# If Pit threads for members are allowed, it should only be for things they post in the Pit **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 18, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320 "2018-06-18T14:30:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/1 "2018-06-18T14:30:02Z")
Personally, I don’t think Pit threads about members should be allowed. If someone doesn’t like what someone else posts, they should contact the moderators to handle it. But if pitting members is allowed, I think it should only be for things that they post in the Pit. One reason is that not everyone checks the Pit or checks it regularly. It’s unfair to have a thread which is denigrating a member without that member being aware of it to defend themselves. But the bigger reason to me is that this board is made up of people with a wide variety of opinions. Disagreeing is part of the community, and what makes it great. Members should accept that people will post things that they disagree with. If they feel strongly enough, they should discuss it in the existing thread. If they think the other poster is very bad, they can tell the moderators. I think it’s detrimental to the overall health of the discussions if people can create a side thread to say they don’t like another poster. It can stifle discussion and may cause members to quit if they feel like they are being attacked or mocked. But I can see allowing them for people who post in the Pit, because that can be considered part of the “fun” of the Pit. But I don’t think someone should be able to create a Pit thread for something a member posts in GQ, CS or the other forums. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/2 "2018-06-18T14:35:31Z")
I don’t think you understand the point of the Pit, or how it works. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/3 "2018-06-18T14:40:31Z")
The main point of the Pit is to allow people who have disagreements elsewhere on the board to have it out with the gloves off, without having to abide by the restrictions of other forums. It’s intended to be a safety valve so discussions in other forums can be less contentious. > [@filmore](#): > > One reason is that not everyone checks the Pit or checks it regularly. It’s unfair to have a thread which is denigrating a member without that member being aware of it to defend themselves. It’s generally considered polite that if someone Pits another poster based on what they said in another forum, they provide a link in the original thread, although this is not required. Of course, no one is required to participate in the Pit if they don’t wish to. I wouldn’t see much point in having a Pit if the only reason was to insult people for what they said in the Pit itself. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/4 "2018-06-18T14:47:22Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > One reason is that not everyone checks the Pit or checks it regularly. It’s unfair to have a thread which is denigrating a member without that member being aware of it to defend themselves. It’s customary to post a link to the Pit thread in whatever other thread spawned the pitting. And there usually is such a thread, we don’t generally pit people for no reason at all. > [@](#): > > But the bigger reason to me is that this board is made up of people with a wide variety of opinions. Disagreeing is part of the community, and what makes it great. Members should accept that people will post things that they disagree with. If they feel strongly enough, they should discuss it in the existing thread. If they think the other poster is very bad, they can tell the moderators. We don’t just pit people for breaking board rules (in fact, we shouldn’t - that’s for ATMB)- we also pit them for saying shitty things, like racist or sexist things or just horrible human being things - but especially where discussing that aspect would derail the original thread. > [@](#): > > I think it’s detrimental to the overall health of the discussions if people can create a side thread to say they don’t like another poster. It can stifle discussion and may cause members to quit if they feel like they are being attacked or mocked. How does a side discussion that people don’t visit stifling them in any way? Be consistent, yeah? > [@](#): > > But I don’t think someone should be able to create a Pit thread for something a member posts in GQ, CS or the other forums. No. Just - no. Not as long as racists, sexists and the like are free to post any drivel as long as it’s polite. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/5 "2018-06-18T14:53:50Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > [snip] … It’s unfair to have a thread which is denigrating a member without that member being aware of it to defend themselves … [snap] This might be your mistake … there’s no “defending yourself” in the Pit … it’s all about offensive offense … I think The Pit does what it’s designed to do … give folks a place to continue a contentious debate and not ruin the original thread … The Pit also keeps rants out of the rest of the fora … and it keeps the back-stabbers collected together so they aren’t stabbing each other in the back … ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/6 "2018-06-18T15:08:49Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I think The Pit does what it’s designed to do … give folks a place to continue a contentious debate and not ruin the original thread … The Pit also keeps rants out of the rest of the fora … and it keeps the back-stabbers collected together so they aren’t stabbing each other in the back … I will admit that I don’t have deep knowledge of the member pitting threads, but are they really about two members continuing their heated discussion? The impression I get is that they are more about one member slagging another member. So rather than taking a heated discussion to a separate thread, they often seem to be of the form of “I don’t like this other member” or “I don’t like what this other member is posting.” It doesn’t seem to be “This thread is a continuation of the discussion we two were having in GD.” If what you wrote is the concept behind creating Pit threads for members, then that’s great! There are many times where I wish the two members would take their back-and-forth to their own thread. But it doesn’t seem like that’s what’s really going on. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/7 "2018-06-18T15:13:57Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > This might be your mistake … there’s no “defending yourself” in the Pit … it’s all about offensive offense … So-called “reverse Pittings” are not uncommon, when the Pitter has misjudged his position and ends up being the target of the Pitting himself. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/8 "2018-06-18T15:17:51Z")
There are many message boards that don’t have anything like a Pit. On those boards, if you get pissed off at someone, you don’t have any outlet, so stuff tends to build up until someone gets so pissed off that they go completely off the rails. The original purpose of the Pit was to give folks a chance to flame away at each other without any rules (the flaming bit is the whole reason it’s called the BBQ Pit) so that they could get it out of their system and not have it blow up in the regular forums. Over the years the Pit has changes a bit. Instead of being just a chance to flame other users here, it’s a forum where you can bitch about pretty much anything, and the general lack of rules has its own attraction for some. The “fun” of the Pit (as the OP puts it) is not the original purpose of the Pit. The original purpose of the Pit is exactly what the OP wants to exclude. The Pit is still very much used for exactly that purpose, so getting rid of it makes absolutely no sense, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/9 "2018-06-18T15:20:23Z")
It’s secretly a jobs program for Miller 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/10 "2018-06-18T15:46:34Z")
Some of us spend the bulk of our time there, because we’re dicks. . ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/11 "2018-06-18T15:53:14Z")
I thought it was community service for that incident with him and the flare gun during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade…? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/12 "2018-06-18T15:57:22Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > But the bigger reason to me is that this board is made up of people with a wide variety of opinions. Disagreeing is part of the community, and what makes it great. Members should accept that people will post things that they disagree with. If they feel strongly enough, they should discuss it in the existing thread. If they think the other poster is very bad, they can tell the moderators. I think it’s detrimental to the overall health of the discussions if people can create a side thread to say they don’t like another poster. It can stifle discussion and may cause members to quit if they feel like they are being attacked or mocked. I rarely see Pit threads started on matters of “disagreement”. It’s more typically to vent about some individual being perceived as being, shall we say, exceptional in some outstanding way with respect to ignorance, prejudice, arrogance, or some other extreme quality that invites commentary. And a lot of Pit threads or postings are not about posters at all, but directed at public figures and organizations. Also, some discussions in the Pit can be remarkably civil and substantive, and sometimes, if a thread hasn’t been contaminated with content that would break the rules of a regular forum, it might even be moved. Discussions in the Pit are in fact all over the map in that regard, ranging from civil and informative to downright nasty. The Pit is an interesting concept, and it can be enjoyable, not because of the nastiness or the opportunity to insult someone, but because the free rein on language and topic can result in commentary that is entertaining and funny, all the more so because it’s often refreshingly honest, not hiding behind a veneer of mandated politeness. Of course that doesn’t prevent some jerks from just being gratuitously nasty. ---
**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:** [June 18, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/13 "2018-06-18T16:08:22Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > It’s secretly a jobs program for Miller 🙂 And to keep the rest of us in line. “Do as you’re told, or you’ll join Miller in the Pit!” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/14 "2018-06-18T16:12:22Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > But the bigger reason to me is that this board is made up of people with a wide variety of opinions. Disagreeing is part of the community, and what makes it great. Members should accept that people will post things that they disagree with. If they feel strongly enough, they should discuss it in the existing thread. If they think the other poster is very bad, they can tell the moderators. I think it’s detrimental to the overall health of the discussions if people can create a side thread to say they don’t like another poster. It can stifle discussion and may cause members to quit if they feel like they are being attacked or mocked. That’s fine in theory but people don’t act like this in practice. If a disagreement is over the issues, then the debate can stay in the regular forums. But some disagreements are with the person posting them and those disagreements belong in the pit. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/15 "2018-06-18T16:17:57Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Personally, I don’t think Pit threads about members should be allowed. If someone doesn’t like what someone else posts, they should contact the moderators to handle it. So, if I _strongly_ disagree with this, I should notify a moderator via PM and they then will what?😕 ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/16 "2018-06-18T17:18:47Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > So-called “reverse Pittings” are not uncommon, when the Pitter has misjudged his position and ends up being the target of the Pitting himself. Someone pitted me. It was the best thing that ever happened to me on this board! If a Pitting is unwarranted, people will let certainly let the Pitter know. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/17 "2018-06-18T17:32:23Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Superdude** : > > I thought it was community service for that incident with him and the flare gun during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade…? To be fair, he had no way of knowing that some of the balloons were filled with hydrogen instead of helium. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/18 "2018-06-18T18:52:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t think you understand the point of the Pit, or how it works. The purpose or point of the Pit was supposedly to allow members to blow off steam by insulting each other in a controlled environment. However, this has totally failed. It actually make the problem worse. Most boards dont have a Pit and the environment is much friendlier , much more calm and welcoming. The Pit may also be one of the reasons for the possible decline of female members. What the Pit seems to be actually used for is allowing non-paying guests to harass and bully paying members, causing a decrease in membership. And of course Mini-rants, or Political rants which could just as well be put in IMHO or a Rants area. There is no need at all for a area where members can be personally insulted and abused. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/19 "2018-06-18T18:54:10Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The main point of the Pit is to allow people who have disagreements elsewhere on the board to have it out with the gloves off, without having to abide by the restrictions of other forums. It’s intended to be a safety valve so discussions in other forums can be less contentious. Yes, that was _intent_. But it has completely and totally failed at that. It was a experiment that has failed, and needs to be put at rest. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320/20 "2018-06-18T18:56:20Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > There are many message boards that don’t have anything like a Pit. On those boards, if you get pissed off at someone, you don’t have any outlet, so stuff tends to build up until someone gets so pissed off that they go completely off the rails. Yes, but I post on many boards that dont have anything at all like the Pit and they are happier, friendlier places. The horrible insults, harrassment and bullying in out Pit just makes things worse, not better. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pit-threads-for-members-are-allowed-it-should-only-be-for-things-they-post-in-the-pit/816320.md?page=2)