Currently, if your post count drops below -50, you can only post 5 comments in a day. Today I discovered this is not as difficult a threshold to reach as I thought it would be. Earlier today, was up to +17 CCP (which took a week to reach), but after making several unpopular comments in this thread I'm now sitting at -27 CCP (and still dropping). Now, the point of this threshold is to discourage troll accounts, but it was not my intention to be a troll; my perspective just happened to be unpopular in that particular thread, and my attempts to enunciate my perspective resulted in numerous downvotes. I'd encourage you to read my postings in the thread and decide for yourself whether this type of disagreement is reasonable, or whether it shouldn't be allowed at voat. Because to me, this -50 CCP policy seems to strongly discourage voicing unpopular opinions, because people often receive downvotes just for having a view that others disagree with, and not just because they're being inflammatory.
If you want an echo-chamber where only the majority opinion is heard, by all means, keep the rule in place, but if you want to encourage any sort of debate, you can't punish users for merely having an opinion that is unpopular in a specific thread.
EDIT: I've just hit -57 CCP. I know I should have stopped replying, and deleted my comments, but I'm a man of principles and stand by what I said. Anyhow, if a mod ever happens to read this, please consider what I've said, and think about what type of community you want at this site, and if the current voting rules are well suited for achieving that goal. Thank you.
EDIT2: Replying to your posts here, since I can't post comments:
-Hypnogoat, I'm well aware of the importance of being amicable, and not unyielding in comment replies. I'm curious if you read everything I posted in that thread or not, because I thought I was doing an okay job at that for the most part (notwithstanding that first comment which was meant to be a joke, and the second comment when I thought my first comment had been deleted). If you have any specific advice for how I could be a better debater, I'm all ears, because that's something I'm definitely trying to get better at. If you could take some quote excerpts and deconstruct them, that would be quite useful. I'd find it hard to believe that I'm the worst debater in that thread though.
-o.o, I was actually just conversing with a trans person who commented that voat is not the most welcoming place for trans people, to put it lightly. I agree that they had a right to downvote me, it just seems a bit strange that I'm also deprived of my ability to post because of it. To be honest I was blindsided by the apparent hostility towards trans folk here. Not that I'm saying this particular issue is completely one-sided in the trans persons favor; it's just that the aggressiveness of people who disagreed with me was a lot stronger than I was expecting.
-Watdabney, I'm not disagreeing with their ability to "shut down my argument", I just don't think that I should have my posting privileges removed because of it. I felt I had valid points and was no more emotional or "driven by bias" than my opponents.
Sort: Top
[–] Arotaes_Forgehammer 1 point 3 points 4 points (+4|-1) ago
Hey, Amalek.
[–] YourDumbWhat [S] 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Hi Arotaes!
Which definition of Amalek are you referring to? Are you suggesting I'm the grandson of Esau?
[–] Arotaes_Forgehammer ago
You... Don't get the joke, do you.
[–] [deleted] 2 points 2 points 4 points (+4|-2) ago
[–] JDWM 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Aren't there subs that already have the "need x CCP in /v/sub to downvoat in /u/sub"? It's a great idea.
[–] OneZero ago
How do you block subs in /v/all? As far as I can tell it's impossible.
[–] [deleted] ago
[–] YourDumbWhat [S] 1 point 1 point 2 points (+2|-1) ago (edited ago)
Sigh, I should have known to stop replying to the comments people sent me... but I didn't, and now I'm past -50 CCP, all thanks to having an unpopular perspective in a single thread.
/u/Atko, please consider revising your rules. Unless you truly believe I'm the type of poster that ought to be banned.
[–] throsby 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Hey mate, I don't think you are doing yourself any favours if you frame it that way. I know it sucks to see it this way, but the only way you are going to prevent this happening in the future is if you focus on your own contribution to the situation, because that's the only part you have any control over. And you said it yourself:
If you had stopped replying, then you wouldn't have been downvoted all the way to -50 CCP. I think you should take @Hypnogoat's previous advice; there will always be some people who misuse the downvote, especially in these early days, so it is in your best interests to debate very carefully when you know you are presenting an unpopular opinion.
[–] frankenmine ago (edited ago)
There are always going to be edge cases like yours, but the system works as intended in the vast majority of the cases.
In any case, you're not prevented from debating, just limited by the number of comments you can post per day.
Be more constructive for a day or two and you'll dig yourself out.
[–] WatDabney ago
I have to say that I love the certainly unintentional irony of the fact that the thing that spawned the downvoats that have got you all het up and worrying about things that discourage honest debate is your specious defense of someone who responded to some uncomfortable questions by grabbing someone by the neck and threatening to send him home in an ambulance.
[–] YourDumbWhat [S] 2 points 1 point 3 points (+3|-2) ago
Out of curiosity, did you watch the video in full, or are you forming your opinion based on what you read in the comments? I admit that my perspective is controversial in the context of the thread, but it's not like it's my view was that extreme overall: notice how everyone else in that panel came to Zoey's defense after that altercation between her and Ben.
There are at least two sides to every story: I should be able to express my support for an unpopular one without having my posting privileges on probation. Besides, this new account freeze is temporary. Trolls are just going to make new accounts if they hit -50. Whereas I kind of like this username, and as such will stick with it, even if it means I've got a bit of a hole to crawl out of.
[–] WatDabney 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
It's not that your position is "controversial." It's that it's obviously irrational and driven by bias, and this thread just shines a spotlight on that fact.
Either it's appropriate to shut down someone who's expressing a controversial viewpoint or it's not. Pick one.
[–] frankenmine ago (edited ago)
You did. You expressed them as much as you were ever going to. The probation came afterwards, and as a result.