There was a time when you could get away with a lot of shit as long as you stayed within some basic lines: no crazy name calling, no nsfw shit, and if you troll you better make sure a mod is providing cover (IE Amir0x in a Nintendo thread).
Now you can be banned for your personal opinions, views, etc - on top of all the stuff you could previously be banned on, plus more strict rules on anything female related. I think Esch is right about the Google stuff being the starting point, but I believe the "community" movement was the next step. GAF is probably 90% male, most of which is white male; maybe 8% female and 2% other (trololol). Evillore and the rest of the mods are focused on making a predominantly male forum more appealing to females. It seems to me the best way to do that is to just create an open, equal playing field - not by controlling discussion, but by encouraging it. Ultimately mods make the same mistake that guys make in the various "what do girls want/think" threads: treating women like aliens or delicate, potentially dangerous objects that must be placed on a pedestal to avoid injury (to them or to you)
Want to not get banned from GAF? Never call names, and when you do enter a debate on women or gay related issues attempt to establish a level of consensus and respect before making your more broad/controversial argument. If you get ganged up on, don't lose your cool - continue respectfully disagreeing and wait for less intelligent backup from posters who make you look smarter.
