Posted by Sabina on May 27, 2004, at 1:36:45
In reply to re: unfairness and hoover man's block, posted by Dr. Bob on May 26, 2004, at 9:19:41
if you don't want to invest yourself in reading my post in its entirety (which might chafe someone's heinie, i dunno), the upshot is that i think that larry was treated unfairly from the *original* get-go, and that i hope he is allowed to come back immediately, if not sooner.
the following is merely my personal opinion and not all of it pertaining directly to larry's situation but to the subject of blocks and "fairness" in general. feel free to disregard or dispute it at will, as i am providing absolutely no evidence, links, etc., of any kind. unfortunately, i don't have the time or energy to delve back through the period of posts in question to prove my point, nor do i want to make an example of folks who have done nothing to deserve the publicity.
since i've been reading at babble, i can't help but have noticed that some posters seem to receive dramatically more harsh, swift, and vigilant "correction" from dr. bob while others have been able to sweetly apologize their way through periodic PBC after PBC with impunity. i remember (months and months ago, when i was still posting, too) one poster receiving three PBC's over a week's time and her response being along the lines of, "sorry dr. bob. i'm trying to be good" smiley face, et cetera. she's a sweet girl and i wouldn't want her blocked, but i'd like to see some folks i know try that line! anyhoo...
i could speculate and deconstruct all day as to why this kind of thing seems to happen and why it seems to happen to only certain posters, but that's shooting off into a whole different topic. my first and best guess is that minding this board is a dam* big job and there's one, necessarily flawed (as are we all) human being running the whole shebang. didja ever notice how the <insert nationality> ice skating judge gives the <same nationality> ice skaters slightly higher scores than the other teams? i don't think they do it intentionally, it's just that *everyone* has subconscious favorites, just like they have those that get picked on or neglected.
for whatever reason, i honestly believe that some posters get treated more harshly than others. that's not saying that he's bad for doing it or that they deserve it. i just think that it happens. kinda like how i'm short and people stand in front of me at events and i can never see what's going on. things like that just happen. life's not fair and it never will be. fine, i can wear heels and stand on the seats. we can't petition everything. thankfully, for these blocks, we can request reductions.
i have been greatly saddened in the past to see posters that were heavily dependent upon their babble support system be (wrongly, severely) blocked for months for the most abstruse offenses. i would find myself sympathetically wading through admin "please rephrase" threads where posters were trying desperately to find the magic words that would save them from being blocked, but to no avail.
i do believe that, in these instances of "incivility" where there is no argument or obscenity, more could be done to set things right and alleviate frustration as opposed to leaving the poster searching for some "preferred wording" (as shar put it) until (s)he is driven well past the point of frustration in attempts to rephrase and placate until an actual validation for the block begins to exist as the poster's button's are understandably pressed and the situation begins to become exacerbated.
mind you, i am in no way suggesting that dr. bob "plays favorites" with malice aforethought, as that would be tantamount to sadistic given the vulnerable emotional and mental state of many of those who seek comfort and advice here. i would like to think that this latest olive branch toward larry as a sign that dr. bob is willing to concede that perhaps there is always room for improvement. it *is* good to be flexible and i hope that larry will be able to return soon.
i am also very glad that the topic of reduced blocks is out in the open this time. i regret that i still don't feel very comfortable or "at home" here anymore ever since the way things went down last october. we'll see, as time passes, if i continue to feel that way. i still check in from time to time (especially on posts of those folks that i know!), and certainly hope that larry will feel comfortable enough to come back soon. he has much to offer to everyone and has helped me so very much in the past.
poster:Sabina
thread:346427
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20040307/msgs/351000.html