Harsh sentence for a genuine mistake.

Chuck Stone

I've been banned for 7 days from AH and I really feel that it's excessive.

In the Paranormal thread in AH I was linked to another thread which I didn't realise was in another forum (the paranormal forum).

I came back to the AH paranormal thread and called the people in the other thread 'gob****es' which is par for the course in AH but unacceptable across forums (I have to admit that I had a bit of drink taken which is no excuse I understand)

I've PM'd the mod (Hot Lips) who gave me the lengthy ban and tried to explain that I didn't realise it was another forum but s/he won't accept this.

I have no problem going into the paranormal forum and apologising (if it's appropriate) for my mistake as I'm really not in the business of getting at people for their interests if they have no impact on me.

I'm appealing that a Cmod to consider lifting my ban or at least shortening it.

Dades

FAO DR Mods: methinks this is not a SOC thread but a REC one.

g'em

Hi Chuck. I do appreciate where you're coming from here but there's a couple of fundamental things here that are making me resistant to lift or shorten the ban:

Chuck Stone wrote:

I came back to the AH paranormal thread and called the people in the other thread 'gob****es' which is par for the course in AH but unacceptable across forums (I have to admit that I had a bit of drink taken which is no excuse I understand)

Well, it's really not par for hte course. Abuse isn't tolerated on AH any more than it is in other forums, and cross-forum slagging is seen as a particularly shady thing to do. Posters should be free to express their views in forums without running the risk of those views of they as people being ridiculed elswehere on the site. It's something we simply don't tolerate. Now granted AH may be a little more laissez-faire than other forums, but abuse is abuse is abuse, especially when directed at other boards users.

Chuck Stone wrote:

I've PM'd the mod (Hot Lips) who gave me the lengthy ban and tried to explain that I didn't realise it was another forum but s/he won't accept this.

This is your second ban from AH, and it stands to reason that it is longer than the first ban (3 days first time, 7 now). Ban duration increases with each offense, it acts as a deterrant for doing something ban-worthy in the first place.

Forward me the PMs between yourself and Hot Lips by all means, but I'm struggling to find a reason to reduce this ban, it all seems appropriate and proportional from what I can see.

g'em

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for sending on the PMs. I do actually believe that you're genuinely sorry for saying what you did in this case, but the problem is that this isn't the first time you've been banned for insulting other posters, and that would lead me to believe that it's an ongoing problem with your style of posting i.e. it gives me even less of a reason to lift the ban. You're a very active contributor to AH, there's no doubt about that, but I do think that you push things somewhat, and I don't think it's entirely innocently. By your own admission you'd had a few jars on you when you posted and while it's a defence, it's not a valid excuse.

I'm not going to lift the ban on this one - I just can't abide posters insulting people on other forums (I know you claim that you didn't realise it was another boards forum being linked to I find it very hard to believe that - as poster as prolific as you would know straight away when a new boards window popped up).

I'm afraid this is one that I think needs to be chalked up to experience, and keep it in mind the next time you want to bad mouth folk on the forum.

If you would like to appeal this it will need to be reviewed by an Admin.

Chuck Stone

g'em wrote: »

Hi Chuck,

Thanks for sending on the PMs. I do actually believe that you're genuinely sorry for saying what you did in this case,

I certainly am sorry about it Ma'am. Pissed off with myself about it in fact.

but the problem is that this isn't the first time you've been banned for insulting other posters, and that would lead me to believe that it's an ongoing problem with your style of posting i.e. it gives me even less of a reason to lift the ban.

The previous bans I have no quarrel with. They were more like two people arguing in a pub and if IIRC the bans were handed out to the other people after a bit of mud slinging in both directions.

You're a very active contributor to AH, there's no doubt about that, but I do think that you push things somewhat, and I don't think it's entirely innocently. By your own admission you'd had a few jars on you when you posted and while it's a defence, it's not a valid excuse.

I didn't really think I pushed things in AH? If you look at the last few threads I've started they've been very amicable and generated large numbers of views and contributions. Quite pro-social if I do say so myself.

You're absolutely correct about having a few jars on board it not an excuse in any way.

I'm not going to lift the ban on this one - I just can't abide posters insulting people on other forums (I know you claim that you didn't realise it was another boards forum being linked to I find it very hard to believe that - as poster as prolific as you would know straight away when a new boards window popped up).

I can't seem to convince anyone of my innocence (ignorance!) at this point of inflection and that I find a little disheartening as I consider myself a person with some integrity.

I'm afraid this is one that I think needs to be chalked up to experience, and keep it in mind the next time you want to bad mouth folk on the forum.

Aw man I hate that anyone thinks I set out to bad mouth folk. When I said gob****es I meant it in an 'eejits of AH' (Of which I include myself) rather than 'assholes on another forum'. I have no truck with the lads down the paranormal forum and if they're reading this I offer them an apology.

If you would like to appeal this it will need to be reviewed by an Admin.

Thanks for taking the time, I know you guys don't have it easy and do a thankless job so I don't see any reason to push it further as you as Cmod seem to have given it some reasoned thought and have sided with the original decision.

So seven days it is.

Thanks anyhoo.

Peace.

g'em

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I didn't really think I pushed things in AH? If you look at the last few threads I've started they've been very amicable and generated large numbers of views and contributions. Quite pro-social if I do say so myself.

You're absolutely correct about having a few jars on board it not an excuse in any way.

I can't seem to convince anyone of my innocence (ignorance!) at this point of inflection and that I find a little disheartening as I consider myself a person with some integrity.

Aw man I hate that anyone thinks I set out to bad mouth folk. When I said gob****es I meant it in an 'eejits of AH' (Of which I include myself) rather than 'assholes on another forum'. I have no truck with the lads down the paranormal forum and if they're reading this I offer them an apology.

Chuck in all fairness to you I do believe you made a genuine mistake here. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and I'll reduce the ban to four days with a day already served.

Please don't make me regret this though! See you back in AH soon.

Chuck Stone

Thank you g'em for the shorter sentence. I'll do my best to be more careful about links and language (especially at the weekends!).

Kind Regards.

Chuck.