BMBBMB: One month later

I got suspended from a certain message board -- I won't name it, but if you're reading this after coming from there you know which one -- for using a word which is supposedly banned. The moderator who suspended me -- I'll call him Howard, he (presumably it's a he) wallows in anonymity -- railroaded me, and that sort of obnoxious injustice should be exposed. So here's my version of what happened.

I was in a boisterous debate and, as part of a closing comment about a person for whom I have no respect (he's earned it), used the word "shit", knowing full well that the board's filtering software would blank it out as a series of four asterisks "****" (curious how, regardless of banned word length, it always censors to four asterisks). Imagine my surprise a bit later when I found my account suspended (without warning or notice, but that's how Howard operates; fiat being so much more delightfully tyrannical than discussion) for "...avoiding the swear filter".

I emailed Howard -- what was this about avoiding the swear filter? I had walked right up to it, entered the word "shit", and let the filter do its work. Howard, demonstrating signature incompetence, hadn't bothered researching my post and simply jumped to a reckless conclusion. I made no attempt to dodge or deny that I had written "shit", with fair expectation that the filter would scrub it, which it did. The filter rendered my post with "****" in place of my chosen expletive. Nonetheless, this caused Howard to freak and suspend me, that tender eyes might witness "****" on the board -- despite that this is exactly the result the filter software produces. (The post was never deleted.)

Howard revoked my original, 14-day suspension because I was right; I had not attempted to avoid the filter. But then he threw a thermonuclear snit -- since I'd caught him with his metaphoric pants down -- and levied me a 30-day suspension instead. I had to serve an even harsher penalty because (a) I'd readily acknowledged my offense (using a naughty word) despite the filter doing its job, (b) I'd pointed out this fact to the moderator, and worst of all (c) I had apparently pissed off Howard personally by implication that he was doing a poor and unprofessional job. (I never declared that, but I wouldn't disagree with it. Moderators are unpaid, and the board is clearly getting its money's worth of service from Howard.)

In a better world with competent, consistent board moderation, someone typing "****" (actual asterisks) would cause no alarm. In this world, alas, we learn that, when posted by certain people, "****" is considered at least as dangerous as typing a banned curse word (which gets properly filtered and censored), and that one should never, ever inform the moderator (even privately, which is how this played out) that he is doing a poor job. Of course, Howard is continuing to be wildly inconsistent; I've noticed more than one post, in the interim, which had "****" in it (whether a censored curse or actual asterisks should make no difference), yet those posters have suffered no penalty. Maybe they weren't ragging on one of Howard's snugglebuddies, or maybe Howard has been justly relieved of his position, or maybe he's died recently (though I'm certain the universe doesn't contain that much natural justice, nor should it). But I'm the one who got railroaded.

This is why the good stuff now will get posted here instead of that message board. The Web is the current pinnacle of interactive communication, and the flow of information should not be bound by the petty whims of an incompetent, self-important, wildly inconsistent, biased tinpot. Go commit a biologically improbable act of autoerotica, Howard (put another way: Go **** Yourself). In broad strokes, I leave you behind; best place for such as you, really. Onward.