Permanent, huh? For calling someone a 'prick'? Or is it because y'all just don't like my tone? Though I'd imagine there are more than enough reasons to justify it. This came far too late and after-the-fact for it to be something you didn't discuss internally. I imagine it has something to do with /u/throwaway_4609970616 private message which I'm willing to bet money is /u/scornfullifeblood041's alias. They're both heavy users with overlapping interests, existence periods, moderator skillsets, and appear to serve entirely different purposes as accounts. It's what I would do if I was a moderator with a loudmouth like me starting dumpster fires in their comment sections, approach them as an empathetic equal. I had a strong feeling this was going to be the outcome when I responded.

Oh well. Here are the reasons why I feel this subreddit will wither over the next couple months--and no, they have nothing to do with me nor this ban. Though I do feel the ban is a symptom...

Frequency of locked discussions are spiking dramatically. This is because of the untenable position your team has taken on politics and economics as separate discussion topics. There is no difference, folks. Economics is the distribution of resources within a society, and politics is the distribution of power within a society. The two overlap, yeah? You can't discuss one without the other because you can't change one without the other.

There is a significant divide within your user base. You've got the libertarians--the old guard who've been around forever (and probably make up many of your numbers)--and you've got the quasi-Marxist newbies. The latter group has eclipsed the former, by a lot, and as the ratio worsens, the frequency of locked discussion will continue to increase.

People are pissed and want recognition. That's the anger I tapped into, yeah? It's real. The old guard belittles and dismisses newbies complaints, enforcing the existing status-quo by restricting the discussion to Keynesian economics. This is a myopic restriction, akin to mandating that the only legitimate form of philosophic discussion follows the Socratic method. It's ONE form of discussion, maybe even the best, but hardly the only one, and the constant dismissal feeds into the rage, exacerbating Problem One and Two.

Discussions are bland, repetitive, and unremarkable. The format is a mosh-pit, guys. Recognize it. Share a news article, read, dive into the comments: that's the barrier to entry. You've got a divided user base, rising anger, and limitations on discussions which follow arbitrary guidelines set by an all-powerful and ever-silent moderator team. Of course a mosh-pit format is going to result in an angry mob. It's going to happen every, single time until you manage to alleviate Problems One-through-Three.

And there's lots of solutions. Right off the top of my head: pinned discussions where the topic is clearly defined and the boundaries firmly set, then enforced. Maybe something like /r/History where the users with actual economic experience receive specialized flair, lending them legitimacy through education. Maybe user-restricted discussions where a gaggle of educated elites discuss the topic between themselves, then restrict user responses to a 'peanut gallery' in another thread. That way people can throw mud to their heart's content.

You want this sub to be about economics? Then make it about economics. The moderators team is losing legitimacy. You can feel it. I know you can. Take the steps to evolve the subreddit to better reflect its current makeup or watch as the community fractures and dissolves. The old guard will leave because they know they're in the minority, and the newbies won't stick around because the forum isn't allowing them to discuss the topics they care about.

Anyway. That's my two-cents.

Here's my concession: you're right, personal attacks aren't helpful nor productive (even if they're super cathartic to write). Shave the 'lifetime' ban to something reasonable, like two weeks or a month, and I'll spend the time shaving off the sharper edges of my personality. When I come back I'll refrain from violating Rule IV.