You know, sometimes a person says crazy shit that’s illegal or threatening or a little too real for a public forum, and I understand that circumstances exist under which is it necessary for a user’s privileges to be completely revoked. But at the same time, it seems like some of the crazier people offer the rest of us a unique opportunity to pick the brains of well, some of the crazier people.
I’m not sure how the board really works in a technical sense, but I do recall that at one point Ladyjane was cast into the pit of mundane babble, and made unable to post in other forums, so I assume that’s an option that’s less harsh than an outright ban.
Other times I have noticed that some users have been permanently removed.
If it were even my place to have an opinion, (which it may or may not be), I would almost always vote for people to be restricted rather than outright banned.
I suppose of course that if it became a legal or safety issue that a total ban would be a matter of obligation for the moderators, but in any other case I would like to see those users in question treated less harshly, (not as if it were lots and lots of people or anything).
But I mean, I’ve been on the internet for a very long time, and I’ve posted on multiple forums for multiple topics, and no matter what anyone may have to say about ILP one way or another, it is certainly a beacon for free speech and exchange of ideas.
I think it would serve that reputation to be welcoming of some less articulate and somewhat crazy users.
A board full of rational logical people is a wonderful thing if we were starting a think tank to solve real problems in the world, but a board with a few crazies has the potential, (I think) to offer more entertainment.
I mean think about it, you wanna convince someone they’re wrong and you’re right. You also want an intellectual challenge. So how about arguing with a person who doesn’t even have a coherent position? I know it can seem pointless, but it’s alot more like the people you’re going to deal with in the real world.