President Trump: The NEW one and only politics thread

I definitely wasn't referring to you directly, just speaking in general of when stuff like that happens. And I'm not necessarily referring to Dick specifically, although his case is what brings the thought to the forefront. I remember receiving a PM, which I'm sure went to everyone, when Boom was banned that explained the reasoning for that decision, and I thought it was handled well. It probably saved weeks of "What happened to Boom?" interjections in threads he did or would frequent. When a poster has been around long enough or was engaged enough on the board, I think some openness would be helpful for the board when he or she is removed. Not only would it answer the oft-asked question of where he or she is, but it would also set boundaries for the rest of us who would like to remain here.

Yes, this community requires kindness and compromise, as you said. And anyone who decides to ignore those things probably deserves a "vacation." But in a community, you grow to know and enjoy engaging with the members in it, making it hard to just shrug when one of those members vanishes.

(Disclaimer: I am in no way telling the mods how to do their jobs. I'm sure there are perfectly valid reasons for why they do what they do. I'm only voicing an opinion on what I think would benefit a gathering place that many of us seem to enjoy more than a decade after joining.)

 

I wasn't posting when Boom got binned, so I can't speak to that. (I don't remember a PM, but I don't remember whole years of my life, either.) I would agree with you that it's a little strange when a long-time poster disappears—not just from banning. Sometimes old threads pop up and I'll see a name and be like, Whatever happened to him or her? You're also right that our strange little corner of the Internet is a place of sometimes deep, if unconventional, connection. Whenever I'm pissed off about something here, I'll tell myself "It's just the Internet," but this isn't just the Internet. I was a different person when I started posting here. SJ.com is one of my weirdest but most reliable constants.

All that being said, I think it's pretty obvious what happened to Dick. There are rules. He kept breaking them. He was suspended however times, under however many accounts. Finally enough was enough. It's amazing, going back to the durability of this board, how many of us have posted here for 15 years or whatever and never been suspended. Have you? I haven't. It's not that hard to stick around. The Catholic Church is quicker to excommunicate. And this place serves better wine.

 

I've been called a f------ traitor, but never suspended.

 

I've been called a f------ pervert, but never suspended.

 

I know nothing about what happened with DW, Yankee Fan or anyone else who's been missing recently. So I certainly DO NOT think they did what I mention below.

In my view, outing is the only thing truly worthy of a permanent ban. Many of us criticize our workplaces and other media outlets on here, and we can't do that if we use our real names.

Ripping people over their personal life, family, etc. sucks and shouldn't be done, but we can police ourselves on that sort of thing.

But once you've been outed, there's no undoing that mistake.

[/mytwocents]

 

I outed a jackwagon former co-worker once, and ate a short penalty. It was glorious.

 

Outing has always been the unforgivable sin, as far back as I can remember.

 

I have apparently missed every outing.

 

It's funny. I pretty much know no one's real name on this site, but I've been around long enough and engaged on enough threads to know the personal details of many of the people here. I know who is married, who is divorced, who has kids, how many kids, who has kids with special needs, where some people live, where some went to college, who puts ketchup on their well-done steak. Shit, I know the intimate details of exmediahack's first bang after his divorce and it was one of the best threads I've seen on this site. My fiancee often makes fun of me for my continued membership in this weird little community even though I am no longer a sports journalist and generally loathe social media. But I've been coming here since before I graduated from college, and it continues to be the my favorite time killer on a slow work day BECAUSE many of the avatars I engage with have stories and details and history.

And I think that is the kind of inter-connection our mighty message board overlords want, otherwise this is just another place to yell blindly into the void. But when a connection is severed in the community, there are obviously ripples throughout. Some kind of dialogue can help alleviate that, I think. You are right, Dick basically lived on the line and that can only last so long. But I think he was rooted enough here that his absence warrants more than a "poof." I wouldn't say that for many, but I would for him, like him or hate him.

For the record, I wouldn't even say it about myself. I'm personally a fan of the Irish exit.

 

Oh, and I've been called a high-level jackass, but never suspended.

 

Drunkenly falling down the stairs to your death?

Guess that's better than the Welsh exit, with your schlonger gripped tightly in a sheep's backside

 

My wife and I did an Irish goodbye at a party just this past Saturday