First, magic tricks. Now, lawyer jokes?

[elmwood]

The Extermination Agenda: Lawyers or stupid people? thread was closed, because apparently mods got complaints from a couple of lawyers about … well, lawyer bashing.

Does that mean that Best Buy bashing threads in the Pit can be closed if a SDMBer who is a Best Buy employee complains? Can threads about “damn lib’ruls” be closed if enough Democrats complain? Can a thread bashing another Doper be closed if the subject of the thread complains? Will any thread that any of the offenderati find troublesome be closed upon the reciept of a complaint?

Seriously … I’m wondering about the implications of closing an anti-lawyer thread. I can understand if the thread could have been interpreted as a joke, or that it should have been posted in another forum. There must be a good reason why this one was closed, and others subject to complaint not, right?

[elmwood]

Just checking around … is it the “wishing death” rule?

[Khadaji]

I’m not a mod, but yes, I believe strongly that it was the “death wish thing.” It is one thing to make a lawyer joke. It is quite different to ask “who should we kill?”

I agree with the mods, this is not what we are about.

[C_K_Dexter_Haven]

When Shakespeare wrote “first kill all the lawyers”, it was obviously a joke. Black humour, indeed, but a joke.

When Gilbert and Sullivan’s Lord High Executioner sings that he has a “little list, of society offenders who … never would be missed,” it’s funny.

But we live in a different time and place. Hardly a week goes by without news of some disgruntled (or fired) employee killing his boss or co-workers. Governments do get the idea of killing all the Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, Kurds, Tutsies, Armenians, Anuak, etc. and actually try to carry out such plans. The list of attempted genocides in the last 50 or 60 years is nightmarish. Not to mention al Quada wanting to kill Americans, or the militia groups that want to kill blacks.

In short, death jokes can still be funny, but there’s a line. When the death jokes become death wishes, they’re not acceptable on our Boards. The line isn’t entirely clear, but it’s there.

[Troy_McClure_SF]

@C K Dexter Haven

When the death jokes become death wishes, they’re not acceptable on our Boards.

I’ll expand if and when this goes to the Pit, but I honestly don’t see any advocating killing lawyers- seriously, in jest, or otherwise- save Mr. Shakespeare.

[elmwood]

@C K Dexter Haven

In short, death jokes can still be funny, but there’s a line. When the death jokes become death wishes, they’re not acceptable on our Boards. The line isn’t entirely clear, but it’s there.

Thanks for taking the time to explain it.

[Northern_Piper]

As one of those who complained to the good folks at the SDMB management about that thread, I would just say that I did not see a joke.

I saw a lengthy discussion about whether I should be killed.

Sorry, but I have a strong, viscereal reaction to that kind of discussion. Personally, I think that it does breach the rule in the Pit about not wishing death on someone. I would also suggest that it’s a pretty jerkish thing to do, and in no way contributes to the fight against ignorance.

If you want to have a reasonable discussion about the role of lawyers in society, sure, no prob. There’s a lengthy thread on that topic right now in IMHO, and there have been threads in Great Debates in the past. I’ll come running and participate, even to the point of debating with Wildest Bill of late unlamented memory.

If you want to discuss the famous quote from 2 Henry VI, argue about whether it represented Shakespeare’s personal views or simply the views of the character who said it in the play, great - Café Society’s open for just that kind of discusion.

Want to gripe about a particular court decision or lawsuit as being a perversion of the justice system - the Pit can handle it.

Talking about whether I and my colleagues like Bricker, Minty Green, Jodi, Spavined Gelding, Dewey, Sua Sponte, Rube E. Tewsday et al. should be killed because of our profession - oh, that’s just a real knee-slapping riot. What other groups should we talk about killing once we thrash that one out?

I see a pretty clear line there myself.

[elmwood]

*Spavined, Gelding, Dewey, Sponte, and Tewsday *

Band name? No …

(Sees back cover of telephone directory)

LAW FIRM!

Seriously, thanks for providing some more input, and fighting my ignorance.

[Ryle_Dup]

@Northern Piper

As one of those who complained to the good folks at the SDMB management about that thread, I would just say that I did not see a joke.

I saw a lengthy discussion about whether I should be killed.

Sorry, but I have a strong, viscereal reaction to that kind of discussion. Personally, I think that it does breach the rule in the Pit about not wishing death on someone. I would also suggest that it’s a pretty jerkish thing to do, and in no way contributes to the fight against ignorance.

If you want to have a reasonable discussion about the role of lawyers in society, sure, no prob. There’s a lengthy thread on that topic right now in IMHO, and there have been threads in Great Debates in the past. I’ll come running and participate, even to the point of debating with Wildest Bill of late unlamented memory.

If you want to discuss the famous quote from 2 Henry VI, argue about whether it represented Shakespeare’s personal views or simply the views of the character who said it in the play, great - Café Society’s open for just that kind of discusion.

Want to gripe about a particular court decision or lawsuit as being a perversion of the justice system - the Pit can handle it.

Talking about whether I and my colleagues like Bricker, Minty Green, Jodi, Spavined Gelding, Dewey, Sua Sponte, Rube E. Tewsday et al. should be killed because of our profession - oh, that’s just a real knee-slapping riot. What other groups should we talk about killing once we thrash that one out?

I see a pretty clear line there myself.

You need to lighten up. Hardly anyone wants the lawyer-killing thing, it was mostly the stupid-killing thing.

[C_K_Dexter_Haven]

Har har. Y’know, it started as the “let’s kill all the prostitutes” joke, and it found it’s embodiment in Jack the Ripper. Or “let’s kill all the young boys who are gay” and it found embodiment in John Wayne Gacy.

No, sorry, t’ain’t funny.