17 days ago, @FlyingSquid@lemmy.world banned @Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net from !lemmyshitpost@lemmy.world for 2 weeks. The cited reason was Admitting to being a troll: "I'm an agent of chaos." lemmyshitpost does not have a rule against trolling, so even if this claim is true, there are still no grounds for a ban.
https://lemmy.ca/modlog?page=1&actionType=All&modId=729060&userId=391830
While we no longer have access to the thread in which this quote was allegedly said, the modlog would seem to indicate that it was related to this post, which shows a man complaining that he's never been privy to private conversations between girls and their fathers, and a dad mocking him in reply. The body furthermore elaborates in meme form that people are being misogynist in the comments.
Misogynists and other varieties of bigots often complain that the inclusion of women and minorities is political and divisive, and thus that we should not discuss feminism in polite company. Track_Shovel's meme is feminist, and FlyingSquid's problem with Track_Shovel appears to contain the same essence - that Track_Shovel's feminist posting is apparently intended to create conflict; the definition of trolling.
FlyingSquid's association between being an agent of chaos, and posting with intent to create offense, is an unfounded leap in logic. Chaos is actually an important religious concept, so influential that it forms one of the pillars of the morality system in Dungeons and Dragons, alongside Law, Good, and Evil. Back in the real world, various religions have painted chaos as either bad or good, depending on the values of the religion. Many religions describe chaos as a primordial force predating the gods' creation of the world. The Greeks venerated, or at least respected, the chaos goddess Eris. Discordianism, a cult originating in the 1960s, worships both Eris and the concept of chaos.
FlyingSquid has a history of mod abuse when the topic of religion is raised. In this post, FlyingSquid violates the rules of a community they themselves mod, concerning hate speech against religions. This ban fits into that pattern. Track_Shovel has the religious right to worship and to act on behalf of chaos, however they see it, as long as they do not harm anyone else. Their post to lemmyshitpost was not harmful, and was offensive only to misogynists. Supporting women's freedoms and safety is consistent with the values of Discordianism and other chaos-worshipping religions, and is not trolling. FlyingSquid's analysis of the situation as being intended to get a reaction out of misogynists, rather than as intended to affirm the safety of women, dismisses women's safety and silences feminist speech.
Track Shovel isn't a troll. Squid was wrong.
Planning to offend bigots isn't the same as trolling.
A few weeks ago I had a lovely conversation with Shovel on SLRPNK about playgrounds. There was an image with a LARP arena for the children in it. Shovel was complaining that a LARP arena is too niche and specific, and kids aren't going to use it. I pointed out that playing swords and castles is a lot of boys' favourite thing to do at playgrounds. Once the issue was rephrased in familiar terms, Shovel realised they had been wrong, and tons of boys like to LARP. They just don't call it LARPing. In conclusion, Track_Shovel is left wing, interested in social justice, and willing to admit when they make a mistake. Those are good qualities.