What's with all the ban requests?

[Username Redacted]

But you dont have to get yourself banned to stop giving the site ad clicks, just stop going to the site. xD

I know, but I see the point of doing so: It sends a clear message to the admin that "hey, I disagree with your policies so much I don't want to be associated with you any more" whereas just not coming back could be for any number of reasons and won't get the point across.

It really doesn't. It sends a message more along the lines of "I disagree with your policies but since I'm a petulant child I'll handle this in the most over-dramatic way possible not realizing that since this is the internet such "protests" have about as much impact as a bunny fart". There's no association. It also IMO shows a lack of self-control as if you just leave you might at a later date succumb to temptation and log in again just to see how things are going and then BAM! Before you know it you've seen someone being wrong on the internet, rush in to correct them and suddenly you're posting again. This was why, on a small forum that I moderated for, I refused to enact requested bans. Show some self control and GTFO. Either that or really go out with a bang; i.e. do something that is ban worthy.

 

[FalloutJack]

Look at Zachary Amaranth... He just left in the quiet of the night without saying a word. That's how you leave.

I thought it was quiet around here. And less smug.

I don't know, I liked the guy. He had a knack for putting people in their place.

He didn't know how to turn it OFF. I can admit that there were some things he was right about. He was incapable of admitting that he was wrong, ever. Or if he actually did and I missed it, it was bloody rare. I'll accept that he had a certain command of knowledge, but I did not like him.

I was actually looking forward to posting again in this forum once he left. Shame now that the site has kind of gone to shit.

Well, we can hardly blame him for THAT. That takes more effort than even HE was capable of...maybe.

 

[jhoroz]

Look at Zachary Amaranth... He just left in the quiet of the night without saying a word. That's how you leave.

I thought it was quiet around here. And less smug.

I don't know, I liked the guy. He had a knack for putting people in their place.

He didn't know how to turn it OFF. I can admit that there were some things he was right about. He was incapable of admitting that he was wrong, ever. Or if he actually did and I missed it, it was bloody rare. I'll accept that he had a certain command of knowledge, but I did not like him.

I was actually looking forward to posting again in this forum once he left. Shame now that the site has kind of gone to shit.

Well, we can hardly blame him for THAT. That takes more effort than even HE was capable of...maybe.

Oh, I'm not blaming him for anything. I'd be giving him too much credit that he was ever worth by implying that anything impacting that has ever happened to the site had anything to do with him.

 

[FalloutJack]

Look at Zachary Amaranth... He just left in the quiet of the night without saying a word. That's how you leave.

I thought it was quiet around here. And less smug.

I don't know, I liked the guy. He had a knack for putting people in their place.

He didn't know how to turn it OFF. I can admit that there were some things he was right about. He was incapable of admitting that he was wrong, ever. Or if he actually did and I missed it, it was bloody rare. I'll accept that he had a certain command of knowledge, but I did not like him.

I was actually looking forward to posting again in this forum once he left. Shame now that the site has kind of gone to shit.

Well, we can hardly blame him for THAT. That takes more effort than even HE was capable of...maybe.

Oh, I'm not blaming him for anything. I'd be giving him too much credit that he was ever worth by implying that anything impacting that has ever happened to the site had anything to do with him.

Yeah, that's what we blame Kross for!


But seriously, folks, don't be 'That Guy'. You'll thank yourself in the morning, every morning, for the rest of your life.

 

[Starbird]

Ok, so you don't like the way the site is going any more, and you don't "want your voice to be heard here any longer".....ok? So...just stop coming to the site? Seriously, I don't understand the requests to be permabanned I'm seeing all over the place now. Is it some attempt to show them how many people are directly leaving so they have some metrics of lost members? 'Cause I don't think they're really going to care. Is it some form of protest? Odd format, since it removes your ability to have your voice heard in protest on the site that you have issues with.

Seriously, I just don't get this bit of intentional internet drama.

Just silliness. They want to make some sort of stand/statement against something they disagree with...by removing themselves from a venue where they could actually make a stand/statement.

 

[Robert Marrs]

I am just glad a decent portion of the most annoying people have left.

 

[Silvanus]

Just silliness. They want to make some sort of stand/statement against something they disagree with...by removing themselves from a venue where they could actually make a stand/statement.

Expecting people to stick around in a community they don't feel comfortable with, just in order to argue against it, is pretty silly too. Not many people are willing to commit to something like that, and I can't honestly blame them: I came here because I liked the look of the place, not because I wanted to change it.


Now, I'm not saying that requesting a perma-ban is the right way forward. I certainly wouldn't do it myself. But, neither can I really understand some of the objections in this thread.

 

[TimeLord]

People request bans?
I just keep swinging wildly until the screaming stops.

 

[Starbird]

Just silliness. They want to make some sort of stand/statement against something they disagree with...by removing themselves from a venue where they could actually make a stand/statement.

Expecting people to stick around in a community they don't feel comfortable with, just in order to argue against it, is pretty silly too. Not many people are willing to commit to something like that, and I can't honestly blame them: I came here because I liked the look of the place, not because I wanted to change it.


Now, I'm not saying that requesting a perma-ban is the right way forward. I certainly wouldn't do it myself. But, neither can I really understand some of the objections in this thread.

Eh, it bugs me a little bit because it reminds me of Cartman saying 'screw you guys, I'm going home' when something wasn't going his way.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Sounds to me like the internet equivalent of throwing a temper tantrum and storming out. Now I've noticed a number of you have said that it's supposidly the best way to get the message accross that you're displeased with the what's happening to the Escapist and content and policies and whatever. Ok, so what happens if the Escapist gets the message and once again becomes the site we all want it to be with excellent content and whatever, then what? You're still banned. You can still lurk I suppose, but it's still going to severally limit your ability to enjoy the fruits of your protest.

Same can be said of destruction of property during protests in real life. It makes people pay attention when they otherwise wouldn't have.

Yeah, but unlike the destruction of property in real life, getting yourself banned isn't going to hurt anyone but you.

 

[Atmos Duality]

If only you can asked them, oh wait.

I'm guessing it's a last attempt to get some attention seeing how the people wanting the banned were nobodies on here.

To be fair, most of us are nobodies hiding behind a screen name.
But you're right it's just shameless attention whoring, about on par with bathroom graffiti.

 

[inmunitas]

If only you can asked them, oh wait.

I'm guessing it's a last attempt to get some attention seeing how the people wanting the banned were nobodies on here.

To be fair, most of us are nobodies hiding behind a screen name.
But you're right it's just shameless attention whoring, about on par with bathroom graffiti.

I guess they where acting under the assumption that they're "irreplaceable".

 

[Elfgore]

It seems very similar to when someone makes a big ruckus in a store. They'll scream, holler, and shout "I'll never shop here again!" Thinking they just did something other than making them look like a jackass. If you don't like it here, just leave and never come back. Cuts back on melo-drama.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I guess they where acting under the assumption that they're "irreplaceable".

Yup.
We're all replaceable (or disposable, if disliked) to the greater public eye here.
There might be a few forum-"celebrities" but ultimately, that doesn't extend beyond the confines of the internet.

He had a knack for putting people in their place.

Well, he certainly had a knack for using passive-aggressive phrasing to antagonize others while avoiding mod-wrath (something these forums have garnered a bad reputation for).

Sometimes he was right, and for a good while I had mutual respect for him, but in the past year or so, far too often he just seemed to be looking for fights rather than honest discussion.

EDIT: And a casual glance at his profile shows that he hasn't been banned, and even logged in 3 days ago (but didn't post on the forums).

Seems to me that he can come back whenever he wants. *shrugs*

 

[Sarge034]

What discussion value is there in having several threads that boil down to "screw you and you're new contributers, I'm out", all with absent or banned OP's ?

Perhaps we should wait and see what the mod has to say, hum? If the mod says anything, that is.

But to answer your question. If I made a thread saying I was unhappy with whatever and felt strongly enough about it to leave and ask for a ban do you not think I could word it in such a way as to promote discussion on the things I saw as being wrong, to have other people say what they think is wrong/right, and to just promote discussion in general? That's why I asked. If they were just saying "fuck this, I'm out" then yeah, I could see the rational behind deleting them. But if ANY were calm, thought out, and thought provoking OPs then I'm left to wonder if the mods/staff didn't learn their lesson the first time around when they got caught censoring legitimate topics... I forgive, but I never forget.

Capatcha- "I have fallen" <.< Little ominous there, Capatcha...

 

[Sarge034]

Sorry for double post, didn't get a notification for this one.

The difference I see is that those monks were actually sacrificing something. When a poster requests a ban, all that does is close the one account; they can still read all the content, their posts stay up (albeit with a flag) and they can make a new account if they want and nobody knows or cares. The only thing they lose is their badges. It would be like if the Buddhists burned their clothes; sure, now they have to get new clothes if they want to go out in public again, but it cost them almost nothing to make this 'statement' and by doing so it hurts the statement.

I agree to a point. The statement is only as "strong" as the account that makes it. Yes, you're really only losing badges technically, but look at it like this. If an account pulls this that's not very active then the sentiment is meaningless, but if a highly active account pulls this they are losing all their badges (especially the limited ones), forum groups, high post count, early join date, forum games, RP, just everything. THAT'S a hell of a statement. I mean as much as it possibly could be in this scenario. But interesting theological quandary. Buddhists believe in reincarnation so was the monk killing himself really so different than switching a user profile, at least in his mind?

 

[Foehunter82]

Simple answer: They think being permabanned is a political statement. That's the only theory I can come up with.

 

[DoPo]

But to answer your question. If I made a thread saying I was unhappy with whatever and felt strongly enough about it to leave and ask for a ban do you not think I could word it in such a way as to promote discussion on the things I saw as being wrong, to have other people say what they think is wrong/right, and to just promote discussion in general?

To answer your question in turn - you could. But nobody else, so far, has.

If they were just saying "fuck this, I'm out" then yeah, I could see the rational behind deleting them.

That's pretty all of the "please ban me" threads, really. Not all of them were even really rude, in fact, but more or less exactly said "please ban me".

But if ANY were calm, thought out, and thought provoking OPs then I'm left to wonder if the mods/staff didn't learn their lesson the first time around when they got caught censoring legitimate topics... I forgive, but I never forget.

For a forgiving person, you were awfully fast to jump and accuse the mods.

 

[runic knight]

I love how people think they have a moral high ground on Brandon Morse when they will defend Bob "There are (almost) no bad tactics, only bad targets" Chipman to the bitter end. I came back to The Escapist because there is finally enough room for different perspectives to make the site engaging. And as long as this happens, I will maintain my paid subscription. Because gods know the online landscape needs more political and intellectual diversity and genuine openmindedness.

That hypocrisy goes both ways.

Because I often see the very same people who were decrying and condemning Bob for the things he said on twitter, saying that Morse should be given a free pass for the things that HE said on twitter.

And I recall a number of people explaining the difference between the two personalities in relation to the sort of comments they made as well. Sort of funny how that sort of thing gets overlooked. Regardless, this thread is not the place for that discussion. Both sides have some people with selective application of their opinions, and both sides have people with nuanced views that remain consistent. How about we try to avoid yet another thread derailment of "but they...!" please?

On topic, why are people requesting bannings? Probably because, as others mentioned, they want to stop their feet and make a scene because they dislike things. Petulant childishness when they do it via insults, curses and stupidity, but there is value in making a statement explaining why you are going. Hell, I remember a lot of people who were upset with Tito's handling of things 6 months back requested bans as well. I still think it is dumb, but some people like the melodrama of it all I guess.

 

[EvilRoy]

Look at Zachary Amaranth... He just left in the quiet of the night without saying a word. That's how you leave.

I thought it was quiet around here. And less smug.

I don't know, I liked the guy. He had a knack for putting people in their place.

True, but he did it whether or not the person had it coming and usually with extreme stubborn prejudice. I appreciate that he was having a hard time with stuff, or at least I gathered as much when I read his last couple posts, but he was treating people more and more like crap for the sin of having an opinion - and like others it bugs the hell out of me that this kind of stuff can be done here without getting modded. It ended up burning out any goodwill I held for him.

OT:
I think people just want to believe that others care they exist. Its not a bad want to have, and it works in real life, but it just doesn't translate to the internet. There are a ridiculous number of people on this forum and over the time I've been browsing there have been a lot coming and going. Rest assured that somebody will probably notice that you leave, but they might not care - and I think that is kind of what leads to the whole "I'm leaving forever" idea. Surely if as many people as possible notice you leave, one of them will care, right?