I saw that this morning. I must admit, coffee came out my nose - however; I am still confused on how you tell that you are In Before The ZOT...is there some sort of sign (other than VK's and bombs and stuff)?!?!
Usually the mods pull the thread and retitle it. If you get in before that, the poster hasn't been banned. Sometimes they let the poor schmuck live a bit longer to twist under the scorn.
This one got banned between posts 6 and 9 as near as I can figure, I was trying to reprimand dead for that Hillary pic and got the "This Thread Pulled" screen.
Once the Mods change the title post to indicate Zot fodder you are in after the Zot.
If you reply before the title change then you are in before the Zot.