Let me introduce myself. I have a sweet tooth for Red Vines. I grew up on the 90s Knicks, love Patrick Ewing. Been on this forum for 13 years, graduated college, got married, bought our first house, chasing kids around while I post, no complaints. I remember my first posts criticizing fans for being pessimistic, I've always been an optimistic fan, trying to see the glass half-full. I've had the opportunity to be a moderator but instead recommended other people who I thought would do a good job. A lot has changed but I'm here every season cheering on this dumb team. Anyway, these last few months have sucked. I've been banned 3 times because some people strongly disagree with some of my opinions and have convinced others I'm trolling. For the record, the last thing on my to-do list is to make other Knicks fans more miserable. I'm trying to figure out the best way forward like everyone else, saving myself and others from more misery. The policy I recommend and try to follow is to agree to disagree, admit you could be wrong, and don't take anything personal.
A couple days ago I explained why I thought Mike Budenholzer is not a good fit in the coaching thread. After that I saw a new article on Twitter about Mark Jackson and linked to that. After that I was banned for trolling because some people could not take a different perspective seriously. That is not how the Knicks forum should operate and for the most part doesn't. Everyone should feel free to express their opinions no matter how strongly others disagree. If your goal is to eradicate jokes or opinions that don't fit your narrative, I don't think this is the right place for you. The aim of a discussion forum is not to achieve uniform agreement on controversial topics in order to make everyone comfortable. If an opinion poll goes 100% towards your preferred option, that is not a reason to celebrate, it means the forum is broken because it doesn't reflect the diversity of opinion that actually exists. There will always be significant disagreement and the last thing that needs to be protected by moderators are majority opinions which are in no danger of being bullied into silence.
I just want to strongly urge everyone to end this kind of mob mentality/personal grudge way of handling things because it damages the Knicks forum which has been one of the most tolerant and fun sports forums on the internet. There's always going to be unpopular positions taken, people you don't like, jokes you're offended by, and that's really what makes the forum alive. Being annoyed with someone doesn't mean they are trolling, the problem could be a lack of tolerance for other perspectives. RealGM Lifehack: If you don't want to read someone's opinions you can hide their posts, you don't need to accuse them of having bad intentions, trying to bait you, or report them because of some unfounded suspicions you have. At least that's my opinion. This is my last post, let's agree to disagree and keep it moving. Please don't report this.