretty much how I feel whenever I'm navigating this site
switching back and forth between different subreddits

Man, if he’s hitting someone with a 45-point Cardboard penalty after only two months, that would be the "instant ban" territory. Since we have strict rules against that kind of behavior across this entire Reddit, it's pretty hard to believe he was actually the one causing all the trouble like you're claiming in your post.

rustydrifter10 said:Man, if he’s hitting someone with a 45-point Cardboard penalty after only two months, that would be the "instant ban" territory. Since we have strict rules against that kind of behavior across this entire Reddit, it's pretty hard to believe he was actually the one causing all the trouble like you're claiming in your post.

Yeah, but the real issue is that what counts as an insult on one subreddit is considered perfectly normal discussion on another.
And that’s really the crux of the matter.
That’s why I used the analogy of lights being turned on and off.

Because I honestly don't know how else to put this.

Let me try again.
On one subreddit,
you tell someone, "Look, this isn't black or white,"
and they just respond with, "Okay, so what? Let's move on."
But on another subreddit,
someone snaps back with, "Who are you to tell me what's black or white?"
and then reports my post for being insulting.

I hope you guys understand where I'm coming from.
I have zero intention of personally insulting anyone, especially not the mods.
I just wanted to get what's on my mind out there.
I guess I'm just feeling a little bit :confused in the head right now.

Otherwise, I've noticed that, for instance, people on the cooking subreddits seem way more tolerant
than they are over on the celebrity gossip subs, for example.
Maybe it's because the cooking groups have more men involved,
whereas the gossip threads are mostly argumentative women?
I haven't the slightest clue.
But that's just the impression I've been getting.

ironcobra13 said:Yeah, but the real issue is that what counts as an insult on one subreddit is considered perfectly normal discussion on another.
And that’s really the crux of the matter.
That’s why I used the analogy of lights being turned on and off.

Because I honestly don't know how else to put this.

Let me try again.
On one subreddit,
you tell someone, "Look, this isn't black or white,"
and they just respond with, "Okay, so what? Let's move on."
But on another subreddit,
someone snaps back with, "Who are you to tell me what's black or white?"
and then reports my post for being insulting.

I hope you guys understand where I'm coming from.
I have zero intention of personally insulting anyone, especially not the mods.
I just wanted to get what's on my mind out there.
I guess I'm just feeling a little bit :confused in the head right now.

Otherwise, I've noticed that, for instance, people on the cooking subreddits seem way more tolerant
than they are over on the celebrity gossip subs, for example.
Maybe it's because the cooking groups have more men involved,
whereas the gossip threads are mostly argumentative women?
I haven't the slightest clue.
But that's just the impression I've been getting.

Saying "this is black, not white" isn't an insult on any subreddit, regardless of who feels personally attacked and decides to report the post. Moderators don't just throw out Cardboard because someone filed a complaint.

rustydrifter10 said:Saying "this is black, not white" isn't an insult on any subreddit, regardless of who feels personally attacked and decides to report the post. Moderators don't just throw out Cardboard because someone filed a complaint.

Well, I certainly hope that's the case, too.

ironcobra13 said:Well, I certainly hope that's the case, too.

I’m just lost here. Has anyone ever actually been handed a Cardboard for being offensive when they weren't even being rude?

The whole point of my little rant is that I can't stand it when a moderator hands me a Cardboard
instead of actually explaining things—you know, by telling me exactly how I supposedly insulted someone else rather than just using some vague "you were rude" line.
My second point here
is about these specific rules that seem to change depending on which sub-thread you're lurking in.
Let me be very specific.
The foodies section is pretty much an open playground where everyone is super chill.

But then you look at the soap opera threads, and they are incredibly strict.
I find myself sitting there for twenty minutes just agonizing over whether I should even hit "post" or not.
I’m constantly paranoid that someone is going to report me just because I expressed an opinion that someone else happens to dislike.
Don't get me wrong, I don't write trashy, low-brow posts.
Though, I suppose I have done that once or twice before.
But over time, I've realized that most people probably don't even bother reading that stuff anyway.

Look, I don't necessarily see deleting posts as some kind of formal punishment, but more often than not, it feels like a massive power trip from the moderators or admins—just a way to flex their muscles or force their specific vision of how the rules should work and what the vibe of the community ought to be, which honestly feels pretty insulting when you're just trying to participate.
Personally, I haven't had any beef with the mods here, but I used to hang out on this huge international language subreddit where the moderation was absolutely brutal; they were constantly nuking posts, and man, it drove me insane. I mostly hung out in the sub-section dedicated to Slavic languages, but then out of nowhere, the mods started getting super aggressive about people switching languages in threads that were officially set to English. I totally disagreed with that rigid way of doing things, and because I pushed back, they ended up wiping out a ton of my posts—posts that were actually super helpful and stayed right on topic, they just weren't in English, which basically gave me all the motivation I needed to just boycott their moderation entirely. They spent a long time deleting my stuff, sent me a few warnings, and eventually just banned me altogether (they actually moved to permanent bans only there since they realized temporary ones weren't doing squat).

None of that stuff actually works in real life... honestly... ☕

Where is the fourth rule? You know the one. You’re right in the middle of the most intense debate on the entire Reddit thread, and then suddenly mod swoops in and says Enough, wrap it up. So there you are, ready to write a thousand more words, but you hold back because you know you’ll just end up with a Cardboard. If we look at it objectively, it isn't even fair. Your opponent has made their point, you've made yours, they jump back in, and you should get your turn—but no, mod just shows up to shut you down.

It happened to me just a moment ago. Honestly, I was so frustrated by being forced to stay quiet that I almost lost my cool. 🙂

Chris Green83 said:Where is the fourth rule? You know the one. You’re right in the middle of the most intense debate on the entire Reddit thread, and then suddenly mod swoops in and says Enough, wrap it up. So there you are, ready to write a thousand more words, but you hold back because you know you’ll just end up with a Cardboard. If we look at it objectively, it isn't even fair. Your opponent has made their point, you've made yours, they jump back in, and you should get your turn—but no, mod just shows up to shut you down.

It happened to me just a moment ago. Honestly, I was so frustrated by being forced to stay quiet that I almost lost my cool. 🙂

You had every right to share your thoughts, even if it meant risking a Cardboard, as long as you were staying on topic. It’s easy to feel bitter about the ban later on.