Appeal to ban - inappropriate username

[bakedsnarf]

Hello there,

I am appealing a ban put on my account regarding what was deemed an "inappropriate username." I believe I have been unjustifiably banned as my username does not include anything that is strictly forbidden from the community guidelines or the game's code of conduct. My username (bakedsnarf), has no inflammatory remarks within the username itself, nor does it mention anything to do with any drugs or heavy swearing/racism.

For those who may be confused by what my username does mean please allow me to elaborate. Snarf is a fictitious character from an old cartoon called The Thundercats, first airing in the 1980s. He is the lovable companion of Lion-O, both of which are humanoid cat-like creatures. Snarf being baked, as referenced in my username simply has to do with him being cooked, as if he were a cake in an oven. The idea came to be when I was a teenager after having seen an image of Snarf online where he is positioned in such a way that reminded me of a casserole in an oven.

I would sincerely appreciate it if someone could get back to me to discuss the basis of this ban as I believe it is 100% unjustified.

Regards,
Bakedsnarf

[Jerme]

Greetings,

your ban is not because of your accountname (bakedsnarf), but of a name you chose during a game.
Trial Bot will display the certan report and then we continue to talk.

[TrialBot]

Here are your reports:

• Inappropriate Username

[Jerme]

As you can see in the report, were you banned for using a homophobic slur as a name.
Do you still think the ban is unjustified?

[bakedsnarf]

Yes I do. I never used a homophobic slur as a name. Had I used a homophobic slur, the word would be spelled with an 'F' at the beginning. Had that been the case I would have totally understood the ban because that word can be looked up in a dictionary and deemed an "informal and offensive" word towards a particular individual.

However, the username I used for the game was using the 'Ph' variation, which if you look up is not labelled in any dictionary as being an offensive or homophobic slur. Instead, this variation of the word is used to describe someone of low intelligence, along the lines of calling someone a 'dolt,' 'dunce,' or my personal favourite, a 'bucket.'

[Jerme]

Well, the "ph-variation" is considered an evasion of the wordfilter, as you are not allowed to send chat messages that contain the f-variation, which means both way to write the word are considered to have the same meaning.

[bakedsnarf]

That's fair, I understand where you're coming from and the need to look at both the F-variation and the Ph-variation as having the same meaning for wordfilter evasion purposes. With that being said, I don't believe this is a clearly stated violation and do still feel as though being permanently banned for this 'offense' to be a bit of a stretch. I was simply unaware of this being an issue, I've been playing this game for years and this issue has never come up in the past with how I have written it.

If I were to promise to not utilize any words considered "an evasion of the wordfilter," could I at least get a chance to prove to the community that I will not do this again? It is not difficult to think up other in-game names to use. I'm a big fan of this game and the community and was simply ignorant to the 'Ph-variation' being considered an evasion of the 'F-variation' before now.

[Meandrina]

Ok... so let me get this straight... you believe that the ph-varaiation is somehow a different word. Can you explain to me what phuck means then? is that also a different word?

[bakedsnarf]

Certainly. Phuck is another homonym that does not refer to genital intercourse but rather machine-related intercourse. The term was first used at UC Berkley after a student used the term "Phuckathons" to describe discussions about the ethics of merging human consciousness with Artificial Intelligence to create a form of immortality. So my response to Kapey in this instance is quite ironic really, as I'm calling him dumb while at the same time praising his intelligence for merging his consciousness with that of a machine to provide himself with immortality in cyberspace.

That being said, my use of the word "phuck" is not the issue at hand, nor is it the reason why I am appealing this ban. The issue at hand is how I was unjustly banned permanently for a name I used in-game that I have since stated I would no longer use if this ban is appealed. It's not that I believe the ph-variation is a different word, it is 100% a different word due to it being a homonym. They may sound the same but I can assure you they have completely different definitions, as stated above. It is not explicitly stated anywhere that the use of homonyms are grounds for a permanent ban from the game.

I appreciate what you guys are doing here and understand the need to be vigilant with how people use the chat system, but this is also my very first offense in which a ban has even been brought into question. I find it a little harsh to say that I should be permanently banned prior to having had any sort of warning or suspension due to these instances. Needless to say I have learned my lesson that using homonyms in this game should be avoided so that this issue does not come up again, and additionally I have learned to better respect the game community and not be so crass, even if it is my belief that I was being quite tongue-in-cheek. I can assure all Trial System Judges reading this that I will utilize words and usernames that do not raise the question of whether or not it is offensive in the first place from now on. I would sincerely appreciate it if this appeal was approved, I've sunk countless hours into Town of Salem and would hate to throw that away due to a misunderstanding.

[Jerme]

Its not your first offense though, you have a couple more reports on your account that this one.
https://www.blankmediagames.com/Trial/v ... id=2249964 - both ph-versions used, one as a verb.
https://www.blankmediagames.com/Trial/v ... id=2245439 - both variatns used as well
https://www.blankmediagames.com/Trial/v ... id=2243066 - ph variant of the f-slur, along with the f-slur itself, implying that the ph-variation has something to do with a male genitalia of soemoen else and a user you described as "he".

And now?

[bakedsnarf]

Yes but my point being that all those reports are listed as "Closed without judgement." How is having a few additional reports that were closed without any sort of suspension or warning given to me relevant or useful information to take away from this? I never even really considered visiting the forum until the ban was in place. It seems a bit like an overreach to go from having a few reports made, all of which were not followed by any sort of warning or suspension, to a full-blown permaban. It's not as though I'm notified that I was reported on the app. You have to specifically look for reports made on you on the forum to get any sense of where you're standing in terms of being banned or suspended. How do you expect a player to know about this exactly?

Not to mention, if yourself and other trial judges actually took into account the context in which these reports on me were made, you'd realize that the reports are being sent in by complete trolls and toxic players. Xxswagxx has always been a troll user and is notorious at that ELO for being disliked and toxic. Ace is no different. What is the point of even having a peer-review system if you're not going to take into account the context in which reports are being made on other players?

[Jerme]

We are judging the report with a neutral point of view, as there are more players than we ever could know. The report were not made by trolls, as in all you evaded the wordfilter, as well as harassing a player, which is breaking the rules.
Those reports were closed without judgement, since once a report gets a guilty verdict, every other open report gets closed without judgment. This means the reports don't lose the valdiity just by their state.

[TurdPile]

Report is valid and valid suspensions may not be appealed.

Appeal Denied.