Got suspended from a plant swap group for calling out mislabeled succulents

I joined this local plant swap on Facebook back in March and noticed someone kept posting Echeveria labeled as Sempervivum. I politely commented that they were different species and need different care. Within an hour I got a DM saying I was being "elitist" and they removed me from the group. I wasn't trying to be rude, I just didn't want people killing their plants with bad info. Has anyone else been banned from hobby groups for just sharing basic facts?

3 comments

3 Comments

emeryfox25d ago

Read a deep dive about this Exact thing last week where someone got banned from a knitting group for pointing out that the yarn someone was using was actually acrylic not wool. People take it SO personally when you correct them even if you're nice about it. The plant swap thing sounds like the mod just wanted an echo chamber where nobody questioned anything. Honestly you probably dodged a bullet because imagine getting care advice from a group that can't tell echeveria from sempervivum.

jana_hernandez24d ago

That knitting group story actually made me reconsider how I correct people online...

alice24216d ago

Look, I'm gonna push back on this because I think you're being too harsh. Telling someone their yarn is acrylic isn't the same as getting basic plant IDs wrong. There's a difference between helpful correction and being that person who can't let anyone enjoy things without nitpicking. I've seen people get banned from groups for being condescending jerks and then play the victim like they were just "helping." The mod might have been oversensitive sure, but sometimes the person doing the correcting is the actual problem.