Nvm this is ATMB not GD
Exactly.
Frankly, there’s enough “I am a sad panda” bullshit (as opposed to people genuinely struggling with serious issues) elsewhere on the internet and I don’t want to see it become enshrined here.
That new guidance is wonderful, but a notice hidden in the middle of a long Pit thread is not.
As pointed out in the Hitchhikers Guide-
#" “But the plans were on display…”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”
“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.”"
I want to say that I liked the concept of the idea of a new Safe Forum, but I agree in practice it would be impractical.
Both you and Roo seem to be under the mistaken impression that a rule has been posted. It hasn’t yet, they’re still working on it. The post you linked is temporary guidance.
The ultimate argument against safe zones: this thread
I said “guidance”, not “rule.”
However- It’ll take us a while to formulate a new rule in precise language, but the gist will be this: if you express yourself in a way that we consider to be beyond the pale of civil discussion, whether in style or substance, we’ll warn you to knock it off, specifying what it is we want you to stop, on penalty of losing your posting privileges. This rule applies in all forums including the Pit…A more formal statement of this rule will be provided in due time.
This rule goes into effect now.
I think it is clear that it IS a rule. Argue with Ed if you don’t think it is.
Your complaint is that it’s posted somewhere out of the way. What part of “a more formal statement of the rule will be provided in due time” is unclear? If that new rule is posted somewhere out of the way like halfway through a random Pit thread, bring this complaint up again.
That is my fear of the “Safe Zone.”
Poster: I smoke four packs of cigarettes per day and am 100 pounds overweight. I get tired and short of breath when climbing stairs. Suggestions? And please, supportive comments only.
What could be said to that post that is within the rules of the hypothetical new forum?
I would say enough nails have been hammered into the coffin of the Safe Zone, from both left and right.
It’s time to bury the suggestion!
“Talk to your doctor. There are treatment regimens that will help you safely lose the weight and quit smoking.”
Sure, that’s the disclaimer on everything. But we have many threads seeking advice and “talk to a doctor, lawyer, auto mechanic, electrician, HVAC repair person” would make many threads very short.
Now obviously calling the poster a fat ass and an idiot for smoking would be against the rules in any forum, but it is not clear where in this new forum the line would be drawn. Could telling the guy to cut back on smoking be seen as a criticism of his lifestyle?
This doesn’t seem on-topic for the kind of safe zone proposed in post #1.
The idea seeks to create a safe place for people to seek social support and affirmation in the face of personal crisis.
Think more along these lines:
‘I had a death in the family…’
‘I have been diagnosed with cancer…’
‘I was raped…’
‘I had a mental breakdown…’
‘I have been diagnosed with alzheimer’s…’
The hypothetical you provided reads like a complaint or solicitation for medical advice and not a call for social support in a time of crisis.
~Max
If there is a specific forum where you’re not to criticize people, set up on a message board, what exactly prevents you from doing so elsewhere? If you don’t like that forum, what requires that you open it?
For example, this thread:
I must be reading this wrong. It looks to me like you are saying something posted in the Safe Zone forum could be brought up in other forums. That can’t be right or there would be no use for a safe zone in the first place.
There is no mechanism to stop that
~Max
This thread leads to the Positive Gun News thread. IIRC, that came about partly because people complained that “positive” shootings were being brought up in one of the omnibus shooting threads inn the Pit. This was seen as a compromise: no pro shooting people in the omnibus threads, no anti shooting people in the “positive” thread. Of course some people still weren’t happy with that but that’s what a compromise is.
I think the omnibus threads should be moved to MPSIMS as they are literally the definition of breaking news and that’s where breaking news is supposed to go. It’s shootings as they happen, not just rehashing old crimes over and over again.
As for the “positive” thread, I solve that by scrolling past it and never opening it.
Sorry for the two posts in a row, I meant them to be all in one.
RIP me
~Max
Warnings, banning, and in fact, it is already against the rules to an extent. You are not allowed to bring up old arguments or out of topic discussions from other forums.
The SDMB cannot apply sanctions on other forums. If you put yourself out there on the internet, there is nothing stopping the internet from making fun of you.
Actually the registration agreement addresses this.
Please remember that postings on this board are visible to anyone with access to the Internet, and are retained in a database indefinitely. In addition, the SDMB is open to third-party search engines (“spiders”). Please do not post personal revelations or other information that may come back to haunt you.
~Max