Just wondering. 
I remember one where a US uniform serving in Iraq decided to be honest about why they were there.
There might have been, but I don’t recall too many just for a topic. Of course there have been many meltdowns where an OP in the pit ended up getting themselves banned.
More than a few, in fact.
Generally speaking, people wouldn’t be banned for opening a thread on a particular topic, however unpleasant or insulting – banning is usually for unacceptable behavior, rather than choice of discussion topic. Was that what you were asking?
The exceptions would be someone opening a Pit thread that was blatantly hate-speech (racist, gay-bashing, calling for death or physical harm, that sort of thing), someone advocating some illegal action, etc. I can’t recollect any real poster banned specifically for that sort of thing, but we have had a few drive-by racists over the years who pop into the Pit, post something that’s over the line, and get banned… but they weren’t here seriously, anyhow
Is gender-bashing on the list of hate speech?
Geez, NO! If that were the case half of us would be gone for bashin’ the womenfolk and the other half banned for menfolk bashin’ and the SDMB would vanish from the knowledge of elves and men.
PS, Zoe: How 'bout them Tigers?
The thread I recall was hate speech. On second thoughts I won’t search for it. Why give it a second airing? (plus the search function’s a bugger to use).
As with anything, it depends on what’s said. There are statements that may be inherently racist (for example) but still not qualify as “hate speech.” I probably shouldn’t have used “gay-bashing” as an example in my earlier post, but I couldn’t think of a word for it. Merely being insulting (especially if it’s humorous) is not “hate speech.”
There are people advocating violence based on gender-orientation, on race, or religion, etc. and those are the people we don’t want spouting off here. So far as I’m aware, there aren’t people advocating violence based merely on biological gender.
You obviously haven’t talked to some of the hardcore radical men-hating groups that my sister the lesbian (who has no problem with men per se, she just doesn’t wanna have sex with them, same as me) knows.
C K Dexter Haven: There’s nothing, regardless of how trivial or out of the individual’s control it is*, that hasn’t been used to justify violence.
*(Or, as is often the case, both.)
Well, agreed, Derleth, but if we follow that to its logical conclusion, there would be no statement that anyone could make on these message boards that couldn’t be used to “justify” violence. We have to draw a line somewhere, between encouraging free speech and the free exchange of ideas, and yet not condoning violation of laws, violence, etc.
I am reminded of the joke that is free of religious bigotry that starts, “A man and a man and a man were walking down the street…”
Stop these gender-based stereotypes! Try the joke about, “A person, a person and a person walked into a bar …”
Must you insult the disabled with your pro-limb stereotypes? It’s “A person, a person and a person moved into a bar…”
And the bartender says, “What is this, some kind of a joke?”
Must you be so insensitive to the alcoholics in our midst?
“A person, a person and a person moved into a non-alcoholic beverage serving establishment…”
Why must there be servers and servees? Please refrain from your class-based bigotry.
“Three people discussed appropriate proletarian leisure activities. Gentle humor was found to be not inconsistent with the goals of the party.”
Indulging in leisure is a borgeouis activity! It steals food from the mouths of the people!
The joke actually goes:
“Three proletarian heroes/heroines moved by any means necessary into a factory canteen while discussing the best way to enhance their labor in tractor production in order to serve the nation by increasing grain harvests. They smiled gently at their productivity while they gazed into a bright future.”
I demand you perform a self-criticism.
Going into a factory canteen to waste time eating is hardly consistent with enhancing labour.
Also I don’t like the self-congratulatory implications of people smiling about their productivity levels.
“Three proletarian heroes/heroines ate their simple home-made (but nutritious) sandwiches in 2 minutes flat while discussing the best way to enhance their labor in tractor production in order to serve the nation by increasing grain harvests. They grimaced silently at their poor productivity while vowing to do better in serving their beloved nation.”
Sometimes I am so focussed on the task at hand that I work through lunch.