Why shouldn't we be able to Ban users we interact with?

I was going to bring this up in the Smizlin Reddit thread, but I noticed you guys locked it down...

Anyway, yeah, why shouldn't we be allowed to talk about someone else's Ban?
Especially when it involves people we actually talk to on a regular basis?
The whole point of a Reddit is for people to interact, so it feels pretty logical to me that we'd want to know about bans affecting our circle, right? 🤷

I'm not asking just to stir the pot or be provocative, I genuinely just want some answers... thanks.

I’ve been wondering about this too.
Why even bring up a question like that regarding a new ban?
Look, I used to be a moderator, and honestly, personally, I probably would’ve just handed out a few warning points for something like this.

Am I going to get banned now because I said that? 😁

EDIT. Just saw the rules—500 points and a month-long ban???
Seriously people, what is wrong with you?

Locking the thread and giving out some warning points would have been plenty.

Smizla has been on this Reddit for years and has never been a problem.

Warnings and bans are strictly between the users who receive them and the site administration; there’s really no reason to broadcast those details to the rest of the community. Honestly, it's just not anyone else's business. Some people might prefer to keep their strikes and bans private, and if you're truly curious, they can always reach out and tell you themselves via DM once their suspension is over.

If a post is still visible on a thread, you can usually figure out why a warning was issued. But if the post has been wiped, there’s almost certainly a good reason for that behind the scenes.

Whatever, personally I think the punishment is way too harsh—like, seriously over the top.
I’m telling you, this isn't even about some problematic user on the Reddit!

rustydrifter10 said:Warnings and bans are strictly between the users who receive them and the site administration; there’s really no reason to broadcast those details to the rest of the community. Honestly, it's just not anyone else's business. Some people might prefer to keep their strikes and bans private, and if you're truly curious, they can always reach out and tell you themselves via DM once their suspension is over.

If a post is still visible on a thread, you can usually figure out why a warning was issued. But if the post has been wiped, there’s almost certainly a good reason for that behind the scenes.

Sure, they involve the users and the admins, and I agree there's no need for a massive public announcement, but that wasn't even my point...
What I'm actually wondering is why we aren't allowed to ask the moderators for a bit of clarity on why someone was banned in the first place.

And where is this idea of "justification" coming from? I’m not asking for anyone to make excuses to me, nor do I particularly care about that...
It’s more about the fact that if a ban seems confusing and we want an explanation, who else are we supposed to turn to besides the admins—the only ones who actually know what happened and can give us the reasoning...

At the end of the day, if we're interested, why shouldn't they explain it... 🤷
It feels pretty standard to want to know why people we interact with are getting kicked off, I don't see why that's such a controversial take...

Even Smizla is posting on the Banned Reddit thread saying she had zero heads-up about this—no warning at all. Honestly, neither did I.
I’m gonna go dig through the rules to see if this is actually spelled out anywhere.

If that's how they're playing it, they're seriously out of line. For real.

Alright, here’s the situation:
http://reddit.com/thread/415879

Interfering with the Reddit staff (ignoring warnings, restoring deleted posts, etc.) — the woman wasn't even warned, and nothing like that is actually defined as a violation.
She wasn't fighting, she wasn't cloning accounts, she didn't leak any private info or DMs.

Also, the moderator guidelines clearly state they have more leeway than your average user. That’s fine, I won't get into that.
Sanctioning an inappropriate question is one thing, but again, IMO you don't hit someone with this many points without a warning first.

But honestly, you guys are screwed.

And before anyone comes at me trying to pin this on some clique, NO—Smizl isn't my friend, isn't even an acquaintance. We barely even talk.

coppernomad44 said:Sure, they involve the users and the admins, and I agree there's no need for a massive public announcement, but that wasn't even my point...
What I'm actually wondering is why we aren't allowed to ask the moderators for a bit of clarity on why someone was banned in the first place.

And where is this idea of "justification" coming from? I’m not asking for anyone to make excuses to me, nor do I particularly care about that...
It’s more about the fact that if a ban seems confusing and we want an explanation, who else are we supposed to turn to besides the admins—the only ones who actually know what happened and can give us the reasoning...

At the end of the day, if we're interested, why shouldn't they explain it... 🤷
It feels pretty standard to want to know why people we interact with are getting kicked off, I don't see why that's such a controversial take...

Well, the thing is, that's really just between the user and the administration. We're circling back here. 😁
If you've been following or reading someone's posts, there's a very high chance you've already seen exactly what they were typing, so you can probably piece together their communication style and figure out for yourself why they might have caught heat from a mod.

I have some people I truly care about who end up getting banned every now and then, and I usually have a pretty good idea of why—mostly because I actually know them! At the end of the day, I don't really care if they earned it on Reddit, Usenet, or some random niche site, nor do I particularly care which admin pulled the trigger.

If they feel like the ban was totally unfair, they can file an appeal (usually 😁) through the proper channels. If they decide to take their grievance public, then everyone will see it, including those of you who are curious and want to know the backstory.

On another note, if the Code of conduct isn't making sense to you, then you should probably spend some more time studying it and asking specific questions about those particular rules. To be honest, I didn't know all the fine print myself until I ended up getting flagged for breaking one! Even then, I just saw it as my own mistake. It wasn't the moderator's fault for flagging me, nor was it the fault of people who broke similar rules without getting caught—it was just on me for skimming the rules during registration instead of actually reading them. 😁

Alright rustydrifter10, but 500 points plus a month-long suspension??
No warning or anything?

Come on. 😁

quietpilot87 said:Whatever, personally I think the punishment is way too harsh—like, seriously over the top.
I’m telling you, this isn't even about some problematic user on the Reddit!

The admin who actually handed out the Ban will be the one to weigh in on her situation over in the specific Reddit thread she started.

quietpilot87 said:Alright rustydrifter10, but 500 points plus a month-long suspension??
No warning or anything?

Come on. 😁

I'm really not trying to make excuses for anyone else's decisions here, nor am I looking to start an argument about that specifically. My point is more general—it's about the whole idea of informing third parties about bans or when other users get flagged.

rustydrifter10 said:Well, the thing is, that's really just between the user and the administration. We're circling back here. 😁
If you've been following or reading someone's posts, there's a very high chance you've already seen exactly what they were typing, so you can probably piece together their communication style and figure out for yourself why they might have caught heat from a mod.

I have some people I truly care about who end up getting banned every now and then, and I usually have a pretty good idea of why—mostly because I actually know them! At the end of the day, I don't really care if they earned it on Reddit, Usenet, or some random niche site, nor do I particularly care which admin pulled the trigger.

If they feel like the ban was totally unfair, they can file an appeal (usually 😁) through the proper channels. If they decide to take their grievance public, then everyone will see it, including those of you who are curious and want to know the backstory.

On another note, if the Code of conduct isn't making sense to you, then you should probably spend some more time studying it and asking specific questions about those particular rules. To be honest, I didn't know all the fine print myself until I ended up getting flagged for breaking one! Even then, I just saw it as my own mistake. It wasn't the moderator's fault for flagging me, nor was it the fault of people who broke similar rules without getting caught—it was just on me for skimming the rules during registration instead of actually reading them. 😁

Yeah, we are repeating ourselves... 😁

I’m asking again, why shouldn't this matter to anyone else who actually cares? Why does someone get Banned...

Sure, the reason for the ban was stated, but it didn't make any sense to me. And clearly, it hasn't made sense to anyone else either...
Look, Smizl asked for a specific, well-reasoned explanation as to why Bear received a permanent ban, but she never got one. I don't see why a clarification can't be provided, or why if people are genuinely curious about the reasons, they aren't allowed to have an explanation...

You can keep insisting that it's just a private matter between the banned individual and the administration, but I still don't see why it has to be kept exclusive to them, or why the reasoning can't be shared with everyone else who's interested...

since we've only heard the reasoning from one person, and it's obviously left us all pretty confused...

coppernomad44 said:Yeah, we are repeating ourselves... 😁

I’m asking again, why shouldn't this matter to anyone else who actually cares? Why does someone get Banned...

Sure, the reason for the ban was stated, but it didn't make any sense to me. And clearly, it hasn't made sense to anyone else either...
Look, Smizl asked for a specific, well-reasoned explanation as to why Bear received a permanent ban, but she never got one. I don't see why a clarification can't be provided, or why if people are genuinely curious about the reasons, they aren't allowed to have an explanation...

You can keep insisting that it's just a private matter between the banned individual and the administration, but I still don't see why it has to be kept exclusive to them, or why the reasoning can't be shared with everyone else who's interested...

since we've only heard the reasoning from one person, and it's obviously left us all pretty confused...

Let’s be real: you don't just get a permanent ban for breathing wrong. It takes a massive pile of violations—we're talking someone with a huge reputation score—to trigger that kind of hammer. Or, it could be one single, massive violation, like trying to create a clone account while your main profile is already banned.

Because permanent bans aren't handed out left and right, anyone who follows the activity on this Reddit should probably have a pretty good idea of why it happened, since someone facing that level of discipline likely wasn't exactly following the rules.

Just to be totally clear, I have no idea who Bear is or what he specifically did to get banned.

quietpilot87 said:Whatever, personally I think the punishment is way too harsh—like, seriously over the top.
I’m telling you, this isn't even about some problematic user on the Reddit!

She’s a perfectly decent member, and honestly, I just came over here to offer her some support.

quietpilot87 said:I’ve been wondering about this too.
Why even bring up a question like that regarding a new ban?
Look, I used to be a moderator, and honestly, personally, I probably would’ve just handed out a few warning points for something like this.

Am I going to get banned now because I said that? 😁

EDIT. Just saw the rules—500 points and a month-long ban???
Seriously people, what is wrong with you?

Locking the thread and giving out some warning points would have been plenty.

Smizla has been on this Reddit for years and has never been a problem.

I second everything quietpilot87 said; the punishment is just disproportionate. For God's sake, a whole month? For what? It wasn't even anything major.
Fix this.
She isn't a confrontational person—she was just trying to do something helpful by starting the topic.
The penalty is overkill, and frankly, I think you all know it.🙂

Hey there. 🙂 I’m not looking for any feedback on this, so please don't come at me with questions or expect me to weigh in on the whole situation. 😁

Just a quick heads-up for anyone confused: a Ban lasts for a week, not a month. A month-long suspension is what you get when you're actually getting hit with a permanent red card.

rustydrifter10 said:Let’s be real: you don't just get a permanent ban for breathing wrong. It takes a massive pile of violations—we're talking someone with a huge reputation score—to trigger that kind of hammer. Or, it could be one single, massive violation, like trying to create a clone account while your main profile is already banned.

Because permanent bans aren't handed out left and right, anyone who follows the activity on this Reddit should probably have a pretty good idea of why it happened, since someone facing that level of discipline likely wasn't exactly following the rules.

Just to be totally clear, I have no idea who Bear is or what he specifically did to get banned.

Fine, but why am I getting an answer from you instead of someone who actually knows what happened...🙂

rustydrifter10 said:Let’s be real: you don't just get a permanent ban for breathing wrong. It takes a massive pile of violations—we're talking someone with a huge reputation score—to trigger that kind of hammer. Or, it could be one single, massive violation, like trying to create a clone account while your main profile is already banned.

Because permanent bans aren't handed out left and right, anyone who follows the activity on this Reddit should probably have a pretty good idea of why it happened, since someone facing that level of discipline likely wasn't exactly following the rules.

Just to be totally clear, I have no idea who Bear is or what he specifically did to get banned.

Bear was just a regular user who actually posted useful stuff over in the Recreation section, and honestly, it seems like some of the ladies hanging out there—whether they're posting or just lurking—really miss him.

Smizl is just another user who asked about Bear’s permanent ban, pretty much like how I asked on the general boards why Blue got banned for good.

The only difference? Smizl ended up getting rewarded with 500 points for playing advocate, while I just got a straight answer to my question without any trouble at all.
If you don't believe me, go check out my thread over in the Mod corner of the trash heap; feel free to verify everything I'm saying.

People aren't asking for much, seriously. They just want the rules to apply to everyone equally.

coppernomad44 said:Fine, but why am I getting an answer from you instead of someone who actually knows what happened...🙂

So, you were asking why we don't really get involved in the bans or the drama involving folks from other Reddit threads, and I figured I’d finally weigh in on that. Look, even though I know exactly who Bear is and I know the whole story behind why he got banned, I honestly don't think it's worth me sitting here trying to explain all that mess right now.

cosmicskipper39 said:Bear was just a regular user who actually posted useful stuff over in the Recreation section, and honestly, it seems like some of the ladies hanging out there—whether they're posting or just lurking—really miss him.

Smizl is just another user who asked about Bear’s permanent ban, pretty much like how I asked on the general boards why Blue got banned for good.

The only difference? Smizl ended up getting rewarded with 500 points for playing advocate, while I just got a straight answer to my question without any trouble at all.
If you don't believe me, go check out my thread over in the Mod corner of the trash heap; feel free to verify everything I'm saying.

People aren't asking for much, seriously. They just want the rules to apply to everyone equally.

I’m honestly just hoping the admins weigh in soon regarding Smizlin's warning and the ban on the very thread she started to complain about them.

I know that sometimes the moderators will step in to explain how long a ban lasts or why someone got a warning, but those are usually just brief explanations—the kind of stuff you can already see right there on the warning itself—and they don't typically get dragged into a whole debate or try to justify themselves to everyone else.

rustydrifter10 said:So, you were asking why we don't really get involved in the bans or the drama involving folks from other Reddit threads, and I figured I’d finally weigh in on that. Look, even though I know exactly who Bear is and I know the whole story behind why he got banned, I honestly don't think it's worth me sitting here trying to explain all that mess right now.

And why wouldn't I? I mean, where else would we go... 😕