a little of public shaming

But like you said, I wouldn't want that to be the main topic here. I'd like to keep focus on MyPianus guy. He's the actual issue here, not the staff members who don't like me personally, I don't care about that as much.

 

To clarify the purpose of the time stamp rule, the reason this policy was instituted in the first place was that players would use the same instance to submit multiple reports at different points in time. For example, Player 1 dropped the n-word in FM in March. Player 2 reported them in March and Player 1 was banned. Player 3 reported them again in July and Player 1 was banned again. With how simple it is to scroll your chat around and move your characters around, it is surprisingly easy to frame your "evidence" in a way one offense would seem to have taken place at different times. This was how the rules were weaponized, and this issue was actually especially prevalent for hate speech reports where anyone was free to report the offending player.

To address the broader question of why we have chosen not to accept this report, it is simply because it did not meet these requirements. I agree that the guidelines aren't the most optimally stated and this is something we're actively working on amending at this very moment. But it's a little unfair to say that we "did not even consider" accepting this report, since this report actually generated a lengthy internal discussion. I'll share my perspective from our internal discussion (please don't bring up the fact that my discord is in light mode I will literally ban you):

https://i.filehostingsite/HV1RfB7/Time-Stamp.png

The time stamp rule is a requirement like any other. We have rejected similar reports because the screenshots that players provided were cropped, or the evidence that players submitted were taken from their phone. Don't ask me why people still use their phones to take pictures of their computer screens in this day and age. But this is the reality of the situation. And truthfully speaking, with the amount of Objectionable Behavior reports that the GMs have to process on a daily basis it is simply not possible for the Admins to verify the logs each and every time such a situation arises.

To delve into the crux of this issue since we're all lawyers now apparently lmao, the question is about whether sufficient evidence exists to warrant punishment. At the heart of this discussion is the notion of "Due Process," which is a core constitutional right that each person is owed certain minimum rights when they are to be punished by the law. In the United States, there is an entire textbook filled to the brim with complex rules of evidence which must be complied with in order to be accepted in legal proceedings. It is unfortunate that a player who was clearly offending the rules in this specific case did not receive their due punishment, but the purpose of these rules is to promote optimal justice. Many players have argued that even the uncropped screenshot rule is equally asinine, but at the end of the day these rules help ensure that a player is not punished unfairly even if it means that sometimes a player is not punished at all. From an individual perspective, the rules are shit regardless of what they are so long as they don't turn out in your favor. It's interesting to think that a couple of months ago players were actually upset over the lack of such a rule that led to its development in the first place. So I ask that players consider the broader picture of how these rules exist to serve the community to the greatest extent possible, even if they lead to unfortunate instances such as this.

EDIT: The thread was locked while I was typing this response and I unintentionally seem to have exploited my mod privileges to bypass that. I'll leave it up since hopefully it further clarifies questions that players may have had. But I would agree that it would be best to lock this thread given the progression of this conversation. If "public shaming" is the end goal, then the Community Blacklist may be the optimal place for that.