banned after promoting good use of English

Joined a squad a couple of days ago and heard someone say "There's no new news.".

As a trained journalist and subeditor, that sort of thing leaps out at me, so, with with a jocular note in my voice, I pointed out that it is sufficient to say "no news" ...that "new news" is a kind of tautology (just as one need only say "PIN" and not "PIN number").

While I had hoped to raise a laugh, or perhaps receive a funny remark back such as "nobody likes a smart-ass" etc, what in fact happened was the following:

First I heard some sort of unhappy-sounding mumbled response, and then seconds later I was kicked from the squad. Fair enough. Anyone can kick for any reason, so I thought I'd get in a little retort, then carry on with the game.

So, I typed in team chat "Well it's not my fault that you can't speak properly. " ...and was then kicked from the server!

...For ONE line in team chat!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I then tried to join the following day and I found I was banned.

Just wow. I've seen MASSIVE exchanges of chat-spam before which have been terminated in nothing more spectacular than the request to "CUT ALL CHAT". ...Not even followed by a kick, let alone a ban.

So, unless HOG collectively believe that perma-banning people for incredibly small offences is a good idea, then please can I be unbanned.

I expect the admin who did it was probably just in a bad mood that day, so I don't bear any grudges, but it would be nice to be able to connect to the server again :/.

All the best,

dogbref/samharris.org

p.s. As anyone who visits samharris.org will see, it is the website for a prize-winning neuroscientist and philosopher. On past occasions I have been told that I can't use that name on HOG, as it counts as "advertising". I would find this easier to understand if the site sold sex dolls or something, but hey, I still accept your ruling on that, and I won't try to join with that name. Please note that I was playing at the time of my ban as "dogbref" though, so I am sure that this can not be counted against me in regard to my ban.

I dont think you where banned for the comment, more likely the name. We have told you several times not to use that name. You said you wouldnt, yet you kept coming back with it.

Due to DDOS attacks we have switched to our other server and the banlist has not been updated, hence you have been able to play.

But since you say you played as Dogbref It sounds like something else.

Yes, I was definitely playing as dogbref.

I think it must have been for that comment, as I had only connected moments before the kick/ban.

Seems like a big overreaction, especially since I have seen huge exchanges of "troll" comments pass without the admin batting an eyelid on previous occasions (and come on, lets be honest, we ALL have!) and without anyone being kicked, let alone banned.

Seems that an admin took personal offence, and banned because he was personally pissed-off by someone who had really done nothing more than typed one line in chat after being rudely kicked for making a fair comment on English usage.

As an addendum, I would like to add that saving someone a syllable is no small thing in PR either. ...In the middle of a firefight, you want to use the fewest sounds to communicate the most information. Avoiding surplus syllables will never hurt anyone's chances of doing well in the game.

You were banned because of constant asshatting, insulting players and disruptive gameplay.
Below you can read some of the recent logs (dogbref) from the mixed maps 1 server.

2016-03-04 15:05:49: R performed by ' 'on ' dogbref': being a whiny bitch
2016-03-04 15:08:45: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref':
2016-03-04 15:09:09: K performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': intentional tk
2016-03-16 05:55:51: RESIGN performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': Open your locked squad!
2016-03-16 07:38:57: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': asset waste
2016-03-16 07:51:09: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': asset wasting again
2016-03-16 07:54:03: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': teamkiller
2016-03-29 13:11:10: W performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': move aa
2016-04-06 17:47:05: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': taking trans heli and then bailing out
2016-04-06 17:52:07: EARLY SQUAD performed by 'ADMIN WARNING': dogbref created an early squad at 90.677694.
2016-04-07 06:59:19: EARLY SQUAD performed by 'ADMIN WARNING': dogbref created an early squad at 115.488909.
2016-04-07 07:13:25: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': spamming mumble at NVA
2016-04-07 14:42:00: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': SL afk
2016-04-07 15:14:57: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref':
2016-04-07 15:15:15: W performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': stop wasting assets
2016-04-07 16:07:28: K performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': allchat
2016-04-09 09:06:42: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': tked for logi
2016-04-09 09:08:02: R performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': tked and wasted logi asset
2016-04-09 12:43:38: K performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': Stop chat-spamming!
2016-04-18 16:34:26: TB performed by ' ' on ' dogbref': Stop chat-spamming! banned by

The above reasons are all post-hoc.

Also, none of the warnings you have quoted involve "insulting other players", so why give such a (false) reason among your responses in this forum post?

It just looks a lot like someone trying to widen their own personal sense of offence to get others on board. I do not generally insult other players. In fact I often make a conscious decision to hold back from insulting someone where I know lots of others would not show such restraint.

If those above reasons had been reason for me to be banned, then I would have already been banned.

This was not the case though. I was able to connect and play, and ONLY banned when I typed one line in chat as a come-back to an unfair kick.

Also, most (if not all) of those warnings above are based on false and uncorroborated reports (the intentional TK report is CERTAINLY false).

The maturity of the admin also has to come into question when a stated reason for R is "being a whiny bitch".

Including a warning for having a locked squad, and for being AFK, is just a very unfair and desperate attempt to justify an unfair ban.

Please lift my ban so that I can play again.