# Acceptable conduct in the Pit - NON-PIT RULES APPLY **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 17, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615 "2008-12-17T19:33:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/101 "2008-12-18T02:54:16Z")
It’s a very bad idea. If “Non-Pit Rules Apply”, just move the thread out of the Pit. Or create some kind of super-Pit where no rules apply at all, so grown-ups can be grown-up. I’ll moderate it myself - I never get offended. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/102 "2008-12-18T02:55:53Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > I’m not trying to put you off, but this is a side issue. The real problem was the intemperate response to a mod action. No, it’s really not a side issue, The intemporate response was the direct result of a seemingly capricious mod action. The mods have yet to either acknowledge their (Lynn’s) culpability in the response she got, or demonstrate her innocence by explaining the underlying rule she was enforcing. That’s what pisses people off, and why there are so many haters. There are plenty of mod haters, but you need to understand that the mod haters are created by the mod actions. I wasn’t a hater until I wound up on the wrong end of one of these capricious, punitive rule enforcements that only applied to me and only that once. If misleading thread titles are just fine – which they **clearly** are by years of precedent – then Lynn deserved the response she got because she was absolutely in the wrong to throw around her authority the way she did. That’s the core issue; not some stupid rules lawyering “it’s the pit but not the pit start another thread to say the exact same thing or it’s a suspension for you, buster!” clusterfuck of a solution. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/103 "2008-12-18T03:07:05Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Well, **Ed** says this is not the case and I have no reason to think he’s a liar, but my spidey sense is still tingling. There _has_ to be a reason for this ill-conceived attempt to fix something that this long-time Pitizen doesn’t think is even a little broken. **Ed** hasn’t said that financial motivations are not a major consideration in this “Pit cleanup”, just that there wasn’t a brainstorming meeting at which the decision was made, and that no one “directed” him to take action (I had not suggested that he was told to do this). Another analogy: this mini-foofle reminds me of the case of a high school newspaper whose stories rankled the administration, and as a result the principal or other administrator decided to take over the reins as editor (“not to stifle dissent but to assure professionalism”). :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/104 "2008-12-18T03:10:09Z")
I don’t think this is going to go well at all. I Like the pit just as it is thank you. If you really have a problem, why not lock the thread in “time-out” for 12 hrs or so. by that time it will have probably fallen to the bottom of the page and cooler heads prevailed. If if starts back up as hot as ever, then close the damn thing and be done with it. I don’t like the idea that I have to walk on eggshells in the Pit now, I have a hard enough time keeping track of the rules in the other fora. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/105 "2008-12-18T03:16:36Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > How did we survive until now without this basic fire prevention? Ask someone who was banned due to a trainwreck or unwarranted pile on. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/106 "2008-12-18T03:16:53Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > **Ed** hasn’t said that financial motivations are not a major consideration in this “Pit cleanup”, just that there wasn’t a brainstorming meeting at which the decision was made, and that no one “directed” him to take action (I had not suggested that he was told to do this). True enough. > [@](#): > > Another analogy: this mini-foofle reminds me of the case of a high school newspaper whose stories rankled the administration, and as a result the principal or other administrator decided to take over the reins as editor (“not to stifle dissent but to assure professionalism”). > > :dubious: Yes, that pretty accurately describes the feeling I’m getting, too. ETA: It’s not a good feeling. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/107 "2008-12-18T03:26:53Z")
> [@emilyforce](#): > > OK, but can’t the mods hose 'em down \*without \*a change of rules in the middle of a thread? If the rule is always “mind the mods” even in the Pit, and as far as I know it is, is a new rule needed? It would help if we Dopers didn’t have trouble with guidelines, or try to get TPTB to specify what “don’t be a jerk” means. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/108 "2008-12-18T03:39:09Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > No, it’s really not a side issue, The intemporate response was the direct result of a seemingly capricious mod action. > > The mods have yet to either acknowledge their (Lynn’s) culpability in the response she got, or demonstrate her innocence by explaining the underlying rule she was enforcing. > > That’s what pisses people off, and why there are so many haters. There are plenty of mod haters, but you need to understand that the mod haters are created by the mod actions. I wasn’t a hater until I wound up on the wrong end of one of these capricious, punitive rule enforcements that only applied to me and only that once. > > If misleading thread titles are just fine – which they **clearly** are by years of precedent – then Lynn deserved the response she got because she was absolutely in the wrong to throw around her authority the way she did. That’s the core issue; not some stupid rules lawyering “it’s the pit but not the pit start another thread to say the exact same thing or it’s a suspension for you, buster!” clusterfuck of a solution. Please, let’s keep it civil. I want to be clear about this: The SDMB is a free message board and you are our guest here. We’ve established what we think are commonsense rules and we expect people to abide by them. The rules are enforced by volunteer staff. The staff confers frequently by e-mail about board issues and we strive to be as fair as we can. Inevitably, however, there is going to be some variation in how stringently the rules are enforced. If you think you have been singled out for unfair treatment please e-mail me the details and I’ll look into it. However, and this is the essential point, the fact that you disagree with a mod action does not entitle you to respond abusively. To repeat: **If you wish to take issue with a mod’s admonition in a thread, you may do so, but failing to comply or posting an insulting or abusive response risks disciplinary action, ranging from warning to outright banning.** This is one of our cardinal rules. If you can’t live with it, the SDMB is not the place for you. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/109 "2008-12-18T03:47:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > **Ed** hasn’t said that financial motivations are not a major consideration in this “Pit cleanup”, just that there wasn’t a brainstorming meeting at which the decision was made, and that no one “directed” him to take action (I had not suggested that he was told to do this). Let me state it more plainly: Financial considerations played no role in any of this. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/110 "2008-12-18T03:57:03Z")
Has it escaped everyone’s notice that this is the _Chicago Reader_ we’re talking about? Chicago, Illinois?. And I’d just like to point out that the Obama camp has not denied any involvement. Just sayin’, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/111 "2008-12-18T04:09:23Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Has it escaped everyone’s notice that this is the _Chicago Reader_ we’re talking about? Chicago, Illinois?. And I’d just like to point out that the Obama camp has not denied any involvement. Goddamn Blagojevich. Frickin looney tune opened his mouth and now we can’t get away with jack. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/112 "2008-12-18T04:10:17Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Goddamn Blagojevich. Frickin looney tune opened his mouth and now we can’t get away with jack. :eek: Are we allowed to swear like that under NPR? ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/113 "2008-12-18T04:21:30Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Please, let’s keep it civil. I’m really confused. You quoted a post that seemed pretty civil to me. It had a few swear words, so I was going to ask if being civil meant no swear words. But then you proceeded to swear. So what does keeping it civil mean? I’m entirely unclear about what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable here. Perhaps some examples would help. Or maybe hypotheticals or something. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/114 "2008-12-18T04:54:45Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > I’m really confused. You quoted a post that seemed pretty civil to me. It had a few swear words, so I was going to ask if being civil meant no swear words. But then you proceeded to swear. So what does keeping it civil mean? > > I’m entirely unclear about what’s acceptable and what’s unacceptable here. Perhaps some examples would help. Or maybe hypotheticals or something. You guys, come _on_. Let’s not get paranoid. Fella looked like he was working up a big head of steam, just trying to head things off. As for swearing, “frickin” and “jack” are euphemisms on a par with “gol-derned,” and “goddamn” might have gotten you three Hail Marys if you confessed it to the priest back in 1958. Anyway, I’m calling it a night, so everybody be nice. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/115 "2008-12-18T04:59:50Z")
> [@emilyforce](#): > > :eek: Are we allowed to swear like that under NPR? Since we are allowed to cuss in all other forums (as this is an Adult MB), I’m guessing that generic cussing in a NPRA thread is okay. Words are just words – it’s all about how they’re put together in a sentence to convey a meaning. Christ, people, if fewer of you would stop going out of your way to be a pain in a moderators ass, the rest of us wouldn’t have to slog through this thread trying to seperate the wheat from the chaff. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/116 "2008-12-18T05:02:14Z")
I think Ed is post-padding in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/117 "2008-12-18T05:03:46Z")
> [@MadPansy64](#): > > Christ, people, if fewer of you would stop going out of your way to be a pain in a moderators ass, the rest of us wouldn’t have to slog through this thread trying to seperate the wheat from the chaff. I used a smiley 'cause I was trying to be silly, silly. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/118 "2008-12-18T05:09:25Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I agree with **Jack** on the whole “non-pit rules” thing. I think it’s going to lead to a lot more suspensions and bannings in the long run, as posters who get that worked up are going to have a lot of trouble ratcheting things back to acceptable levels. I think it would be a better idea, if a thread has gotten that out-of-hand, to just close the thread down. > > I’m on-board with the rule about not abusing mods for their official mod actions, though. I just started to read this thread, but **Miller’s** idea here seems to be a much better one. ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/119 "2008-12-18T05:20:23Z")
> [@emilyforce](#): > > I used a smiley 'cause I was trying to be silly, silly. No, seriously, not you. I quoted your post because the naughty word thing seems to be an issue here lately. I _got_ the smiley, assumed we’re on the same side, used your post, and then realized it’s the Dope, where someone (not YOU, anyother reader) could take offense and go apeshit, so I added the ETA. Hugs to **Emilyforce** , everyone else can bugger off. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615/120 "2008-12-18T05:21:49Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I am also interested in this, since, so far as I can tell, my question in the original thread has remained unanswered. What is the new rule with regard to thread titles’ accuracy, and how, if at all, is it different than the “old” rule? (That is, the rule under which **Lynn** ’s admonishment was issued? Dude, when are you gonna learn how things work around here? They have no time for intelligent, courteous questions. Say something stupid, obnoxious, and/or easily dismissable and you’ll get an answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acceptable-conduct-in-the-pit-non-pit-rules-apply/477615.md?page=7)