Who is opebo?

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

If he were a Republican it would not have been quite as surprising--more than a few good posters have been banned because their political ideologies are too sympathetic to the GOP

Has this actually ever happened?

Maybe sympathetic to the very, very far GOP right ala StatesRights.

I thought StatesRights left on his own, no?

I thought I read he was banned.  Perhaps I'm mistaken.  I was not around much the time between I last remember him being a regular and noticing he was no longer with us.

[angus]

jmfcst ... clearly wasn't banned for being a conservative...

it is not clear to me.  What is precisely clear to me is that he made enemies with his annoying tendency to defend all manner of policies by quoting the bible and putting down those who disagree.  Sometimes when posters get banned there's an outcry, and one or more of the moderators feel the need to explain the ban.  This happened with opebo as well.  They have, then, to come up with a reason fit for public consumption.  This reason will never be because of one's politics, so don't waste time looking for it. 

opebo was also banned over his ideology, in a very real way, although this is not the reason given when some posters demanded to know more.  In the cases of jmfcst and opebo moderators could easily find enough reason to support banning them, so it's an easy tale to tell without resorting to admitting that they just don't like them or the ideologies that they stand for.  They both did enough crazy and offensive stuff to make it easy to ban with a clear conscience, if you are the sort of person who can consider banning a legitimate response to anything.  I think basically all banning is over ideological disagreement, at least on some level, which is part of the reason I'm against it in all cases. 

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The simple reason that opebo got banned was that he pulled the "how can you possibly think that what I posted/put in my signature had anything to do with sex" stunt once too many times.  He either was utterly clueless about how others viewed what he posted or more likely he thought he was such a fixture of this forum that he would only ever get slaps on the wrist rather than an outright ban.

Jmfcst's ultimate ban was a bit of a mess.  His initial muting was due primarily to a number of unresolved reports of his posts on some of our less policed boards getting resolved all the same time (and also rather harshly in my opinion).  However, his response to what one could argue was a bit of overenthusiastic moderating was basically to say, "If you're gonna mute or ban me for that chickenscratch, I'll give you something worth being punished for."  If he hadn't gone ballistic, I think he'd probably still be here.

[memphis]

It happens regularly.

But are there any examples? Other than jmfcst, who pretty clearly wasn't banned for being a conservative...

^^^^^^^^^^
jmfcst was given extra special leniency because of his nutter convictions. American religious nutterism being such a prevalent political position, it was thought by the Mod Squad that it ought to be represented (and there really was/is no other poster who fit the bill) here.

[Phony Moderate]

The most charismatic person ever to grace these lands

[Mr. Morden]

Jmfcst's ultimate ban was a bit of a mess.  His initial muting was due primarily to a number of unresolved reports of his posts on some of our less policed boards getting resolved all the same time (and also rather harshly in my opinion).  However, his response to what one could argue was a bit of overenthusiastic moderating was basically to say, "If you're gonna mute or ban me for that chickenscratch, I'll give you something worth being punished for."  If he hadn't gone ballistic, I think he'd probably still be here.

You're also skipping the part where he locked himself out of his account on purpose because he thought he spent too much time here, then made a sock account to come back, then pleaded with Dave to get his original account open again, before getting up to 100 points again for his actual banning.

[Torie]

It happens regularly.

But are there any examples? Other than jmfcst, who pretty clearly wasn't banned for being a conservative...

^^^^^^^^^^
jmfcst was given extra special leniency because of his nutter convictions. American religious nutterism being such a prevalent political position, it was thought by the Mod Squad that it ought to be represented (and there really was/is no other poster who fit the bill) here.

Nope. What is true is that there is a reluctance to ban long term posters, particularly those with a following who contribute something, except as a last resort. That is certainly true of myself, and I think of Nym. One's interests or views, if within the terms of use, are, and should be, absolutely irrelevant, be it about religion, or ideology, or otherwise.

[DemPGH]

I wasn't here for jmf, but I was for some of his socks, and they were a hoot.

With opebo they just got tired of him. Sex, prostitution, something he allegedly posted on another forum was a big one as I recall, and they even took to uprooting comments from a number of years ago. They just got tired of him, so find a reason - or a bunch of minor reasons that will add up - and he's gone. You could say it was ideology, but to me it was about personality.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Regarding Opebo's prostitution thing, wasn't there something about him linking to a site which had some of that, and we didn't want it on the forum because Dave wanted this website to remain available in schools and universities? (Same deal with the signatures too?)


Or am I mistaken...

No.  Other people took it upon themselves to post things he wrote about prostitution from another board.  Yea, real appropriate stuff from our gaggle of Web Detectives over here at Atlas. 

[angus]

I wasn't here for jmf, but I was for some of his socks, and they were a hoot.

With opebo they just got tired of him. Sex, prostitution, something he allegedly posted on another forum was a big one as I recall, and they even took to uprooting comments from a number of years ago. They just got tired of him, so find a reason - or a bunch of minor reasons that will add up - and he's gone. You could say it was ideology, but to me it was about personality.

Personality?  Ideology?  What's the difference? 

"My personality enjoys getting a thorough rub by young girls, and I don't mind admitting I'd old enough that I have to pay for it." 

"My ideology is that it is perfectly acceptable, commendable even, if I get a thorough rubbing from young girls, because doing such things is healthy and natural."

It's all in the spin, really.  One man's personality is another man's ideology.

Anyway, the general consensus about the "other board" bothers me a bit.  Expelling a member over something that was posted in another board?  I'd like to think our moderators are above that.  Still, I was gone when it happened and by the time I got back it was old news so what do I know?

Signatures?!  Those can be turned off.  I know I have mine turned off.  Well, I generally keep that feature turned off.  Once in a while I turn that feature on just to see what some folks are talking about, but then I see something horrible like a gay gladiator vomiting rainbows or Hillary Clinton as The Moon, so I turn it right back off.  I'm really astonished to see someone with as broad a worldview as Torie, or someone as intelligent as Ernest, getting riled up over a signature.  Then again, I have no idea what that signature was.  Nor do I want to.  Every time I turn the signature feature on it turns my stomach. 

(yours is okay, by the way.  "Medieval dude with a mullet" is sort of weird, but I'm guessing that it isn't the weirdest thing about you.)

[muon2]

There an important externality overlooked in the opebo banning, and that is Leip's use of Google Ads as a partial funding mechanism for the Atlas. When links to opebo's past from other boards appeared, those links triggered a response from Google. Google was not going to advertise where those links existed. That brought Leip into the discussion, and in the end it's his Atlas, not ours.

[angus]

Google was not going to advertise where those links existed.

Quite succinctly stated, and I suppose you're right.  We sometimes lose sight of the power of the almighty dollar and its power over the decisions we make.  I say this without sarcasm or hypocrisy.  I appreciate your succinct explanation of the phenomenon of expulsion, because it is logical.

[angus]

This is delicious irony!  After responding to muon's post, the very next time I logged into the Dave Leip's Atlas I had this message page:



An ad for mail order brides.  Prostitution sanitized and legitimized.  You have to on some level appreciate the intellectual honesty of the good old-fashioned streetwalking Thai hooker.

[DemPGH]

I wasn't here for jmf, but I was for some of his socks, and they were a hoot.

With opebo they just got tired of him. Sex, prostitution, something he allegedly posted on another forum was a big one as I recall, and they even took to uprooting comments from a number of years ago. They just got tired of him, so find a reason - or a bunch of minor reasons that will add up - and he's gone. You could say it was ideology, but to me it was about personality.

Personality?  Ideology?  What's the difference? 

"My personality enjoys getting a thorough rub by young girls, and I don't mind admitting I'd old enough that I have to pay for it." 

"My ideology is that it is perfectly acceptable, commendable even, if I get a thorough rubbing from young girls, because doing such things is healthy and natural."

It's all in the spin, really.  One man's personality is another man's ideology.

Anyway, the general consensus about the "other board" bothers me a bit. 

Yeah, I agree - it's equally petty if you're inclined to look at it that way, and I am. I mean we're pretty lax here. We allow attack threads, troll threads, a guy to post details about his laziness and horrible eating habits for everyone's amusement as well as mine I admit, and so on - none of which bother me, mind you. In fact, I find it all entertaining. It's kind of a break to post here. So it seemed funny to me when they zeroed in on this guy who looks like he was around since the early days, and now all of a sudden we have to rid ourselves of him. Didn't sit well with me. "So get what you can get on him, boys, he's atta here." That's how it struck me.

 

(yours is okay, by the way.  "Medieval dude with a mullet" is sort of weird, but I'm guessing that it isn't the weirdest thing about you.)

Ha, maybe not. My weirdness is pretty benign, though (like coaching the TV during a football game).

[Middle-aged Europe]

He was the best of us.

[politicus]

He was the best of us.

Joke?

[Vosem]

There an important externality overlooked in the opebo banning, and that is Leip's use of Google Ads as a partial funding mechanism for the Atlas. When links to opebo's past from other boards appeared, those links triggered a response from Google. Google was not going to advertise where those links existed. That brought Leip into the discussion, and in the end it's his Atlas, not ours.

It wasn't opebo who put those links up -- it was Gully, in a concerted, and unfortunately successful, effort to try to ban opebo.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

There an important externality overlooked in the opebo banning, and that is Leip's use of Google Ads as a partial funding mechanism for the Atlas. When links to opebo's past from other boards appeared, those links triggered a response from Google. Google was not going to advertise where those links existed. That brought Leip into the discussion, and in the end it's his Atlas, not ours.

It wasn't opebo who put those links up -- it was Gully, in a concerted, and unfortunately successful, effort to try to ban opebo.

^^^

[DemPGH]

I remember outrage with him (Gully), but I figured he was just being an a-hole. That, though, assuming it is true, is not only underhanded and miserable, but something that really should have been punished.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

There an important externality overlooked in the opebo banning, and that is Leip's use of Google Ads as a partial funding mechanism for the Atlas. When links to opebo's past from other boards appeared, those links triggered a response from Google. Google was not going to advertise where those links existed. That brought Leip into the discussion, and in the end it's his Atlas, not ours.

It wasn't opebo who put those links up -- it was Gully, in a concerted, and unfortunately successful, effort to try to ban opebo.

^^^

Even muon fell for Gully's shenanigans? 

[muon2]

There an important externality overlooked in the opebo banning, and that is Leip's use of Google Ads as a partial funding mechanism for the Atlas. When links to opebo's past from other boards appeared, those links triggered a response from Google. Google was not going to advertise where those links existed. That brought Leip into the discussion, and in the end it's his Atlas, not ours.

It wasn't opebo who put those links up -- it was Gully, in a concerted, and unfortunately successful, effort to try to ban opebo.

^^^

Even muon fell for Gully's shenanigans? 

My quote did not say who put up the links, since that was irrelevant to Google's action from what I could see. To the extent that Gully's "outing" of opebo caused a higher-level chain reaction, then he was successful.

[Middle-aged Europe]

He was the best of us.

Joke?

Opebo was not the poster we needed, but the one we deserved. So, we hunted him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful molestor. A red-avatered knight.

[Badger]

It happens regularly.

But are there any examples? Other than jmfcst, who pretty clearly wasn't banned for being a conservative...

Short answer: No

[King]

Atlas Forum Shrugged.