saying "croissant"

[Ze Monstah]

But again... no one agreed on anything regarding the player from Fr.

I'm gonna rephrase as it apparently didn't come across as i meant it: People who know the game (which I barely do) seem to assess their play as not good. I interpret that from the genious-comment and from your explanation of the situation after you replayed it. That kind of "agree" (not talked about).

And also from the fact that croissant was written in response to the genius-comment. I'll rephrase this too: response in the sense of "it was written ~20 sec after the other" (no discussion about it).

But I'm still open to another reason why he would write a random word like croissant in the first place. Because really - nobody is just writing random words in the game-chat without some kind of intention.

Really, there are a lot of players who write random stuff, sorry...
If I am bored enough, I also do, things unrelated to anything or anyone, and non-offensive.

He might have indeed written that word because of the other U.S. player's "genius", but that connection is... not direct, not obvious and definitely not a direct insult.

Again, if what he said was "Yeah man, what a croissant", it would be different. But he didn't.
And his level in the game is also, unknown, as to say that he shared the other player's opinion, thinking the French player played bad - there is nothing indicating that.

That is not an insult ("croissant"), because the word is not an insult, and why go so deep to make it an insult?
That's not even a subtle insult ))
Even if in his mind, he used it as a bad thing (which I doubt), i find it moderation-unworthy, because of the word itself, and its randomness.

If in my mind, i find the word "Melbourne" an insult towards Aussies, and in a game, after a player from Australia plays bad and is directly criticised by a player, I say "Melbourne", will it be ok if i get moderated by a telepathic moderator?

I really don't get why you are trying to make this moderation look reasonable... But each with its own opinion

[Silene]

I really don't get why you are trying to make this moderation look reasonable... But each with its own opinion

Would you be so kind to not twist my words? I explicitly said I do not find it moderation-worthy.

[Ze Monstah]

I really don't get why you are trying to make this moderation look reasonable... But each with its own opinion

Would you be so kind to not twist my words? I explicitly said I do not find it moderation-worthy.

OK, sorry, I meant more like why see any reason at all.

I understand the bad play criticising idea, but I find it... extremely far-fetched in this particular case.
Not enough info.

Also, I know those 2 are the only lines in game, 'cause there would have been 2 "(...)"s above and beyond those lines, otherwise.

'am also curious about a reply from the OP.

Good day.

[joeincolorad]

I appreciate all the comments and the back and forth discussion. I still find the situation to be quite hilarious.

The one who made the "genius" comment is a friend of mine. We were speaking in Discord voice chat during the game. After he made the quip, he stated in voice chat that the guy might not even understand what he said since he's French. At which point, I told my friend that I'd type something I bet he could understand. And so I typed "croissant". Simple as that.

For what it's worth, I'm half French and half Italian lol. If someone said "spaghetti baguette" to me, I don't think I could find offense in that, but that's just me, I guess. I don't go looking for things to be offended by.

Thanks again for the responses. The insight is very much appreciated.

[KarmanMonkey]

What is or is not offensive is something generally defined by the person being offended. Personally, unless there is some other reason for saying the C word, the only context I can infer is that the person was responding to the criticism of the player's gameplay with a reference to their nationality. Any label like that (even if you might feel is harmless) can be dehumanizing to the recipient. Based on the limited context given by the OP, I can see why the player on the receiving end might feel like they were being mocked or insulted. In the same way, I feel the comment before the C word wasn't very sporting either; it's fine to criticize someone's gameplay; another to sarcastically insult them in the process.

A lot comes down to context. As several respondents stated, if he was responding to an earlier question about his breakfast choices, that would be something different. But if not, then I feel it's clearly a mocking reference to the person's nationality. As written, I don't see any way it could be conceived as a compliment.

Edit: I didn't see the OP's response (immediately before mine) Given what you've said, I can understand why you'd feel it was harmless (though I'm sort of on the fence still); unfortunately unless the French player was in the chat with you, they wouldn't have the context you've given, and would be forced to draw their own conclusions.

[N_Faker]

It has been said in different words than this that moderations apply if only someone takes offense.

[Ze Monstah]

What is or is not offensive is something generally defined by the person being offended. Personally, unless there is some other reason for saying the C word, the only context I can infer is that the person was responding to the criticism of the player's gameplay with a reference to their nationality. Any label like that (even if you might feel is harmless) can be dehumanizing to the recipient. Based on the limited context given by the OP, I can see why the player on the receiving end might feel like they were being mocked or insulted. In the same way, I feel the comment before the C word wasn't very slightly either; it's fine to criticize someone's gameplay; another to sarcastically insult them in the process.

A lot comes down to context. As several respondents stated, if he was responding to an earlier question about his breakfast choices, that would be something different. But if not, then I feel it's clearly a mocking reference to the person's nationality. As written, I don't see any way it could be conceived as a compliment.

Edit: I didn't see the OP's response (immediately before mine) Given what you've said, I can understand why you'd feel it was harmless (though I'm sort of on the fence still); unfortunately unless the French player was in the chat with you, they wouldn't have the context you've given, and would be forced to draw their own conclusions.

Offended people have so much power, wow...

I was insulted and offended in the past, with some serious stuff (not some national attraction) and i mentioned that I felt offended in my report, and there was either no moderation, or moderation with just a friendly warning and no penalty.
Other times, people I report for some way less important stuff, get moderated more severely.

And more players (even some popular ones, in top 5 BGA rankings), share this opinion, and have done it on the Forum.

So I don't get where you get your info from, but it sounds like Heaven, when it's not (or not for all).
By the way you say it, any player reporting for "insult" or "inappropriate behaviour", should have their reports ended with moderation, because all feel offended; yet, not all reports finish with moderation.
So I guess there's some unbalance somewhere, in the Moderation Rules and Criteria.

I would find it ridiculous if I reported a player who said "Danube" after another player criticised my game, and then (s)he got moderated, but oh well... People can and do get offended by anything.

And this moderation is also eerie, 'don't get why you put the word "c" used and the "genius" line in same category, when IMO, the "genius" irony was... a bit more.

And i think even if that player said something like "I think you should have attacked the one in the lead", instead of the "genius" line, and the French person reported that individual saying (s)he felt offended, that player with the "genius" line would probably get moderated, too.

Sorry, I find this moderation insulting for the one who got moderated; sorry if I am alone in this, and vocal, it's just a tiny opinion.

[Ze Monstah]

In the same way, I feel the comment before the C word wasn't very sporting either; it's fine to criticize someone's gameplay; another to sarcastically insult them in the process.

Also, even though I agree on the irony/sarcasm, how can you be sure as moderator, that "nice job going after the person not winning. genius" is irony and not a true compliment? Maybe the player is new to the game and genuinely thought the French player's play was good. I mean, from what I know, moderators are not telepaths.

[KarmanMonkey]

Offended people have so much power, wow...

I was insulted and offended in the past, with some serious stuff (not some national attraction) and i mentioned that I felt offended in my report, and there was either no moderation, or moderation with just a friendly warning and no penalty.
Other times, people I report for some way less important stuff, get moderated more severely.

And more players (even some popular ones, in top 5 BGA rankings), share this opinion, and have done it on the Forum.

So I don't get where you get your info from, but it sounds like Heaven, when it's not (or not for all).
By the way you say it, any player reporting for "insult" or "inappropriate behaviour", should have their reports ended with moderation, because all feel offended; yet, not all reports finish with moderation.
So I guess there's some unbalance somewhere, in the Moderation Rules and Criteria.

I would find it ridiculous if I reported a player who said "Danube" after another player criticised my game, and then (s)he got moderated, but oh well... People can and do get offended by anything.

And this moderation is also eerie, 'don't get why you put the word "c" used and the "genius" line in same category, when IMO, the "genius" irony was... a bit more.

And i think even if that player said something like "I think you should have attacked the one in the lead", instead of the "genius" line, and the French person reported that individual saying (s)he felt offended, that player with the "genius" line would probably get moderated, too.

Sorry, I find this moderation insulting for the one who got moderated; sorry if I am alone in this, and vocal, it's just a tiny opinion.

When I read your reply, I feel like you're bothered more by the inconsistency in the moderation on the site as much or more than simply the fact that you were flagged, and I agree with you on that point. It's essential that moderation is consistently applied; If I were to get flagged for something, I would want:
1) a clear indication about what I did and why it was flagged,
2) that it was in line with the site's policies, code of conduct, or EULA,
3) to know that the nature of the action that was flagged carried a consequence consistent with other similar behaviour,
4) that there would be some sort of review/response process (especially if the person feels the action is retaliatory or unfounded)

As far as offended people having so much power, they generally don't. Labels and slights tend to strip someone of power, and most of the time if the offended person takes issue with it, they're the ones who are criticized as being "too sensitive". The other thing to consider is that the logic of "I wouldn't be offended if someone called me _____" doesn't work, simply because you're not them. There are many times we can offend or hurt someone even when we think we're giving a compliment, largely because we don't share the same perspective or experience that they do. It's like a friend of mine who is irritated any time someone calls her "well spoken" because she's the only person of colour in the room. The person's "well spoken" comment can therefore feel like there's an implied "for a black person" tacked on the end, or that there's an implication that because of her race or sex, she wouldn't be expected to be well spoken. Because it's a compliment on the surface, she can't call the person on it without being treated like she's the one with the problem, so it's like a mosquito bite she has to get irritated by. And there are many many mosquito bites like this that she deals with several times a day. And the person often will feel they're giving a compliment, and not realize how their social location or biases might colour their comment. That's just an example, but I thought it would help to provide some context as to why I said that the offended define what's offensive.

It doesn't sound like you intended to insult the person, but that doesn't mean the person couldn't be hurt by your comment. I didn't intend to suggest that your comment was at the same level as the "genius" comment, though; my intent was to illustrate that in the context of the first comment, I could understand why the reader could interpret your comment as a slight on their ethnicity. But just because that's what I intend doesn't mean that's what you're going to feel when reading my post. That's one of the things I hate about online communication; there is room for so much difference in interpretation between the writer and the reader.

I'd also like to apologize for how deep I'm delving on this subject; I work on a mental health unit, and I'm one of the lead members of our anti-stigma program at our hospital, so I easily get riled up on subjects like this I bear you no ill will.

[KarmanMonkey]

In the same way, I feel the comment before the C word wasn't very sporting either; it's fine to criticize someone's gameplay; another to sarcastically insult them in the process.

Also, even though I agree on the irony/sarcasm, how can you be sure as moderator, that "nice job going after the person not winning. genius" is irony and not a true compliment? Maybe the player is new to the game and genuinely thought the French player's play was good. I mean, from what I know, moderators are not telepaths.

I'd say that to a certain extent, since the recipient of the comment isn't a telepath either, they can be hurt by something intended to be a compliment. Context is so important, and so much context gets stripped from online communication. In an ideal world the person would be able to seek clarification before reporting the person, but that's not always easy for a number of reasons.