# Dear Ed Zotti. Re: Restrictive Language. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 29, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685 "2011-12-29T00:40:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dennis\_Arthur\_PERRETT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3e96dc/32.png) [@Dennis\_Arthur\_PERRETT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dennis_Arthur_PERRETT)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/1 "2011-12-29T00:40:15Z")
Dear Ed Zotti, Just been skimming over your restrictive language warning dated 3/3/2009. Request for a Duel Page. As a person who lives among the working classes, and am proud of that fact, sometimes I am proned merely by birth right to suffer from “foot in mouth disease” and let out the odd piece off colourful language here and there and; also, as a person who sometimes confronts others who I have deemed, even if ever so slightly, to have “paid me out” so I “pay them back” with a little stronger language than is necessary; is it not fair to request, say that if the situation does get out of hand and two people are going at each others throats and the moderator steps in to say “break it up!!!”, a page in the BBQ pit where the opposing elements could spit it all out, have their sling match, shake hands, and depart on reasonably good terms? You know, as long as its not overtly racist or callous to the point of evil or any thing like that, I think it would be a better idea than a severe warning or banning some poor sod with good intentions but bad dictionary sense. There could be rules like no swearing, no slander,et cetera. It could be done in good taste like a contest of smartass (winner) versus dumbass (loser) kind of thing and all the other dopers could have a vote on who is the winner. My suggestion would be have a Five for Five shot where the challenger goes first with a comment to be followed with a right of reply from the other. At the end of the ten comments its put to the people to decide for the day and whammo: Game Over! If the beef continues then comes the warnings and bannings. What do you reckon Ed? What do you reckon fellow dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/2 "2011-12-29T00:45:11Z")
Reported for forum change. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/3 "2011-12-29T00:45:55Z")
I reckon this will not go well. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/4 "2011-12-29T00:51:13Z")
Discussions of board policy go in About This Message Board rather than the BBQ Pit. Moved. Colibri ---
**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 29, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/5 "2011-12-29T00:51:32Z")
Insult games? I don’t think that is a good idea for the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/6 "2011-12-29T00:57:23Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Insult games? I don’t think that is a good idea for the Pit. Why, you . . . ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/7 "2011-12-29T00:57:57Z")
What you’re describing is pretty much what we already have in the Pit. Private one-on-one conversations don’t really work on a message board, but you can have them through email or private messages. People can post their opinions about who won or lost an argument, but I don’t think we want to get into the business of making it an official contest. ---
**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 29, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/8 "2011-12-29T01:00:43Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Why, you . . . Let me finish. I don’t think it’s a good idea for the Pit because I’d hate to see you cry like a baby. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/9 "2011-12-29T01:01:53Z")
> [@Dennis\_Arthur\_PERRETT](#): > > Request for a Duel Page. I think a Duel Page would be like the BBQ Pit, but with lots of rules. And I think we don’t need any stinking rules: no holds barred (except for Ed’s squeamishness about certain language) and anyone joining in the fight if they want to works well. What’s more, we don’t need winners or losers, partly because on some kinds of issues neither side will want to concede that they’ve lost. > [@](#): > > For when the One Great Scorer > comes to mark against your name, > He writes—not that you won or lost— > but how you played the game. (except that a lot of us don’t believe in that “One Great Scorer”.) ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/10 "2011-12-29T01:05:41Z")
If every post had to be in the form of a Yo Mamma joke I could get behind this. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/11 "2011-12-29T01:06:44Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Let me finish. > I don’t think it’s a good idea for the Pit because I’d hate to see you cry like a baby. 😃 Why, you . . . ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/12 "2011-12-29T01:08:16Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > What’s more, we don’t need winners or losers, partly because on some kinds of issues neither side will want to concede that they’ve lost. Hah! Nonsense. Why, even here in ATMB, my logic and good sense has already pounded **Czarcasm** into the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/13 "2011-12-29T01:11:24Z")
It’s like **Wildest Bill** was reincarnated with an Ozzie twist. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/14 "2011-12-29T01:15:26Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Hah! Nonsense. > > Why, even here in ATMB, my logic and good sense has already pounded **Czarcasm** into the ground. I said no one would concede that they’d lost. Plenty of us are arrogant enough to concede that they’ve won 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/15 "2011-12-29T01:20:30Z")
I was under the impression you could cuss all you like here. You can say fuck and cunt and cock in any forum. There are just a few insults that cannot be directed toward other SDMB posters (including “go fuck yourself,” or the cunt-word). ---
**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 29, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/16 "2011-12-29T01:21:53Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Hah! Nonsense. > > Why, even here in ATMB, my logic and good sense has already pounded **Czarcasm** into the ground. That’s not me you’re pounding. BTW, how’s your eyesight been lately? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/17 "2011-12-29T01:26:45Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That’s not me you’re pounding. BTW, how’s your eyesight been lately? It’s fine. Though I’m not sure what the library is going to say when I bring this book back. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/18 "2011-12-29T01:29:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > What you’re describing is pretty much what we already have in the Pit… That’s what I love about this place, moderation with a bit o’ wit. But if you think he’s completely joking, check out the Paterno “discussion”, where it’s devolved into “Pedophile!”,“Pederast!”,“Pediatrist!”,“Pedestrian!”… for two weeks running, now… ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/19 "2011-12-29T03:00:07Z")
I don’t think we should have a dual page, but I do hope the system administrators make regular backups. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685/20 "2011-12-29T03:07:12Z")
For the record, I’ve never had a problem conceding that the other side has lost. Even when faced with significant evidence to suggest otherwise. And, as an aside, there is some language that I believe is prohibited in all forums. French, me thinks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-ed-zotti-re-restrictive-language/607685.md?page=2)