Re: please ban me
Moderation:
I've been hanging back and watching this develop, trying to decide how I feel about it. I'm not going to make a decision on my own here, because that's not why I'm here. I'm not the only member of the staff team.
However, as one member of said team, I'm actually leaning toward granting Rory's request. Here's why.
1. Rory is young. This means that his brain is not fully developed. Physiologically speaking, this means things like impulse control aren't done being built and reinforced.
2. Internet addiction, video game addiction and the like are very real, and can be hugely problematic once they become entrenched.
3. There is nothing we can do to stop Rory using his computer, his phone, or whatever other tools he wishes to use. However, if he finds that specific aspects of his online life are affecting him too greatly, we may be able to help. This is not without precedent; some other games and platforms allow you to freeze your own account, so in the absence of that tool, asking us to do it is not unreasonable.
4. I get the sense that no matter what Rory does, people are going to come down pretty heavily on him. No, he's not covering himself in glory, and yes, I do believe he has problems to address. But just as one example, this topic is about being deliberately banned; it's not about Rory's dev schedule or history. As such, I'm going to kindly ask that if you don't have productive things to say, please just bow out for now. This isn't a warning or a threat, it's a request.
5. It's well and good to say that Rory should just figure out what he wants, and how he intends to get what he wants. It's well and good to say that he should just muster the willpower. In general, I agree that willpower is important to foster. However, I also accept that sometimes, it can be very difficult to take that first step. I don't think it's especially shameful or unacceptable to request that someone take the decision out of your hands. To use a similar, if slightly more common example, I've heard substance abusers say things to their loved ones along a similar line. "You've got to get rid of this for me. Lock it up. Pour it out. Give it away. If you don't, I'm just not going to be able to resist it yet.". I think sometimes it's understandable to get that first big push from outside, after asking for it. After all, Rory is not completely deferring his problem. By asking to be banned, he is actually trying in some way to deal with it.
As such, this has caused me to come to the conclusion that users should be able to request a deliberate account ban which does not count against their punishments in any way. My own leaning would have three set times for a ban: three months, one year, permanent. In the past, we've had users try and get us to eliminate all traces of themselves from the forum, but that's not realistically going to happen here, not ever. However, if someone wants to permanently leave, and doesn't trust themselves to just quite, I don't see why we can't put in place a protocol which will ban them permanently. Likewise, if someone like Rory wants to go away for three months, or twelve, to figure himself out, I'm not against it. This comes with a few caveats though:
1. It -would be a set of protocol. We're not talking about a system where you make a request and it's immediately granted. Very likely it's going to result in some sort of communication between the requesting individual and at least one staff member.
2. Implied in this agreement between a voluntarily frozen user and the staff is an agreement that you will not use alternate accounts. If you do this, you will be punished as if you created an alternate account, just like anyone else.
3. Except in extreme circumstances, once both sides are in agreement on what happens, there will be no taking it back. If you're banned for a week and decide that you've figured things out, you're still going to have to wait. I do not want to set up a system where we are at your beck and call to ban and unban you whenever the spirit moves you.
I am wondering what you folks think of this idea. To be clear, this would be a protocol much like the rank name change, not just granted to one individual but provided on a case-by-case basis upon request.
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