7 ms·

Your username is Kaiser. That could be a bannable offense. Now what if hackernews gets bundled with Gmail and that ultimately tied to your name and they just b

Your username is Kaiser. That could be a bannable offense. Now what if hackernews gets bundled with Gmail and that ultimately tied to your name and they just ban you from using a whole range of Extremely important services? If this sounds far-fetched you're probably exhibiting the near sighted "if I have nothing to hide I have nothing to fear" fallacious thinking (or coping mechanism).

slightwinder 5y ago
> Your username is Kaiser. That could be a bannable offense. Why? Kaiser is a royal title and widely used family name from the German sphere of culture. Who could be legitimated offended by this alone?
- valdiorn 5y ago
  Tell that to the people who are accusing everyone of being racist for having a "master" branch in their git repo. No, I'm not being funny.
- blueflow 5y ago
  "Kaiser" is a reference to the German Reich, and references to Nazism are not welcome in this community. -- Someone in power, making up a reason to get him banned
  - mrunkel 5y ago
    "Blueflow is a reference to toilets flushing on airplanes, and it is not welcome in this community." I mean, if we're going to make up reasons out of whole cloth, any name is fair game.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - sandstrom 5y ago
      I'm guessing that's his point.
    - fho 5y ago
      I mean the example is a bit contrived ... but his point that "I have nothing to hide" is a fallacy stands. Another, better example: Normally, where you work is not a secret. It is something that most people would tell strangers if asked about. Now, say you are testing your "market value" by sending out job applications. Now suddenly you may not want to disclose where you work. This is actually not a contrived example, a friend of mine was let go because the HR guys handling one of his applications knew somebody from his current company, word got around and his current management deemed the risk of him "stealing work secrets" too high. So they put him on paid leave and he never entered that facility again.
    - dmitriid 5y ago
      A few years back a Russian guy created an Erlang library, and called it `coon`, as short for `raccoon`. Enraged white Americans had a fit over this because in some (not all!) parts of America this is (or used to be) a racial slur. Many other Americans on the mailing list never even heard it used as a racial slur. The guy was forced to rename the library. Do you want to bet that whatever you say, or whatever you call yourself won't be a reason to get you banned? Do you want to tie an email address to the likelihood of this happening?
  - slightwinder 5y ago
    Which would be complete BS as nazis were very vocal about being against the royality and abolished them. Yes, of course can you always make up some lies to justify a random act of power. But then the user can prove them wrong, go viral on social media or sue them. And bigger companies are usually not that broken that they just randomly act on such lies.
    - blueflow 5y ago
      Such details have never stopped dissidents from being sanctioned. This is how power plays work.
      - slightwinder 5y ago
        We are talking about online-services, not state terrorism. Companies are limited in their power play.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
      Hacker News has a fair constant stream of comments about various companies locking people out for no discernible reason with no recourse. How would this scenario be any different.
- junon 5y ago
  I live in Germany and "Kaiser" is everywhere. And I mean everywhere. That being said, coming from the US, I can easily see it being associated with the Nazi party by some strong-armed patriotic American moderator type.
  - k8sToGo 5y ago
    Like Kaiserschmarn!
  - Levitz 5y ago
    I'm Spanish and I'm fairly certain I can't use the Spanish word for "black" in most US sites.
    - junon 5y ago
      Yeah, same thing :/
- ben_w 5y ago
  I remember ages ago “CmdrTaco” complaining about being banned from using that name, “because it’s a title”: https://slashdot.org/story/61868 https://slashdot.org/story/61868
- sacado2 5y ago
  In some online communities, there are people who can't write which country they are from because the name of their country is offensive from a USA-centric point of view. I don't even know if those names raise flags here on HN, so, I'll just give their capital cities: Podgorica, Niamey, Abuja. Your name / title / country name could be safe in your own country but seem offensive to someone with an international bias.
  - sandstrom 5y ago
    Good point! Similarly, there are also countries that are "offensive" from a Chinese point of view. This journalist cannot even mention the name "Taiwan" and "country" in the same sentence without this WHO guy (from Canada!) treating her like pariah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCYFh8U2xM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCYFh8U2xM
    - ljm 5y ago
      Let's be fair here, the issue with Taiwan is a geopolitical one. The same as it is with Israel and Palestine. And with many countries, territories, and borders, that are contested. This isn't the same as the sheer ignorance it takes to assume that countries Nigeria, Montenegro, and Niger are connected to the US's issues with race and are therefore offensive. A US diplomat isn't going to sanction you for recognising Nigeria as a country. I'm also unaware of what such a person would call these countries instead.
      - sandstrom 5y ago
        Its the same type of cancel culture, but this time it's a country being "offended", not a person. https://qz.com/1911573/virtual-youtubers-suspended-after-calling-taiwan-a-country/ https://qz.com/1911573/virtual-youtubers-suspended-after-cal... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/john-cena-very-sorry-for-saying-taiwan-is-a-country https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/john-cena-very... https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2018/01/17/corporations-will-quickly-comply-as-china-pressures-them-to-stop-calling-taiwan-a-country/?sh=200bc9809bf4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2018/01/17/corpor... https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/nasa-is-the-latest-to-offend-china-by-calling-taiwan-a-country https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/nasa-is-t... https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4018580 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4018580
kunagi7 5y ago
Banning users from accessing their email accounts just for bad behavior at a public forum seems like an overkill approach. Email access should remain even if you can't access the forum. Searching for Kaiser reveals several companies which provide a variety of services (care, raw materials, etc). Also some people call Schumacher the Kaiser of Formula 1 for his achievements. Doesn't sound like a bad username at all.
- TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
  Kaiser definitely has at least some negative connotations in at least some English speaking countries.
KaiserPro 5y ago
I think you are conflating enforcing rules with arbitrary rules. given that there are literally streets with it on[1] I doubt its a bannable offense. plus, you'd expect that to be filtered out at the very start. Plus if they adhere to their escalations then it wouldn't result in a ban. Hopping onto your wider point, Facebook et al are cesspools because they _don't_ enforce the rules well enough. if you look at Facebook's code of conduct, its actually really good. Readable, simple & comprehensive. (go read it, i promise you its good.) the problem is, its not being enforced evenly. Us mortals only get automoderated. Popular posts (5m+ views, I imagine) will get the overworked human treatment. Politicians will be given free reign, because of reasons that are not immediately obvious. > If this sounds far-fetched you're probably exhibiting the near sighted "if I have nothing to hide I have nothing to fear" fallacious thinking (or coping mechanism). I have lots to hide, and a boat load more to fear. Again you are mixing in issues here that should be separate. Yes, I as a singular citizen should be able to hold any opinion I wish. I should be allowed to speak about it. Should that be free from consequences? In all but clearly laid out cases, yes. Should I be able to force that opinion or content onto someone else? no. In the US, you are more or less allowed to say what you like, but I, crucially don't have to agree, or indeed agree to broadcast your opinion(whether you like it or not, a forum is a broadcast by a third party). I am crucially aware that _true_ freedom of speech has never existed. I do not like that single corporations are given such power to censor things at will without oversight, but that's just newspapers and TV. That's before we get onto "fighting words" and the like. I want people to be able to say most things all of the time. The issue we have with online/text discourse is that its really simple to bully people without consequences. Society does not work if there are no consequences for actions that cause harm and injury. Do I want to curtail freedom of speech? no. do I want china style censorship? no. Do I want a multiplicity of services to cater to the wide range of thought and speech? yes. Should everyone be forced to carry all opinions regardless of impact or outcome? no. [1]https://goo.gl/maps/k2wVzDEBt4FUMY5b6 https://goo.gl/maps/k2wVzDEBt4FUMY5b6
- d0gsg0w00f 5y ago
  > given that there are literally streets with it on[1] I doubt its a bannable offense. plus, you'd expect that to be filtered out at the very start. Plus if they adhere to their escalations then it wouldn't result in a ban. Here in Atlanta, Georgia USA they're already changing street names that are deemed offensive [1]. Sometimes these are family names that were made famous by a historical figure tied to a "bad" thing but sometimes it's an English phrase where the implications are bad. I would be wary of general purpose words like Kaiser that make people think of "bad" things as those are also open to scrutiny. [1] - https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/648290022/atlantas-mayor-signs-bill-to-change-streets-named-after-confederacy https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/648290022/atlantas-mayor-sign...

slightwinder 5y ago

> Your username is Kaiser. That could be a bannable offense. Why? Kaiser is a royal title and widely used family name from the German sphere of culture. Who could be legitimated offended by this alone?

valdiorn 5y ago
Tell that to the people who are accusing everyone of being racist for having a "master" branch in their git repo. No, I'm not being funny.
blueflow 5y ago
"Kaiser" is a reference to the German Reich, and references to Nazism are not welcome in this community. -- Someone in power, making up a reason to get him banned
- mrunkel 5y ago
  "Blueflow is a reference to toilets flushing on airplanes, and it is not welcome in this community." I mean, if we're going to make up reasons out of whole cloth, any name is fair game.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - sandstrom 5y ago
    I'm guessing that's his point.
  - fho 5y ago
    I mean the example is a bit contrived ... but his point that "I have nothing to hide" is a fallacy stands. Another, better example: Normally, where you work is not a secret. It is something that most people would tell strangers if asked about. Now, say you are testing your "market value" by sending out job applications. Now suddenly you may not want to disclose where you work. This is actually not a contrived example, a friend of mine was let go because the HR guys handling one of his applications knew somebody from his current company, word got around and his current management deemed the risk of him "stealing work secrets" too high. So they put him on paid leave and he never entered that facility again.
  - dmitriid 5y ago
    A few years back a Russian guy created an Erlang library, and called it `coon`, as short for `raccoon`. Enraged white Americans had a fit over this because in some (not all!) parts of America this is (or used to be) a racial slur. Many other Americans on the mailing list never even heard it used as a racial slur. The guy was forced to rename the library. Do you want to bet that whatever you say, or whatever you call yourself won't be a reason to get you banned? Do you want to tie an email address to the likelihood of this happening?
- slightwinder 5y ago
  Which would be complete BS as nazis were very vocal about being against the royality and abolished them. Yes, of course can you always make up some lies to justify a random act of power. But then the user can prove them wrong, go viral on social media or sue them. And bigger companies are usually not that broken that they just randomly act on such lies.
  - blueflow 5y ago
    Such details have never stopped dissidents from being sanctioned. This is how power plays work.
    - slightwinder 5y ago
      We are talking about online-services, not state terrorism. Companies are limited in their power play.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
    Hacker News has a fair constant stream of comments about various companies locking people out for no discernible reason with no recourse. How would this scenario be any different.
junon 5y ago
I live in Germany and "Kaiser" is everywhere. And I mean everywhere. That being said, coming from the US, I can easily see it being associated with the Nazi party by some strong-armed patriotic American moderator type.
- k8sToGo 5y ago
  Like Kaiserschmarn!
- Levitz 5y ago
  I'm Spanish and I'm fairly certain I can't use the Spanish word for "black" in most US sites.
  - junon 5y ago
    Yeah, same thing :/
ben_w 5y ago
I remember ages ago “CmdrTaco” complaining about being banned from using that name, “because it’s a title”: https://slashdot.org/story/61868 https://slashdot.org/story/61868
sacado2 5y ago
In some online communities, there are people who can't write which country they are from because the name of their country is offensive from a USA-centric point of view. I don't even know if those names raise flags here on HN, so, I'll just give their capital cities: Podgorica, Niamey, Abuja. Your name / title / country name could be safe in your own country but seem offensive to someone with an international bias.
- sandstrom 5y ago
  Good point! Similarly, there are also countries that are "offensive" from a Chinese point of view. This journalist cannot even mention the name "Taiwan" and "country" in the same sentence without this WHO guy (from Canada!) treating her like pariah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCYFh8U2xM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCYFh8U2xM
  - ljm 5y ago
    Let's be fair here, the issue with Taiwan is a geopolitical one. The same as it is with Israel and Palestine. And with many countries, territories, and borders, that are contested. This isn't the same as the sheer ignorance it takes to assume that countries Nigeria, Montenegro, and Niger are connected to the US's issues with race and are therefore offensive. A US diplomat isn't going to sanction you for recognising Nigeria as a country. I'm also unaware of what such a person would call these countries instead.
    - sandstrom 5y ago
      Its the same type of cancel culture, but this time it's a country being "offended", not a person. https://qz.com/1911573/virtual-youtubers-suspended-after-calling-taiwan-a-country/ https://qz.com/1911573/virtual-youtubers-suspended-after-cal... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/john-cena-very-sorry-for-saying-taiwan-is-a-country https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/john-cena-very... https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2018/01/17/corporations-will-quickly-comply-as-china-pressures-them-to-stop-calling-taiwan-a-country/?sh=200bc9809bf4 https://www.forbes.com/sites/ralphjennings/2018/01/17/corpor... https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/nasa-is-the-latest-to-offend-china-by-calling-taiwan-a-country https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-31/nasa-is-t... https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4018580 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4018580

kunagi7 5y ago

Banning users from accessing their email accounts just for bad behavior at a public forum seems like an overkill approach. Email access should remain even if you can't access the forum. Searching for Kaiser reveals several companies which provide a variety of services (care, raw materials, etc). Also some people call Schumacher the Kaiser of Formula 1 for his achievements. Doesn't sound like a bad username at all.

TheSpiceIsLife 5y ago
Kaiser definitely has at least some negative connotations in at least some English speaking countries.

KaiserPro 5y ago

I think you are conflating enforcing rules with arbitrary rules. given that there are literally streets with it on[1] I doubt its a bannable offense. plus, you'd expect that to be filtered out at the very start. Plus if they adhere to their escalations then it wouldn't result in a ban. Hopping onto your wider point, Facebook et al are cesspools because they _don't_ enforce the rules well enough. if you look at Facebook's code of conduct, its actually really good. Readable, simple & comprehensive. (go read it, i promise you its good.) the problem is, its not being enforced evenly. Us mortals only get automoderated. Popular posts (5m+ views, I imagine) will get the overworked human treatment. Politicians will be given free reign, because of reasons that are not immediately obvious. > If this sounds far-fetched you're probably exhibiting the near sighted "if I have nothing to hide I have nothing to fear" fallacious thinking (or coping mechanism). I have lots to hide, and a boat load more to fear. Again you are mixing in issues here that should be separate. Yes, I as a singular citizen should be able to hold any opinion I wish. I should be allowed to speak about it. Should that be free from consequences? In all but clearly laid out cases, yes. Should I be able to force that opinion or content onto someone else? no. In the US, you are more or less allowed to say what you like, but I, crucially don't have to agree, or indeed agree to broadcast your opinion(whether you like it or not, a forum is a broadcast by a third party). I am crucially aware that _true_ freedom of speech has never existed. I do not like that single corporations are given such power to censor things at will without oversight, but that's just newspapers and TV. That's before we get onto "fighting words" and the like. I want people to be able to say most things all of the time. The issue we have with online/text discourse is that its really simple to bully people without consequences. Society does not work if there are no consequences for actions that cause harm and injury. Do I want to curtail freedom of speech? no. do I want china style censorship? no. Do I want a multiplicity of services to cater to the wide range of thought and speech? yes. Should everyone be forced to carry all opinions regardless of impact or outcome? no. [1]https://goo.gl/maps/k2wVzDEBt4FUMY5b6 https://goo.gl/maps/k2wVzDEBt4FUMY5b6

d0gsg0w00f 5y ago
> given that there are literally streets with it on[1] I doubt its a bannable offense. plus, you'd expect that to be filtered out at the very start. Plus if they adhere to their escalations then it wouldn't result in a ban. Here in Atlanta, Georgia USA they're already changing street names that are deemed offensive [1]. Sometimes these are family names that were made famous by a historical figure tied to a "bad" thing but sometimes it's an English phrase where the implications are bad. I would be wary of general purpose words like Kaiser that make people think of "bad" things as those are also open to scrutiny. [1] - https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/648290022/atlantas-mayor-signs-bill-to-change-streets-named-after-confederacy https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/648290022/atlantas-mayor-sign...