Lal
I agree that it is only fair to explain why davem has been banned.
It was not because of his parody of Slough. It was perhaps a somewhat harsh reaction on his part to the conversation, particularly as it was given without any context, and it was capable of giving offence. But it was certainly not, in itself, something that would ever result in a ban.
Davem was banned because of what might be called a course of conduct. Having justifiably had a temporary ban imposed upon him for having used unrestrained, disrespectful and insulting language on the
Lord of the Bible thread, he returned more or less unrepentant and continued to question the basis for that ban. Even when he eventually decided to leave that thread, he “carried the fight” on to other threads such as
First Editions and
Tolkien’s Literary Executor. The parting "asides" in posts such as this were clear and deliberate attempts to question that basis for his temporary ban and challenge the authority of those who imposed it.
But, for me, the straw that broke the camel’s back was his ugly post on the
Lord of the Rings labelled racist thread. Fundamentalism aside, Christian beliefs are perfectly acceptable, both on this board and in wider society. Racist beliefs are not. Whatever the philosophical niceties of the argument, to suggest that those claiming a Christian subtext to LotR may be compared to those claiming a racist subtext was, in my view, shameful (and, as I have made clear many times, I am not a particularly religious person).
The
forum policies state very clearly that flaming, trolling and insulting behaviour are not acceptable on this forum. They are hardly difficult to observe (the overwhelming majority of members having no difficulty keeping to them) and they are there for a reason. They help make this place what it is. Anyone who has been to a less refined, less organised forum will understand what I mean here. It is simply not acceptable to go around ignoring those policies and riding roughshod over the feelings of other members.
Davem was warned on many occasions about his behaviour, but chose to ignore those warnings. No one takes any delight in seeing a member like him banned but, if he is incapable of abiding by the forum policies, then the question arises whether he should be here. As in any society, one must abide by the rules that govern it and heed the polite requests of those who are charged with enforcing them. As I have said, the rules here are hardly onerous.
A significant amount of Mod and Admin time has been taken up with addressing davem’s behaviour. Mods and admins are not paid. They do what they do voluntarily. And there comes a point at which they are no longer prepared to waste their time dealing with a member who is clearly not prepared to listen to them.
In any event, ultimately, the Barrow-Wight took the view that davem was taking up too much Admin/Mod time and, since it was clear that he was not prepared to modify his behaviour, decided to ban him. That was the Barrow-Wight's decision, although I must say that it is one which, in all the circumstances, I agree with.
I hope that’s clear.