# I do NOT understand my recent Warning. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 4, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476 "2020-02-04T13:46:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/1 "2020-02-04T13:46:29Z")
I was Warned in Politics & Elections for the following post: > [@Hee-haw, y'all. The 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hee-haw-yall-the-2020-democratic-presidential-primary/824415/3386): > > [Please Do Not Vote For Elizabeth Warren In Iowa](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/02/please-do-not-vote-for-elizabeth-warren-in-iowa) > > … F\*\*k off, Bernie Brats! At this point, if Bernie gets Trump re-elected I’m ready to say “Serves you right.” Maybe the cockroaches will do a better job of ruling the planet when they rise up 50 million years from now. I thought that the rule against insults applied to _insulting Dopers._ No Doper is a “Bernie Brat” — my insult was directed at the off-site opinionater I quoted. True, some Dopers support Bernie, but that doesn’t make them “Brats.” (I personally admire Bernie, but don’t want him to be the nominee.) Some Dopers support Trump, McConnell or Limbaugh, but it seems to be OK to call those non-Dopers “assholes.” I searched for occurrences of “asshole” in Politics or Great Debates, and get these examples just from the last few days: (The first quote even uses the f\*\*k word I used. I’ve deleted the names from these quotes – I’m not trying to get another Doper in trouble also.) > [@The Trump Impeachment Trial](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-impeachment-trial/846524/227): > > … I’m well past my limit of the 24hour news cycle of “Look at what that fucking asshole Trump did now!” > [@Political donations: who should I give to?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-donations-who-should-i-give-to/846935/5): > > But it’s lighting money on fire. Mitch McConnell is an asshole and everyone in KY will tell you that. They’ll also vote for him because he’s their asshole. > [@Abortion: Why don't pro-choicers just say, "It kills a person, but it's a unique circumstance?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-why-dont-pro-choicers-just-say-it-kills-a-person-but-its-a-unique-circumstance/847228/148): > > But an asshole can grow up to hold high elected and corporate office. > [@Rush Limbaugh announces he has advanced lung cancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rush-limbaugh-announces-he-has-advanced-lung-cancer/847447/16): > > … [Limbaugh] made his living being an asshole > … a charlatan like Donald Trump … Am I reprimanded because “F\*\*k off” is harsher than “asshole”? Do I need to repeat the Search to document the unWarned usage of other pejoratives? Was my Warning correct or not? I think Not. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/2 "2020-02-04T13:53:42Z")
The exact wording of the warning was: > [@](#): > > Warning. Septimus, you need to control yourself. Appears to me that the warning was not because of the use of specific words, but rather just for your agitated tone. I’m guessing the applicable rule here is probably just “don’t be a jerk.” ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/3 "2020-02-04T14:09:19Z")
If you’ve ever played sports, you know that officiating is something you just have to deal with because, quite frankly, it is necessary. And, as in a sporting event, you adjust to the officiating, they don’t adjust to you. My advice is, “Read and heed.” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/4 "2020-02-04T14:16:20Z")
Not just the posters, but perhaps the mods are getting a bit punchy lately also with all that’s going on in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Calavera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calavera/32/70_2.png) [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/5 "2020-02-04T14:24:35Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > If you’ve ever played sports, you know that officiating is something you just have to deal with because, quite frankly, it is necessary. And, as in a sporting event, you adjust to the officiating, they don’t adjust to you. My advice is, “Read and heed.” Although, if this were a sporting event, the SDMB is the epitome of a situation of “Who’s the bastard, who’s the bastard, who’s the bastard in the black?” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/6 "2020-02-04T14:32:24Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I was Warned in Politics & Elections for the following post: > I thought that the rule against insults applied to _insulting Dopers._ No Doper is a “Bernie Brat” — my insult was directed at the off-site opinionater I quoted. I’m not hugely concerned by this either way, but if you’re directing an insult at a single person, maybe don’t use a plural noun. When you do so, it kinda sounds like you’re directing your insult at multiple people, and maybe those include Sanders supporters in the thread you’re posting in. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/7 "2020-02-04T15:51:45Z")
I don’t think it is clear from your wording you mean just off-board people. Your use of plural definitely indicates you mean more than just the author of that article. It could easily be interpreted that you are referring to all Bernie supporters, including the people you are addressing in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Terrific](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tom_terrific/32/342_2.png) [@Tom\_Terrific](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Terrific)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/8 "2020-02-04T16:01:13Z")
I looked at your post as being a sneaky way of insulting Bernie supporters. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/9 "2020-02-04T16:16:15Z")
That really is how it read to me, Septimus. It’s always best practices to not go over the outside the Pit. It’s also a good idea not to brand entire groups. We’ve had posters in the past who would use the rhetorical tactic of saying something inflammatory about a group. Some things really hateful. Then they would act surprised when their debate opponents were a part of that group. It’s really not something we can allow to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/10 "2020-02-04T16:39:39Z")
Yeah, but… I have to agree that Trump supporters get insulted as a group and as individuals here. Rightly, IMO, but that means that other political groups should get the same freedom to disparage their opponents’ political choices. Unlike many of the other group insults, political insults are directed at those who freely chose their positions as adults. Nor are political insults damaging in the way that racist, sexist, or fat-shaming insults are. If you applied this standard fairly, it would clean out Politics and Elections. septimus may have a history that I’m not aware of so this could be part of a pattern. Unless that’s true, I can’t see any way this post deserves a warning. Make it a note, at best. And then figure out some standard to give the rest of us an understanding of how and when we can resume the insults that have been a huge part of every political campaign here since 2000. I’m betting you can’t do it, which is another huge reason to rescind this warning. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/11 "2020-02-04T16:41:04Z")
Huh… you can’t insult groups? Which groups can’t you insult? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/12 "2020-02-04T17:07:37Z")
> [@Tom\_Terrific](#): > > I looked at your post as being a sneaky way of insulting Bernie supporters. And not even that sneaky to be honest. LOL ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/13 "2020-02-04T17:28:36Z")
Ugh. It was a huge mistake to give Politics the same butthole-gazing culture as Great Debates. If that’s worth a warning, let’s move all political threads to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/14 "2020-02-04T17:47:12Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Huh… you can’t insult groups? Which groups can’t you insult? You are missing the point. Let’s say for example that part of a debate involves the American Meadow Party and their candidate Bill the Cat. Technically, there’s no rule against insulting the American Meadow Party. But, here is where you run into trouble. Let’s say you know there are a bunch of Bill the Cat supporters in a particular thread. You want to piss them off, so you make a broad insult against the American Meadow Party. After all, you’re technically just insulting an off-board group, right? Wrong. You’ve just intentionally insulted a bunch of Bill the Cat supporters among the SDMB users who were posting in that thread. Hence the problem. Or to make it more clear: Opus says “I support Bill the Cat” Then you say “Everyone who supports the American Meadow Party is an idiot”. While that’s technically insulting an off-board group, in reality it’s clearly an insult to Opus, which will get you a warning. There may be a few cases where it wasn’t done intentionally, but this sort of behavior has been enough of a problem over the years that claiming you were really only insulting the off-board supporters of Bill the Cat probably won’t get you out of the warning. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/15 "2020-02-04T18:19:25Z")
And, if can be delicate, posters with a significant history of getting in trouble for insulting people about politics or taking political potshots don’t get a lot of wiggle room. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/16 "2020-02-04T18:39:22Z")
Your post was insulting everyone who supports Bernie. Adding “brats” does not at all change the substance of your rant. You’re not attacking bratty behavior, you are clearly, blatantly, unambiguously insulting each and every person who supports Bernie’s nomination. Because the result that incenses you is Trump being re-elected because Bernie is too weak a candidate to defeat him. Your protests about what you really meant just ring false. You said what you said and you weren’t unclear at all. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/17 "2020-02-04T19:31:47Z")
I don’t understand why broad-based insults would have any place in a debate forum anyway. What argument is it putting forward? What cite can you bring? How does it advance a discussion? If you want to rant against Bernie Brats or Trump, uh, Bumps(?) or Buttigieg, uh, I got nothin’, then do it in the Pit. GD and P&E are for discussions and debates and saying that all Whig Pigs are stupid adds nothing to a discussion or a debate. Heck, I even asked to get rid of Obummer, Shrub, Tramp, etc., in those forums, but was shot down. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/18 "2020-02-04T19:55:38Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I don’t think it is clear from your wording you mean just off-board people. Your use of plural definitely indicates you mean more than just the author of that article. It could easily be interpreted that you are referring to all Bernie supporters, including the people you are addressing in the thread. FWIW, that was certainly not my conscious intent. One Doper comes to mind as a staunch Bernie supporter, and he happens to be someone I respect, feel friendly toward, and appreciate his posts. I had resolved to count to ten, and re-read my posts for excessive anger before clicking Submit. In future I hope to try harder to follow through with this intent. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/19 "2020-02-04T21:00:21Z")
Question: should we report all insults aimed directly at Trump supporters in the future? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476/20 "2020-02-04T21:43:54Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Question: should we report all insults aimed directly at Trump supporters in the future? If there’s a thread with Trump supporters in it, and someone writes, “Fuck off, Trump cultists!” I’d think that’d be worth reporting. In Politics, there’s a particular poster that can’t resist getting in a barb at Sanders and his supporters every chance he gets. It’s pretty nonstop. But that’s different from a straight-up “fuck off” to supporters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-do-not-understand-my-recent-warning/847476.md?page=2)