I know that personal insults are verbotten here. Like I can’t call anyone “an idiot” or “stupid”. Can I call anyone “fat”? I did not see her. Can I call anyone by her professional name, like “moderator”? Perceived/guessed pro name, like “doctor” or “lawyer”? Or by perceived sexual preference, like “blondelover”, or “goatlover”, or “motherfucker”, or “gay”?
Is there a list of forbidden terms? Or does it all depends of the context? Or “each case is diffrerent” and up to the watching mod’s judgement?
Personally, I’ll follow any instructions. I’m just new, and do not know how to deal with anonymous people at a (safe) distance. Can I use the same standards as I use in-face-to-face situations? Or “by hard copy correspondence”?
But then we are all different, and there are many here whom I’d never invite to my home. Here anyone can talk to “me”.
Just the opinion of a poster, not of the administration, but I think that you should avoid saying anything personal about a poster (outside of the Pit). You can certainly disagree with someone’s statements without having to label the person themselves.
If you are unsure if a post will violate the rules, don’t post it. Reword it. There are always other ways to say things, so don’t fool yourself thinking that you are somehow stifled by having to hold back on personal comments.
Actually, even in the Pit it isn’t always okay to call someone names. I’m not entirely sure what the cut-off is or if there’s a George Carlin-esque list of the seven names you can’t call anyone but I know there are a few that the Mods will not allow.
It’s certainly a gray area, but there are some things you shouldn’t do. Personal insults are a no-no ANYwhere, even in the Pit (for instance, I can’t make fun of your poetry or your penis-size simply because you disagree with me). The general idea in the Pit is to comment on someone else’s actions, occasionally with profanity thrown-in to emphasize the point.
Other places, like in GD, profanity is kept to a minimum (the occasional “shit” is acceptable, just don’t make a habit of it, that sort of thing). Attacks of any kind are unacceptable.
I remember someone being admonished for calling another a c**t in the pit. Now, I admit, I’ve gotten away with some rather nasty things in the past, in AND out of the Pit. There has been some tightening of the reigns, but all was forseen and expected what with growth and problems and such. Nothing to worry about, I suppose. We’ve passed the “Wild West” and are steaming towards the flappers, I suppose.
I’m talking not even about gray areas. I’m talking about “greyish” and slightly off color areas. E.g., I may say: :…as was seen in some idiotic posts here." Another SDopper may take it pesonally. Or if I chastise lawyers, or doctors, or postal workers, or politicians, or … you name them, and a poster belongs to one of the categories and feels offended? Or if I use “midget” or “dwarf”, some people now (in real life) take it as verbal assault and insist on “little people” or “vertically challanged people” or something equally ridiculous. Never mind that “Dwarf star” is an old astronomical term.
I don’t want to insult or inflame anyone and understand that nothing can be legislated to the letter, but I do not want to feel “under the lupe” and be always in fear of saying something PI or across the lines (i.e. not along the lines). Besides, there are many non-native English speakers, for whom political subtleties might be too much.
So, I appeal to the mods’ common sense and feel of balance. Using WTF every other word, even in initialixed form, as here, is not justified. WTH is a good substitute. Saying short English “fu*k” instead of long “sexual intercourse” may be occasionally allowed, but most people refrain from using interjective “shit” in daily business meetings. Personally, I can stand all these terms and personal insults, but many may object to both and I, for one, will respect their desires. I can use whatever I want to in my private email, without asking any permissions.
