Yeah. Another one.
A number of months ago I played a few matches of blitz with somebody, each time defeated with ease. At the time I was slaving over moves and articles and games in an attempt to gain a usable grasp of the Sicilian Dragon and King's Gambit (no small task, of course). Impressed by his play, I asked him if we could play a few more games, including a correspondence on the main site. He was happy to agree, and what's more, he agreed to help me one-on-one with my games, including full analysis of a couple.
It turned out that he was a chess writer and passionate promoter of the game, dedicating hours of time for his students, including myself, for free. He even went so far as to send me one of his videos, his expense, in order to help me improve. Outside of the game, I found he had a great interest in many other things, a great deal that we shared.
Arrakis has since been banned, though.
Why? Did he cheat? Was he a bad member? Was he just simply unpleasant?
Of course not.
He was banned on close to nothing. He's gone as the result of abuse, a mod who interfered where it was not due and found resistance. He's been banned because he disagreed with a moderator, disagreed on an issue which was created by said moderator. Somebody who was looking for a reason to use his powers, found the smallest one he could, and lashed with it. Arrakis is banned because he did not tolerate the intolerable, because he didn't consent to somebody simply because they were a mod.
Respect is something that is earned, not given. The moderators expect to have divine rights, and whoever disagrees is gone - it's that simple.
Was Don (Arrakis) compensated? No. Was he given warning for the first "offense"? No.
All things considered, RHP, the abuse of paying members is bad business, don't you think?
Particularly bad business when legal action takes place, no doubt.
If this person is such a menace that they are to be banned, then why are you having such difficulty with people who support him? People who he's helped and spoken with and supported. Consider that there's a possibility your moderators need to take a break from their power trips and spend their time dealing with REAL problems, because what's happening is the removal of every string-willed, respectable, PAYING member who have ever made RHP a desirable place to be.
And that's just bad business.
"Power bases are very dangerous because they attract people who are truly insane, people who seek power only for the sake of power."
"Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."
Originally posted by DrakeFoxpower tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely😏
Yeah. Another one.
A number of months ago I played a few matches of blitz with somebody, each time defeated with ease. At the time I was slaving over moves and articles and games in an attempt to gain a usable grasp of the Sicilian Dragon and King's Gambit (no small task, of course). Impressed by his play, I asked him if we could play a few more games, ...[text shortened]... ies. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."
Originally posted by DrakeFoxSo what do you really mean?
Yeah. Another one.
A number of months ago I played a few matches of blitz with somebody, each time defeated with ease. At the time I was slaving over moves and articles and games in an attempt to gain a usable grasp of the Sicilian Dragon and King's Gambit (no small task, of course). Impressed by his play, I asked him if we could play a few more games, ...[text shortened]... ies. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."
Arrakis shouldn't have been busted?
Originally posted by SmookiePI'm guessing the short version is that Arrakis should have been allowed to belittle people in the forums and attack anyone who disagreed with him because he was swell to his clan. Either that or his clan didn't read many of his public posts. I don't understand, though, why the term "abuse" is used so often when describing his private conversations with mods but not how he treated others publicly.
So what do you really mean?
Arrakis shouldn't have been busted?
- Joined
- 09 Nov 06
- Moves
- 0
Originally posted by DrakeFoxStating suppositions as facts in public forums does not make them truth.
He was banned on close to nothing. He's gone as the result of abuse, a mod who interfered where it was not due and found resistance. He's been banned because he disagreed with a moderator, disagreed on an issue which was created by said moderator. Somebody who was looking for a reason to use his powers, found the smallest one he could, and lashed with it ...[text shortened]... rate the intolerable, because he didn't consent to somebody simply because they were a mod.
Arrakis was not removed from the site by Russ because of anything he said or did to moderators. Arrakis knows why he was removed, and Arrakis is entitled to his privacy in this regard.
If you have a problem with the way Russ runs this site, use the "Send Feedback" option. Public declarations such as this are not helpful.
Originally posted by DrakeFoxYeah, reinstate arsekiss so we can watch him get another ban in a flurry of steaming rage. It's the most amusement I've had here in ages.
Yeah. Another one.
A number of months ago I played a few matches of blitz with somebody, each time defeated with ease. At the time I was slaving over moves and articles and games in an attempt to gain a usable grasp of the Sicilian Dragon and King's Gambit (no small task, of course). Impressed by his play, I asked him if we could play a few more games, ies. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."
Come on, admit it, he paid you to say that, didn't he?
Originally posted by DrakeFoxYou really wasted a lot of keyboard presses on just one side of the story, eh?
Yeah. Another one.
A number of months ago I played a few matches of blitz with somebody, each time defeated with ease. At the time I was slaving over moves and articles and games in an attempt to gain a usable grasp of the Sicilian Dragon and King's Gambit (no small task, of course). Impressed by his play, I asked him if we could play a few more games, ...[text shortened]... ies. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible."
i know little of the specifics of this case, but it seems to me that giving people power without accountability is asking for trouble. who mods the mods? does Russ review their banning decisions? he ought, if only to ensure that the site is run according to policies he, as owner, approves of. oh my, i ended a sentence with a preposition. in the case of bans resulting from alleged cheating, the games used to reach this conclusion should be publicly indicated. in the case of bans resulting from forum postings, these postings should be indicated. also, we should know who banned whom. i am not saying that Russ is obligated to provide this information, but that it would be more respectful to us, his customers, to do so.
Originally posted by Iron MonkeyThis is what happens when people post only one side of a story and don't really understand how anything works 'behind the scenes'...
i know little of the specifics of this case, but it seems to me that giving people power without accountability is asking for trouble. who mods the mods? does Russ review their banning decisions? he ought, if only to ensure that the site is run according to policies he, as owner, approves of. oh my, i ended a sentence with a preposition. in the case of b ...[text shortened]... o provide this information, but that it would be more respectful to us, his customers, to do so.
Mods can't ban any user - they can only 'block' a person from posting in the forums.
Site bans are only affected by the site administrators.
From the Terms of Service, that everyone agrees to when joining:
13. TERMINATION
You agree that RHP may, under certain circumstances and without prior notice, immediately terminate your RHP account,and access to the Service.
Originally posted by Crowley[/b]that's just stupid. what i was asking for is the information we need to understand these decisions made 'behind the scenes'. the point is that they shouldn't be made 'behind the scenes' at all, but in a publicly accountable way.
This is what happens when people post only one side of a story and don't really understand how anything works 'behind the scenes'...
Mods can't ban any user - they can only 'block' a person from posting in the forums.
Site bans are only affected by the site administrators.
From the Terms of Service, that everyone agrees to when joining:
[b]13. TERM ...[text shortened]... nd without prior notice, immediately terminate your RHP account,and access to the Service.
yes, yes, we all know that that is in the TOS. i wasn't disputing that
RHP can ban people if it wants, only that it would be more respectful of us as customers to make public the details of why people are banned.
for a start, along with the list of mods, how about a statement of what they can and can't do? if this information is currently available and easily found, then you have a point, but i've looked under 'volunteers' in the site map, and all i found is a list of mods (of whom you are apparently one - i guess being part of the 'inner circle' must give you a woodie, does it?)
