rm6

rm6.txt

Hello MetaPython, I have an ongoing issue with a particular room 6 owner. I've waited a
few days before raising it here, to be sure that I am not just responding out of
frustration. User davidism has been repeatedly kicking me and censoring my chats, and
that's a behavior which has been going on for a long time now (years). I don't think
they act impartially, and I don't believe any other RO would act this way under the
same circumstances. I also don't believe they're actually moderating the *room* here,
but rather they're using the kicks as a kind of taunt against me.

I'll also mention that I think David is quite brusque and harsh with other users in
general, particularly so with newbies. And, this next part is speculation, but they may
hold a personal grudge since a time that I called out on that unfriendly behavior in
the past (kicking other users for minor punctuation mistakes). Unlike the other ROs,
David refuses to engage in discussion with me nor offer any warning/explanations about
moderation actions.

When I brought it up previously on meta, the community opinion was that a removal of
their chat room privileges was warranted. Other RO did not take this action. Their only
public comment was one from Jon Clements
([here](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/320204/chat-room-owner-abuses-powers-any-recourse#comment328835_320204))
saying that "*he's sure when he's got a moment he can fill in the gaps*", but that
never happened. If there were any private discussions about that meta post, I was not
privy to them, and was never contacted by an RO about it subsequently. Publicly, it
just appears the issue was ignored and swept under the rug.

Now, getting kicked out for a minute, 5 minutes, or 24 hours is indeed trivial. This
might seem like a small thing to get upset about. But I assure you that it builds up
over the years, you probably wouldn't know it if you hadn't got the boot repeatedly,
but it really does not feel good - you feel bullied and upset. The last few times it
happens I consider to leave the chat for good, or even just to quit Stack Exchange
completely. I am here to help, chat, and build the SO knowledge base, and I do not want
to have to encounter these kind of people - they are toxic to friendly communities
online. I'm not here to be taunted and bullied.

I hate to mention the SE Code of Conduct, but the expectations have boldfaced "If
you’re here to help others, be patient and welcoming" and "Be inclusive and
respectful", and I think David's conduct really flies in the face of that. I don't
think this RO contributes usefully to the moderation of the room, they're not very
active here anyway, and when they are they just do more harm than good. To be fair,
there was no such CoC back when these issues started, and I don't believe it should be
used retrospectively, but it ought to be given some consideration now.

If you made it this far, thank you for taking me seriously. I think it's great that the
rest of you are open to meta discussions and the "airing of grievances" about room6,
and I look forward to hearing how you will handle this issue, hopefully without
alienating myself nor David, who is an effective and knowledgable curator in the flask
tag. I'll check back in for replies in room202427 at a later date (that doesn't quite
have the same ring to it as "room6", does it :)

As a final note: In the interest of transparency I post this note publicly, and I don't
mind for any replies to be posted publicly aswell, but if you prefer to contact me
privately then hey@wimglenn.com works.