# Can Free Thought Forums survive without rules that restrict free thought? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 8, 2003, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238 "2003-09-08T05:26:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 8, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/21 "2003-09-08T22:01:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blessedwolf \* > how about “shut the fuck up about it already!” Careful. You’re oppressing him. ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/22 "2003-09-08T22:03:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*Careful. You’re oppressing him. \*\* It’s allowed. I’m a fascist.😃 ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/23 "2003-09-08T22:10:51Z")
Can an agnostic liberal jump in and help oppress him too? Can I? Please??? I’ll hold him down while you kick him! Better yet: You douse him in fish oil and catnip flakes, and I’ll cry havoc and let slip the cats of war. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/24 "2003-09-09T00:13:19Z")
(As if this argument is one that hasn’t been floated a million times, to a million others …) **Milum** , I say this with no animosity, but if this place sucks so much, why don’t you just leave and not post here any more? I don’t mean to say that I want you to leave, I only mean to say that it doesn’t matter to me one way or another. But if the board as a whole is so fucking aggravating to you … why frequent it? It makes no sense. Why torture yourself? Are like, an idealogical flagellant or something? ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/25 "2003-09-09T00:29:45Z")
Just curious-- what’s to stop **december** , or any banned poster, from signing up as a new poster? How do we know he hasn’t? Is it allowed for a banned poster to re-sign up? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/26 "2003-09-09T00:42:25Z")
No. Sock. Sock not allowed. Of course it happens, but ya ain’t s’posed ta. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/27 "2003-09-09T01:01:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I Love Me, Vol. I \* > \*\*Just curious-- what’s to stop **december** , or any banned poster, from signing up as a new poster? How do we know he hasn’t? Is it allowed for a banned poster to re-sign up? \*\* That’s what’s known as a “sock puppet,” and it’s a big, big board no-no. It’s grounds for instant banning of all associated screen names with no warning. The mods can track IP address to tell if two supposedly unrelated screennames are posting from the same computer, and can block anyone from that IP from registering and posting to the boards. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/28 "2003-09-09T04:09:47Z")
Oh, and am I the only one who is sick of **december** being described as an “old man”? As in, “poor old man, why are you picking on him?” He said he was 59, I believe. That is NOT fucking old, okay? I could see if he were say, oh, 90? But 59? Nope. Not gonna work. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2003, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238/29 "2003-09-09T10:59:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > He said he was 59, I believe. That is NOT fucking old, okay? Physical age and mental age are quite separate and one can be old and senile at 59. It seems he was quite precocious. I was quite precocious myself and was a dirty old man already by age 25. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-free-thought-forums-survive-without-rules-that-restrict-free-thought/200238.md?page=1)