Sanctions to dissuade toxic users?

Originally Posted by Lucille

There have been times when I think instead of being a troll, one person fitting the description of this thread possibly has a serious drinking problem or similar, because at times the person can be quite charming.

Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing a couple days ago, but my mind went to multiple personality disorder.

It still is no excuse, and why people who have insults thrown at them for no reason end up receiving identical sanctions for simply responding to the "troll" and defending themselves is beyond me. How those two people end up receiving the same repercussions I would love to know.

At the point where a mod says that they don't care that another member is calling someone a child molester and making multiple posts about it, I start to have a problem. That's beyond trolling and beyond anything that I would consider acceptable behavior in ANY setting.

Originally Posted by MCMB-2

Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing a couple days ago, but my mind went to multiple personality disorder.

Glad I'm not the only one, except it was bipolar and the meds need to be adjusted. I have a friend like this - when his meds are right he's pleasant to be around. When they aren't, his mouth ends up getting him into trouble.

Originally Posted by MCMB-2

Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing a couple days ago, but my mind went to multiple personality disorder.

It still is no excuse, and why people who have insults thrown at them for no reason end up receiving identical sanctions for simply responding to the "troll" and defending themselves is beyond me. How those two people end up receiving the same repercussions I would love to know.

At the point where a mod says that they don't care that another member is calling someone a child molester and making multiple posts about it, I start to have a problem. That's beyond trolling and beyond anything that I would consider acceptable behavior in ANY setting.

Because when I have to step into a mess, I'm really not interested in reading dozens of posts to try to figure out who started it. Quite likely I just followed a reported post notice and have fallen into the middle of a bunch of crap whereby I may read a couple of posts before and a couple after, and that is it. By that time BOTH participants are likely acting in a manner that appears to require action to be taken.

No one is forced to reply to taunts from another member and try to one up with their own taunts. That is like being pulled over for street racing and telling the cop that the other guy started it. You BOTH were racing by the time the cop pulled you over. Matter of fact, if such a person is highlighted by their own behavior substantially different from everyone else's, then it just makes things easier to determine a singular person who needs to be moderated. If 10 people are engaging in a similar fashion, then the effort to then isolate the actual ring leader becomes more effort than I care to expend and the only logical solution is to treat all 10 people exactly the same because they APPEAR exactly the same. So in short, if you act like a bird of a feather, you are quite likely going to be treated as a bird of a feather. Choose to take the high road, please.

The way I see it, trolling is more like one person driving around smashing mailboxes, and the other person speeding to cut the offender off and block him in. Yes, they both broke laws but one is obviously wrong and disrespectful/destructive and the other was trying to help. A police officer called to the scene but that can't be bothered to investigate the situation based on the difference probably would not be expected to make a good decision on what fair punishment for both actually was.

Originally Posted by WebSlave

No one is forced to reply to taunts from another member and try to one up with their own taunts.... Choose to take the high road, please.

This is excellent advice that trolling and otherwise toxic people strive to make us all forget or ignore.

Originally Posted by Occidentalis

The way I see it, trolling is more like one person driving around smashing mailboxes, and the other person speeding to cut the offender off and block him in. Yes, they both broke laws but one is obviously wrong and disrespectful/destructive and the other was trying to help. A police officer called to the scene but that can't be bothered to investigate the situation based on the difference probably would not be expected to make a good decision on what fair punishment for both actually was.

Which brings up a point quite likely missed by most people here. We are NOT investigators. We just run this site and try to moderate discussions.

adjective
1. kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense:
a moderate price.
2. of medium quantity, extent, or amount:
a moderate income.
3. mediocre or fair:
moderate talent.
4. calm or mild, as of the weather.
5. of or relating to moderates, as in politics or religion.
noun
6. a person who is moderate in opinion or opposed to extreme views and actions, especially in politics or religion.
7. (usually initial capital letter) a member of a political party advocating moderate reform.
verb (used with object), moderated, moderating.
8. to reduce the excessiveness of; make less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous:
to moderate the sharpness of one's words.
9. to preside over or at (a public forum, meeting, discussion, etc.).
verb (used without object), moderated, moderating.
10. to become less violent, severe, intense, or rigorous.
11. to act as moderator; preside.

It's not really normally a matter of "can't be bothered", as much as "why should we?" Does it really matter who started it, when it was started, why it was started, or whether any one of the people engaging in unpleasant behavior were doing so with self perceived "good intentions"?

Originally Posted by MCMB-2

At the point where a mod says that they don't care that another member is calling someone a child molester and making multiple posts about it, I start to have a problem.

I highly doubt any mod here stated that. If we, as mods, didn't care, we wouldn't give up our own time to try to help out the site.

Karma seems to have been used very effectively on one little troll whose extensive array of green chicklets seem to have just turned an ominous red.....

Originally Posted by Helenthereef

Karma seems to have been used very effectively on one little troll whose extensive array of green chicklets seem to have just turned an ominous red.....

Is that a result of a moderator action, or directly from users. Intuitively, you'd think the green boxes would reduce in number, to zero, then start up again as red. But I have no idea how it actually works.

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

I highly doubt any mod here stated that. If we, as mods, didn't care, we wouldn't give up our own time to try to help out the site.

Rich was actually the one who said it. I can post the pm if you want, but I was told that it's not his job to babysit and if someone wants to call me a child molester that it's not his problem and I should deal with it (might be a little off on the wording, this was over a month ago). Shortly after this I was banned.

One WOULD highly doubt that, wouldn't they? Yet it happened. Again, I can post the message, but I really don't want to make this topic about me. We all know who this thread is about.

Not sure how any of my ban time was deserved, but if I have to take a month ban to put a stop to another member being completely out of line so be it. You can ban me for life if it means he'll be gone too, people like him make everyone hate the hobby. If you're going to let people like him act that way and not do anything I don't want to be a part of this site anyway.

I see that something was finally done, but that doesn't change the fact that I was punished for standing up to him and finally getting something to happen. Whatever the case, it was a small price to pay. I just don't look at this site like I used to and probably never will again. Drop in the bucket, eh?