# A humble suggestion/idea... **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 8, 2019, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562 "2019-12-08T19:42:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/21 "2019-12-09T06:59:07Z")
And to all the trolls who will say, well, don’t let the door hit you on the way out, I will come back in to say “Fuck you troll!” ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/22 "2019-12-09T07:03:49Z")
Or to all the trolls, like “Octoupus”, very convenient timing on your part, troll, when you did join, I am honestely surpised the mods diddn’t figure out your timining, of you banning and then trollingm I gues the mods are kind of dumb. But the mods like to play dumb in the face of fairness? Which is what you exploite. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/23 "2019-12-09T07:05:20Z")
Or to all the trolls, like “Octoupus”, very convenient timing on your part, troll, when you did join, I am honestely surpised the mods diddn’t figure out your timining, of you banning and then trollingm I gues the mods are kind of dumb. But the mods like to play dumb in the face of fairness? Which is what you exploite. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/24 "2019-12-09T07:06:38Z")
**Moderator Warning** > [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > (snip) > Fuck you all, > > this is me, > > fuck you! This is an official warning for inappropriate behavior. I am also giving you a three day suspension since you obviously need some time to cool down. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/25 "2019-12-09T10:01:51Z")
Well, that was probably the most entertaining and comprehensive suicide-by-mod I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/26 "2019-12-09T12:31:25Z")
Can’t say that I’ll miss him ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/27 "2019-12-09T12:42:31Z")
**Moderator Note** Let’s not talk about people who are currently suspended and are therefore unable to speak for themselves. Return to the original topic of this thread, please. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/28 "2019-12-09T13:21:37Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > But I think those threads have completely legit purpose. Sometimes “freely discussing” means “hijacking from what the OP intended/wanted.” An OP should be allowed to steer and control the discussion, within certain parameters. If someone is discussing female genital mutilation (an oft-debated human rights issue,) it is perfectly fair for them to say “I don’t want any discussion of male circumcision; that’s totally different and off-topic.” Even with a topic like female genital mutilation, i think there _does_ exist a small but relevant window for male circumcision to be brought _carefully_ and with surgical precision into the conversation. Maybe this possibility has forever been killed here at the Dope because of a few fuckheads who have axes to grind. If so thats a shame. But in an ideal, cerebral discussion of the matter, careful, timely and respectful introduction of some of the more salient points of male circumcision could help color the issue of FGM in a way that only helps further understanding. IMHO at least. Nothing even remotely similar to the shitshows we’ve seen here. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/29 "2019-12-09T13:44:04Z")
Btw, the idea in the OP wont work. Lets say Trump is caught on video sacrificing mexican babies to a effigy of Ivanka. And lets further speculate that the first person here who gets wind of it posts in the “Civil Discussions only” forum. This would make any other forums unable to host any threads on the subject. That wouldnt sit well. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/30 "2019-12-09T16:09:40Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Even with a topic like female genital mutilation, i think there _does_ exist a small but relevant window for male circumcision to be brought _carefully_ and with surgical precision into the conversation. … Cute. And yes, what has to be be stopped is the divergence of the conversation into one that is only tangentially related and the subject of the thread. And the op’s take on that while not of sole importance should be taken into serious consideration. They should not be considered as Jr Modding when they request that it stay on the subject and the mods should respect the request and enforce it unless it is unreasonable. There clearly are some subjects that _if_ they are to be discussed at all, and I hope many of them can be, need a high level of mod involvement and facilitation to keep discourse civil, to block out JAQing and trolling, and to keep actual discussion possible and tempers down. A whole forum to that level of moderation facilitation and patrol though? No. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/31 "2019-12-09T17:15:15Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Cute. Holy shit. I guess the best puns are the (no puns intended) type haha. I did not even realize what i had written! My conscious mind would like to take credit for that but it would be dishonest to do so. That was all mr. Subconscious’s work. The bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/32 "2019-12-09T17:18:35Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Btw, the idea in the OP wont work. Lets say Trump is caught on video sacrificing mexican babies to a effigy of Ivanka. And lets further speculate that the first person here who gets wind of it posts in the “Civil Discussions only” forum. This would make any other forums unable to host any threads on the subject. That wouldnt sit well. Sort of what I stated in post #5. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/33 "2019-12-09T21:12:38Z")
On the contrary. It might actually be interesting to allow two different threads (one civil and the other one uncivil) on the same topic to unfold and see which of the two can bring more value to the board. It may finally start fighting ignorance effectively. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/34 "2019-12-09T21:17:31Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > On the contrary. It might actually be interesting to allow two different threads (one civil and the other one uncivil) on the same topic to unfold and see which of the two can bring more value to the board. It may finally start fighting ignorance effectively. But thats not whats being proposed, is it? I think _this_ idea has some merit but i was under the impression that whatever issue the “civil” forum got a hold of first was only allowed to be discussed in that forum. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/35 "2019-12-09T21:23:50Z")
> [@Dead\_Cat](#): > > Well, that was probably the most entertaining and comprehensive suicide-by-mod I’ve ever seen. It was only a suspension. Also I apparently need to learn what trolling is. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/36 "2019-12-09T21:37:11Z")
The problem with “no emotionally charged language” is that if boases the discussion toward the person holding the scalpel, not the person being cut. If we are talking about sexual assault and someone brings up their own experiences, it’s going to be emotionally charged. If we are talking about food stamps, medical care, education . . .people who have had important experiences are going to be emotionally charged. The “Marquis of Queensbury” rules work when the topic under discussion is purely an intellectual exercise. But as a wise man said, Boys pop frogs in fun, but the frogs, they die in earnest. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/37 "2019-12-09T22:54:04Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > The problem with “no emotionally charged language” is that if boases the discussion toward the person holding the scalpel, not the person being cut. If we are talking about sexual assault and someone brings up their own experiences, it’s going to be emotionally charged. If we are talking about food stamps, medical care, education . . .people who have had important experiences are going to be emotionally charged. > > The “Marquis of Queensbury” rules work when the topic under discussion is purely an intellectual exercise. But as a wise man said, Boys pop frogs in fun, but the frogs, they die in earnest. People shouldn’t bring up their own experiences in a debate unless they can demonstrate that their experience is shared by a statistically significant number of people. If they can do that, they might as well just cite the statistics. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/38 "2019-12-09T23:34:28Z")
It cannot be overstated that this is a terrible idea. The trolls will always be cool, calm and collected since they don’t have any actual skin in the game; people with actual experience, with interesting or valuable contributions will be much more emotional. Their righteous anger will draw all the mod’s fire. It would be “sealion”heaven. Hell, the board is like that already. ---
**Author:** ![atimnie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atimnie/32/11_2.png) [@atimnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atimnie)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/39 "2019-12-09T23:44:45Z")
_People shouldn’t bring up their own experiences in a debate unless they can demonstrate that their experience is shared by a statistically significant number of people. If they can do that, they might as well just cite the statistics._ No. If your personal experience is relevant to the conversation, it should be part of the conversation. Leaving that out of the conversation is nothing less than mental masturbation. A good conversation… and that’s what we’re talking about here, not a formal debate… should include everything relevant to the conversation, and this includes personal experience. As for debate vs conversation and discussion, is formal debate even possible in a forum like this? Every online “debate” I’ve seen is just a discussion. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562/40 "2019-12-10T00:10:08Z")
> [@atimnie](#): > > _People shouldn’t bring up their own experiences in a debate unless they can demonstrate that their experience is shared by a statistically significant number of people. If they can do that, they might as well just cite the statistics._ > > No. If your personal experience is relevant to the conversation, it should be part of the conversation. Leaving that out of the conversation is nothing less than mental masturbation. A good conversation… and that’s what we’re talking about here, not a formal debate… should include everything relevant to the conversation, and this includes personal experience. > > As for debate vs conversation and discussion, is formal debate even possible in a forum like this? Every online “debate” I’ve seen is just a discussion. In my opinion, it depends on the forum. Personal experiences aren’t factual answers, so don’t really belong in GQ. I’d prefer if they weren’t in GD either. IMHO, MPSIMS, Café Society, the Pit, have at it with the “personal experiences”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-humble-suggestion-idea/844562.md?page=3)