Like junior high all over again

I'm active on a few message boards - and by actice of course I mean I mostly lurk, but occasionally post. A couple of years ago one of my favorite boards had a meltdown of sorts, and many of the members left and formed their own board. They objected to the fairly heavy moderation on the original board; their new board isn't really moderated at all, though they will delete posts or ban posters who don't agree with the majority of posters there.

Within the last couple of weeks my other favorite board seems to be going through the same thing. It's funny, in a way. Other than the names it's almost exactly like the breakdown of the other board, even though the two boards are really nothing alike.

I'm still not sure I completely understand what started all this, but I think I have the general idea now. The board on which I am active, Board A, is a very friendly place for the most part. The posters are generally supportive of one another and the mood is usually upbeat. By the nature of the subject matter, the board also tends to attract some "odd" people, who in some cases are socially awkward. The posters also tend to post about things that can sometimes seem trivial or silly to others.

A few posters started being a bit more harsh in their treatment of others on the board and apparently became frustrated with the moderation that kept them from saying some of the meaner things they wanted to, so they started Board Z. They stayed active on Board A but would then also post horrible things about Board A and the posters there on Board Z. In the threads there they provided links to the threads and posters on Board A that they were making fun of.

The Mods at Board A realized this and somehow redirected links from Board Z back to a thread on Board Z. Who then retaliated, and things escalated from there.

Now 100+ members have been banned from Board A and are trashing it on Board Z. Those Board Z members who have not yet been banned from Board A keep starting threads to complain about the bannings and have been hijacking other threads to complain since the ones they start keep getting deleted. They are egging each other on in threads on Board Z; encouraging each other to disrupt Board A as much as possible. They sneak insults and complaints into as many threads on Board A as possible. They start threads on Board A in an attempt to goad the posters on Board A into saying things that will get them in trouble. As of this morning they are even trying to attack the real-life business owned by the owner of Board A. Board Z member who are not yet banned from Board A are now TRYING to get banned - because for whatever reason they can't just leave on their own to post elsewhere; they need the "bragging rights" that being banned seems to give them.

It's ridiculous.

The thing that makes me absolutely furious about this is the fact that they keep insisting that Board A has no right to ban them or to delete their threads because "This is America! What about our freedom of speech?!"

No. It doesn't work that way. Board A is a private message board. There is no freedom of speech. You don't have the right to use the board at all, much less to use it to spout whatever opinion you feel like spouting.

Then they start griping that the deletions are wrong because "It's censorship!". So? Censorship isn't always wrong. Sometimes it's a good thing. Just because you may have the right to say or do something, it doesn't mean you have the right to say or do it anywhere you want to.

Want to stand in your living room and yell profanities about me? That's your right. Want to stand in MY living room and yell profanities about me? No, sorry, you'll have to leave. You have no right to say ANYTHING in my home. I could let you, but I certainly don't have to. Want to post on your message board to promote your own agenda? Go for it. Want to use someone else's board for your own agenda? Only if they choose to let you.

Board A doesn't allow "strong language", but Board Z allows pretty much anything. It's funny to me that the posters on Board Z sound like Jr. High kids with their first taste of freedom. The can't seem to say ANYTHING without sprinkling it with language that wouldn't make it through the filter on Board A. Even completely calm and reasonable posts have to have "Oh, and F--- You, so-and-so" to whoever they are replying to. I know that most of these people are adults, but if I didn't know that and had to guess from their posts I'd think they were all 15.

I'm not worried about Board A, it will be fine - the people currently being idiots were a very small part of the board (though you wouldn't know it to read their posts; they think the board will wither and die without them!). Still, it is irritating to keep seeing them try to stir up trouble, especially since Board A is currently dealing with a tragic real-life issue, the death of one of the webmasters.

Disagree with the way a board is run or dislike the majority of posters there? By all means start your own board where you can say anything you want. But stop acting like the world should revolve around you! The Board Z people, with a few exceptions, are coming across as bitter children who refuse to take their toys and go home, instead insisting on throwing their tantrums in their host's living room until they get their way. Grow up already!