# Is there an online forum w/intelligent people and little moderation? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151 "2008-12-07T18:54:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/21 "2008-12-09T01:19:32Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > And this is why I don’t think this board qualifies. I really don’t feel like I can be myself here. I do find it useful when I have factual questions, and I do find it interesting to read-- but I sort of feel like I’m in the home of one of my parents’ friends and I need to speak politely and not say anything too controversial. Offensive humor is a no-no, sometimes saying what you think (especially if it falls outside of the boundaries of typical “progressive” thought) is seen as uncivilized and inexcusable. I also feel like it’s a somewhat academic environment, where any statement you make is parsed to such an extent that you must constantly cite sources or be stripped of your right to have a particular opinion. I’m not saying that we should live unexamined lives-- not at all; I guess I want a message board where I feel like I’m hanging out with intelligent people who don’t mind hearing some fucked up comments and opinions now and again, without the constant fear that some (over)sensitive person is going to get offended, and start taking things too seriously. This board just feels way too serious sometimes. I mean, I’m just here to kill time and to have fun, but a lot of people here seem to demand order and want rigid rules to guide interaction. Sometimes to its fault in my opinion, this is very genteel environment. But the only reason to care about whether someone is offended by your off-color jokes is if you care about the person you offend. Look, just be yourself. If you’re worried that people will think you’re an asshole if you post without thinking, then you’re right. But who cares if we think you’re an asshole? I’m an asshole, and I don’t give a shit who knows it. If someone gets sand in their cunt because you made fun of a fat guy, just ignore them, or make fun of them too. When someone whines “Cite?”, tell them “My post is my cite!”. If someone starts a pit thread about what an asshole you are, why should you care? Either join the thread and have some fun shocking the squares, or don’t even read it which will annoy them even more. If you just want to shoot the unfiltered breeze the only people you have to worry about annoying are the moderators, and it’s trivially easy to adhere the the moderation around here. Just don’t directly insult other posters and don’t whine about the board administration and you’re golden. How hard can this be? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/22 "2008-12-09T04:45:44Z")
> [@solkoe](#): > > How about _The Straight Dope?_. They do have\* the Pit\*. You can say anything you like there. This is a common misconception. No, you CAN’T say just anything in the Pit. You cannot troll in the Pit. You cannot use hate speech in the Pit. There are a few rules in the Pit, it’s not a free-for-all, it’s just looser than the rest of the board. Oh, and despite another common misconception, swearing is not mandatory in the Pit. You can open up any thread and not use a single blue word, if you don’t feel the need to cuss. Usually, though, people do seem to feel better by venting. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/23 "2008-12-09T23:09:47Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > But the only reason to care about whether someone is offended by your off-color jokes is if you care about the person you offend. > > Look, just be yourself. If you’re worried that people will think you’re an asshole if you post without thinking, then you’re right. But who cares if we think you’re an asshole? I’m an asshole, and I don’t give a shit who knows it. > > If someone gets sand in their cunt because you made fun of a fat guy, just ignore them, or make fun of them too. When someone whines “Cite?”, tell them “My post is my cite!”. If someone starts a pit thread about what an asshole you are, why should you care? Either join the thread and have some fun shocking the squares, or don’t even read it which will annoy them even more. > > If you just want to shoot the unfiltered breeze the only people you have to worry about annoying are the moderators, and it’s trivially easy to adhere the the moderation around here. Just don’t directly insult other posters and don’t whine about the board administration and you’re golden. How hard can this be? When you say this, it seems on the surface like you can do this, but I don’t really think so. One of the most basic rules here is “don’t be a jerk.” What is “being a jerk” to one person is “funny” or “off-kilter humor” for another, and I get the distinct sense that moderators and users gang up on anyone who for whatever reason goes against the flow. And once you think about it, that lack of acceptance means that if you go against the flow, you can’t really enjoy being here because it means that no one understands you or appreciates having you here. I wouldn’t want to be here and be myself, just to find that I continually upset people-- and they wouldn’t want me here either. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/24 "2008-12-19T18:20:25Z")
Hey, I found a neat forum that has a lot of potential to be cool! You sign up, but you’re pretty much anonymous on the board. You maintain a single identity within a thread, but your user name changes depending on what thread you’re on. But you can also look back at all the old threads you’ve posted on as well. Looks like it could be a lot of fun. It’s new, so there aren’t a ton of people on it yet, but it’s not too empty either. > **[Xsaid.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=xsaid.com)** > > Get set up with a new domain name right away. Affordable payment plans to fit any budget. Friendly customer support. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/25 "2008-12-19T18:51:18Z")
I’m curious to know what you think it is that you have to say so badly that you can’t say around here. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/26 "2008-12-19T19:10:15Z")
nothing specific; but for example, tastelessness is not appreciated here. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/27 "2008-12-19T19:12:43Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > nothing specific; but for example, tastelessness is not appreciated here. I disagree. As far as I know tastelessness has been acceptable here since 04/04/03. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/28 "2008-12-19T19:28:41Z")
Do you really think that? I strongly sense that tastelessness is not an attribute that is appreciated by those who consider themselves ‘intelligent’ and who attempt to congregate with others who consider themselves ‘intelligent.’ I think here, tastelessness would quite easily be confused with trolling-- which, to be fair, perhaps it is a form of. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/29 "2008-12-19T20:08:26Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > Do you really think that? I strongly sense that tastelessness is not an attribute that is appreciated by those who consider themselves ‘intelligent’ and who attempt to congregate with others who consider themselves ‘intelligent.’ I think here, tastelessness would quite easily be confused with trolling-- which, to be fair, perhaps it is a form of. I do indeed, I’ve posted some rather tasteless things in my time, but not just for their own sake. Posting tasteless things for the sole purpose of doing so is trolling, maybe. It depends on how it’s pulled off. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/30 "2008-12-19T20:12:26Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > I strongly sense that tastelessness is not an attribute that is appreciated by those who consider themselves ‘intelligent’ and who attempt to congregate with others who consider themselves ‘intelligent.’ And you say you’ve been here for 3 years? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bluecanary](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bluecanary/32/3614_2.png) [@bluecanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluecanary)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/31 "2008-12-19T20:16:14Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > In my opinion, the SDMB has very strong self-moderation compared to other boards. “Groupthink” is quite prevalent around here, and the offenderati are a touch more sensitive. Okay, a LOT more sensitive. For instance, any post that implies anything negative about obesity or fat people is met with the same reception as a post critical of some aspect of Sarah Palin on Free Republic. I feel that I have to walk on eggshells around here more so than on other message boards. I agree, so I see where you are coming from **Cagey Drifter**. You might enjoy [TwoPlusTwo](http://www.twoplustwo.com/) forums. Yes, its a poker site but the ‘2+2 communities’ and ‘Other topics’ forums (e.g. [Other Other Topics](http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34)) aren’t for poker discussion, and get a lot more boisterous than the SDMB does. Pretty much anything goes apart from racism. ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/32 "2008-12-19T20:20:44Z")
I think it depends on your definition of tastelessness. If you are going to seriously post something about killing mentally handicapped children for the purpose of ridding the world of them for example, you are going to get flamed… if you make a tasteless jokes thread, and put a less than tasteful joke in it, then all will be well. For the most part, I have seen stuff on these boards that I would not see many places, and may not want to see many places. If someone gets offended to something you post, they have the right to say so, and you have the right to ignore them being offended. I don’t think that you are totally alone in your concerns about people on here being a bit oversensitive, or being a bit nitpicky when going through a statement that you make. It has it’s goods and bads though… it has certainly made me think a bit more critically when making an argument. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/33 "2008-12-19T20:21:27Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > I strongly sense that tastelessness is not an attribute that is appreciated by those who consider themselves ‘intelligent’ and who attempt to congregate with others who consider themselves ‘intelligent.’ Can you give examples of what you mean? On the Straight Dope boards, we were making up darkly humorous headlines right after 9/11. We crack puns at the stupidest times. It’s true I’ve heard (and said) tasteless things in real life that I wouldn’t say here, but then again, I’ve made jokes here that I would never say aloud. Humor works differently in print; I can’t think of a way around that. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/34 "2008-12-19T20:34:38Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > Humor works differently in print; I can’t think of a way around that. We could set up one of those party chat phone lines you see advertised on late night cable, but then everyone would know that my speaking voice is really high pitched and squeeky. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/35 "2008-12-19T21:09:55Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > Hey, I found a neat forum that has a lot of potential to be cool! You sign up, but you’re pretty much anonymous on the board. You maintain a single identity within a thread, but your user name changes depending on what thread you’re on. But you can also look back at all the old threads you’ve posted on as well. Looks like it could be a lot of fun. It’s new, so there aren’t a ton of people on it yet, but it’s not too empty either. > > [http://www.xsaid.com/](http://www.xsaid.com/) I went and looked; if you think that’s a good site, I can see why the Dope is not for you. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/36 "2008-12-19T21:51:33Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > [http://www.xsaid.com/](http://www.xsaid.com/) That message board is everthing I’m glad the Straight Dope isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/37 "2008-12-20T01:57:52Z")
Give it a chance! It just started. Besides, I wouldn’t call it a ‘primary’ board. I think it might be fun to post there though. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/38 "2008-12-20T07:57:02Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > Give it a chance! It just started. Besides, I wouldn’t call it a ‘primary’ board. I think it might be fun to post there though. So tell us a little more about what you’re looking for. I have something in mind, but it has no moderation. But it sounds like you don’t really want moderation. Do you just want it to be all anonymous like the board in your link? The place I’m thinking of has some smart people and the jokes are often good, but there’s a ton of crass behavior. It’s not my style but it may be yours. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/39 "2008-12-20T09:44:43Z")
> [@BMax](#): > > Yeah, I hear you. The CITE? rebuttal, and tiptoeing around offending anyone obese get a little obnoxious here. Some posts I can’t hep but read in Quentin Tarrantino’s or Comic Book Guy’s voices. Depends on where you on the board - if you’re in GD and you want to start using anecdotes as statistically significant facts I don’t think someone asking for some evidence or substance to back up one story or an opinion is necessarily wrong. I’d paticipated in debates and given my view and got the “er, cite?” thing but in that case didn’t feel the need to start posting statistics to back it up because I was clear I was offering a view not a fact. In GQ it would kind of defeat the purpose of the forum to state mis-information or opinions when what is wanted are answers. I definitely do hear the voice of Comic Book Guy when I read some posts, though. Saying that someone who yells at you because of a typo or misplaced comma should be pitied rather than taken seriously. > [@Lemur866](#): > > But the only reason to care about whether someone is offended by your off-color jokes is if you care about the person you offend. > > Look, just be yourself. If you’re worried that people will think you’re an asshole if you post without thinking, then you’re right. But who cares if we think you’re an asshole? I’m an asshole, and I don’t give a shit who knows it. I’m sort of with you. I don’t consider myself to be an asshole generally but I know I have views and opinions which don’t sit well with some people and that simply who I am doesn’t mesh well with every other person on the planet. Some people like me (in my experience IRL it seems to be most) and some don’t, and that’s completely fine because I don’t like everyone nor would I expect to. But if someone doesn’t like what I think then tough titties for them, I’m not about to start reconstructing my personality to suit anonymous names on the t’internet. If someone posting here feels the need to self censor I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing as being intentionally rude and offensive doesn’t serve any real purpose, and having a “polite society” filter is good because it keeps society polite. But if you’re editing out your personality then you’ve gone too far - the dope isn’t a beauty pageant and no-one is handing out final scores or prizes based on popularity, so unless you’re doing something that is potentially bannable (and it’s not like you don’t get a lot of notice on that before it happens) why can’t you be yourself? Even if that person is a white supremacist fundy nutbag who things the earth is flat, if you’re prepared for some people here not to like you then you can say what you want within the boundaries of the forum’s rules. I feel like I fit in pretty well here and yet I’ve expressed some fairly out there things in my time. I think it helps that I’m not that emotionally invested in what people I don’t care about say. I’ve made friends here and I’d be upset if I offended them, and there are people I respect a lot here but don’t consider friends who I treat as cordially as I can (and hope to be treated accordingly), there is a great sea of “don’t know em, don’t really care”, and there are some oxygen stealers who I wish would die a slow and painful death. If I got upset at every little thing I’d have flounced out the door the first time someone threw Satanist or Vampire at me as an insult, instead I just see that as the pathetic attempt to demolish my credibility with irrelevant information that it is. Maybe you should do the same. Hmmmm - that post turned out rather long. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151/40 "2008-12-20T14:57:31Z")
> [@Cagey\_Drifter](#): > > Do you really think that? I strongly sense that tastelessness is not an attribute that is appreciated by those who consider themselves ‘intelligent’ and who attempt to congregate with others who consider themselves ‘intelligent.’ I think here, tastelessness would quite easily be confused with trolling-- which, to be fair, perhaps it is a form of. There’s tasteless and then there’s stupid. I’ve read some of the “greatest SDMB threads” threads and there’s always a link to a thread that’s both tasteless and hilarious. The site to which you linked has threads that may well be tasteless but are too boring to be bothered about. I do wonder if the demographics don’t play a part. It seems the average poster on that site is college aged or a little younger white and male. I couldn’t bring myself to stick around very long. There’s only so many threads I can read about hooking up and questions about penises before my eyes glaze over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-online-forum-w-intelligent-people-and-little-moderation/476151.md?page=3)