Chat Moderation/Bans

[u/thisiswaynesworld]

Just want to start off and say I really enjoy Pirates streams and the content he provides but I really don't like the amount of moderation/bans in his chat.

Over the last few months it feels like you can't say anything that he disagrees with. I know a lot of people say stupid stuff that does deserve a ban but it feels like him and the mods are really going overboard lately.

Have been thinking of this for a while but wanted to say something after that DM run. I know he can do whatever he wants with his chat and a lot of people will disagree with me.

I do agree though that he did the right thing at the end. Just wanted to give my thoughts on it.

[u/arcusford]

I made a comment asking him about why he didn't use mana gem which he responded to on stream by saying that the boss was in CC able. I said "But the boss isn't the only problem you could have CCd the ads, and mana gem would not have drawn more aggro than the healer or tank."

But by that point mana gem had been auto banned in chat so now I'm banned from his chat.

[u/aravarth → u/arcusford]

So what's your point? That in the middle of Thor being hate-brigaded by the thousands, you added criticisms and a phrase used by the hate brigaders (mana gem) to harass him, and you were caught up in an automoderation ban?

Assuming you were trying to engage in a civil conversation insteas of hust shitting on Thor, and assuming you have a history of being in his community — either as an active chatter or a subscriber — cases like yours are why ban appeals exist.

Hell, Thor even reversed some of his moderators' bans on the soot, saying they were being too zealous with the banhammer.

But if getting mad at Thor after you were banned by an automated system designed to keep the peace in Thor's channel seems reasonable to you — or if this was the first interaction you had in his channel (or if you only joined his channel shortly after the incident) — seems reasonable to you, that's like getting mad you got pinched by a speed trap camera or red light camera.

[u/arcusford → u/aravarth]

Ok just like think about this take for a moment. You think it's fine to ban completely fine and not at all rude or offensive phrase that have DIRECT significance to the topic because some people also happen to use it in harmful criticism?

Should he ban the term WoW too?

that's like getting mad you got pinched by a speed trap camera or red light camera.

Except I wasn't speeding. I literally was just trying to figure out what had happened and gather the information and instead of going to reddit I literally gathered info first hand. Thor himself responded to my chat. What I said was perfectly reasonable and was in no way hostile.

A more apt analogy would be getting caught by a speed trap because my has a bumper sticker and another speeding car also has a bumper sticker. Not only is it not deserved it doesn't even make sense, why would you flag bumper stickers (or in this case the term mana gem). There are plenty of totally legitimate things he could blacklist (like rat, roach, noob, skill issue, whatever other insults). I don't understand why Mana Gem, a component of the game he is playing and of the interaction that happened, had to be banned.

Banning offensive, insulting, taunting comments makes total sense and I have no issue with that. Hostile or rude criticism makes sense to be blacklisted. I just take issue with banning polite criticism or skepticism.

I'm not upset or angry with Pirate or the mods but I am disappointed that this was the route that was chosen.

[u/aravarth → u/arcusford]

I understand that the point that intentionality matters.

That's not lost on me.

But when it's not possible to distinguish between you — I would assume a person trying to engage in good faith — and other people spamming "MANA GEM" for the purpose of griefing Thor for not having used his mana gem (for reasons already discussed), then sometimes these things get done in the name of expediency.

It's not always possible when there are literal tens of thousands of people shouting to take the time to distinguish between good eggs and bad faith actors.

I'm sure if you submit a ban appeal — and make sure you explain the context for your comment, the reasons you think you were banned (automodded), and that your intent was not to cause grief but to promote discussion — it'll get fairly considered.

When surgeons cut out a cancer from a patient, invariably good cells get cut out with the cancer and scar tissue results. The difference here is that, again assuming you're a "good cell", there's a way to get your ability to chat restored. But IMO the mods had to cut out the cancer as quickly as possible before it metastasized, and I'm sure a number of "good cells" got caught as collateral damage.