Oh noes, pedophilia!!
This is long.

Okay, so there's this place online called the Straight Dope Message Boards. It was originally created to be an adjunct to Cecil Adams' column, but it's morphed way beyond that to several forums and several thousand members. Number one rule: don't be a jerk. If you're a jerk, you get banned.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to a long and wanky history; just take a look at trainwreckspot, the last in a line of several anonymous communities entirely devoted to SDMB wank. And the current wank may just trump them all. Here's the Cliff's Notes Version.


Stage Manager (stagemanager) admits in a thread to being a registered sex offender. A few days later, he is suddenly banned. These posts have now been hidden, and I never saw them, so I can't really comment on whether or not that was a legitimate decision. [ETA: Anonymice, however, know all.]

stagemanager is upset, obviously, and makes this post in the SDMB community.


Tuba Diva (tubadiva) takes it on herself to post a lot of stagemanager's personal information, obtained through the Megan's Law database of sex offenders. The post has now been screened, but you can see responses here, and a c&p with personal information deleted can be seen here. In the course of these accusations, she also reveals that stagemanager was banned for trolling for minors on the boards.


Obviously, this sets off a firestorm of controversy. Did stagemanager actually have inappropriate contact with an SDMB minor? Did tubadiva abuse the LJ or SDMB privacy policy by posting stagemanager's publicly available information? (The title of this post implies that she refrained from revealing information on the board itself, but felt no need to restrain herself outside it.)

stagemanager reveals that he did have contact with a minor, electronic contact, though he refuses to elaborate further.


The drama makes it to trainwreckspot, where the snark flows long and furious. Other admins start closing and locking threads to get time to figure out what's going on. Dopers get testy.

Administrator Veb (or someone pretending to be her) claims that there's a legal investigation going on. stagemanager says that there couldn't be a serious investigation, since he hasn't been contacted. Stage Manager threatens to sue the boards; as an aside, it's been long claimed that any hint of litigation wll be grounds to immediately end the SDMB, so people begin to take this Very Seriously.

There's also lots of wank in the TWS thread that I won't even bother to link to; wild theories, people being for or against tubadiva's actions. Pretty much everyone is withholding judgement on stagemanager, except for a few who have Absolute! Proof! that he did what he's being accused of. Also lots of legal stuff about whether or not Tuba actually violated any privacy policies, since it's possible to get SM's info through non-credit card avenues.

Finally, Tuba Diva's punishment is devised. And of course, there is wank, since paying users are apparently not a big priority to the Reader (SD's parent org) and a 30 day suspension is little more than a slap on the wrist.

ETA: The punishment announcement thread has been locked and hidden. The text of the first post is available here, though. I'm sure your imagination can fill in the rest.


Not sure how much interest this will have to people not on the SDMB, but I figured I'd write it up for my own amusement as much as anyone else's.