If you've spent any amount of time on online forums, you've
probably seen it happen. A new poster arrives, and proceeds to make an ass of
himself. (It is very rarely "herself".) If your forum is a good one, a
moderator soon appears and makes it plain that the new guy needs to chill.
In most cases, it ends there. The new guy either learns to plays nice or
slinks off to find another forum with looser standards of civility. But all too often, the asshole digs in his heels.
The arguments
are always the same: This is a matter of principle! The right to be a jerk is
the most important thing! People are too
thin-skinned! Moderation is a violation of Free Speech! The mods are a bunch of fascists!
The forum locals have a good laugh at his feeble arguments, blind arrogance, and self-centered pleading. Eventually the mods get tired of his impotent raging against the machine and ban him. The last few years have seen this same experience played out on a larger scale.
