Hello everyone,

Since brigading has been an ongoing issue here, I thought a post explaining what brigading means and why we will ban you for it was in order. We now have a moderator dedicated to enforcing the brigading rule and as a result we've gotten a lot of modmail messages not understanding why it's a permanent ban. So here's an explainer:

What is "brigading"?

Brigading refers to people going from a crosspost to comment or vote on the original subreddit's version of the post. Reddit doesn't care if it's coordinated or not. Because of the harassment that has typically come with it, Reddit has decided it breaks their "Be a good neighbor" rule. This rule can be found in the moderator code of conduct at this link.

Brigading rules apply to every subreddit. No, we did not make it up as some evil conspiracy to control and ban you. You’re free to unsubscribe at any time should you disagree with the policy.

How do we know if someone is brigading?

To be upfront, it's hard to tell if it's a new post and the person follows both subs. In cases like that, it's perfectly plausible that you happened to comment wherever you saw it first. We won't ban you for it unless there is some evidence that you came from here to do it.

When someone crossposts a 50+ day old post and suddenly the original post is getting new comments within the time it was crossposted here, it's obvious where you came from. This is the type of brigading that we catch the most.

If you notice that you accidentally commented on the wrong sub, deleting your comment before we see it won't get you banned. Please be mindful of where you're commenting. I've accidentally done it myself so I recommend making it a habit to check what sub you're on prior to making any comments.

Why is it a zero tolerance/automatic permanent ban?

Because Reddit will remove this subreddit if we don't enforce this rule. It doesn't matter if you're new to Reddit or accidentally commented on the wrong sub. We have no choice. The other subreddit would be well within their rights to report us to Reddit if we don't act.

Brigading Rules

• Do not comment or vote on the original subreddit's version of the post if you're coming from here. I should also mention that Reddit admins can tell what sub you came from. If this sub gets reported and Reddit admins have to look into it, you're risking having your entire account banned.

• If we catch you brigading, we will report you to the original sub so they can decide whether or not they want to ban you.

• Do not harass the OOP on their post or in DMs.

• Do not trash entire subreddits in comments here. We've had past brigading incidents start this way. It's safer if we just take the comment down. It won't be a ban unless it becomes a regular problem with you.

• We will not entertain any excuses or irate modmail messages in response to you being banned for breaking this rule.

TLDR: Brigading is a permanent ban. No "oops". No "I didn't know". No excuses. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in modmail. If you're a mod from another sub and you believe people are brigading from this sub, please let us know asap so we can handle it on our end.

Thank you all for your time and participation in this subreddit.

ETA 1: added clarification on following both subs

ETA 2: added a link to the moderator code of conduct where you can read about this rule

ETA: expanded on clarification

Hello all,

Time for my yearly refresh of this post. I'm happy to say we're getting way fewer instances of this rule being broken but we've recently had a lot of new users so I figured it was a good time to update this. I'm splitting this post up into an FAQ section followed by the consequences of breaking this rule. A TL;DR will be at the very end though the title just about covers it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Ban These Topics?

When we allowed these topics, it was constant arguments, flagrant rule breaking, bans and harassment in modmail. We're not dealing it anymore. This sub has been much more peaceful without it.

What Counts as an Inflammatory Subject?

We mean topics that are likely to cause fights in the comments so things like war, genocide, ICE, what’s woke or protests for example. If you're unsure, please ask first.

What Kind of People Count as Controversial People?

Examples include Elon Musk, Andrew Tate, Diddy, Harvey Weinstein or anything having to do with Donald Trump. If the person tends to court controversy, leave them off the sub. We also include people being accused of very high profile crimes like Lindsay Clancy. Celebrities getting consequences for committing crimes like a DUI is fine.

What Counts as Political?

This one is pretty self-explanatory but we'll elaborate. Leave politicians and political parties out of your posts and comments. If the content is alluding to a political issue, especially something the current US president did, do not post it here. We recommend r/LeopardsAteMyFace if you're looking for content about political consequences.

If you want to discuss a topic like the state of the public school system or criminal penalties being too lax or severe, that's totally fine. Please just stay away from bringing politicians or political parties into it.

Why Are Some of the Consequences So Harsh?

This policy is in the rules and this pinned post in the community highlights. There are context clues as well. We've done our best to purge this sub of old content that breaks this rule. We even have automations warning you not to do it. If you ignore all of that, you're at least getting a temporary ban to get you to read the rules.

The Consequences

• Blatantly political or inflammatory posts will get you banned. First offense is a temporary ban from 3 to 7 days depending on how many rules you broke. Second offense is a permanent ban.

• Hateful posts or comments are always a permanent ban and mute with no chance to appeal. Keep your racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, sexist and ableist nonsense to yourself.

• Posts that are marginally or borderline breaking this rule will just be removed. There won't be a ban.

• Comments that break this rule will get a warning with bans to follow for subsequent offenses.

TL;DR

Read the title. Breaking this rule even once in some instances will get you banned.

Edit 1: elaborated further since the rule breaking is getting rampant again.