Banned for reporting someone for using the N-word

[Xiang Lao]

Your in-game name:
Your SteamID: STEAM_1:0:38111415
Your steam community link: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198036488558
Date of ban: 8/6/2023
What is your exact ban reason (shows when you try to connect): "Severe Toxicity"
Who banned you: Fredrick
Ban length?: 2 weeks
What server were you banned on?: (SCP-RP UK or SCP-RP USA): USA
Link a copy of the in-game rules here (the url): https://www.civilgamers.com/community/threads/scp-rp-rules.2244/
What will you do to stop this from happening again: to think more about how my message will be interpreted by those who read it.
Prior to this, have you ever been warned/kicked/banned? Yes, warned, RDM
Why should you be unbanned:

I should be unbanned because I should have never been banned in the first place. (Note: some context, every admin I encountered thought "HR"
meant "higher rank", whereas HR is an abbreviation of "Human Resources". I have kindly provided the definition of what that department entails.

"Human resources (HR) is the division of a business responsible for finding, recruiting, screening, and training job applicants. HR departments also handle employee compensation, benefits, and terminations."

Human Resources is within every single real-life business, it's also within the foundation, we have many forms of HR, Ethics, Department managers, head admins, etc. Regardless if it's spoken out loud. Since RP is short for "roleplay", and roleplay is an imitation of real life. I assumed we have "HR" within the server.

Now for what happened.

I witnessed an agent call another researcher the "N-word". Since this type of behavior is unacceptable. I asked in the chat for "HR" Human Resources to deal with this incident.

I felt this was an RP situation since I've witnessed on numerous occasions that in-department issues are handled internally without Admin's help.
For example, a cadet rdming d-class or using profane/racist language towards others. They get a !jobban for X amount of time.

Unbeknownst to me, I was taken to an admin sit and reprimanded for typing a censored version of the word in the chat and was ultimately banned for "Severe toxicity".

Questions I have:

1. How am I supposed to explain what word he said without using an abbreviated/censored version of the word?

2. Upon looking into the rules, there is no mention of the "Severe toxicity" category. The only thing I found that dealt with "slurs" is section 1.10

1.10 Disrespectful Conduct - Derogatory Language designed to target players in a disrespectful manner is prohibited; this includes racism, homophobia, and other derogatory slurs; jokingly being racist is not an exception to this rule.

I am not guilty of this rule because I am not targeting any player in a disrespectful manner or sending hateful messages. I am merely reporting them and using an abbreviated/censored version of the word to convey what he said so he can be appropriately punished.


3. The individual who said the word was not taken to an admin sit and was not punished, but the one reporting it was.


Attached is the message I said in the chat. Notice how I do not use the profane version of the word. Please take a moment to think about this.



In closing, I was banned for reporting someone for using the N-word. The offender I guarantee has not been punished.


How can you ensure that you won't break any other rule?: I will re-read the rules.

Why do you want to rejoin this server?:

I genuinely enjoy this server because it offers great roleplay within the SCP space. I've made friends here and have had great memories. Even though I have taken breaks, this is the first server I choose to join when I play Garry's Mod.









1.10 Disrespectful Conduct - Derogatory Language designed to target players in a disrespectful manner is prohibited; this includes racism, homophobia, and other derogatory slurs; jokingly being racist is not an exception to this rule.

 

["Fanboy"]

Hello Xiang Lao, and welcome to the forums.

When I pulled you in for saying that word, you said that you thought it was an in-game scenario, so you called Human Resources to help you with this. From this, I saw two problems here. You said that you didn't know what else to replace that word with, and you could've said "Racist word", "Derogatory word", or anything like that. You made it clear of what you meant by only blurring 2 letters out of the word. Yes, the 1.10 rule says that it is if the language is targeted at someone, which you didn't really mean to, but the word you described here itself is a word that is targeted at a race. Second, you should have known that this itself was a staff problem, and you could've made a sit called, as an example, "This agent said a racist slur", But you didn't. I get that you were confused with this, and didn't fully mean it, I decided that it shouldn't be a full 2 weeks of ban, instead 11 days, so I did. Hopefully, now you understand why I banned you.

From, Fanboy.

 

[Xiang Lao]

Hello Xiang Lao, and welcome to the forums.

When I pulled you in for saying that word, you said that you thought it was an in-game scenario, so you called Human Resources to help you with this. From this, I saw two problems here. You said that you didn't know what else to replace that word with, and you could've said "Racist word", "Derogatory word", or anything like that. You made it clear of what you meant by only blurring 2 letters out of the word. Yes, the 1.10 rule says that it is if the language is targeted at someone, which you didn't really mean to, but the word you described here itself is a word that is targeted at a race. Second, you should have known that this itself was a staff problem, and you could've made a sit called, as an example, "This agent said a racist slur", But you didn't. I get that you were confused with this, and didn't fully mean it, I decided that it shouldn't be a full 2 weeks of ban, instead 11 days, so I did. Hopefully, now you understand why I banned you.

From, Fanboy.

Fanboy,

I do not understand your reasoning.

It appears you don't like my directness in addressing what word was said. Regardless if I started the accusation with "He said a racist word" At the end of the day as part of your due diligence in being a moderator, you would've had to find out ultimately what racial slur was said.

Secondly,

I don't think it really makes a difference if it was in-game or not. The individual would've gotten an !jobban that would have come from a member of management in their respective department, hence why I believe it's RP.

Lastly,

You're stretching and misinterpreting rule 1.10

I DID NOT TARGET another player NOR am I being racist. I was REPORTING another player for their derogatory remarks. I simply paraphrased what they said in a manner that was not profane or vulgar to get the message across about what was said.

Again, I do not understand why I was banned for reporting someone who was saying the N word.

It's really upsetting that I get punished for trying to do my part to make Civil Networks a welcoming place for all regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.

 

[Lemmskii]

Appeal Accepted

---

Thank you for submitting your ban appeal, Xiang Lao. I have carefully reviewed the situation and the arguments presented by both parties. It appears that the ban was issued based on your use of a censored abbreviation of a racial slur while reporting another player for using that offensive language in the game. According to the provided information, your intention was to bring attention to the inappropriate behavior and seek appropriate action against the offending player.

It is crucial to maintain a respectful and inclusive environment on our server, and reporting instances of derogatory language and toxic behavior is commendable. However, I understand that the context and the way you addressed the issue might have been misinterpreted.

Upon reviewing the rules, I find that the specific ban reason of "Severe Toxicity" is valid, however, your usage in it's context is not explicitly stated. Nevertheless, the rules do address derogatory language and disrespectful conduct in section 1.10, which covers offenses related to racism, homophobia, and other derogatory slurs.

While you may have acted with good intentions, your use of the censored abbreviation could have been clearer and avoided any confusion. I agree with Fanboy's assessment that alternative phrasing such as "racist word" or "derogatory language" would have conveyed the same message without any ambiguity.

Considering the situation, I am willing to grant you the benefit of the doubt regarding your intentions and the lack of any prior history of severe rule violations. However, it is essential to ensure clarity and appropriateness when addressing sensitive issues to avoid any misunderstandings in the future, additionally, you are required to report any server rules that have been clearly broken by other players instead of reporting it in-game.

Therefore, I have decided to reduce the ban length to three days instead of the original 14 days. This serves as a reminder of the importance of using appropriate language and reporting methods on our server. After serving this reduced ban, you will be able to re-join the SCP-RP server.

Please take this opportunity to learn from the experience and be more cautious in your communication while maintaining a respectful atmosphere on the server. Remember that we strive to foster a positive community for all players.

Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you can re-join the server and continue enjoying the SCP roleplay experience.

In regards to your appeal, Fanboy will be spoken to and your ban will be reduced by 11 days.​