As a moderator of a large (400k+ members) Discord, I can confirm that Discord has specifically told members of the partner program to remove words such as retard. I've never heard of a server being banned for it, but not allowing retard and the like has been a policy for more than a year now.

Because it's a public server, which means Discord feel it reflects on them as a business to be hosting hostile communities.

You can say whatever you want in a closed, private discord group. Discord isn't going to care if it's a server with a dozen users who are all close friends. It's when you go posting invite links everywhere and get a community in the thousands that Discord start taking an interest and enforcing their brand protection.

Interesting timing for the ban, I would point out.

I agree, it is indeed very curious timing. But lets apply Occam's razor here. What makes more sense?

A cabal of rich people pressuring an unrelated gaming chat company to ban a subreddit which is attempting to destroy a hedge fund?

OR

The increased popularity of WSB leads to increased scrutiny of everything associated with it and discord has a brand to protect?

I'm gonna go with A).

It's simpler to just ring a friend of a friend than to worry about WSB Discord rn. At this exact point in time.

> friend of a friend

there is no proof that this connection exists

I'd bet my house all the CEOs and Wallstreet have less than four degrees of separation between each other.

>Why is WSB different?

Because they annoy the "rich and powerful".