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aspensmonster

From: https://www.4chan.org/bans

Wat? I thought /b/ was pretty much anything goes. How times change.

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/b/ was almost entirely ponies at one point - an odd example of too much signal and not enough noise. To solve this, moot set up /mlp/, a containment board designed to redirect the rapid influx of pony images that was spamming every board (which was disturbing many of the regular on-topic posters.) Hence the "no ponies are allowed outside of /mlp/" rule.

A valid argument against determinism in the universe.

How could the Big Bang have predetermined a pony ban on 4chan?

You're aiming way too big on this. All it proves is that there is only one thing that can defeat Internet trolls, and that thing is MLP.

Trolls were happy to post MLP once they found out it makes people upset.

Trolls trolling trolls.

>/b/ >on topic Pick one.

> /b/ was almost entirely ponies at one point

And it was a better place, then they let the /b/tards have it back.

Random arbitrary bans are not unprecedented on /b/

It's not really random or arbitrary if the rule is "no ponies."

I think he means that, of all the things to ban, particularly on /b/, ponies is (or rather "seems" - there's logic behind it) random and arbitrary.

It's not a random rule at all though. Pony pictures were once 90% of what was posted to /b/. If the ban were lifted out would likely devolve into that place again.

Yes. That's the story you and I know. However, if you don't know the story it would seem arbitrary and random.

Something like that. I've seen periods where it felt like there was relatively little moderation, and I have also seen moot and other mods banning people for very whimsical things, including for the mods own amusement. And, of course there is auto-banning to stamp out shit-posting/crapflooding/whatever you want to call it, overused memes, dubz, advertising, etc.

I haven't been on there in a while, but if moot says to keep ponies on /mlp/ then don't be surprised to see bans for posting ponies on /b/. It's not even a /b/ rule; it is a /mlp/ rule. It keeps the peace. If /b/ becomes unhappy (due to too many ponies), and /b/ doesn't have the numbers to retaliate against /mlp/ then /b/ might well go flood other boards to call attention to their discontent.

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