For anyone who bothers to read this let it be known that unlike some of the braggarts around here I personally do not think I am bigger than the site. I have no delusional notions that I am some sort of martyr or do I feel that anything I say will make a difference. Sometimes though we just have to do what we feel is right even if we might well be the only one that gets it.
I spoke out back when the whole Bread, Robyn and other posters were in an uproar. I spoke out but I did so as an outsider. I was more or less impartial in the matter because I wasnt a part of the action and only came in after the fact basically. I read through the threads and saw what went on and that was when I spoke a little on the subject.
I spoke out again in the weeks that followed because a couple of my post and a few post of others were moved to Private Zone when many of those threads had nothing offensive or against rules contained in them. Misunderstanding was basically what the verdict was when those threads were returned.
In the examples above were at hand it was pointed out by myself and Im sure a few others that the main reason these things happened in the first place was because rules are arbitrarily enforced. Not just that but out of the mouth of the owner himself it was said that there is a sliding scale and mods have a tough job and are allowed to make judgment calls. I agree if a moderator is left to his own judgment and interpretation of whats objectionable inconsistencies will occur. That was the big problem by the way.
John it would be foolish to think that you werent ( and maybe even arent) sharp in business matters. You have developed SBR into one of the more successful gambling forums around. You and your staff have increased advertising revenues, great ads like SBR lines, SBR sports book and the points system. You plan on adding SBR poker eventually as well. All these things are solid and they will undoubtedly make SBR more appealing to many more members in the future. So as I said from a business standpoint you should be proud.
From a personal standpoint though regardless of all the innovations and improvements some of the things you allow to happen or take part in absolutely makes one wonder if there arent split personalities at work.
How is it good poster relations to treat posters differently? How is it ethical to disrupt the integrity of a thread by removing certain post contained within that thread? How is it good practice to allow mods to use self discursion at what is objectionable and whats not? How is it good to allow blatant racism right out in the open as this forum has done over and over again?
Now in addition to those we have the CougarBait situation. Cougar came here yesterday and warned a current member of SBR about a threat against his body at the upcoming SBR Bash. Cougar did not make those threats himself. Cougar did not even agree that those threats were warranted or join in with those threats. All Cougar did was copy and paste what those threats were. Now put aside for a moment that these threats arent real because much like what actually happened that would call for a conclusion on our part. Nothing Cougar did was against a written rule. He DID NOT post a link. He copied and pasted what was said within a thread. Something that has been done here time and time again from other forums around the net.
John it is glaringly obvious that Cougar was punished because of who and where those threats came. You hold no love for Bread, the posters that left or the forum they created and that is fine. It is your option to hold a grudge, harbor ill feelings or simply despise all of that. What isnt cool and what is just wrong is banning or allowing a banning of the guy who simply brought this to the attention of the SBR member it involved.
John what if this threat were real? Its obviously not but what if it were? What if it were real and what if Cougar like any of us that were there when that thread at the other site was happening chose to just ignore it and leave it alone? What if at the Bash that threat actually became a reality? What if Bread actually caused bodily harm to Illini and no-one did anything to prevent this from happening?
John, because of your feelings towards someone else, someone you cant touch, someone beyond your reach, beyond the grasp of SBR punishment you elected or allowed the messenger to be shot. You cant touch Bread but you can have Cougar punished. Does that somehow make SBR a better place John? Does it make you a more powerful person? Some might think it does but I think it proves just what a little person you are.
I dont know how many people will agree with anything I have said here and I really dont care. I feel better for doing it. I feel better and I said you not the moderator who was delegated to carrying out the orders.
