General Discussion - Holy smokes, I am seeing a ton of peeps on "probation" .. - Forum

" Sarno#0493 wrote: " CAPSLOCK_ON#7907 wrote: the rules are very ambiguous I feel like things got an order of magnitude worse when they added "needlessly negative comments" to the Code of Conduct. It's so vague it's functionally meaningless. that's the one that's gotten my comments removed or edited a lot in the past it's literally a pass for mods to remove what ever they don't like pretty much	Posted by CAPSLOCK_ON#7907 on Apr 8, 2025, 11:20:22 AM On Probation Quote this Post
" BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote: " Belegur85#5784 wrote: " Can't post any meme GIFs or links to GIFs of any political figures That goes against their code of conduct as they are saying. It is for good reason, there is enough drama happening on the forum without external dramas being brought in. Except it isn't. There's nothing that says that you may not post a reaction GIF simply because it happens to include a political figure, i.e. Barack Obama's "wtf?" meme. There's also nothing inherently political about it. They are memes, and unless posted within political context, i.e. by adding a political statement, they do not qualify as political material. If that were the case, all the posts using the "change my mind" meme should inherently be removed, as the person who originally made that format is a known domestic abuser and is generally considered a right-wing activist: " Steven Blake Crowder is an American-Canadian conservative political commentator who is accused of verbally and psychologically abusing his wife [...] [...] the outlandish right-wing radio host who was outed this week Do you see the problem? Instead, what they are doing by removing them is making an inherently political statement, as it could be considered prohibition of freedom of speech, and by only removing reaction GIFs of certain parties, they are inherently demonstrating a biased political stance. That is a flawed stance to take. If reaction GIFs (and nothing more) weren't posted in political context or misused for political propaganda, it doesn't matter that the reaction GIF contains a political figure. Plain and simple. Edit: minor correction It's GGGs house - therefore it's their rules. It's quite wise to prohibit any form of political content (including memes) as it inevitably can provoke a response from someone else who is passionate about a particular view point of the world. That's not why these forums exist and its something best avoided altogether. Nothing good ever comes from it. As for "Freedom of Speech", at risk of entering a political discussion, all I'll say is that it is one of the most mis-quoted and misunderstood amendments. GGG can absolutely, even if they were located in the US, apply whatever constraints they want for their forums. As for the topic at hand, GGG are quite liberal in what they allow users to post. You can criticise the game so long as you have appropriate context and so long as you create discourse with courtesy and respect. Don't deliberately provoke other users and don't get personal. I've been a long term critic of GGG since "The Vision" took hold in 3.10 and I've not been given a probation or ban.	Posted by Aldora_the_Summoner#4021 on Apr 8, 2025, 5:00:52 PM Quote this Post
" BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote: There are countries outside of the US that don't need amendments for freedom of speech; it's considered a human right. I value mine. Just a quick reminder: when you use the Path of Exile forum, or any other forum/service you’re agreeing to the site’s terms of service and community guidelines. While free speech is a fundamental right, it’s important to note that this forum is a private platform, and the developers (Grinding Gear Games) have established a Code of Conduct that all users must follow. By using the site, you’re essentially consenting to these rules, which means there are certain limitations on what can be posted. So, while you still have the right to share your thoughts and opinions, they need to align with the forum’s guidelines. This isn’t a legal issue, it’s more about maintaining a positive and respectful environment for everyone here. It’s a bit of a balance between free expression and creating a safe, constructive space for all players. Hope this clears things up! Hobby Gamer and Professional Software Engineer & Systems Architect from Tennessee “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe“ - Albert Einstein	Posted by VoidWhisperer42#5989 on Apr 8, 2025, 6:24:57 PM Quote this Post
" BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote: " Aldora_the_Summoner#4021 wrote: As for "Freedom of Speech", at risk of entering a political discussion, all I'll say is that it is one of the most mis-quoted and misunderstood amendments. There are countries outside of the US that don't need amendments for freedom of speech; it's considered a human right. I value mine. Freedom of speech prevents the government from imposing consequences upon you for saying things they do not like. It has no bearing on private corporations whatsoever. Indeed - if GGG were forced to host political commentary that does not reflect them, you could make an argument that this would be infringing upon their freedom of speech. If you want to avail of your freedom of speech rights, start a blog. Nobody here is interested. You have the freedom of speech; we've the freedom of not listening. Having spent thousands of euros on Path of Exile over the years, I will not be further supporting it financially until and unless GGG resumes offering Technical Support.	Posted by Sarno#0493 on Apr 8, 2025, 6:31:58 PM Quote this Post
Well, the Code of Conduct clearly outlines that users are not to discuss politics. The use of a gif with a person with a well known political background would be a clear breach of that Code. Surely with the virtually limitless memes out there a choice of a different but just as effective meme could have been made? It's notable that often when people make a stand about their rights, very little consideration is given to their responsibilities. The Code outlines that it's the responsibility of all users to use the forums for civil, constructive discussion of the game.	Posted by Aldora_the_Summoner#4021 on Apr 8, 2025, 7:24:45 PM Quote this Post
Anything deemed vaguely political gets muted. That's why you see super weird mutes like the "I was an extra in Dune Part 2" guy getting muted or anyone who posts a reference to that spray tanned guy in chat.	Posted by DiabloImmoral#7632 on Apr 8, 2025, 9:32:09 PM Quote this Post
" BaumisMagicalWorld#0673 wrote: Still, my point stands. Reaction GIFs are not political. The ones that clearly are (i.e. with obvious messages) aren't reaction GIFs. You are correct. They aren't political in context. However, they still feature a political figure and that is the issue because it can lead to or encourage having a political discussion or put said political figure in a bad light even if it's not intended by the one using it. Context simply does not matter in this case.	Posted by Scarletsword#4354 on Apr 9, 2025, 4:49:29 AM Quote this Post