I want to give a few words on this subject.

Nearly every single time I have to discipline someone, their defense is, "Well I see other people doing bad things all the time!" This is just about the worst defense possible. "But judge, I saw someone else rob a liquor store and get away with it; that's why I mugged that lady. Why are you singling me out?!" If you break the chat terms and get punished, accept responsibility -- it is your fault, and no one else's. Even if someone goaded you into it, it is still completely your fault that you broke the chat terms. Which leads us to...

The next most common defense is, "Someone was harassing me, that's why I harassed them back." This is incredibly childish, and unacceptable. In fact, it is more likely to make me dole out punishment, because I've noticed that people with this mindset tend to always be the ones involved in drama. If someone is harassing you, use the ignore button and then report it to me. Seriously, nearly all cases of drama I've seen on here could be completely eliminated if people would just use that "ignore" feature.

And regarding the fact that some abuses go unpunished: I am not a god. I am one guy, who leads a very busy life. I do not lurk on the chats 24/7 looking for people misbehaving -- I can only respond to what people send me. So yes, there are -- and always will be -- cases of abuse that go unpunished. I rely on you, the people of the chat, to report these things to me. A report won't always result in a ban or even a discipline (sometimes what people bring me really doesn't qualify as a violation of the chat terms), but do please report anything you think is making the chat a less welcoming place.

When it comes to banning, I am generally lenient and will give people a chance to turn their behavior around. That is not to say that I will always give second chances though. Most notably, using room names to troll people is a "one strike and you're out" offense. Falsifying evidence is also cause for immediate banning.

So what is the proper response if I contact you regarding a violation of the chat terms? "I'm sorry; I screwed up for reason X, but I realize that is wrong, and I won't do it again." If I have to ban you, you are the bad guy, not me. The fact that there may be other bad guys out there (and even possibly worse bad guys!) does absolutely nothing to mitigate your guilt.

In closing, I would like to say: be adults and play nice, people. That means play nice even if other people aren't. As Ghandi said, "An eye for an eye, and the whole world goes blind." If you have a problem with someone or their play style... keep your opinions to yourself, and use the ignore button if they are really that aggravating to you. This chat should be an environment where everyone can feel welcome.