Banned from Game of Thrones forum

pixelburp

Hi CMods,

Yesterday I was banned for 2 weeks from the Game of Thrones forum, having been accused of posting spoilers within a non-spoiler thread (specifically: the episodic threads dedicated to non-book readers to discuss the latest episodes without fear of spoilers from book-readers).

The Mod, calex71, insisted that my guesswork, suppositions - even my correct spelling of characters names - were based on (fore)knowledge of the books' events & details

However, I made it clear in a number of PMs that I am not a book-reader (hate fantasy literature tbh), nor have I gone looking for info on wikis or other sites. All my contributions on the non-book-reader threads have been based on guesswork solely from the TV show, piecing together evidence from what the series has presented and wondering aloud on the threads.

This apparently upset posters (lurking book-readers according to the mod) who have wrongly presumed that I am a troll, posting spoilers in a thread that I shouldn't belong in: I find it disappointing as not only have I actively avoided spoilers for a favorite TV show to keep enjoyment pure, I have already had certain details spoiled on me by other users on the self-same forum.

I would like this ban to be reviewed as my prior contributions on other fora should demonstrate that I do not troll or try to spoil things for other people & have always tried to act maturely and with the community spirit the site is about. The overzealous moderation of the Game Of Thrones forum seems to look unkindly on anyone who tries to guess things (and apparently get things right; I'm a loss to the world of forensics it seems!)

Edit: I can provide PMs if necessary outlining the justification for the ban, and my response. I received no warning or infraction that what I was posting was causing grief for some.

Thanks for your time in reviewing this.

Pixelburp

pixelburp

Hey mods,

near 2 days into the ban, so just bumping the thread as I'd like to get some clarity on this; am frustrated that I'm banned out of a favourite forum over an incorrect assumption here...

Mr E

I'll send a PM to the Arts CMods (disputes in Arts are pretty rare, so they may not be looking at this forum).

In the meantime, as per the graphic at the top of the screen, have you tried to resolve this with calex71 by PM first?

pixelburp

Hey Mr. E,

Yes I have already contacted calex71 via a number of PMs, discussing his reasoning that I am inserting knowledge of the books in the non-book threads. I found these reasons pedantic to be honest, circumstantial & ultimately unfair, because how do I prove I haven't read the books or any wikis? As I said, I didn't receive any warnings or suggestions that my posts were causing confusion with people

After replying to specific points he made, I got a brief "The ban is upheld. Contact the forum". So here I am, hoping for the benefit of the doubt

faceman

Hi pixelburp

Just getting to this now and will review.

pixelburp

Thanks faceman; much appreciated

pixelburp

Bumping this thread again, as it's 5-days later, a week into a 2-week ban and no resolution in sight; I'm sure people were enjoying the sunny bank-holiday, but I"d really like this sorted one way or the other, get some sort of closure here. I feel genuinely annoyed about the ban, but at this rate it's likely I'll just have to wait it out!

Zaph

I've PMd the CMod to ask him for an update on this

Dades

Hi pixelburp,

I'm going to deal with this in the absence of other responses to your dispute. Firstly, I'll apologise for the delay which is not acceptable. I suspect it may be to do with the subject matter and not having a CMod with the background to assess this ban in context.

Luckily - though not for you - I'm fully versed in the GRRM universe, so we can jump straight into it.

The posts that prompted your ban don't technically contain spoilers, it's true. There has however been a suspicion that your exposure to GoT has gone beyond each weekly episode. calex71 has outlined these suspicions, and referred to PM correspondence between yourselves which alludes to something - a phrase - not used in the TV show, but by fans to refer to an event that has yet to happen.

Put simply, a viewer of the show who has avoided reading material that would compromise the ability to honestly speculate would not have made this reference.

I'm therefore satisfied that there is more to your knowledge than you are willing to admit. It doesn't have to be much - just enough to disturb the balance of a thread where everyone expects to be on the same page. Therefore I'm content calex71 had reason for the ban.

That said, fwiw, I'm to lift your ban a day early as you've been left hanging here in DR. Not much consolation I'm sure, but there you go.

Dades