# Pit Language Rules - what's the point? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 20, 2014, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004 "2014-09-20T10:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/21 "2014-09-20T23:57:20Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > We can’t wish death on non-posters? I didn’t know that! News to me, too. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/22 "2014-09-21T00:16:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > News to me, too. I think **Dex** was mixing two different rules. Half the threads in the Pit are about wishing death on someone not a poster. Well, maybe not exactly half, but lots. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/23 "2014-09-21T00:19:41Z")
The effective owner of the board, **Ed Zotti** , decided one day that he wanted to make some changes and so he did. That’s the beginning and end of it. He even explicitly banned the phrase “cunt lapper” even though it had never been used ever prior to him banning it. It’s his board and he gets to make the rules. End of story. I didn’t agree with it at the time but it’s difficult to argue that it in any way squelches discussion. There are many creative and not so creative ways of getting around the language restrictions and I don’t believe that anyone has ever been given an actual Warning for accidentally slipping up on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/24 "2014-09-21T02:33:08Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > We can’t wish death on non-posters? I didn’t know that! From the Registration Agreement (this has been in place since forever): > [@](#): > > You are free to express your views in a forceful manner provided you remain civil. Hate speech, insults, and purposely inflammatory remarks (i.e., trolling) will not be tolerated. Do not post threats or state or imply that any individual or group is deserving of harm. We recognize that this rule cannot be strictly applied in discussions of war, capital punishment and the like but urge users to express themselves in moderate terms nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/25 "2014-09-21T02:38:15Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > We can’t wish death on non-posters? I didn’t know that! You can, however, do like I do. And that’s keep the pins in those voodoo dolls without mentioning it on the Board. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/26 "2014-09-21T02:44:17Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > You can, however, do like I do. And that’s keep the pins in those voodoo dolls without mentioning it on the Board. Don’t mention setting them on fire either. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/27 "2014-09-21T02:44:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > We can’t wish death on non-posters? I didn’t know that! > [@Miller](#): > > News to me, too. > [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > From the Registration Agreement (this has been in place since forever): It would seem the moderators don’t all interpret that statement the same way. Perhaps you folks such collectively clarify. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/28 "2014-09-21T11:11:14Z")
My apologies, I was quoting the Registration Agreement, which I assumed applied everywhere. I don’t go to the Pit, I don’t know the Pit rules, and apparently forum rules trump the Registration Agreement. I apologize for the misstatement, and I will refrain from commenting about the Pit in future. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004/29 "2014-09-21T15:00:40Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > My apologies, I was quoting the Registration Agreement, which I assumed applied everywhere. I don’t go to the Pit, I don’t know the Pit rules, and apparently forum rules trump the Registration Agreement. > > I apologize for the misstatement, and I will refrain from commenting about the Pit in future. Thanks. I was just about to wish death upon any such comments! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-language-rules-whats-the-point/699004.md?page=1)