A terminology quibble from the Readercon fiasco

[womzilla]

A "zero tolerance" policy and a "lifetime ban" are completely separate things.

"Zero tolerance" is a type of enforcement--true "zero tolerance" means that if you break the rule, you will receive the punishment, no exceptions. "Lifetime ban" is a definition of a type punishment that is available for those who punish those who violate the policy.

A zero-tolerance policy can have many levels of punishment, based on elements such as specific offense (a "zero-tolerance" rule against possessing weapons could still have different levels of punishment for carrying a knife vs. carrying a suitcase packed with explosives) or repeat offenses. "Zero tolerance" and "lifetime ban" aren't synonyms.

Comments

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

the fact that another person has complained of earlier upsetting, stalker-y behavior from Rene is indicative of an unpleasant trend

Given that she did not disclose her prior relationship with Rene in the report I saw, as I said, it puts his behavior, and her reaction to it, in a somewhat different light *for me*. I find it puzzling that she would report it, and characterize it, as the same behavior as the first case even though she knew him and was clearly good friends with him over a period of time. For me, it seems possible that this falls in the category of "interpersonal relationship issue" rather than "stalker-y behavior by male fan to female fans."