How offensive is offensive?

Perm banned for offensive names. (Had 3 violations total)

HOW offensive is offence, I just wanted the general concencus on some of my names. In my opinion, I didn't really deserve a perm ban, mainly because I didn't directly have any racial slurs (Not in an offensive way), nor did I specificly offend anyone with the intention of doing so...

Quoted from my PlayNC mail:

"The names in question are "Borat Vs The Blacks" and "Josef Fritzl". The context of the first name brings up Borat's racial discrimination while the second name references a man who raped his daughter for 24 years. Due to the violations committed by this account, it will remain closed. We will not accept appeals in cases such as this because of the depth of the analysis prior to the block."


So these are the 2 names that got me my permanent ban, aswell as I remember having Dont Touch Me H I V.

HOW offensive are these names to you? Is there really people out there, and it's possible (In which case I apologize), that take offence to these names, nearly bringing them to tears watching it in a game.

This was my reply to NCSoft:

"Borat is my alias. If you guys weren't so blatantly lazy, you would have seen that ALL my PvP-toons are named ...Borat... I've been using that name for 2 years now, and never had an issue. So by saying: "Borat vs The Blacks", it might as well have been: "Niels vs The Blacks". (Real life name)

And if you want to call "vs The Blacks" racist, well, how about this:

If, in a high-school basketball match, the "white kids" want to play against the "black kids", because of an arguement black people ARE better basketball-players, should ALL the white kids go to jail for commiting racial crimes?"

Since when has simply calling out the black community, for either positive or negative reasons, become racial? So by simply TARGETTING the black community, you're now concidered a racist?

Aside from that hysterical screw-up on your part, HOW is the movie Borat racial-offending? Have ANY of PlayNC Support even seen it? Aside from some jokes towards the Kazachstanian people, aswell as the American and Jew community, he says NOTHING about black people whatsoever.
Even then, NONE of his jokes are that bad they "cross the line".


Secondly, the name Jozef Fritzl... HOW does this name deserve a permanent ban? How does this even deserve a temporarily ban?
It's JUST A NAME. Maybe we should start inventarising EVERY rapist that ever lived since the 1800's, and give a perm ban to EVERYONE who made a reference to them...

Since when is simply making a reference to someone concidered THAT offensive to recieve a perm ban?
Just because the media milked the story out like a dairy-cow, means it's now concidered a "oh-no-don't-say it"-word?
Once again, IT'S JUST A NAME". I'm not making any references to who or what he is, what he's done and wether or not I'm taking the piss out of it.

What I don't get it is, you're "trying to protect the GW community" by banning offensive names, have you even concidered the reality that for the past 6 months, the name Jozef Fritzl has been on every corner of the street in the whole world?

I'm so tired of all these NCSoft double standards, and it looks like I finally became the victim of your incompetence to uphold a reasonable amount of rules.

good for you man

Everyone has gone PC crazy and freedom of speech has gone out the window, however by doing this and 'protecting' the 'minorities' they are actually making people racist.
It has been going on for years now and in a few more there will be more racial hatred than ever.
I honestly don't care what names you have, you bought the game, so it should be your choice.

Sorry m8,

But to me it looks like you were deliberately trying to be contraversial....... and you got your fingers burnt.

Take the punishment and move on.

I personally take no offense from those names. I can see where other people can find something to complain about in them, but to take offense to them?

I'm sure you will or have contacted support, and I hope they'll recognize your supposed "offenses" as unintentionally and restore your account. Again, not the first time that ANet has been stupid about offensive names. Perhaps that feature should be removed from /report so that people can't so easily dish out these complaints.

It doesn't matter how offensive the names are. If they are only marginable offensive, and you get reported, the name gets banned.

Of course, a name doesn't have to be offensive to be childish.

I don't personally have a problem with any of the names, since 'The Blacks' can easily be a rugby or cricket team from New Zealand too.
The other name is just looking for trouble, especially since seeing and being involved in some very heated discussions in Guilds about names containing Nazi / Hitler in them.

ANet have been putting notices up about their Naming policies for a few weeks now, so you should have been well aware of their stance.

You also appear to be a rather antagonistic (obnoxious?) individual, which is most likely just how you are.

Seems like you have finally pushed too far.

Oh well.
/shrug

Another ridiculous case... none of the names are offensive at all, it's getting absurd really.

Shield your eyes, I'm activating my Aura of Righteousness.

Nice defence, however you didnt pick a rapist from 200 years ago, not even 100, not even 10.

Theres no way that character was named without it in mind. In fact you admit prior knowledge about it.

Judging by the "nice, polite" e-mail you sent to Anet your not the kind of person who would make these names as an accident. I'm gunna have to agree with Rabwatt here.

The blacks one I have no real problem with though, but I could understand why people might take offense. Perhaps if it wasnt for your previous record that might have just been a name change case.

Think before making a name. And you really had to show off how you screwed yourself over?

Seriously. Seriously dude. You named a character the same as that horrible rapist that kept his own daughter imprisoned for 24 years, beating her up, raping and then he imprisoned his and his daughter's three children, and when one of them died in horrible pain, he burned his corpse on his own lawn.

You might as well name your character Ioseb Jughashvili and wonder why they banned you.

How offensive is offensive? Anything. Even if the person isn't offended they can still call it offensive.

Glad I didn't make a character named Hi Hilter, might get me perm-ban too for it!

As for the OP, well you can either take the punishment or move on to a new game (since I'm sure that you won't be playing GW ever again after this) I don't know if emailing support again would help you since they stated in the reply email that they won't take any appeals for this case.

Quoting this because it's true. If people stopped trying to control speech and emphasize racial differences, we'd probably be in a more accepting society by now.

As it is however, all the whining minorities are really doing is moving people against them. I'm hoping eventually it'll backfire.

I don't give a shit, but I think that there should be something in Guild Wars that registers how much of a carebear you are to validate "insults".

Yes but the footing has to be sound for it to be offensive. You could report somebody for being offensive because their name sounds like some guy who bullied you in school. However it's not likely to be taken seriously, Racism, rapists and Deadly diseases however....*cough*

I really don't think the problem here is having an "edgy" name, however having 3...
I can't remember who said it, but we really need that "I got Banned" forum.

Wise man was wise.

folks, how many reports do we need to validate a ban? I mean could the OP only got reported once by one person and A-Net (for lack of proper finding) decided to ban right away on the three names?

I seriously doubt that MULITPLE peoples reported the names at once to A-Net support staffs about being offensive.

"Offensive" is: Could a sensitive Puritan possibly find it offensive?

By Anet's definition.

Agrees with most of above posts.

BUT...

think before making a new name.
and naming ur character Josef Fritzl, your asking for a ban.
as for the Borat name , they could still just change their minds and say that the ban was only for the Josef name..

cant say i feel sorry for you.
You got a brain! use it!

First of all the "Borat Vs The Blacks" shouldn't be offensive as there are many sporting clubs that use the name The Blacks, BUT "Josef Fritzl" u shud be banned for me i think you were making the name for attention seeking reasons but just think if u were held against ur own will and beaten and raped for 24 years then someone made a name of the person who did it on a game which is rated 12+ how would you feel?