RK Forum Mods

I know some of you are mods, I know not all mods suck, but to me it seems that some mods take way too many liberties and are entirely anal and border on harassment.

For example, my most recent ban all started with a post in which I stated that 'England has a lot of friggen market laws'.

My post was then edited, and I was told that you cannot say friggen on the forum because it is the same as saying fuck.

I mailed the censor back and called them an idiot. I also then changed a link in my signature to a picture that said 'censorship sucks'.
Notice I did not in fact state 'RK censorship sucks', but when the RK mods go on their witch hunt they dont give a shit, they just do what they want to attack people.

I was then notified that I would be banned. I was out of town at the time, so I mailed Badger, stating that I would appeal, but that I was out of town and would not be able to do so until the following day.

12 hours later I received a mail stating that my appeal had been denied.

What appeal? I said I was out of town and unable.
How did it take so quick? Because the censor community are a bunch of assholes.

Here is the correspondence between myself, censors, and the forum admin there. I would like you all to draw your own conclusions.

Enjoy.

{Meerkat} wrote:

Dear Player of Anto_Capone

This is a friendly note to let you know that Meerkat has edited your post in the thread 'Public Complaint agains the Judge of Galloway.' in Galloway Inn to remove the vugarities and placeholder for a profanity - "friggen" is a placeholder for f uck, and therefore should not be used on the forum.

Please remember not to use profanities, or acronyms/placeholders for them, when you post.

Kind regards.

Meerkat

My Reply:

anto_capone wrote:

friggen is for 'freakin', where did you grow up lol

seriously, are you just being anal or do you truly believe friggen to mean f.uck? i've NEVER heard of friggen being a vulgarity, ever, anywhere.

people say it on TV, even in courtroom.

dont be an idiot.

I then received a reply from the censor:

{Meerkat} wrote:

Hi

Friggen and freakin are both slang placeholders for that word, and neither is acceptable. If someone says they're freaking out, or they are a control freak - that's from "freak" and is fine. But if it's like "you freakin moron" or "I can't believe you friggen did that" then yes, they are placeholders for the word. (Check slang definitions online if you don't believe me.)

I know that sometimes people don't realise that freakin isn't derived from the word "freak", and I know lots of people use the word without realising what they are truly saying. They might be slightly more acceptable words to use in public, but they still shouldn't be used. Just because they are heard in a lot of places doesn't make their meaning change.

The point is that they are not allowed on the forum - it's that simple.

And please don't call me an idiot.

Kind regards

Meerkat

So I mailed Badger, to try to get this censor off my back:

anto_capone wrote:

so, i guess you cant say

dang
darn
shoot
jeez
frick
shite
arse
rear end
donkey
jerk


do you see where i am getting at?

is this forum a nursery school anymore? this place is becoming so anal bro, if they can say it on daytime television why cant it be said on a silly little forum?

i dont get it bro, the thought police are making the forums a nightmare.

first of all, to even register on the game/forum you have to agree to be 13 years old right? why the heck (oh wait, cant say heck either now!?) are the censors policing all this crap so much?

why? there is no good reason why. its just censors running a power play. why the hell stupid meerkat have to mail me about it? i dont even know what post the fool edited, but they had to point it out to me just to aggravate me. its obvious to me.

im not saying we should be able to swear, whatever. but to say these words that take the place of vulgarities should be banned as well is wrong. sometimes vulgarity is appropriate in context.

you are now outlawing the swear words of 8 year olds, and everything related to them.

next time i'll just use grotesque medical terminology i guess.

cant say friggen, but fellatio would be fine.. how about auto erotic asphyxiation lol

to me, is simple common sense. i would rather be called a friggen jerk than a vaginal abscess. Laughing


idk, ever since everyone could get internet every holy roller and hate monger has crawled out from under their rock of ignorance it seems, pushing their definitions of things onto everyone else.

to think, i was being polite by not swearing... well, time to break out the medical books i guess Smile

have a g1 bro, sorry for the long mail!

Badger mailed me back, saying he will try to work with everyone about it. Badger always seemed nice, but something was up this time. I had already put the link in my signature, saying 'censorship sucks', and he asked me to remove it.
Being that Badger has always been nice to me, I did remove it right away, but it didn't matter.

This violation and notice of ban was sent to me 3 days later:

{Meerkat} wrote:

Dear player of Anto-capone,

This is a formal warning regarding this edited post by you in the thread the '[D] Market laws - was Public Complaint agains the Judge' in Galloway Inn.
http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=1465302&start=15&sid=ihzMwbZilHDYRHl5KDBxuHmEd

anto_capone wrote:

If I may, albeit somewhat briefly, simply state some simple differential.

England has a substantial vaginal abscess of market laws. Minimum wage plus profiteering, bla bla bla.

What has it given them?

Bread and corn, they cannot sell. Markets stifled by fear and neglect.

The cheapest bread in England runs about 5 pounds. But if you buy it, you might be arrested. What sense is that?

What gives anyone the right to state how I spend MY MONEY?

If I want to hire for 12 pounds, I will have a harder time finding employment. The same with market sales.
There are NOT 300 greek merchants trained to kill your market in your town. It is simply a false suggestion: everything sold in a town can be made again.

There is NO monopoly in this realm, there is no way to bank a market, no matter how hard you try. Trust me, I tried.

What a free market brings is free enterprise. Investment, of higher standard. Word spreads fast, and a trader buying your entire market is actually a good thing. That is why people put things on the market in the first place right? To sell their items?

You blindly punish a man for simply investing in a product; and sentence him to 2 days in jail. This is WRONG.

That is 2 days this person is not working in YOUR mines, 2 days they are not providing YOUR next meals.

The English think they have it all figured out, but even with their cheap fecal matter they beg people to buy, NO ONE wants to live there under this type of oppression. This type of hate will only bring hate back upon you, so please, consider the words carefully.

There is no reason for market or wage laws, ever. Supply and demand rules already. You either accept this, or you watch your own profits slowly die.Like England.


Good Day.


edited it back, to be 'forum friendly' according to our 2nd grade bible school disciplinarian the meerkat.

and also your signature at the time:

Quote :

Together with the fact that when the link in the signature was clicked on, the following appeared:


The Scotland Censor Team has found this post to be in violation of Forum Rule 9, which provides:

[rp]Rule 9: Protesting Administration or Censor Actions

Game owner mandate prohibits the use of the forums to protest or criticize any moderation by the censors or any Administrative action taken against players by Forum or Game administration. Constructive critique and discussion of the Game developers' changes or additions to the game is allowed in The Luminarium only.

Notes:

• Complaints about Administrative or Censor action must be made by private message and follow the Grievance process laid out in Rule 8.
  
• Censor identities are not to be discussed for any reason in a thread. If there is an issue relating to censor identity it can be forwarded to a forum administrator by a private message only.

[/rp]

According to the Forum Violations Protocol this violation carries a 1 point penalty. You already have 2 points, so adding this to your previous points gives you a total of 3 points. These points equate to a three day suspension from the forums and shall remain on your record for 6 months.

Please see the Forum Violation Protocols for instructions on how to appeal any warning you feel is unjustly given and for further information in regard to the warning system. Appeals to this decision can be made by PM to one of the forum administrators, {Badger} or {Swallow}.

We regret that this action must be taken, but RK is an environment that all should be able to enjoy within the guidelines established for posting. We hope that you will make the most of this break to think about the way you posted and do your best to bring it in line.

Kind regards,

Meerkat
and the Scotland Censor team

I sent a mail in saying I would appeal, this is a copy of the mail that I received back 12 hours after I sent it off:

(sorry that it is repeating a lot of what is already posted, but for clarity sakes I thought it should all go together.

{Badger} wrote:

anto_capone wrote:

im banned again, however all i can find is 1 other point within the last 6 months, back in june, so it might only be 2 points.

anyways, i guess i will appeal, but im soon leaving these forums and going off site. this is just becoming tedious, and its not fun being annoyed and harassed, is how it feels.

heres a copy of what i got.

{Meerkat} wrote:

Dear player of Anto-capone,

This is a formal warning regarding this edited post by you in the thread the '[D] Market laws - was Public Complaint agains the Judge' in Galloway Inn.
http://forum.renaissancekingdoms.com/viewtopic.php?t=1465302&start=15&sid=ihzMwbZilHDYRHl5KDBxuHmEd

anto_capone wrote:

If I may, albeit somewhat briefly, simply state some simple differential.

England has a substantial vaginal abscess of market laws. Minimum wage plus profiteering, bla bla bla.

What has it given them?

Bread and corn, they cannot sell. Markets stifled by fear and neglect.

The cheapest bread in England runs about 5 pounds. But if you buy it, you might be arrested. What sense is that?

What gives anyone the right to state how I spend MY MONEY?

If I want to hire for 12 pounds, I will have a harder time finding employment. The same with market sales.
There are NOT 300 greek merchants trained to kill your market in your town. It is simply a false suggestion: everything sold in a town can be made again.

There is NO monopoly in this realm, there is no way to bank a market, no matter how hard you try. Trust me, I tried.

What a free market brings is free enterprise. Investment, of higher standard. Word spreads fast, and a trader buying your entire market is actually a good thing. That is why people put things on the market in the first place right? To sell their items?

You blindly punish a man for simply investing in a product; and sentence him to 2 days in jail. This is WRONG.

That is 2 days this person is not working in YOUR mines, 2 days they are not providing YOUR next meals.

The English think they have it all figured out, but even with their cheap fecal matter they beg people to buy, NO ONE wants to live there under this type of oppression. This type of hate will only bring hate back upon you, so please, consider the words carefully.

There is no reason for market or wage laws, ever. Supply and demand rules already. You either accept this, or you watch your own profits slowly die.Like England.


Good Day.


edited it back, to be 'forum friendly' according to our 2nd grade bible school disciplinarian the meerkat.

and also your signature at the time:

Quote :

Together with the fact that when the link in the signature was clicked on, the following appeared:


The Scotland Censor Team has found this post to be in violation of Forum Rule 9, which provides:

[rp]Rule 9: Protesting Administration or Censor Actions

Game owner mandate prohibits the use of the forums to protest or criticize any moderation by the censors or any Administrative action taken against players by Forum or Game administration. Constructive critique and discussion of the Game developers' changes or additions to the game is allowed in The Luminarium only.

Notes:

• Complaints about Administrative or Censor action must be made by private message and follow the Grievance process laid out in Rule 8.
  
• Censor identities are not to be discussed for any reason in a thread. If there is an issue relating to censor identity it can be forwarded to a forum administrator by a private message only.

[/rp]

According to the Forum Violations Protocol this violation carries a 1 point penalty. You already have 2 points, so adding this to your previous points gives you a total of 3 points. These points equate to a three day suspension from the forums and shall remain on your record for 6 months.

Please see the Forum Violation Protocols for instructions on how to appeal any warning you feel is unjustly given and for further information in regard to the warning system. Appeals to this decision can be made by PM to one of the forum administrators, {Badger} or {Swallow}.

We regret that this action must be taken, but RK is an environment that all should be able to enjoy within the guidelines established for posting. We hope that you will make the most of this break to think about the way you posted and do your best to bring it in line.

Kind regards,

Meerkat
and the Scotland Censor team

i did change the siggy long before i got this message, so not sure how it applies. is obvious tho tho that none of it matters

anyway, i want to appeal but im out of town and wont be back till tomorrow to even defend myself.

have a g1 bro, me and nngo wont be bothering you on this forum anymore.

laters

Anto-Capone,

Thank you for your Appeal. Swallow and I have reviewed it. You currently have two points (both from June, since you asked) and this would be your third, resulting in a three day ban.

Your appeal is based upon your feeling that the words you used are not objectionable, that you are being harassed, and that you had removed it before you got the ban message. I’ll address each individually.

I know that you know better than to think the vaginal absences is objectionable and also completely unnecessary. And it was done to replace another word, so you clearly did it in protest to the first action, knowing full well what you were doing.

The point given though was not for that, it was for Rule 9 Publically questioning or harassing a censor. This you did, again after the edit, in protest. You did it not just once or subtly but through modification of your sig and banner, so that your protest could be seen throughout the forums.

The ban letter are only given after a several day deliberation and vote so something being removed after it was done is not significant.

Of course what I see as annoying about all of this is that I told you about the first, the language, to take it down, and then you posted, even though you knew perfectly well that it was wrong. It was you doing the harassing, not the censor harassing you. The is evidenced as even after receiving the ban note you continued to harass the censor by posting your note with some snarky comments in the Luminarium. Why?

As the very first line of the Introduction to the Forum Rules reminds us:

Quote :

Each player is responsible for his or her posts and for all content in those posts,…

Your Appeal is denied. You will be assessed one point and your 3-day ban will begin shortly after pick up of this letter or within 24 hours.

Badger and the Admin Council

So, if you've read along, you can see the snowball effect of powers that censors are given over players that ultimately dampens the game and forum experience.

I was disappointed that Badger, who I considered a good friend, would even deny my 'appeal' when I clearly stated that I would be unable to defend myself until a day later.

Yes, it was only a 3 day ban, not really a big deal. But it epitomized the type of bad censor and admin behavior that many have come to simply accept, because they have no other choice.

I was already working on another forum, before any of this happened, but these events sort of cemented the foundation and the determination to see something new; something different, that is managed by the players FOR the players.

With this forum, I really don't see the need to have to deal with the unending and changeable rules; the constant forum lag (holy shit is rk forums slow!), and the constant pressure to conform.

Here, I hope everyone feels they can express themselves without fear or the feeling of walking on egg shells; without the frustration of losing posts due to lag and time outs, without the bullshit. That's all.

And it works, I haven't felt the need to even check the 'official' forums for weeks, nor have I bothered to post there. I hope you all enjoy this place, and can feel free to express yourselves within our very basic forum rules.

Have fun all!

wow, novel much? I did read it all though (10 minutes of my life I will never get back) and I think we can all agree that the censors need to take an abnormally large pickle out of their asses.

James wrote:

wow, novel much? I did read it all though (10 minutes of my life I will never get back) and I think we can all agree that the censors need to take an abnormally large pickle out of their asses.

lol sorry

Anto, I know more about the process than most, however, this is too public an area for me to say more.

Last time I went on the forum to read anything has been a while ago. I find they nit pick you to death. Hell I remember getting in trouble for saying something about about the seasons or how I made a suggestion to someone I got the email from the mods that said it was not acceptable to make such a suggestion.

took all the fun out of things

Actually friggen, or if you take it back to its original spelling of frigging, means masturbation rather than fucking. It comes from the latin fricare - to rub. Its an old word, been in recorded use since the sixteenth century, but likely goes back further.

As Anto said, people use the words arse, heck, dang, etc. all the time, and those are certainly placeholders for swearwords as well. I told him at the time that I was incredibly amused by the irony of him being banned for a "censorship sucks" link lol.

I know I have had my fair share of arguments with the censors lately, and I don't even have the history with them Anto has. I've never had so much as a point or a formal warning or anything. They are indeed completely out of control, and it seems from Ireland's argument with them that it isn't going to change.

And yet when I called someone an Asshole twice in Worcester Inn, the Censors either were asleep or dont read the forums

Yeah, and when someone called me a bitch in the Laighean Inn, funny how that slipped by too.

*sigh* So much I could say, but yeah, there are two sides to every story. Some censors are bang out-of-order and yet there are others who go the extra mile for folk. I think of it a bit like school teachers, some are good, some are bad and some are easy to fool. To carry that analogy further, if we are the kids, then again, we have the full scope: the rebel, the hard case, the arse-licker, teachers pet and the too-cool-for-school gang. Sometimes I agree with the protests and sometimes I can see why folk are slapped down. As someone who has very recently been slapped down irl by the long arm of the law, I can tell you that I hated it, so I know exactly how you all feel (I hate being told off - ever, so this really rankled, but at the end of the day, I did deserve it and was bloody lucky it wasn't worse lol). It is frustrating when rules are too strict or inconsistently applied, but what do you expect from an unpaid group of volunteer people who get no training or advice and have only their own instincts to guide them?

Also remember, the forum slowness affects them too, so maybe posts get missed because they have given up after the umpteenth time-out lol!

(I know it sounds like I am sticking up for the censors, I am not really, I am just trying to say that there are two sides to every story.  I mean, apart from modding here, I am mod on a couple of other forums, and RK is certainly the strictest forum I have seen.  Somehow, either the folks on the other forums are more responsible or the mods are more responsive and so issues are sorted out more quickly.  *shrugs*  Who knows?)

It's celsius. The buck stops with them.

I don't agree with a school analogy. I don't think that fits RK forums. Censors are not teachers, because teachers encourage free thinking and open debate.
Censors are not cops either, because cops only enforce laws, they don't make them.

People that make the rules and enforce them, and then tell you it is for your own good, are closer to a government.

And all governments really are, in the end, are simply a means to control the masses by the elite. Sure, they make roads and infrastructure; but don't be fooled into thinking it is for your benefit. It is always for the government's own benefit.

But that's besides the point.

The worst part of this entire debacle, to me, was being lectured by some anon dipshit censor in morality. I know my own moral compass well, and I know I did nothing wrong. I will not feel guilty just because some censor tells me to.
It's the same with a lot of religion, people try to make you feel bad for thinking differently. I simply refuse to feel bad, and I cannot respect anyone that cannot respect the views of others.

Top it all off, to even question the censors on RK forums is a bannable offense. And in my case, to even think differently got me banned. That in itself is a play on mind control propaganda, and it's complete bullshit.

As you can probably conclude, I am not one of those type of people that will 'work the system' to get needed change. I don't believe in it's efficiency. I was a RK censor, long ago. I left it after only a matter of days.
Why? Because I am no one's puppet. I saw the little clique, the secret handshakes of the cool kids club, and it made me disgusted. A bunch of wannabe elitists posing under the guise of helping others; but in reality it is a completely self serving power play. I know some of you here are censors, fine, but I seriously question anyone's integrity who volunteers time to exercise authority on something as trivial as a game forum. That's just how I feel, if you don't like it (this post is not directed at anyone), tough shit.

Maybe, if I stayed as a censor, I could have helped change the system from within at a sacrifice to what I believe in and who I am. But, I prefer revolution; to tear it all down and build it again.
A purging fire so to speak, and here we are...

And that will be the stark difference. Any mod here will be in public review, and would only be here to help. No one will be lectured, no conversations directed; it is an open forum.

Flames that are split will not be locked, they will be open for all to see and to be continued in the category for such things. No one will be warned for crimes of thought, no one will be told they should feel bad, and no one will be edited to make things 'forum friendly'.

If people want to kill each other, awesome; we have a forum for that.
If people want to bullshit and spam; go for it, no one will stop you.
If people want to rant about how much the mods here suck; cheers, I'll even make it a sticky.

A public meeting place for open discussion = a forum.

None of that closed discussion crap they got on RK forums!

I agree that the mask thing is a silly idea. I have no problem with people knowing that I am the one who is facilitating things for them. And that is how I see it. I see a mod as someone who stickies threads, moves things around and splits off topic things to where they belong. I don't care if X is yelling at Y as long as it doesn't become gang X against Y, because that is bullying and that is something that no-one should have to go through. As for Celcius, yeah, I shed enough tears and more over them, no more.

I hear ya hon. Some people try to legitimately help Celsius out, and are treated like shit for it.

Look at Zogdor, who translated all that shit for Levan, only to have Levan talk shit about it all.

Personally, I couldn't associate myself with Ceslius at all. I don't agree with their customer philosophy, I think they treat people like utter crap. I don't agree with the direction they are taking the game, what kind of moron thought Tribalistan would be a great idea? Only an ignorant pretentious douche wad would try to make fun of other people's loss.

And look at the forums there, sheesh. You can't talk about marijuana, but you can talk about another celsius game that promotes terrorism. What kind of fucked up shit is that?

I'm not angry with them or anything, I could care less if they drowned in their bath tub. I just don't want to be associated with them, and I will never recommend RK or any Celsius game to anyone I know. Fuck em!

HOW MANY OF THESE THREADS ARE THERE!?

 

anto_capone wrote:

HOW MANY OF THESE THREADS ARE THERE!?

To be fair if you consider it's taken us like three years to get through these threads I think we've been pretty easy on 'em.   

lol