# Discussion of Pit rules

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [July 27, 2002, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051 "2002-07-27T02:18:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 11

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**Author:** ![BrightEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@BrightEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightEyes)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/201 "2003-01-13T10:49:58Z")

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Meh.

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/202 "2003-01-13T10:52:52Z")

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Fucko off.

(And what’s the bet that Lynn or Arnold finally claims the sticky when they lock the thread? :))

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**Author:** ![BrightEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@BrightEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightEyes)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/203 "2003-01-13T11:08:41Z")

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All I know now is my cat’s breath reeks of coolosity…

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/204 "2003-01-13T13:21:05Z")

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This is the necessary [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155710) that may, or may not, make the last few posts understandable.

The point is, **Wikkit** must not be permitted to have the last say in this thread. 🙂

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**Author:** ![BrightEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@BrightEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightEyes)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/205 "2003-01-13T13:25:13Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \*  
> \*\*This is the necessary [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155710) that may, or may not, make the last few posts understandable.
> 
> The point is, **Wikkit** must not be permitted to have the last say in this thread. 🙂 \*\*

NOOO!!! DOn’t click on that link!!! it’s eeeeeevil!!!

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/206 "2003-01-13T13:43:12Z")

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Calm down, **BrightEyes**. Take the Ritalin.

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/207 "2003-01-15T06:32:15Z")

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here’s my non sequitur def #2 in response to the last post:

The Brontosaurus was large and placcid.

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**Author:** ![SilentSpeak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SilentSpeak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SilentSpeak)\
**Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/208 "2003-01-17T05:43:25Z")

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Jesus would buy that for a dollar.

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**Author:** ![Ki42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Ki42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ki42)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/209 "2003-01-19T13:31:38Z")

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In response to this thread being locked:

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=157476](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=157476)

why the need for the moral censorship here? i can understand the need for a line to be drawn - for example if someone was posting racist propoganda - but why is vulgar language an unfit topic of discussion? if this censorship was applied consistently, half the threads on this forum should be removed, and at least the title of my thread gave fair warning it was going to contain some “bad” language. i see that another thread has the words 'f\*\*\ ***g c** t in the subject line - so why is that one still open?

Much love,

Ki42

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/210 "2003-01-19T16:37:04Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> but why is vulgar language an unfit topic of discussion?

It is not.

_Discussion_ of vulgarity is appropriate in this Forum (or in **GD** or even in **GQ** if it is from a linguistic or sociological perspective).

_Use_ of vulgarity is appropriate to this Forum when applied as an act of anger (although it may be checked if it gets excessive–a subjective assessment you’ll simply have to live with).

However, the thread in question had devolved (almost immediately) into simply a “cuss fest” with posters doing nothing more than throwing around scatological and obscene words in an attempt to be humorous. Only a couple of the posts were actually funny and none of them actually engaged in blowing off steam or condemning some cretin who needed excoriation. Hence, **Lynn** ’s mention of the _gratuitous_ nature of the words (and the thread).

YMMV (but **Lynn** ’s won’t).

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**Author:** ![Ki42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Ki42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ki42)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/211 "2003-01-20T01:22:54Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by tomndebb \*  
> \*\*It is not.
> 
> _Discussion_ of vulgarity is appropriate in this Forum (or in **GD** or even in **GQ** if it is from a linguistic or sociological perspective).

\*\*

the discussion was about usage of language… and even tho the story was about a homeless person, the incident took place in something akin to a society, between people from differing social classes, in a complex sociological environment! how much more ‘sociological perspective’ do you need? the thread could have gone in any number of directions, its purpose was trying to provoke a discussion about inventive use of [bad] language.  
\*\*

> [@](#):
>
> _Use_ of vulgarity is appropriate to this Forum when applied as an act of anger (although it may be checked if it gets excessive–a subjective assessment you’ll simply have to live with).
> 
> However, the thread in question had devolved (almost immediately) into simply a “cuss fest” with posters doing nothing more than throwing around scatological and obscene words in an attempt to be humorous. Only a couple of the posts were actually funny and none of them actually engaged in blowing off steam or condemning some cretin who needed excoriation. Hence, **Lynn** ’s mention of the _gratuitous_ nature of the words (and the thread).
> 
> YMMV (but **Lynn** ’s won’t). \*\*

ok, so you say swearing is acceptable when you are experiencing one particular emotion - anger. its a very odd argument that its only ok to actually (good gosh no!) swear when you are in a non rational state. these limits on language seem not only arbitrary, but perverse to those of us who see [bad] words as useful and effective tools of communication - last time i checked it wasnt compulsary to find such language offensive, and as i pointed out the subject line of the thread gave fair warning it would contain swear words!

your views on the humour, or lack of it, in the thread are fair enough. thats cos humour is a very personal thing - however you may have noticed that some of the funniest comedians dont always use puritanical language… and they also manage to discuss very serious things in a way that people can relate to and find interesting, in a way that academic type discussions never will (check richard pryor or eddie murphy). why is a debate more worthy if it is conducted using words most people cant understand? in my experience people resort to such words because to state their message in simple language would expose its flaws. i believe a discussion prompted by humour can be just as worthy, thought provoking and most importantly interesting as one prompted by anger (or whatever other emotions that are allowed in this weird environment).

maybe you can answer why ‘gratuitous’ anger and bad language is ok, while ‘gratuitous’ humour and bad language is not. mmmkay, anger has more of a purpose than humour? personally, id rather discuss swearing (which believe it or not has many functions including expressing anger AND humour) in a humourus way, than an angry way. while im at it, maybe i should point out to you another amazing concept: that humour can be an even **more** effective way of ‘letting off steam’ than anger!?!?!

to summarise: you are chatting bare fraff. (you probably have as much understanding of that as i do the cryptic code YMMV)

peace and love,

Ki42

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/212 "2003-01-20T02:00:37Z")

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YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary  
It’s a fairly widely used abbreviation on the net and on this MB.

> [@](#):
>
> the discussion was about usage of language…

Despite your lengthy discourse, here, there was no _discussion_ regarding the language used. It was an anecdote that prompted some banter, but it was not a discussion. (It was also rather pointless, as the OP simply used one word multiple times as a verb, adjective, adverb, and noun. We’ve seen it before with any number of words.)

> [@](#):
>
> why is a debate more worthy if it is conducted using words most people cant understand? in my experience people resort to such words because to state their message in simple language would expose its flaws. i believe a discussion prompted by humour can be just as worthy, thought provoking and most importantly interesting as one prompted by anger (or whatever other emotions that are allowed in this weird environment).

I have expressed no opinon regarding the quality of a debate in terms of the language used. I only pointed out that your thread was not, in fact, either a debate or a discussion.

I have no idea why you are going off on “words that most people don’t understand.” Where have you seen any such discussion, here? Are you attempting a red herring or a strawman? (Meanings provided upon request.)

> [@](#):
>
> maybe you can answer why ‘gratuitous’ anger and bad language is ok, while ‘gratuitous’ humour and bad language is not.

I have no need to defend an assertion I have never made. There is plenty of humor–vulgar, obscene, scatological, profane, and just icky–in the **Pit**. My observation was simply that the thread, _as it developed_, was neither a discussion nor particularly humorous. (As posted, the OP may have been an attempt to bring forth one or the other; it just didn’t happen.)

Better luck next time.

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**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/213 "2003-01-20T02:31:34Z")

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Thank you, **Tom**. Precisely. I don’t want any “cuss fests” taking place in the Pit, because, as I said in the locked thread, there’s plenty of places online where you can type in “dirty” words all you want. The Straight Dope isn’t one of them.

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**Author:** ![Ki42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Ki42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ki42)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/214 "2003-01-20T03:18:10Z")

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if the thread had been closed for not being funny, i wouldnt have a problem. it never really had the chance to get funny. it was closed because ‘this forum is not the place for gratuitous vulgarity’. you clarified for me that use, as opposed to discussion of bad language is fine (as long as you are angry). unlike you i dont see those two as being mutually exclusive - its not easy to discuss words without using them.

you then argued that, because the thread had ‘degenerated’ into nothing more than banter and ‘attempts to be humourus’, it was no longer a discussion. i can see no reason for this. in order for the banter to cease becoming a conversation, any humourous remarks made as part of the banter must therefore be meaningless. contrary to this, angry statements dont seem to be liable - so i was responding to this pro-angry and anti-jokey bias.

1. this forum is utter bullshit:mad:

^ i can say that, anger is a legitimate form of expression so there was a clear purpose to that statement.

1. this forum is utter bullshit:D

^ i can’t say that, no meaning can be expressed through humour - BAN THIS GRATUITOUS OUTRAGE QUICK!!!

1. this forum is utter bullshit

^ insert speculation here

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**Author:** ![RandomLogick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@RandomLogick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLogick)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/215 "2003-01-20T03:24:22Z")

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Lynn, you forgot “Don’t be a jerk.” Some of us need reminders

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**Author:** ![Ki42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Ki42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ki42)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/216 "2003-01-20T03:37:38Z")

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OK, im going to shut up now before people take offense. but its really quite funny to say that this forum is not the place to type ‘dirty’ words, seeing as half the threads listed below this one at any given time have the word ‘fuck’ in the title. :rolleyes:

and i sincerely i promise you i was not trying to instigate a ‘cuss-fest’ (even tho it sounds like lots of fun, thats one of the cutest americanisms ive heard for a while).

😉

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/217 "2003-01-20T04:44:06Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> if the thread had been closed for not being funny, i wouldnt have a problem. it never really had the chance to get funny.

How many posts do you need? If **Fenris** launches a rant, it is funny from the first post. Simply inserting a vulgar word in place of multiple parts of speech throughout a passage has been done to death by other people for years. Repeating it with a different word does not make it funny.  
You further reduced your own credibility by claiming that the speaker was using “creative” swearing. Boring and repetitive are not good adjectives to identify “creative.”

> [@](#):
>
> really quite funny to say that this forum is not the place to type ‘dirty’ words

But that is not what **Lynn** said. She simply noted that this was not the place for _gratuitous_ vulgarity. (Is this one of the big words you did not understand? It means, in this context, used simply for the sake of using it.) We appreciate _truly creative_ cussing, but yours was not (in the opinion of the Moderator, whose word is Law) creative, despite your rather odd claim that there was something creative in mindlessly substituting the words fucker and cunt for various actual epithets or verbs.)  
(If you want to see something moderately creative in the same vein as you attempted, check out [Les Lucid’s Rant on the Coast Guard](http://www.subgenius.com/bigfist/mens/X0012_guard.txt.html). The author invests some actual creativity in his opus.)

In contrast, your points 1, 2, and 3, above, did demonstrate a bit of (somewhat weak) creativity. (It would have been less weak if you had not demonstrated rather clearly that you have not grasped the actual point that **Lynn** had made.)

Welcome to the Straight Dope and have a nice time.

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**Author:** ![Ki42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Ki42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ki42)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/218 "2003-01-20T22:11:13Z")

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hmm, someone with 8600 posts implying im posting too much. im bored of you already.

laters…

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/219 "2003-01-20T22:49:14Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> someone with 8600 posts implying im posting too much.

I have not implied any such thing. However, I will now state (not imply) that your reading comprehension is inadequate and your imagination (while flawed) is overworked.

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**Author:** ![Ki42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Ki42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ki42)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-of-pit-rules/121051/220 "2003-01-20T23:58:49Z")

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when you posted ‘how many posts do you need?’, i interpreted it as ‘you are posting too much [insert appropriate term here]’. if only i had your level of reading comprehension, i could have avoided reading between the lines.

and if only i had your arrogance, i would see that what i write could only ever be interpreted the way i intended it to.

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