For being allegedly pro liberty based websites, the moderators and other staff at THR and TFL are downright bullys. I was banned from THR some time ago for having a one time PRIVATE and extremely civil disagreement with LAWDOG via an exchange of only two private messages between us. There's someone else on APS who has in their signature that they were banned from TFL for no reason. The moderators and staff at THR and TFL have a propensity to have the attitude of "lick my boots or else I'll ban you." I don't know what they think they are accomplishing with treating fellow citizens/gun owners this way, but I think it's high time somebody dared to talk about it.
Those moderators like to threaten a lot, ban a lot, and reference the "forum rules" a lot but are always extremely vague in what rule they're referencing and exactly how it applies to what they are talking to you about. Getting a private message from the moderators or staff at EITHER of those forums is tantamount to the proverbial midnight knock on the door by the brownshirts. You know you're not going to be treated fairly and the only way to keep your membership is to say "yes sir yes sir yes sir."
Now, I've noticed the problem of overbearing, bullyish moderators over there for some time, but what was really the last straw was getting a "warning" about this allegedly "inappropriate" (actually only ugly) picture I posted on TFL that everyone BUT "TheBluesMan" saw the humor in:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/forumfun/newbie.jpg (I don't recommend this for APS, either. OV)
If all you have to say about this is "if you don't like it then leave" type of nonsense (people that say easy things like that always come out of the woodwork and are a dime a dozen), don't bother because I'm looking for a serious discussion.
These type of "moderators" (who frequently have little moderation because they don't have to) are why I've begun to notice that "pro gun" doesn't necessarily mean pro liberty.
The biggest problem, is these so called "moderators" have NO accountability whatsoever. Administrators also tend to take everything they say as pure gospel, because of course, regular members are ALWAYS in the wrong about everything.
Really what this post is about is power without accountability equals tyranny. Actually a better way to put it is the famous quote that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Here is the incredibly vague and factually incorrect message I recieved about the above pic:
"I have removed the photograph of the naked man you posted in General Discussion in this thread: http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190238
It seems like you enjoy pushing the edge of the envelope with some of your posts. Please take a moment or two to re-read the forum rules you agreed to when you joined. Remember, this is a family-friendly forum."I responded by asking for specifics instead of vague statements like "pushing the envelope" (I probably won't get a specific response, only something to the effect of "If you don't like it then leave"). I asked him if the side view of an ugly guy
(which by the way even the freaking FCC wouldn't have a problem with!!!) is pornography now
.
I learned with "LAWDOG" that even so much as RESPONDING to the private message from a "moderator" if you disagree with them
in any way is dangerous and could result in a LIFETIME banning with no recourse, no mercy, no justice, no common sense. If I had been banned from THR for say 24 hours, it still would not have been just, or even remotely fitting the "crime," but hell, at least it would have come and gone.
Before somebody predictably says "go start your own forum then" (real gutsy statement BTW) I actually started two quite sometime ago, and bought the domain for one of them. One I created because it's predecessor had disappeared from the net and the other was a direct result of being sick to death with nazis and other bullys that masquerade as "moderators."