I JUST GOT BANNED FROM MY FIRST SITE!!!

[CARBIZ]

Hey boys and girls: I just got banned from my first forum. I feel like I just got voted Prom King!

I've been hanging around Urbantoronto.ca for a few months. Boy, are they a bunch of tree huggers! You guys would HATE it there. First of all, most of the site is based around pictures of big holes in the ground, which is what Toronto is becoming these days, but almost from the beginning I endured personal attacks (and was even called a piece of $h! for being gay), all the while the mods did nothing.

I tried to take the high road and did get sympathetic PMs from a couple posters, but although I read most of the threads (as I do on C&G), I found myself only posting on threads to do with banning cars from Toronto or people shooting their mouths off about GM, etc. Perhaps I was a trifle too opinionated (eh, FOG?), but the personal attacks were uncalled for. I guess I should have known: while I was combing through the back-threads last summer in an effort to catch up with what I'd missed, I came across several references to people being banned. The general consensus was that those people didn't have the right opinons. Well, now I guess what those opinions are.

So, today I got banned FOREVER . Reason: being an 'idiot.' (Geez, don't get so technical!) I never resorted to name calling, I never attacked any of the posters, I merely expressed my opinions that Toronto has the Worst Traffic in the Known Universe and that I think closing down arterial roads for fun festivals is a bad idea. Now, I know there have been some sensational people banned from C&G in the past and I also know that some people have voluntarily left, but I honestly don't understand how simply disagreeing with people can get a person banned!

Have any other folks on C&G been banned from other sites? C'mon, 'fess up. I wanna know!

[CARBIZ]

I got banned from a forum once for doing a photo comparison of one particularly paranoid member to the Unabomber. Is it my fault all the crazy old white guys look the same?

One of the members posted a very unflattering picture of Leona Helmsley in comparison to me! I think he dug her up to make the comparison. I resented being compared to her, at least not in that unflattering light!

[Satty]

I was banned from GMS for offering free rusty trombone lessons. And for being a parody of Josh.

[Enzora]

Hmm. The craziest person I've been told I resembled was Fiona Apple.

[daves87rs]

Does being banned from Neon.org count?

And some Honda site I can't remember...

[Robert Hall]

Hmm. The craziest person I've been told I resembled was Fiona Apple.

Interesting... I've been told I look like a cross between George Costanza and Tony Soprano. Though I think I look more like Michael Chiklis.

[Drew Dowdell]

Wanna make it two?

:mod: :mod: :mod: :mod: :mod:

[daves87rs]

Wanna make it two?

:mod: :mod:

[Drew Dowdell]

I got banned from TundraForums for posting this picture

and saying "HEY TUNDRA! CAN YOU DO THIS?!?"

[CARBIZ]

I joined ToyotaNation and haunted there for a while about 2 years ago. It was surreal, so I quit going. I don't even remember my handle now.

I guess I came across as being somewhat haughty on UT. I guess that's the problem with any newbie that joins a site: they have to find a niche and see if they fit in. They can get bored before they are hooked, or another serious error is shooting off one's mouth on a topic that has been beaten to death. I think a lot of us on C&G are guilty of getting, shall we say, intemperate with newbies when they come on all full of piss and vinegar about a topic that we, ahem, seniors have

Personally, I enjoy the disagreements, as long as they don't get too personal. There are lots of colorful folk on C&G (and you know who you are), but wouldn't this site be BORING if we all sat around, masturbating about oh how great GM is and trashing Toyota just for being - well, Toyota? (Well, okay that last part wouldn't be TOO bad, but I digress.)

Anyway, I guess I was naive in thinking I was going to change people's minds on a site that celebrates 50 story condos on every corner and thinks that Toronto should ban cars from downtown, just because other city's (in Europe!) have done it.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I tend to stay neutral, keeping my opinions to myself and just blend into the background.

[mustang84]

I was banned from GMS for offering free rusty trombone lessons. And for being a parody of Josh.

I thought your threads over there were hilarious because it was pretty much the only activity that place was seeing.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

I think I've come pretty close to being banned from here a couple of times.

But other than that, I don't think I have been.

[Nick]

This is the only forum I haven't been banned from.

[Jamie]

The members of one of the forums that I am on consider it a badge of honour to get banned from some sites (mostly the ricer forums). The forum owner even baned himself from his own site (and then couldn't figure out how to log in to un-ban himself).

If you want to see a no holds barred automotive forum, have a look at PerformanceForums.com. Be prepared for a serious hazing if you join. The "Off Topic" area that you can't see unless you're a member, is like the C&G "Lounge" with no rules.

[ocnblu]

I've not been banned from anywhere yet, part of the reason could be I lose interest in posting at other places. I think the Ultimate Embarrassment would be to be a delusional straight girl banned from a Clay Aiken fansite.

[CARBIZ]

I tend to stay neutral, keeping my opinions to myself and just blend into the background.

Lying would be a BIG reason for being banned, IMO.

[CARBIZ]

This is the only forum I haven't been banned from.

Good for you - it's important to be good at something!

[CARBIZ]

I've not been banned from anywhere yet, part of the reason could be I lose interest in posting at other places. I think the Ultimate Embarrassment would be to be a delusional straight girl banned from a Clay Aiken fansite.

You, sir, are one of the most amiable people I have never met - I can't imagine you being banned from a knitting circle!

[Sixty8panther]

I think I can honestly say that I've been banned from C&G (always temp.) more times than

any surviving member... prob. four or five times. Usually I deserved it. Although that does

not make the other party innocent. And we all know there are a few "instigators" who post

here quite frequently. But then again the hole banning system of rule enforcement has gone

out the window as of two, three years ago.

carbiz: sounds like you're better off NOT posting on that forum anyway.

[Satty]

I thought your threads over there were hilarious because it was pretty much the only activity that place was seeing.

I'd post something about St. Ides or drinking and driving, just to make fun of Joshiepoo, then I would forget about GMS for a week or two, then I'd go back and there would be like 3 new posts. Sad, really. Functioning_Alcoholic isn't allowed on the boards anymore.

[Sixty8panther]

I'd post something about St. Ides or drinking and driving, just to make fun of Joshiepoo, then I would forget about GMS for a week or two, then I'd go back and there would be like 3 new posts. Sad, really. Functioning_Alcoholic isn't allowed on the boards anymore.

Regardless of your quarrel (spare me the details)

he left C&G... why hold such a grudge that you

FOLLOW him to another forum? That seems a bit

over the top, immature and frankly, who has that

kind of time?!

[Satty]

Same reason anytime NOS is around we mention the Camaro with the Series III 3800 even though the Camaro is long gone. Just for the fun of it.

[CARBIZ]

It's odd: I keep telling myself I am better off without those a-holes, but somehow it bothers me that I was banned. That's silly, really - considering none of them really have a clue who I am.

I guess what pisses me off the most is that others were allowed to post derogatory remarks about me (like I said earlier - one poster said that since I was gay I was a piece of $h! - his exact words) and I always ignored them.

Like C&G, that site was a source of information (I admit I did learn a thing or two about my city that I didn't know), but it was a nest for car-haters, to be sure.

I guess what bothers me about opinons in general is that there are some opinions that are better than others. One of the issues I have with the internet is that many posters seem to be addicted to linking. It's like you have no basis for a remark unless you can back it up with 2 or 3 links. Or pictures. Does human experience count for nothing these days?

I think the thread that got me banned was a general discussion on traffic in various cities. One member kept demanding that I back up my claims that Toronto has the worst traffic in North America. Other than the fact that the 401 is listed as the busiest highway in North America (a sad feat when you consider Toronto is half the size of L.A., Chicago and only about the same size of 'newer' cities like Dallas, Atlanta, etc.) and the fact that I have driven in many of these cities, I was shot down repeatedly. Honestly, this city is addicted to 4 lane roadways and the traffic in the core is horrendous. I have driven in Chicago, Vancouver, New York and Montreal many times, plus I have been to L.A. for a week and Atlanta twice, and I never encountered the same degree of traffic as I have in this city. Not volume, obviously, but the sheer bottlenecks. All cities have a problem with aging infrastructure, but unlike cities like L.A., Toronto has an enormous amount of reconstruction due to the salt/winters. And unlike L.A., Toronto has no alternate routes. I found navigating from Hollywood through the city at 8 in the morning to be a breeze because I could plan my trip. Ditto from Long Beach to Hollywood at 4 pm on a weekday. Not so for Toronto - our highways are clogged from 7 a.m. to 8 pm and there are no alternate streets.

Tell me guys and gals - is anecdotal evidence really that weak? Surely one can tell the difference between someone's remarks when they have travelled exactly nowhere, as opposed to someone who has travelled extensively! One of the downfalls of our modern political process is that nearly all politicos get bogged down in 'studies' and statistics. For example, if the Hoover Dam was proposed today, it probably wouldn't get built in any of our lifetimes because it would have to go through so many 'studies.'

And why are we so eager to jump to personal attacks? We all have strong opinions, but aggression is the final resort of the incompetent, as they say. Once a discussion degenerates into name calling, any degree of credibility on the part of the denigrator goes out the window. In a bar fight, I can understand this, but on the internet we have the opportunity to be more circumspect with our remarks because we can think first, type later.

One of the posters on the other site said that if I ran for political office he would back me, both financially and physically. This is not the first time I have had that offer. However, getting banned from that site proves to me that I could never go into politics. Although politics is never about winning friends, one must be able to temper one's opinion to win over debates. I don't know how to do that.

Just my ponderings on a cloudy day off.

[Chazman]

I've never been banned, but I've gotten lots of stern warnings from a certain Camaro site for discussing the 2010 Camaro's excess weight and had several dozen of my posts/threads on the subject deleted.

I''ve also gotten a 2 week suspension on another site for calling Osama Bin Laden a goat fv(ker.

Edited October 24, 2008 by Chazman

[CARBIZ]

I've never been banned, but I've gotten lots of stern warnings from a certain Camaro site for discussing the 2010 Camaro's excess weight and had several dozen of my posts/threads on the subject deleted.

I''ve also gotten a 2 week suspension on another site for calling Osama Bin Laden a goat fv(ker.

Well, you should have been suspended for that! What an insult to goat f$#kers!

[The O.C.]

Well, you should have been suspended for that! What an insult to goat f$#kers!

[Chazman]

Well, you should have been suspended for that! What an insult to goat f$#kers!

Yeah, you're right - that was an insult to goatfarkers worldwide. My apologies.

[Camino LS6]

A funny thread about banning - imagine that!

Never been banned anywhere - only became really angry once on the Firehawk board.

And yeah, I hate to ban people as well - but some folks just force your hand.

[daves87rs]

Yep.....

[CARBIZ]

A funny thread about banning - imagine that!

Never been banned anywhere - only became really angry once on the Firehawk board.

And yeah, I hate to ban people as well - but some folks just force your hand.

But would you ban someone for being rude, belligerent and vulgar, or simply because they disagree with members? If, say, an import humper haunted C&G, would you necessarily ban him just because of his beliefs? We all reluctantly will admit that Toyotas are decent enough vehicles, so someone who actually likes them (and there must be some out there!) shouldn't be banned just for that! I mean, if the member kept harping ONLY about Toyota - well, that would get tedious, but if the member posted thoughtful remarks on non-Toyota related topics like in the lounge, wouldn't that member be contributing overall to the community on C&G?

It's not like I was one-dimensional on UT. I posted on a variety of different topics, from chiming in on the state of the economy to the bone-headed idea that the Mayor wants to tear down the only highway this city has in the core.

You guys probably know me better (4 years, as opposed to 4 months) but my arguments (I think) are consistent and backed up with a helluva lot of experience.

Anyway, maybe for you veterans getting banned is a rite of passage, but for me (and I consider myself an all around swell guy ), this has come as a bit of a shock.

[FAPTurbo]

I got banned from a gaming site for inciting near riotous-hatred because I said that Van Halen was much more fun to listen to than Led Zep.

[Enzora]

I got banned from a gaming site for inciting near riotous-hatred because I said that Van Halen was much more fun to listen to than Led Zep.

If I had the power to ban you from this site, I would.

[gm4life]

I got banned from TundraForums for posting this picture

and saying "HEY TUNDRA! CAN YOU DO THIS?!?"

We sure don't agree on politics but on good cars we do see eye to eye. LMFAO. It must have pissed those idots off.

[Drew Dowdell]

My account lasted all of about 10 minutes on that board.

[daves87rs]

My account lasted all of about 10 minutes on that board.

[Z-06]

It's odd: I keep telling myself I am better off without those a-holes, but somehow it bothers me that I was banned. That's silly, really - considering none of them really have a clue who I am.

I guess what pisses me off the most is that others were allowed to post derogatory remarks about me (like I said earlier - one poster said that since I was gay I was a piece of $h! - his exact words) and I always ignored them.

Detach yourselves from both good and bad. Life is too short.

[daves87rs]

Detach yourselves from both good and bad. Life is too short.

Very True.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Detach yourselves from both good and bad. Life is too short.

Ahh the Lord Ganesh, son of Shiva I presume.

[daves87rs]

Ahh the Lord Ganesh, son of Shiva I presume.

[Z-06]

Ahh the Lord Ganesh, son of Shiva I presume.

True dear sage.

You did not get what he meant dave, :wink:

Edited October 27, 2008 by smallchevy

[FAPTurbo]

I just got banned from another gaming site for posting a picture of a building. Apparently, it looked too much like a penis.

Edited November 4, 2008 by Captainbooyah

[Chazman]

Well, I guess I'm in the club now. I just got banned from CZ28 for comparing data from the V6 Genesis coupe with V6 Camaro. They called it "flame baiting".