OK peeps, I am seeing a lot of flamewars lately which go off-topic of this comm. I am also getting dozens of reports about people reporting each other for “rudeness” or “trolling”. I don’t want this comm to start becoming a drama haven, so I want to try and prevent people getting worked up like this.

What do you think about me starting to deploy strategic 1-day bans for people who I notice are getting into flamewars? If not, what else do you suggest to help people remain civil?

Don’t just upvote/downvote. I won’t take these into account, I want actual comments about this to better make a decision.

  • mindbleach
    10·
    15 hours ago

    Short bans are like spritzing a cat in the face. It’s Skinnerian conditioning. It works.

    Just make sure the behavior you’re conditioning for is the behavior you want. Trolling doesn’t mean “harsh language.” Trolling is the infuriating nonsense that makes reasonable people reach for harsh language. Sometimes, a rude response is entirely deserved.

    • NSRXN (insurrection)@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      21·
      14 hours ago

      Trolling doesn’t mean “harsh language.”

      … right. that’s incivility.

      Trolling is the infuriating nonsense that makes reasonable people reach for harsh language.

      what is the criteria when clear incivility is justified?

      • mindbleach
        6·
        12 hours ago

        Fuck civility. “Be nice or die” is a gift to cautious bastards. It’s a formula for bait.

        People need the ability to bluntly call horseshit, when faced with horseshit. Polite phrasing of said horseshit makes it worse. It creates the dynamic of bullying, where an honest response to abuse is treated as justification for that abuse.

        Demanding that every response should take ten times more effort, all of which will be ignored, is a rule crafted for trolls. If someone can keep going ‘oh so you mean [not what you said]? wow that’s ridiculous and awful and pushes me further right,’ and any sane reply like ‘shut up, troll’ is what gets banned, then the rules favor and protect fffucking obvious trolling. And yet: that’s what too many moderators choose. Spotting rude language is easier. A forum free of blunt responses feels like you’re helping.

        But it’s fundamentally not rewarding honesty, accuracy, or actual constructive conversation. It’s pretending that bad faith doesn’t exist.

          • mindbleach
            3·
            10 hours ago

            Doesn’t work.

            Unsurprisingly, the moderators who basically just Ctrl+F “fuck you” are reliably useless at removing polite abuse. In practice they protect and encourage it. I have been told numerous times, on this site and others, to just use my words and continue arguing with what must surely be a completely reasonable… sneering goblin. Some of those same moderators have chided me for continuing an argument. They don’t know what they want and it’s gonna be your fault. Especially if you say something unforgivable, like: “I’m out.”