Recursive Prophet banned on A+

I just wanted to mention that particular reprobate and how it went down.

The thread is here: http://atheismplus.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3735

It began with a civil request that the no PM rule be relaxed to allow for a single PM to be made requesting the right to further PMs. This request was born from the suggestion that people with specific types of anxiety would be triggered by posting their request to PM in the open forum. The response was that there were other people that were specifically triggered by receiving a PM and that the rule would be discussed by the staff.

Those staff that posted demonstrated a lack of understanding of the issues surrounding Social Anxiety. There is a solution, allow people who suffer from this to make a single Private request, anyone who is triggered by receiving PMs can turn the PMs off. This wasn't discussed. Instead, they picked on specific words from Recursive Prophet until he lost his temper and he was banned.

I've read in other forums JREF in particular someone criticize R.P. for losing his temper. The snark thus justifying the temporary (1 month!) ban. But I think the snark is the result of deliberate baiting from the regular members. It puts the loss of temper in context at least.

RP joins august company in his banishment. The question is will he go back...

scott1328 wrote:RP joins august company in his banishment. The question is will he go back...

I too have been banned.
...for asking why I was banned.

Glob the Funct wrote:

scott1328 wrote:RP joins august company in his banishment. The question is will he go back...

I too have been banned.
...for asking why I was banned.

WHAT'S YOUR PURPOSE HERE?? ANSWER THE QUESTION!!

And check your privileges you Glob of shit! Do you actually believe you have any right to challenge the authority real personal experience has bestowed upon those tasked with making atheistplus a safe environment? Keeping assholes like you who would question their actions at bay is their primary task! People's lives depend on their protection of the most marginalized among them from churlish berks like you!

As for RP he's just one of many parsehole trolls from TR who only went to Atheist+ to stir shit. His insensitivity is obvious by his lack of concern for those who would need weeks to recover from the panic attack an unsolicited PM would trigger. And now he's trash-talk whinging at JREF about it. He said there he ain't comin back so I think I'll just make that permanent. [Epileptic Trigger Alert] [/ceepolk channel]

Eeek...Quit channelling Ceepolk!

Glob - Geez...banned for politely questioning whether your temp ban was justified. That's low.

On the plus side - they are starting to wake up to why they are being 'trolled' so much. There's a discussion I read the other day that noted that many of the people coming to their forum are under the misapprehension that they consider themselves the next wave of atheism. They acknowledged that some blog or another actually said something like this and that their forum was not intended as a place for everyone. They see themselves as a place where people who are already at third year level of "SJ" can come and learn from people who are unprivileged.

Perhaps it would be good to see some public advertising that their forum is not for everyone.

You're being kind, null.
I'd go so far as to say that right now that spot isn't for hardly anybody?

I mean, ALL forums are going to be "not for everyone."

I'm not sure why we can't all just be kind! I'm a bit soft like that.

There's a concept of Social Justice that has been established as a branch of sociology. I think they're really trying to promote/'teach' that form/concept of social justice and are not receptive to any criticism. So, yes - it's absolutely aimed at 'hardly anybody'.

But, if they can get to the point where they are servicing a group of people who aren't being serviced at other forums - then this could be a valuable thing to do. the problem at the moment seems to be that people are clearly getting there and expecting to be included who are being excluded. I think good people are being hurt by this, and those who are participating are becoming jaded by it. So at the moment it seems to be a poisonous place.

It's possible the small core group that basically account for over half the posts there now might be able to keep their shrinking pup-tent from collapsing. Secular Cafe for example only averages about 20 users logged in, yet they keep on going. They get a lot more guests though.

I strongly suspect A+ won't be around in 2014 the way they're declining now. Did you see that chart on their traffic?



The green line is for TR, which is also on a downward trajectory though not as steep. I started lurking at A+ in September and always check the numbers on any site I visit. I suspect theirs are down much further still from the Dec. 12 point where the graph ends. The only real question is when the staff and a few of their die-hard disciples are the only ones left, will they still find it interesting without all the drama and nobody left they can kick out.

arpie wrote:

Glob the Funct wrote:

scott1328 wrote:RP joins august company in his banishment. The question is will he go back...

I too have been banned.
...for asking why I was banned.

WHAT'S YOUR PURPOSE HERE?? ANSWER THE QUESTION!!

And check your privileges you Glob of shit! Do you actually believe you have any right to challenge the authority real personal experience has bestowed upon those tasked with making atheistplus a safe environment? Keeping assholes like you who would question their actions at bay is their primary task! People's lives depend on their protection of the most marginalized among them from churlish berks like you!

I hang my head in shame. I've had the priviledge of having my life threatened for opposing Apartheid. I've had the priviledge of living under a system where just expressing your opinion could get you banned*.

Déjà vu


*Banning in Apartheid South Africa was a system of punishment whereby one had to report to the police daily, or weekly, not leave the magisterial district, and could not have more than one visitor at a time. One could not attend gatherings, or be involved in any political activity.

I would love to hear your thoughts on equality - especially in regards to the situation as it has developed in the post apartheid period.

nullnvoid wrote:I would love to hear your thoughts on equality - especially in regards to the situation as it has developed in the post apartheid period.

Me, too.

wind wrote:

nullnvoid wrote:I would love to hear your thoughts on equality - especially in regards to the situation as it has developed in the post apartheid period.

Me, too.

C'mon wind, you're good at sharing and one of very few from South Africa I've ever encountered online. It just hit me now how revealing that is. I've chatted with dozens of Aussies like null, yet can hardly recall any from South Africa, which has more than double Australia's population. Give us some insights into where you are now and your take on how you got there. Perhaps some links to things you've posted elsewhere?

arpie wrote:

wind wrote:

nullnvoid wrote:I would love to hear your thoughts on equality - especially in regards to the situation as it has developed in the post apartheid period.

Me, too.

C'mon wind, you're good at sharing and one of very few from South Africa I've ever encountered online. It just hit me now how revealing that is. I've chatted with dozens of Aussies like null, yet can hardly recall any from South Africa, which has more than double Australia's population. Give us some insights into where you are now and your take on how you got there. Perhaps some links to things you've posted elsewhere?

I'm not from SA.

No, that would be Glob.

Forgive arpie - he regularly has a problem with names!

But you've lived there, yes? Or am I conflating you with another? That happens frequently these days.

Whoops. Just saw null's reply. I could have sworn I remembered wind mentioning fighting against apartheid. Perhaps she was quoting Glob and I failed to make the distinction.

I once met a man with a head injury who had ceased retaining new memories. In essence he had to live with a situation that meant he could read a book and then completely forget it within a week.

I'll never forget his comment. "At least it keeps down the cost of buying new books!"

Yeah, there's that. At about age 65 when I started having frequent lapses in the synapses, I wondered if perhaps I was dropped on my head as a baby. Now I'm beginning to think I was thrown!

nullnvoid wrote:I would love to hear your thoughts on equality - especially in regards to the situation as it has developed in the post apartheid period.

Will do, but I'll probably need a bit of time, and open a new thread.

Glob the Funct wrote:Will do, but I'll probably need a bit of time, and open a new thread.

In your own time. Nothing worth doing is worth rushing.

nullnvoid wrote:

Glob the Funct wrote:Will do, but I'll probably need a bit of time, and open a new thread.

In your own time. Nothing worth doing is worth rushing.

Done. See: http://www.secularsocialjustice.com/t167-south-africa-an-unequal-society#1836

Yep, just read it! Am digesting it now...