Re: Testosterone? Kids? Maturity? Hmm...
I think one issue is that the very worst offenders - the real trolls (especially those that try to do it a little more 'subtly', as if only being midly insulting in 50 posts is going to buy them permanent protection because no
single post is overly bad) - are so vocal and usually very well known "old" players, that mods are fearful of banning them because they are worried that all it's going to result in is 50 complaints this player ranting and raving to everyone who will listen how the mods are unfair how the forums are censoring how there's nazi mods etc. etc. etc. - because that's exactly the sort of thing most of the trolls will do when they get their wrists slapped. I also think sometimes mods think they can only punish per individual 'crime' - eg if no single post is too bad, then the offender gets away with each and every post they make, even if they're making them all the time.
But I say sod that, start giving out 24h, 48h, 7 day bans or whatever as appropriate every time one of these trolls (and most of us have a list of names in our head of the people who are hostile/seem to give a bad air around here) posts something out of line, and if they start hassling you and going off on one, extend the ban right on up to permanent if it's needed. I'd rather have a troll removed from the forums/IRC and ranting and raving at whoever will listen to his complaints about the awful nazi mods in private, than have them sat on the forums making the entire community feel hostile.
Some people just need to be treated very harshly (like the full weight of bans) for even the most minorly offensive post, because they seem to make "Minorly" offensive posts every single damn day. And ignore their complaints like "Oh but my post wasn't too bad I've seen worse" - if they're always acting up then kick them up the backside and ignore their complaints, they can always PM me in private if they think they've been unjustly punished - and I'm pretty sure none of the real trolls who know they are trolling would be silly enough to try and complain to me after being banned (which would just prove that they know they're in the wrong
).
Bit of a rant, but I do get fed up of a small handful (maybe 5 or so) people on these forums who seem to take satisfaction in being negative, abusive, insulting, critical, and more than anything - entirely testosterone fuelled egotistical morons that wuoldn't know how to get an opinion across in a civil and polite way if their lives depended on it!
