John Wilkes Booth - unban please

1. Moderators should simply be here to monitor spam, and ban people who are willfully idiots or crossing the line with their language when addressing other members. (that's it, period)

2. I wish the censorship on this website would stop, via deleting threads? If someone comes on here spewing racism or being offensive, let them hang themselves by leaving their threads up. It lets us know the idiots we need to steer clear of. JWB did not fall into this category.

Apparently we are welcome to leave if we disagree.

I really don't think you should be telling mods how to do their jobs. JWB is someone I like but he has been needling and pushing and daring the mods to ban him for a while. This isn't his first rodeo, and you can't say any mod has ever banned anyone in haste; they always think it through, give enough rope, then kick the stool out from under the member. I for one am glad for mods who will actually do something when required. We can't make them afraid to act, or tie their hands. You should try to understand and put yourself in their shoes.

As for (2), it's against the rules. You think the mods should leave crap like that up and just wag a finger? Who's going to respect them or the rules if they do that? Also, **** like that has no place here and it can upset other people (ie in this case French, those who have French connections -- sorry -- or just every right-thinking person who grieves over the pointless loss of innocent lives.)

I have no problem at all with what was done by mods in this thread, and Ki will agree I'm sure that if Exo had not stepped in, he would probably have continued with his tasteless jokes. That kind of behaviour needs to be dealt with, and that's why we have mods and aren't an anarchic society here.

1) I read the thread I didn't see JWB goading the mod into wanting to ban him. I saw a guy who got on the wrong side of the fence in an argument, and pessimistically gave in and asked to be banned halfheartedly.

My personal opinion on mods is that there should be no social status that comes with the job, but you should be getting paid!!! something because its a job!

2) If someone broke the rules than it is KI, he was the one making offensive comments about the attack on Paris, so if someone should be banned it is him, not JWB.

And yes I personally found Ki's remarks revolting and offensive, but I don't think they should be deleted from the website. I don't believe in regulating free speech, "You have the right to be offended.", but if your worried about copycats coming in just to make offensive comments than I understand the logic, other than that I think people should be left to socially hang themselves for their stupidity.

I've been on here for years now and I've never complained about the mods, but the arbitrary nature in which JWB was banned bothers me, because he wasn't the primary instigator.

Ki comes in makes offensive jokes about the attacks on Paris, and then gets his idiotic comments deleted, pretty much a get out of jail free card, and JWB gets banned.

He goaded Plankton into banning him and he did, it was on here and I saw it when it happened.

I'm a mod on another forum (nothing to do with music ;)) but the same there is what happens here. A person is not usually banned for one single action, the action that the members think that he/she was banned for, but they're normally banned for their behaviour over a period of time which could be weeks or months or longer, and before permanently going they've already been banned or warned a few times already .

I think if somebody has been banned once and still doesn't learn from their previous mistake, the mods are not left without much choice in this matter and it's also done for the reputation of the site.

As said before mods do this job on a voluntary basis and have to make tough calls now and again, and personally I feel a mod dominant forum in the case of MB works better than a more relaxed one, as without the mods here this forum would quickly disintegrate into a free for all with people insulting each other and posting what they want. I've seen forums like this before and it ain't a pretty sight.

JWB earned his ban and actually worked pretty damn hard to get it IMO. Hopefully things work out and we see him around here again, but if not, the mods are not to blame.

By all means voice your opinion, William_The_Bloody, but I don't think your opinion is based on all the factors that went into JWB's banning. It's been said, and it will probably be said again, that the issues with JWB were not entirely in this thread. Let that sink in for a minute...

The issues with JWB were not entirely in this thread.

Are we clear on that? I really hope so.

He had already been banned earlier in the year, then he was banned again within weeks of being allowed back, but others thought the case against him was a bit thin, so he was unbanned with conditions that he clean things up. He was warned and coddled for a while, but he continually walked a fine line on bannable offenses, which in turn opened the flood gates for other childish behavior from other members. This forum was a game to him. He wasn't here to talk about music, he was here to inflate his ego by appearing to be on point with edgy topics and nonsense. While this is a music forum, there is also the element of world events in which members are encouraged to discuss, but this is not a place where anyone can just run their mouth off without consequences. This forum isn't the comments section on a youtube video. This is why there are mods and rules. Have some decency, and some common sense. It'll keep you off the ban radar.

Edit: I guess I took a bit too long to pen that. US is pretty much spot-on.

Sooooo.....who wants nudes? Anyone?

I'll take one with sprinkles. ;)

Two dipped in chocolate por favor.