But what is exceptionally hateful? I didn’t like being called a traitor in a pre-change pit thread, and I very much did not appreciate people that slammed my family with the tired old “Southern=inbred” horseshit. Somebody else might say that wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, and not to get butthurt about it. The pit is a place where people aren’t going to play nice. Accept that, or stay out.
Let 'em say it. Personally I’d just be happy with going back to the “don’t be a jerk” rule, if that rule were enforced more vigorously. Rules that look like that, I lke; rules that don’t, I don’t much like.
Listen, you guys, we got a plan here. We’re going to have a Bad Words list. If it’s on the list, you can’t (a) direct it at other posters, or (b) use it in thread titles. If it’s not on the list, you can. (We will, of course, have an Emergency Grossout rule, whereby if it makes a mod barf, we can make it, and possibly the OP, go away.) We’ll revise the list from time to time, taking user opinion into account when we do so. (Note: Cunt is always going to be on there, because I want it on the there and I’m the site administrator, and I get 1,000,000 votes.) OK?
Ed, I’m not particularly fond of the word “cunt” either. But it is just a word. Would you mind not calling your list "Bad Words’? There really are no bad words. Would you agree to calling them “forbidden words”? That would be more in keeping with academic standards.
The time that the use of “cunt” bothered me the most was when someone kept talking about “kicking her in the cunt.” It wasn’t some Doper that he was talking about kicking either. I think it was strangers walking into his shop. Violence against women bothers me.
Notice that when you and I have used the word “cunt” here, it wasn’t bad at all.
Thank you very much for reconsidering Rule #2.
It’s still an insult because it is a way of calling them a girl which is still at least sub-consciously thought of as being inferior. The same is true of the word sissy. I can give you other examples of how female terms are used as metaphors for weakness and male terms are used as metaphors for strength.
I think it’s clear that “Charter Member” violates the dick rule. Since member is a well-known euphemism for dick (the sexual penis variety, not the Sam Spade detective variety), seeing it under those posters that pay to post offends the sensibility of the user community considerably. However, asshole is not sexual… therefore, I suggest that “Charter Members” become “Charter Assholes” and “Members” become “Assholes” immediately.
Well, at least you’re finally owning up to the sillyass arbitrariness of your position, I guess that’s something. That being said, why in hell don’t you just go have a little chat with Mr Davis and ask him to activate the censorship feature that EVERY message board software has which allows you to substitute words you DON’T like, such as “cunt” with something you find less objectionable, such as “c*nt?” Your tender sensibilities are protected from ever being confronted with OMGBADWORDZ!!ONOEZ!!1!! and the rest of us don’t have to waste our time further with giving a crap about whether or not you’re going to have an attack of the vapors and ban people. Win/win.
If this is gong to be the new version of the rule, that’s fine by me, but I hope you’ll make that list very short, and not put “fuck” or “shit” or “dick” or the like on it.
As I said elsewhere, when someone suggested I was a “monster” who valued my principles above the lives of gay teenagers, it was satisfying and cathartic to have “fuck you” available as a response, and I then went back to Great Debates and debated the point without a lot of venom. I don’t pit people often at all (less than one per year here, I think), but when I do, I appreciate having options open.
I’m not a big fan of banning any words. That said, if Ed is bound and determined to do it, I hereby move that the list be known officially as the “Carlin List”.
I’ve merged Stink Fish Pot’s separate thread with this one since they’re both discussing the same subject, so if the above few posts seem somewhat confusing, my apologies.
Ed I appreciate your responses. The most frustrating thing about this whole mess was the feeling that no one was listening. I have a feeling you will have a lot of people who disagree with any changes but the anger came from being ignored.
If I was Ed Zotti I would do it this way:
No profanity in thread titles
No pitting of mods. Questions for mods go in ATMB.
No mods participating in pits of others.
Don’t be a jerk. Pits must have a point and not just be name calling.
Everything else stays the same. Mods and Admins can not ignore the pit so there is #2. Everyone else can.
