What the fuck, I go away for a day and Shadow is banned? I suppose that is what is currently frustrating me. I was one of the ones who thought he shouldn't be banned, and in the poll thread - weren't the ones that thought he should be banned in the minority?
Bans by popular demand are almost worse than arbitrary bans. Would you rather have someone ban you for a certain reason, or get banned because you were simply voted off the island?
I'd rather not encourage the idea that being unpopular will inevitably lead to being banned, or that being popular will save you.
Popular opinion should be - and already is - a real factor to be considered when determining whether someone should be removed from a community. I certainly agree that it should not be the only factor, but it shouldn't be ignored either. Tell me honestly: if everyone in this entire forum loved Shadow, and mentioned such on a regular basis rather, and cried out in objection at the very thought of him being banned, but he still had committed all of the grievances you listed, would you still ban him? Obviously this situation is strongly hypothetical, but not impossible, given the right set of hypothetical people in said hypothetical community. Regardless of whether it would happen in real life, it serves well to pose my question. Tell me that the 3-5 people who loudly complain about Shadow on a regular basis are not a factor in the minds of any admin on this forum when they agree with your decision.
Note that I am interjecting here not because I strongly care one way or the other whether Shadow gets banned, but because you merely brought up an intriguing debate topic.
Yes, I would still ban that person. This is a place of discussion, not a cult of personality for the most liked to rule. Besides, when the popular become untouchable, those with unpopular opinions become easy targets for abuse. It squashes the kind of open atmosphere to think and explore that we've always tried to maintain here.
As far as whether or not such a thing was a factor in my decision to ban Shadow, remember that I've only been lurking the generally accessible forums as an anonymous observer for the last month. Nobody's been complaining to me about anyone, not even the other admins, since nobody's been able to reach me. Even Z barely had a chance to keep in touch with me.
So it doesn't matter who was complaining to what admins; resolving people's complaints wasn't the primary motive behind this ban. Instead, my decision was based on my own observation and investigation.
But your argument is still valid in the sense that that's how things work at most other forums. I don't agree with it as being correct however, and had I not returned, I think the things you cited in your argument would have certainly been the basis of any administrative action against Shadow by the other admins. Part of why I did this now, and did it myself, was to keep that from becoming the case.
Also, I think it's for Shadow's own good that he's being banned, and that's really the most important thing to consider when banning someone. Certainly more important than popularity.
