International board, or something, and the mods, and ciao

[PanzerJaeger]

PJ, thanks for that post, but no, I could not possibly be back. The term set for me to get back is that I repent - and do I really seem eager to? If not, I am banned for life.

It seems to me that the post itself was the problem, not the opinion behind it. Surely a PM that says essentially the same thing that you've already stated about the post in this thread would go a long way... from my experience the mods only want to have confidence that you understand why the posted crossed the line and that you will make an effort to use more discretion in the future. They don't want to muzzle you!

In any event, it would be a shame to lose your perspective, as much as I disagree with it.

Most of the time, it isn't bad. But when this **** comes up: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?137437-Women-know-your-limits


And everyone decides to just roll with it, as if it was some well crafted, thought provoking question that needed an answer? No lock? No infraction? Well Frags has been a mainstay of the org community since '03 so everyone knows it's just Frag being Frag right?

Why would he get an infraction or a lock? Far more controversial subjects have been discussed in the backroom than whether women are capable of being funny. Members are allowed to hold, share, and discuss politically insensitive/incorrect opinions in the backroom as long as they maintain a baseline level of decorum. It's all laid out pretty clearly in a sticky in the backroom, which highlights another important point.

Some members seem to be surprised and/or upset at the fact that some are given more leeway than others in the eyes of the moderators. Well, at least in the backroom, both that fact and the rationale behind it are spelled out pretty clearly.

Trolling

Trolling is the art of provoking angry reactions. Some trolls are subtle, others show all the delicacy of an air-raid on an orphanage. This is an area of engagement that stretches the moderators, as one person's opinion may well look like a troll to their opponent. We tend to look at the poster and their track record, and punish accordingly. Yes, life is unfair. Your best remedy is not to get a reputation as a troll.

There it is: member inequity - stated plainly in the rules. There's no conspiracy, no secret in-crowd, and no subconscious favoritism - there is only your own reputation. If you are a relatively new member who has tangled with the mods repeatedly without contributing much to the forum, then yes, you are going to be given less leeway than a member like Louis, who, at this point, has racked up years of worthwhile contributions. And if you're an old member with years of mod battles under your belt, your posts are going to be scrutinized more closely than those with no such history.

People need to take five minutes to read through the rules.