# Is this verbiage allowed in The BBQ Pit? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 1, 2015, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502 "2015-02-01T11:14:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/41 "2015-02-03T02:34:28Z")
I took **samclean’s** remark as levity, I certainly didn’t detect it being aimed at anyone in particular; especially to you, **drewtoo99.** As to your OP, FWIW, I’m sure you’re not interested in insulting anyone personally either in the PIT, it seems you’re just curious as to what is allowed there. samclean, I expect a check in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/42 "2015-02-03T02:50:03Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I was wondering if we would be allowed to say things to other Dopers along the lines of: > > 1. “The world would be a better place with less people like you in it.” > > 2. “I wish that people like you would never have been born.” > > I am curious if these run afoul of the “wishing harm” clause. No; you would have to say: The world would be a better place with _fewer_ people like you in it. I wish that people like you _had_ never been born. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/43 "2015-02-03T03:10:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Show me how I could have possibly found that ‘nag’ was restricted language in ATMB. If there was a published list of which words are not allowed in which forum, and which subjects were not allowed in each forum, then what would the Mods have to do? Delete spam? ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/44 "2015-02-03T03:20:36Z")
Hey **drewtoo99** just read your OP in the PIT. Okay, maybe you were learning how to insult properly after all. 😃 Not bad at all, btw, it made me laugh aloud after reading this thread first. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/45 "2015-02-03T03:27:07Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > If there was a published list of which words are not allowed in which forum, and which subjects were not allowed in each forum, then what would the Mods have to do? > > Delete spam? Well, it’s not like people actually adhere to rules all the time, so they’d still be the enforcers, but at least they wouldn’t be making things up all the time like ‘you can’t say ‘nag’ in ATMB’. I have no problem with ‘Don’t be a jerk’ which gives the mods some discretion which gets applied rarely and randomly. But ‘hey hey hey, you can’t say that in this forum even though you had no way to know that you couldn’t do that’ isn’t fair especially when a person asks and is specifically told (by Ed, in this thread) ‘nope, not telling you’. I mean, should DrewTwo try one of those lines so it’s not a hypothetical and we can get a ruling? Honestly, it shouldn’t be a hard question, we don’t need a new rule to be made up for it, Ed (or a mod) could simply tell DrewTwo if it’s over the line and that would (should) be that. It’s like asking a cop if it’s okay to smoke within 25 feet of the fire exit. The cop might say ‘nope, against state law to smoke within 25 feet of an exit’ or ‘go ahead, since that’s ONLY a fire exit and not used for anything else, that’s fine’, the cop isn’t going to say ‘I’m not telling you, go ahead and try it and I’ll give you a ticket if you can’t do it’. If those lines aren’t allowed, there’s no reason for the mods to not just step up, say they can’t be used and cite a rule. If they can be used, than say it. If they don’t want them to be used, but they’re allowed to be used, tough. That’s what happens in a rule oriented message board. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/46 "2015-02-03T08:56:57Z")
What happens if you tell a cop to fuck a cactus? What if he’s got a pointed stick? ---
**Author:** ![Tuxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Tuxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuxie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/47 "2015-02-03T15:44:53Z")
Obviously the mods are going to have their friends, and it will not take a savant to look at inconsistencies in enforcement. Taking things on a “case to case basis” is Newspeak for using their position as mods to enforce the rules selectively based on who is more favored. What you are allowed to say in the pit has more to do with that than an arbitrary list of acceptable insults. And I would assume most of us here are aware of that. ---
**Author:** ![Methyl\_Ethyl\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Methyl\_Ethyl\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Methyl_Ethyl_Death)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/48 "2015-02-03T16:00:52Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > What happens if you tell a cop to fuck a cactus? What if he’s got a pointed stick? Shutup!! ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/49 "2015-02-03T20:36:52Z")
> [@Tuxie](#): > > Taking things on a “case to case basis” is Newspeak for using their position as mods to enforce the rules selectively based on who is more favored. > > What you are allowed to say in the pit has more to do with that than an arbitrary list of acceptable insults. And I would assume most of us here are aware of that. Not really. Speaking only for myself, I’ve modded people on here before who I consider friends. It doesn’t have any bearing on anything if someone is breaking the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/50 "2015-02-03T21:08:42Z")
Hold your friends close, your enemies closer, and cactii closest of all. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/51 "2015-02-03T22:13:00Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > **Colibri** , a mod, established that it is ok to say “go fuck a cactus” in the Pit. Oh. Seems arbitrary, but I don’t really feel the need to tell anyone to fuck either themselves or a cactus, so it was just idle curiosity. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/52 "2015-02-03T22:51:52Z")
> [@Tuxie](#): > > Obviously the mods are going to have their friends, and it will not take a savant to look at inconsistencies in enforcement. Taking things on a “case to case basis” is Newspeak for using their position as mods to enforce the rules selectively based on who is more favored. > > … I’ve been here almost 8 years and I’ve never seen mods play favorites to members when it comes to doing what they do. You break a rule, you get attention. In the 6 weeks you’ve been here you’ve seen otherwise? I’d love for you to link to a few of those instances where mods have been selective or inconsistent. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/53 "2015-02-04T00:29:21Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I’ve been here almost 8 years and I’ve never seen mods play favorites to members when it comes to doing what they do. You break a rule, you get attention. > > In the 6 weeks you’ve been here you’ve seen otherwise? I’d love for you to link to a few of those instances where mods have been selective or inconsistent. I’ll second that. I haven’t seen mods play favorites here either. Some people complain about the rules here a lot. But it plays both ways. The rules keep both sides in check. Both the mods and the posters have to play by the same rules. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/54 "2015-02-20T22:38:18Z")
Both Mark Twain and Clarence Darrow are sometimes credited with saying, “I have never wished anyone dead, but I have read some obituaries with a great deal of satisfaction.” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/55 "2015-02-20T23:11:22Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Both Mark Twain and Clarence Darrow are sometimes credited with saying, “I have never wished anyone dead, but I have read some obituaries with a great deal of satisfaction.” Neither originated it, but a “Judge Hoar” did in or about 1885, saying that he didn’t attend their funeral but he approved of it. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/56 "2015-02-20T23:41:25Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > **Colibri** , a mod, established that it is ok to say “go fuck a cactus” in the Pit. Because it’s okay to insult a cactus in the Pit. ---
**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 21, 2015, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/57 "2015-02-21T03:24:10Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Because it’s okay to insult a cactus in the Pit. How do you insult a cactus without sounding like a fourth-grader? “The only point you’ve ever made is on top of your head!” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/58 "2015-02-21T05:01:32Z")
“You’re spiky on the outside and soft on the inside, just like… well, you know!” ---
**Author:** ![Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ac8455/32.png) [@Your\_Great\_Darsh\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Your_Great_Darsh_Face)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/59 "2015-02-21T08:32:32Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Because it’s okay to insult a cactus in the Pit. So in effect we’re saying “Go fuck a cactus - which, by the way, is an insult to the cactus”. Sounds good. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502/60 "2015-02-21T19:23:48Z")
> [@Darth\_Nader](#): > > What happens if you tell a cop to fuck a cactus? What if he’s got a pointed stick? Release the tiger? Wait – that’s a raspberries. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-verbiage-allowed-in-the-bbq-pit/711502.md?page=4)