Why is Jacob Edward banned?

Status
Not open for further replies.

anarchist100

Forum Legend
Banned
Joined
Dec 11, 2020
Reaction score
141
Location
canada
Lifestyle
  1. Other
I looked at his recent post and didn't find anything particularly bad, Why did you ban him? I always found his post rather interesting.
 
Oh, my. that must have just happened this morning.
I'm not sure he deserved to be banned. but I am under the impression that the moderators tend to struggle with banning. and although we may not be witness to it, I think they are usually give warnings. And sometimes the banning is just a temporary thing. Like a time out.

Not that I can read the moderators' minds but my guess is that it might have had to do with some of his crazy rants lately
like this one

There was one day, it might have been yesterday, when you looked at the forum thru the "What's New" lens and it was all JacobEdward threads. One of the concerns I have is how the VS looks to people who happen to come in cause they are vegan -curious, first timers, newbies, etc. Someone coming for the first time to VF on that day would probably go away thinking that we are all nuts.

I know that Anarchrist thinks that Free Speech is some kind of god given right but THIS is a Moderated forum. If it wasn't - well we can just imagine what the results might be.

Also something that may be more on people's minds than usual is that Platforms have a responsibility to not advocate conspiracy theories. Although I thought Jacob's viewpoints were mostly harmless - well I think the moderators have to uphold unambiguous standards as well.

There is that fuzzy line between tolerance and enabling. Its tricky walking that line.

He has also been insulting to the moderators. but I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't ban him for that.
 
Well there's the repeated violations here--

  1. Don't cross-post content into multiple threads. While posts / topics can sometimes fit into multiple threads / categories, we ask that you choose only one so as to keep all of the conversation in one place. If you need help deciding, please talk to a staff member.
  2. Don't engage in name-calling or ad hominem attacks against fellow members or ex-members, and don't "react" positively to posts with such content.
This forum is very liberal in how much they tolerate. Most would stop at insults and creating a toxic environment.
 
A few thoughts about banning in general and not particularly looking in the direction of Jacob Edward:

Most people would agree that there has to be limitations on free speech. For example we have laws about verbal racial abuse. At the same time we no longer burn heretics at the stake.

In my time here I have seen quite a few members banned. For some the reasons were obvious. For others I was left completely perplexed and disappointed but then none of us is to know what might have been posted and then deleted.

I have also seen a very few instances of moderators being, in my opinion, rather sharp or rude or unkind. But, hey, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

I have also detected cases where a poster has obvious mental health problems that produced personal attacks or long rambling rants. (Roger here advises himself to try to keep this post fairly short.)

It must be very difficult to judge between doing harm to a member with problems by banning and allowing harm to other members or the forum and its ideals.

In my professional career I often had to be very patient and very understanding. The moderators here probably have those attributes to a greater degree than I ever had. We need to appreciate the sometimes difficult job they do.

In particular Indian Summer and his predecessor each deserve credit for their efforts in what must be a very onerous but extremely worthwhile undertaking. A job well done.

Roger.
 
Last edited:
Thank you, you're very generous, Roger!

I started out as a more 'liberal' admin who would go out of my way to engage with trouble-causing members, sometimes in long conversations, to avoid having to ban them. I was firm in the belief that conversation could solve all problems.

I've made a lot of mistakes, and I regret every one of them.

Over the years I suppose I've become a tad more grumpy and ban-"happy", but it still often saddens me tremendously when we end up banning an established member who has put time and effort into the forum, even if I think it was the right decision.
 
Most people would agree that there has to be limitations on free speech. For example we have laws about verbal racial abuse. At the same time we no longer burn heretics at the stake.
I disagree, who decides what one can and can not say? I don't think any human can be trusted to control information, that sort of power corrupts, it is inevitable that the people with this power will use it for their own gain, to make themselves and their government look better than it really is. Having absolute freedom of expression has consequences but not doing so opens the door to tyranny. There is a reason there have never been any good dictators, the very word dictator is synonymous with evil. Because people given to much power will use it or their own gain even if you have the most honest person in the world, the whole point of democracy is limiting the power of those in control because absolute power corrupts, and the power to control information is the power to control truth in the minds of the masses. No one should have such power. Regardless freedom of speech has nothing to do with banning on this website, it's not the government it's private property, just wanted to share my thoughts on the matter.
 
Thank you, you're very generous, Roger!

I started out as a more 'liberal' admin who would go out of my way to engage with trouble-causing members, sometimes in long conversations, to avoid having to ban them. I was firm in the belief that conversation could solve all problems.

I've made a lot of mistakes, and I regret every one of them.

Over the years I suppose I've become a tad more grumpy and ban-"happy", but it still often saddens me tremendously when we end up banning an established member who has put time and effort into the forum, even if I think it was the right decision.
What did Jacob Edwards do to be banned though?
 
I disagree, who decides what one can and can not say? I don't think any human can be trusted to control information, that sort of power corrupts, it is inevitable that the people with this power will use it for their own gain, to make themselves and their government look better than it really is. Having absolute freedom of expression has consequences but not doing so opens the door to tyranny. There is a reason there have never been any good dictators, the very word dictator is synonymous with evil. Because people given to much power will use it or their own gain even if you have the most honest person in the world, the whole point of democracy is limiting the power of those in control because absolute power corrupts, and the power to control information is the power to control truth in the minds of the masses. No one should have such power. Regardless freedom of speech has nothing to do with banning on this website, it's not the government it's private property, just wanted to share my thoughts on the matter.
.
Jumping around and yelling "blah blah blah blah blah" in the middle of the meeting is also free speech, but it's disruptive. I'm not saying that anyone here does this. I am saying that rudeness will eventually result in social rejection.
.
 
.
Jumping around and yelling "blah blah blah blah blah" in the middle of the meeting is also free speech, but it's disruptive. I'm not saying that anyone here does this. I am saying that rudeness will eventually result in social rejection.
.
Indeed, but we must leave the government out of this.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.