Why does the Steam Community ban those who attempt to discuss nuclear power plants?

Simply having "nuclear power plant" in a post on their boards elicits no negative reaction…but, any attempt WHATSOEVER to discuss ANYTHING about nuclear power plants in real life earns the post author an IMMEDIATE permaban. Call me stupid, but, I don't understand what the Hell their problem is. Since WHEN is discussing something like that politically incorrect or judged to be abusive or inflammatory?

See, I used to live in West Germany during the Vietnam War, and my town had a nuclear power plant. There is NO mistaking the architecture of such a power plant; you see it, you know what it is. Anyhow, after the disaster at Chernobyl, Pripyat, et cetera, the area was rendered uninhabitable for twenty thousand years. It was horrible. Germany decided to shut down all their nuclear power plants by 2022. Most of them are now decommissioned, and Germany and its neighbors are safer for it…but…the power plant in my town did not appear on the list of decommissioned or soon-to-be-decommissioned power plants!

I asked an innocent question regarding this…and immediately received a permaban on "all Steam Discussions." No explanation, simply "violation of Steam Community terms of service."

Now, I have several questions, questions I felt NO need to ask before this absurd thing happened. In which country are the Steam Community servers headquartered? Why would that country have such a FASCIST and TOTALITARIAN reaction to such an innocent question? And, how stupid ARE they? Do they not realize that responding in this fashion will raise more eyebrows than the action which prompted it, that their "punishment" will actually FOCUS attention on the matter that they wish to "go away?"

Anyone see the movie, "China Syndrome?" What the bloody Hell's going on here?

The lat time I checked, nuclear power plants were A) relatively safe, and B) not a sociologically-sensitive issue. It's not like I'm asking why my local library no longer carries "Little Black Sambo."

@Byshop: Boy, you are THICK; you simply don't GET it, do you? "Take it up with Steam?" Their moderators DO NOT negotiate; by their actions, they demonstrate themselves to be infantile, arbitrary, and fascist autocrats that enjoy making and implementing "invisible rules" outside their own Terms of Service. It really annoys me when you don't read what I've written, but have the audacity and gall to criticize.

First off, I don't recall asking ANYONE here to "do anything" about it.

Secondly, you seem also to have missed the central thesis of my thread. I only wanted one simple question answered: "Why does Steam ban discussion of nuclear power plants?" Stupid me thought that there might actually BE someone here who didn't have his head up his own digestive tract terminus, someone who might KNOW the answer, and would be willing to share it.

Thanks to you, and all those of your ilk—the number of which dismayingly seems to be legion—I'm abandoning this post. Nobody seems interested in answering the question, only in fanning the flames of dissent. I did not author this thread to whine, or gripe, or complain; it was not troll-bait. If you're too darned STUPID to even perceive there's something very strange in such an unwritten jack-booted, iron-fisted Steam Community policy, then I'd be a fool to expect you to enlighten me. You're just like those complete MORONS after 9/11 who said, "No, I would not mind surrendering a few personal liberties to combat terrorism." That might seem like a non-sequitur, but I assure you: I suspect it is very much related.

There is more than ONE form of censorship.

So long. This has been a COMPLETE waste of time.

@pissedashell: The US.

It's off topic.

Because some forums and mods are more Nazi then others.

A lot of them ban certain words or mods are notified right away.

Stuff like “nuclear” “bomb” “terrorist” and the like probably get flagged right away. And mods don’t care and just ban right away.

Don't know, don't care!

I just buy games, play them, move on to the next and the circle of life continues on Steam.

Yeah that's really mind boggling. I mean, nuclear power plants are essentially just really awesome heavy duty steam boilers.

*gasp!*

Is Steam really making their steam from nuclear power!!??!? I DECLARE A CONSPIRACY!

Take it up with Steam...

uh. i don't know what to tell you.

Gabe Newell is in bed with the coal industry.

I saw China Syndrome. A very gripping and disturbing film. An excellent Michael Douglas movie with very little Michael Douglas.

Maybe they doesn't want us to awaken our inner biochemical terrorist sleeping deep inside all of us.

@davillain-: That's how it should be

@pissedashell: Got a link to the locked thread? Maybe your ban had nothing to do with the topic and more to do with behavior or language?

-Byshop

@pissedashell: Got a link to the locked thread? Maybe your ban had nothing to do with the topic and more to do with behavior or language?

Also this...

-Byshop

GabeN started his company off the inherence of his family's oil company in Texas.

Happens to the best of us. Create a new account to use on discussion forums. It's a hassle, I bet more of us will have to at some point with how 'dangerous' language is becoming in some countries like the USA. You need access to a university forum (which should be rationally the least safe space) that doesn't have safe spaces (pretty terrible thing at a USA university) and courses like that trying to silence people, if you want a good place to discuss anything political or to consider interesting ideas based in reality in the long run. For now GS seems very relaxed about things, luckily. I made multiple accounts on most forums with multiple IP's as a way to pre-empt potential bans for stating my mind in a way that a certain moderator may find too disturbing to be read, so that I don't have to go through the hassle of making a new account at some point. (Not for GS though.)

Best thing to do now is for you to find comfort in the knowledge that you are one of many.

I don't even think that's possible really. I've never seen a company or forum take someone serious after they got banned. Once you're marked as an enemy by a racist/sexist/political/sensitive/whatever mod you're kinda done. Personally I never tried anymore after the first few times I got banned on a forum to get back through explaining. Though those forums were typically rather extremist groups that I wanted to understand better. I mean, you're a mod, right? You know how it is. If he didn't actually do something wrong, and they do something about it it's like a miracle.

(So far I don't get banned for anything other than misunderstandings as I like to question things and people like to attribute that to where you stand as a person. I often make arguments for a side that I don't personally believe in to see what people think about it. And I am of the opinion that (so this is something I do stand behind) that a well discussed topic is much less dangerous than leaving something not discussed by only allowing certain stances to be presented as you then create a kind of echochamber that could quickly lose its sense of reality and actual arguments.)

@Byshop & Horgen:: Bad language? Why would ANYONE have to use bad language in a sane and non-emotional discussion of nuclear power plants? And "Take it up with Steam?" Are you out of your MIND? Haven't I already EXPLAINED the problem? There ISN'T any addressing this issue with them. When they permaban you, THAT IS IT. No discussion, no explanation, no negotiation. The ONLY time Steam has not reacted with a ban is when I said, "do NOT discuss nuclear power plants." Anything more than that is said, including schedule information regarding shut-downs in Germany of their plants, with NO political commentary or ecological rhetoric, PERMABAN. I just want to know what the HELL is their problem with nuclear power plants; why is discussing them on Steam forums prohibited? IT IS NOT IN STEAM COMMUNITY TERMS OF SERVICE / GUIDELINES. We've been living with this technology since the sixties—what's the DEAL?

I have no idea how you behaved over there because you haven't linked to any of your posts, but your whole premise (that you got banned for discussing nuclear power plants) seems unlikely.

I also have no idea what you expect anyone here to do about it. You can try contacting Steam support but otherwise I suggest you move on.

-Byshop

You're asking people to answer a question based on what is likely a completely flawed premise that you're expecting everyone to take your word at. As I already said, it's highly unlikely that Steam bans discussion of nuclear power plants. What seems far more likely (if your behavior in this thread is any indication) is that you were banned for -how- you chose to express your opinion rather than the opinion itself. Acting like a jerk and insulting people will only result in you getting a much needed "time out".

-Byshop