# Hey, Rico, you making up rules.... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 27, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128 "2005-10-27T05:36:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/1 "2005-10-27T05:36:04Z")
…or did i miss something? In [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=341725), the OP asks how to play Real Media files… > [@bouv](#): > > Without that God-awful, fuck you in the ass, bloated, piece of shit that is known as real player? In response, Mod **Rico** admonishes: > [@Rico](#): > > \ > > Bouv, while this isn’t an official Mod warning, I must implore you to keep language like that out of GQ and in the Pit. Consider yourself…informed. > > \ Well, i seemed to recall seeing “language like that” in GQ before, so i did a search in the GQ forum for the word “fuck,” and sure enough i maxed out the search feature, recording 750 threads where the word was used. A random click on a couple dozen or so of those threads revealed no mod warnings for language alone. There were warnings for politics or abuse or other violations of GQ policy, but not simply for bad language. So, what gives? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/2 "2005-10-27T05:40:08Z")
Oh, dear. Are we “raising the tone” again? Cecil’s columns have all kinds of profanity. I don’t get it. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2005, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/3 "2005-10-27T05:43:58Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > …no mod warnings for language alone. Including this instance, in case you missed it: > [@Rico](#): > > Bouv, while **this isn’t an official Mod warning** … Besides, I, for one, have no problem with someone wanting to raise the tone of GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/4 "2005-10-27T05:44:34Z")
Yeah, what a load of horseshit. This isn’t a kiddie forum. 'Fraid this is one “rule” I’ll have to put on my ignore list. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/5 "2005-10-27T06:07:41Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > . Well, i seemed to recall seeing “language like that” in GQ before, so i did a search in the GQ forum for the word “fuck,” and sure enough i maxed out the search feature, recording 750 threads where the word was used. A random click on a couple dozen or so of those threads revealed no mod warnings for language alone. There were warnings for politics or abuse or other violations of GQ policy, but not simply for bad language. > > So, what gives? I did a search for “fuck” + “shit” in General Questions and got 102 hits, many of which were discussing language, but most of which were merely the words used by different posters in random usage. **Rico** asked me about the language thing and I told him I though the specific instance that we’re discussing was a gratuitous overuse and deserved a note but not a warning. **Rico** did just that. And I still think that it was the right thing to do. While we don’t want censorship on the board, we also would prefer to keep _gratuitous_ profanity out of what should be a place to simply ask a General Question. If you are that incensed with a product, then we invented the PIT where you can rant and cuss til you’re blue in the face. Pretend that GQ is your living room in your house, and you invite company in for a chat. I would think that you would prefer to NOT have your 16 year old brother come in, sit down, and talk to your guest the way he talks to his buddies on the playground. But in the PIT, I don’t give a fucking rat’s ass what you do. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/6 "2005-10-27T09:53:46Z")
I consistently thumb my nose and lift my ass at whatever ‘tone-raising’ the mods and admins of thise place try to enforce, but I can’t get worked up over this. **bouv** ’s comment was over the line and, quite frankly, flamebait. If I’d been a mod, I’d have probably warned **bouv** to cease trolling, but that’s just me. This certainly doesn’t merit a Pit thread in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/7 "2005-10-27T11:21:18Z")
As a frequent user of profanity in all the forums here, maybe I’m just more practiced in it, but dropping, “I can stand stand that fucking movie” in CS is a little different than “I can’t stand that God-awful, fuck you in the ass, bloated, piece of shit movie.” I’ve said the first one in front of Mom. If you want to force the Mods’ hand, then it can only come down to a complete ban. Leave well enough alone. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/8 "2005-10-27T14:20:36Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Well, i seemed to recall seeing “language like that” in GQ before, so i did a search in the GQ forum for the word “fuck,” and sure enough i maxed out the search feature, recording 750 threads… **Tomndebb** holds pride of place in the [first _attributed_ use of “fuck” in GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=60232&highlight=fuck#post60232) (Aug, 6 199). There are several earlier examples, [here’s the first](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13028&highlight=fuck#post13028), but those date back to the time when everyone was an unnamed guest. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/9 "2005-10-27T14:40:56Z")
I get what the mods are going for here. **bouv’s** comment was just completely unnecessary. I know the mods have said that swearing isn’t just restricted to the Pit and that sometimes “shit” or “fuck” really is the only word, but it wasn’t so in this case, IMHO. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/10 "2005-10-27T14:49:53Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > …Aug, 6 199… Those wild and crazy second century posters! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/11 "2005-10-27T15:00:01Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > (Aug, 6 199). Fucking 199ers. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/12 "2005-10-27T15:04:16Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Besides, I, for one, have no problem with someone wanting to raise the tone of GQ. Me too. For me raising the tone in GQ would be to keep out the puns, _Simpsons_ references and other assorted lame ass shit, usually by the same few fucking tools, that do nothing towards answering the question. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/13 "2005-10-27T15:06:05Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > **Tomndebb** holds pride of place in the [first _attributed_ use of “fuck” in GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=60232&highlight=fuck#post60232) (Aug, 6 199). Wouldn’t that have been the 8th day before the Ides of August? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/14 "2005-10-27T15:24:02Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Those wild and crazy second century posters! 😉 Actually, doesn’t that date read August 6199? In which case nobody will say “fuck” in GQ for quite a while yet. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/15 "2005-10-27T15:28:30Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Wouldn’t that have been the 8th day before the Ides of August? Yeah, Augustus Sextus; just after he finished penning the secret gospel of James. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/16 "2005-10-27T15:42:14Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Including this instance, in case you missed it. I realize it wasn’t an official warning, but it was a warning, or an admonition, nonetheless. > [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Besides, I, for one, have no problem with someone wanting to raise the tone of GQ. You’re perfectly entitled to that opinion, and i tend to agree; but i also agree with **hajario** that > [@hajario](#): > > raising the tone in GQ would be to keep out the puns, _Simpsons_ references and other assorted lame ass shit, usually by the same few fucking tools, that do nothing towards answering the question. Also, keeping out the folks who persist in giving legal advice or taking wild guesses when they don’t actually have a clue about the answer. > [@Trunk](#): > > As a frequent user of profanity in all the forums here, maybe I’m just more practiced in it, but dropping, “I can stand stand that fucking movie” in CS is a little different than > > “I can’t stand that God-awful, fuck you in the ass, bloated, piece of shit movie.” > > I’ve said the first one in front of Mom. I tend to agree with this. But i think the admonition, if one was needed, should have been for the _tone_ of the post, rather than the language. I’ve seen similar posts sent off the the Pit before, because the mod interpreted them as a thinly-disguised rant. I guess i was simply wondering whether there had, in fact, been a decision to remove profanity altogether from GQ. ---
**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:** [October 27, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/17 "2005-10-27T15:58:35Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I…also agree with **hajario** that > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > raising the tone in GQ would be to keep out the puns, Simpsons references and other assorted lame ass shit, usually by the same few fucking tools, that do nothing towards answering the question. > > Also, keeping out the folks who persist in giving legal advice or taking wild guesses when they don’t actually have a clue about the answer. I’m on board with this, as well. And, I didn’t mean to imply that I thought all cussing ought to be proscribed in GQ, either–Og knows I’ve spouted the occasional “bullshit!” there myself. I took **Rico** ’s admonition to be more directed at the overall tone of the post rather than the usage of the specific words, but YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/18 "2005-10-27T18:10:50Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Including this instance, in case you missed it: > > Besides, I, for one, have no problem with someone wanting to raise the tone of GQ. Hey, **Q.E.D.** , you got something brown on your nose. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/19 "2005-10-27T23:54:26Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Hey, **Q.E.D.** , you got something brown on your nose. Keep your nose out of my chocolate ice cream, **Q.E.D.**! ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128/20 "2005-10-27T23:58:36Z")
> [@Kat](#): > > Keep your nose out of my chocolate ice cream, **Q.E.D.**! That’s a euphemism and a half. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-rico-you-making-up-rules/328128.md?page=2)