# Free-for-all weekend discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 2, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730 "2008-09-02T18:46:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/121 "2008-09-03T11:28:04Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I really don’t see why GD exists at all. Everything in there is OPNION, and we already have an opinion forum. Why reinforce the idea that the ideas expressed in there are something different or greater? GD as it is is simply a license to dump on other opinions under the disguise of “debate”. Bullshit. I’m not saying there is no overlap between IMHO and GD but: IMHO is this: _“Movie X is great”_ GD is this: \*“Movies X is the most popular movie of all time, and it’s great” “No here is a listing of box office and DVD sale and rental figures. It just plain is not the most popular movie of all time. Is it great? In your opinion yes, in my opinion no.”\* OK so I chose a bad example since both threads should be in CS but you can see what I mean, I’m sure. I think a forum where you are required to back up those aspects of your opinion that can be objectively backed up is a fine thing. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/122 "2008-09-03T11:48:42Z")
The rule that chafes me the most is the no foreign languages rule. I understand not all moderators speak all languages, but it sounds like there is a great deal of interest in a Spanish language forum and at least one person willing to moderate. I think it would be a tremendous opportunity to get the moral/social/political perspectives of people living in other countries and cultures. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/123 "2008-09-03T11:56:50Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I think it would be a tremendous opportunity to get the moral/social/political perspectives of people living in other countries and cultures. And also to have some fun with the babelfish translator. Example: > [@A post on a Spanish-language board converted into English by Yahoo](#): > > Yes you did, it! That chévere! You know what? You sound exactly as it imagined to me! Already it is called on to give with the form of devolverte a message to me. We can give him thanks to Jerome by its skill with the computer, truth that yes? Both of you, you have helped much the respect. Another thing I want decirte Berri, I included/understood to You perfectly, not only when you spoke Spanish, but also English. You have improved fast in very little of time! It gave to much joy escucharte me (literally)! Until soon! ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/124 "2008-09-03T12:02:11Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > The rule that chafes me the most is the no foreign languages rule. I understand not all moderators speak all languages, but it sounds like there is a great deal of interest in a Spanish language forum and at least one person willing to moderate. That sounds good in theory, but in practice, where do we stop? By the time we get to Basque and Ainu, we’ve got hundreds of foreign language forums. > [@](#): > > I think it would be a tremendous opportunity to get the moral/social/political perspectives of people living in other countries and cultures. True enough, if someone is willing to translate for me. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/125 "2008-09-03T12:25:09Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > That sounds good in theory, but in practice, where do we stop? By the time we get to Basque and Ainu, we’ve got hundreds of foreign language forums. I see what you’re saying, **Frank**. But really, would opening up the Dope to all other languages result in more than, say, 10 other language fora? Spanish is in a bit of a category all it’s own, given the geographic distribution of the people who are native speakers. The other languages I would expect to have enough interest to generate fora, complete with willing mods, would be limited to probably German, French, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese and maybe one or two others. I’m not sure that opening up specific language fora is a good idea - but to expect that we’d seriously end up with a fora for every language out there is arguing to an absurdity. I think the question we’d have to ask is whether we want to take the Dope from being a mostly American-centric board to a more global one. Even now, with the significant non-American\* presence here, we’re mostly viewing things through the lens of the American viewpoint. I think it’s great to get other viewpoints, myself. But a Spanish language forum wouldn’t make those view points available to me. So, while I can see the benefit for people like **olives** , it’s not something I’d push for. \*For this purpose, while I admit that Canada is a different culture, the similarities between Canadian and US culture are strong enough that I believe that there is more common ground between those two cultures than there are differences. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/126 "2008-09-03T12:29:27Z")
Having not been here long enough to have possibly become jaded by the month to month activity on the Dope, I can say The Lost Weekend did seem totally different in mood and pace to me. There was an end of term sort of attitude, which might be frowned on by some as “childish”, but was mildly exhilarating, all the same ( Because, let’s face it, it could get a little sedate on here at times!) .Even so, I never thought it got anywhere near as anarchic as some forums I have been on, and this probably says something positive about the general Doper population. Making it a regular thing would eventually dull any appeal ( remember Xmas? ), so let’s keep them rare and random. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/127 "2008-09-03T12:38:27Z")
> [@Ensign\_Edison](#): > > DDG you just did that Voldemort shit to troll me, didn’tcha. Bwah? It’s all about you, innit. :rolleyes: I didn’t happen to see your thread, dude. The boards were so sucky I was only able to spend the bare minimum time here yesterday, and after I managed (!) to reply to this thread I got nothing but timeouts and database errors, so quit in disgust, so (A) didn’t see your thread, and (B) didn’t see Giraffe’s post. > [@](#): > > It’s the Snarkpit. You can say it. It’s not the n-word or the r-word or even the p-word. It’s just the Snarkpit. Try it. It’s not against the rules. When I posted, AFAIK, it was. :rolleyes: Geez. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/128 "2008-09-03T12:54:38Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Another thought - one of the perennial complaints about the Dope is too many rules, too constrained. While I think most of us old-timers appreciate the rules and understand that the rules help control the fun, I can see making one little area more like the Rest of the Internet to squelch those complaints. Why do we want to prove that point? For me, this thing got old pretty fast, but I’m glad people had fun with it. Somebody brought up the idea of an Amnesia Forum in ATMB also, and I hate to be anti-fun, but it sounds like an awful idea. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/129 "2008-09-03T12:58:24Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Or maybe they were just trolling for the hell of it. Yeah, that was me. It turns out to get kinda boring after a while, incedentally. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/130 "2008-09-03T13:04:50Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I really don’t see why GD exists at all. Everything in there is OPNION, and we already have an opinion forum. Why reinforce the idea that the ideas expressed in there are something different or greater? GD as it is is simply a license to dump on other opinions under the disguise of “debate”. Because generally IMHO is about polls and suchlike, asking for people’s opinion, while GD expects you to give your reasons and attempt to convince others. It may not do that successfully, but it’s a good reason for it to exist. And to the contrary, I feel that the existence of GD reinforces the idea that the ideas in it are something lesser, since the whole idea is generally that someone will disagree with you and may explain why. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/131 "2008-09-03T13:06:51Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > I’m not sure that opening up specific language fora is a good idea - but to expect that we’d seriously end up with a fora for every language out there is arguing to an absurdity. One other nice thing would be for those like myself, it would be a chance to practice using language skills that might otherwise get rusty. Sure, I could look for a French forum, but it would be nice to have a place where I could ask for a translation if needed, and where leetspeek (or whatever the French call it) is looked down upon. I have enough trouble with that in English sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/132 "2008-09-03T13:17:55Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > The rule that chafes me the most is the no foreign languages rule. I understand not all moderators speak all languages, but it sounds like there is a great deal of interest in a Spanish language forum and at least one person willing to moderate. > > I think it would be a tremendous opportunity to get the moral/social/political perspectives of people living in other countries and cultures. Well, yeah, but it would only offer such an opportunity for Dopers who already speak Spanish, and they’re free to read about perspectives of native Spanish speakers on Spanish language forums anyway, so really, what’s the point? > [@OtakuLoki](#): > > The other languages I would expect to have enough interest to generate fora, complete with willing mods, would be limited to probably German, French, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese and maybe one or two others. Are you serious? The fora for some of those languages would each consist of a mod and probably a dozen posters, if that. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/133 "2008-09-03T13:29:21Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > Well, yeah, but it would only offer such an opportunity for Dopers who already speak Spanish, and they’re free to read about perspectives of native Spanish speakers on Spanish language forums anyway, so really, what’s the point? I guess the question is whether there are enough Spanish speakers on this board to make something like that worthwhile. FWIW I’ve looked for Spanish-language forums similar to The Straight Dope and none could really compare. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/134 "2008-09-03T13:48:58Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > That’s what I proposed (except I gave a few weeks). The verdict is: > > In favor of: No replies > Against: Q.E.D. who thought it was stupid. > Indifferent: Everyone else (until posted otherwise) You said “the board” which I took to mean the entire message board. If you only meant one particular forum, then that’s much less stupid, although I really wouldn’t see the point of such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/135 "2008-09-03T13:53:53Z")
I hope the expected influx of new posters (when P2P is no more) will address some of the inbred feeling some others have mentioned. I guess I will agree with what seems the consensus - it was a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there. The ephemeral nature of the free-for-all allowed a certain freedom, but the Pit shouldn’t turn into the snark pit - too boring. If the mods agree on loosening some of the rules, I would request that we **NOT** relax the rules against misquoting - very especially the rule about text within quote tags. It’s just too much bother to go back and check what has been changed, and ceases to be a conversation. If we do set up a Knife Fight forum, where the rules are not applied in roughly the same way as the Amnesia Weekend, I suggest there be an absolute rule against linking to or mentioning threads there in any of the other fora. I would even recommend against notifying another user that s/he is being Knife Fight-Pitted. Treat it like the snark pit - let the trolls gibber at each other as long as they don’t bother the real posters. > [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > There were a few elements:[ul][li]Amnesia-inspired openness[_]NSFW links[_] Discussion of illegal activities (e.g., drugs, file sharing)[_]Remembrance of banned posters[_]Knife fights[\*]Non-traditional pit threads (i.e., things that would normally get moved to MPSIMS)[/li][/ul] Thanks for the list. Taking these in order - [ul][li]Amnesia isn’t something you can recreate without deleting the whole forum every three days. Too much effort fot the DBAs. [_]NSFW links - even when not at work, I don’t care to see this kind of thing. Rickrolling ought to be a bannable offense. The two-click rule seems to work fine IMO.[_]Discussion of illegal activities raises legal issues I am sure the SDMB doesn’t need.[_]Remembrance of the banned - :shrugs - seems OK to me, although I understand the idea of not attacking those who can’t defend themselves. If it were up to me, “you should be banned” ought to be treated as junior modding and outlawed.[_]Knife fights - again, meh.[\*]Non-traditional pit threads - I see no reason for the ban on joke threads (if that is what you mean). I see the Pit as the garbage pit of the SDMB - what’s the harm in leaving garbage here to rot?[/ul][/li]My $.02 worth. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/136 "2008-09-03T14:09:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Knife Fight-Pitted “Stabbed” rolls off the keyboard easier. ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/137 "2008-09-03T14:18:02Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Well, that would sort of defeat the whole ephemeral aspect of Amnesia Weekend, right? Wouldn’t the same if if was on the record. I meant so that we could have another Amnesia Weekend in the Pit without touching the rest of the board. Same thing as this past weekend - make a snapshot on Friday, let the forum run wild for the weekend, restore the backup on Monday and it’s all gone. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/138 "2008-09-03T14:25:11Z")
**Ravenman** , I understand your outrage, and I agree that unlabeled (or even worse, misguidedly labeled) NSFW links are just not a good idea. But OTOH, it’s impossible to prevent the posting of such things ever. Sure, it’s against the rules, but rules get broken. Then posts are reported and only later does a mod break the link and issue a warning. But there’s always some amount of time there when the link is active and you could click it. Really, it’s always poor judgement to click on a link you’re not certain of, and you can only be certain of such things if you read where the link is going to. When I hold my cursor over a link, the bottom left hand corner of my screen, above my bottom toolbar, tells me where the link is going. And if it says something questionable, I don’t click it. IOW, what happened to you sucked. But it could happen again today, free-for-all or no. You’ve got to take responsibility for your own clicking, and I’m sure your boss would agree! Me, I was kinda bored. Seemed there was, as they say, a super high noise to signal ratio. There were a few giggles, but nothing as funny as a normal day on the Dope. I think it’s kinda like a good thriller movie being scarier than a gorey horror movie - when we’re restrained a bit, we’re more creative. I did like the ability to talk about the banned, even if I barely remember them by name, and the freedom of the drug threads. Those are two rules I’ve never been a fan of and they, along with the ignore list stuff, really didn’t get out of hand even with free-for-all. I think maybe we’ve proven we can handle those topics like grown-ups, don’t you think? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/139 "2008-09-03T14:33:45Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > That sounds good in theory, but in practice, where do we stop? By the time we get to Basque and Ainu, we’ve got hundreds of foreign language forums. That’s not an argument against having _one_ Spanish-speaking forum. And then if someday there are enough Basque speakers on the SDMB, we’ll think about opening a Basque forum. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730/140 "2008-09-03T14:51:44Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > I guess the question is whether there are enough Spanish speakers on this board to make something like that worthwhile. Or at least to start it. Because one of the points would be to possibly attract Spanish-speakers who aren’t dopers. Especially since now the SDMB is free again (while cost could have been a deterrent for people from less affluent countries) and the posts will be searchable (which means that people could find it while googling in Spanish) The first step, actually, would be to ask the higher powers if they could conceivably accept this idea. And then, indeed, to pool dopers to see if there’s enough interest to warrant the creation of such a forum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-for-all-weekend-discussion/461730.md?page=8)