Had to pick between deleting a 3-year-old Reddit account or fighting a ban over a word choice

I got hit with a 7-day ban from a moderately sized subreddit for using the word 'retarded' in a context that wasn't even directed at anyone - I was talking about a broken game mechanic. They said it was hate speech under their new policy. I had to decide: either delete the account with all my history in car repair forums and firefighter subs from when I was stationed near Austin, or just eat the ban and wait it out. I kept the account but I still feel weird about the whole thing - where do you draw the line with stuff like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jamie1mo ago

Man, that exact word got me a 3-day ban from a gardening subreddit of all places. I called my stubborn zucchini plant "retarded" because it refused to grow even with perfect soil and water, and suddenly I'm the bad guy. I kept my account too because I've got like 8 years of posts about restoring a 1987 Honda that I don't want to lose. It's dumb because the word is clearly offensive when used at a person, but when I'm just venting about a vegetable that hates me, I feel like common sense should kick in. I guess we just have to accept that the internet's line moves based on whoever's moderating that week.

susan_adams1mo ago

Wait, @drewr15, you got a warning for a rusted bolt too?

drewr151mo ago

That line about the zucchini plant really gets me. It's one thing to call someone a name, but it's another to use a word as a frustrated description for something that's not even alive. I had a similar thing happen when I called a stubborn rusted bolt on my truck "retarded" in a mechanic sub and got a warning. I get that times change, but it feels like we're losing the ability to tell the difference between malice and just talking. You hate to see eight years of Honda restoration posts get thrown away over something that small.