Why was Songhill banned?

Samwise

I'm sorry to have to post this message, but I am perplexed. I come to this forum often to browse and sometimes to add my own 2 cents... but it seems odd that one of the most informative contributors, Songhill,has been banned. I would just like to ask why, as I do not keep up on the politics here. I just come to learn about Buddhism and I appreciate the Sutra quotes and high philosophical content offered by Songhill, in addition to many others here. I hope others who share their views, backed by Sutra content or not, will not be censored in the future. Does anyone else agree? Or am I just paranoid?

Linc

Firstly, we don't reprimand members for having unpopular opinions. As a matter of principle, we do not moderate based on interpretations of Buddhism. Our moderators come from multiple lineages, and I don't consider what 'branch' you're a member of when recruiting moderators. Frankly, I don't give a damn.

To the issue at hand. I banned him for being an inconsolable jerk. I found myself following him around the site babysitting him to make sure he wasn't a complete ass to everyone, and that's simply not something I'm willing to do very long. If you don't find enough evidence of this scattered about, it's because we delete asinine, offensive commentary.

Two months ago, Songhill was officially warned by one of our moderators who had had enough of him (in addition to several other related actions by the moderator). I reviewed the situation, and decided the moderation had been excessive for the level of the offense, and reversed the warning. I was concerned the moderator's response was overly defensive of a Buddhist tradition rather than being about actual personal offense. In response, the moderator quit the site.

If anything, what I've perhaps done here is be entirely too patient and pressed too hard for secular moderation, and sacrificed a skilled moderator in the process. We're all the poorer for it.

Lastly, this is a private website with one of the most experienced, even-handed moderation teams on the entire Internet. I take the highest umbrage at the insinuation I am somehow an amateur at my craft, enjoy censorship, or that the community should rally to your half-cocked, half-baked interpretation of the situation. If you have further concerns about actions taken here, you may do so in whatever tone you wish in private. In public, there will be no crying wolf in our town square.

Linc

Let me add: There is no more eloquent vindication after a banning than to be harassed for it afterwards. Songhill has since emailed me a delightfully passive-aggressive passage accusing me of "censorship" (idea: get a Blogger account) and one of his minions has emailed me creative insults repeatedly and threatened to "mobilize" people against this site until he is restored or I explain my actions to their satisfaction. Quite plainly, these are the actions taken by trolls and adolescents, and it removed all doubt in my mind that I'd made a sound decision.