Maybe we should change the rules here
Some rules should definitely be changed, but until they are I don't think staff members ought to be encouraging people to break them--even if they think the rules are futile or unfair or unenforceable. The rules are still the rules, and when I tag an account that's an alt of one that got banned for plagiarism, I don't want to hear them tell me a staff member said it was OK to have other accounts. Until the rules change, it's not OK.
Please, I respectfully beseech you to stop
recommending plagiarists create alt accounts. Even if you know it happens, you are a staff member here and people (especially low-ranked accounts) look to you as a role model and listen to what you say. Theymos should come up with more rules, different ones, or better ways to enforce the existing ones, but we're stuck with what we've got. Trusted staff members, DT members, and everyone else shouldn't be encouraging other members to break rules.
I'm just saying it like it is and being honest. You can consider it a form of protest and I think numerous things should be changed here and nothing will ever change if we just keep quiet. If we'd have just stayed silent on the activity for Newbies requirement then that would have likely never happened but if the rules aren't going to be enforced then I'm not going to pretend that they are. It really doesn't matter what I tell them and I don't think I've said it's
ok; I've just said nothing will be done about it by staff/admins, which is true. If nothing is going to be done about certain things then then rules should be changed and it would be better for everyone and less hassle for staff. I think if we use the logic that we allow account sales and scams to happen (or not moderate them) because it's ineffective and too time consuming to do so then the same should be done for ban evasion (if it's not being enforced, which it currently isn't).