How many chances does someone get in this life, how many should they get? How many times can someone be told and then say they 'didn't know' before they get labelled untrustworthy? How long can a community put up with them when they have done all in their power to help only to find that the help provided was *again* used poorly? When does an addict get cut off? 

![wrecked (1 of 1).jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1521289582/skm9hkqa7dnmyimkfgj3.jpg)

I was watching a conversation before where someone was begging someone else for upvotes and asking why that person isn't supporting them anymore. This is a similar conversation I have watched from the same person maybe 4 weeks ago. 

At that time, I called him on it as he was complaining about the drop in prices and how he hadn't been told how the platform worked. I called him on that because about 4 weeks before that, I had explained in detail exactly how the things he was now complaining about worked. This was about 4 weeks after he came onto the platform and got some advice and support on exactly the same issues again.

Today, someone else called him out for his begging behaviour and as I observed him raise his anger as he felt 'victimised', I decided to have a look at his wallet. Last time he was complaining, a few people supported him and he got a decent payout. 7 days later, it got taken off platform again. 

There is nothing wrong with this as it is his earnings *except* that was exactly what he said he wasn't going to do *this time* as now he *'understood'* what was required for him to get what he wanted. People upvoted him on the assumption he had learned. Why would anyone trust when he seems to just say what is needed to get the support in the moment?

Now, it is his earnings but, he was supported under certain assumptions. People have invested a great deal of time and effort into helping him understand many things (literally hours) yet, his behaviour hasn't shifted. In my opinion, he should be cutoff like any addict otherwise we are enablers. This is the same for the link-droppers and spammers too. Enabling them isn't helping them, it is supporting their poor actions by being their crutch and in time, it will harm them, as well as us.

Yesterday I wrote a piece about long-term investors and users [pruning away the extractors](https://steemit.com/steemit/@tarazkp/the-thick-and-thin-prune-the-dead-wood) from our follow feeds and those who do not have community thinking in their approach. What would happen if people actually did this, would it change the platform? People do seem to notice when their support drops away but, do they consider why it drops away?

The community is actually relatively forgiving when it comes to poor behaviours but I wonder how forgiving we should be and, how many times one person can be forgiven. There are a few people who have repeatedly been caught in *heavily* compromising behaviours yet, they continue onto the next one supported. Am I missing something?

There is a certain amount of social proof required for a community to act as one so turning a blind eye means to lower the chance of response. What I have noticed though lately is that more and more people are waking up to these negative types of behaviours and speaking out against them. Is this a good thing? I think so.

The reason I think that speaking against negative behaviours is good is that it makes us think about our own behaviours and perhaps we can recognise aspects and adjust ourselves *before* we are acting similarly. Of course, it isn't always fun to think or read about yet, it may be necessary.

We all make various mistakes but if there is no cost to them and no cost in repeating them, why would we change? If we are witnessing others benefit from the same actions, why wouldn't we follow? 

Almost without exception, we all want what is best for the platform in the long term so that we as individuals can benefit. What we do now is vital for that future but it is not only our behaviours that affect it as who and how we support the behaviours of others is just as important. 

Do you ever ask yourself why you support who you do?

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]