# Pit rules have been revised **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 24, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256 "2009-02-24T19:34:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/101 "2009-02-24T21:06:25Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > I don’t want to get into a protracted discussion of hypotheticals, but none of the above strikes me as abusive. > > 1, no. 2-5, offhand yes. > [@Giraffe](#): > > I think this is one of the things that is causing the most confusion. **Ed** , could you clarify this? For example, let’s say I post a political opinion in the Pit someone strongly disagrees with – which, if any, of the following would be viewed as abusive under the new rule? > > 1. Go to hell, **Giraffe**. > 2. Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you douchebag. > 3. Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you fat ugly loser. > 4. Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you dripping vagina face. > 5. Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you asshole. > 6. Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you diseased smegma-encrusted urethra. > > I know it’s annoying to have to play semantics, but I really think it’s necessary to give people a clearer sense of behavior you are trying to eliminate. Wait… so “Go to hell, you dripping vagina face” is NOT ok, but “Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you diseased smegma-encrusted urethra.” IS ok and it’s supposed to obvious??? Terrible, ridiculous rules. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/102 "2009-02-24T21:11:02Z")
Some of this is starting to remind me of the absurdities of FCC regulations over the years. You can say “anal sex” and you can say “bent over a sink,” but “anal sex bent over a sink” is gonna cost you $500,000. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/103 "2009-02-24T21:11:34Z")
Oh good, invisible hoops! There’s an obvious growth strategy if I ever saw one. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/104 "2009-02-24T21:12:46Z")
> [@Dr.Woo](#): > > [Bolding mine] > > Exactly my confusion. What is the problem statement? Why is it that all of a sudden posters insulting each other is a bad thing that needs to be stopped? My confusion as well. I suspect the child of some upper management at Creative Loafing read the word “assgoblin” or something like it in the pit, and now mommy or daddy is pressuring Ed. After a full decade of us calling each other cuntwaffles and goatfelchers in the pit, I doubt all of a sudden this stuff is suddenly bothering the admins. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/105 "2009-02-24T21:13:50Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > I don’t know what posts C K Dexter Haven is thinking of, but I’ve already seen people saying that this ruins the SDMB, that this is the final nail in the coffin of the message board, etc. Wow, Arnold, less than an hour into the new Pit rules, and you’re making me nostalgic for the Pit. Back in the day I would have pitted the ever-loving shit out of you. Back when there was a 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 24, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/106 "2009-02-24T21:15:13Z")
I don’t post in the pit, so I can’t complain about what rules you set up for it. I do make my living by manipulating words, and I care deeply about words. That’s one of the reasons I come here. Words count for more here than at more sites. So I have to tell you that the following rule is insanity. > [@](#): > > 1. No abusive remarks directed at other posters. Basically this means you can’t tell another poster to fuck off (or similar). Creative insults on the other hand are welcome as always. You make think you understood what you meant by this when you wrote it. Nobody else does. Nobody else can. It’s self-contradictory and against all human nature. It begs to be flouted. I get your intent. Doesn’t matter. By setting it out this way you’ve set yourself up for failure. Didn’t we just have a thread about having one’s cake and eating it too? Once you’re bogged down in defining thoughtcrime nothing else matters. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/107 "2009-02-24T21:16:13Z")
So, I guess the real question with regard to the Abuse / Insult rule is “How much do the Members here trust the Staffers to rule in a fair, reasonable, and consistent manner?” A follow-up question might be “How possible will it be, under the new rules, for Staffers to rule in a fair, reasonable, and consistent manner?” I don’t know the answers to those questions. I do know that I wouldn’t want the headache of sorting it all out. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/108 "2009-02-24T21:16:17Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > These distinctions are _not_ at all clear. It’s a recipe for disaster, frankly. I haven’t yet read anything that amounts to much more than, “We’ll know ‘too far’ when we see it.” How in world do any of you think this (quite legitimate) confusion could result in anything but _more_ problems? Most warnings will have to be based on these admittedly fuzzy lines, and each one will just stir the pot more. A few comments: 1. First of all, relax. I read a lot of Pit threads. Posts I’d consider abusive are pretty rare. 2. You’re not going to get banned because you called somebody a cunt. We’ll just tell you to stop. If you keep it up after you’ve been told to stop, then you could have problems, although in the early going we’re not likely to come down on anyone too hard. 3. We understand this is a new rule and will take a while to get used to. We hope people will appreciate the intent - we’re trying to establish some minimal level of civility in the Pit. If you think this is impossible, we respectfully disagree. If you think the Pit won’t be any fun any more, I guess we’ll see. The question was raised: Was I told to do this? No. I _am_ trying to put things on a more businesslike basis. To the extent people think we’re running a biker bar here … well, let’s just say where I can see it would complicate my life. So I’d rather deal with the issue now rather than later. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/109 "2009-02-24T21:16:21Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > On the question of no abusive remarks at other posters: > Well, we knew there’d be over-reaction. Look, we’re not saying you can’t insult other posters. We’re saying that there’s a line (however fuzzy.) “You’re a jerk” is acceptable; “Fuck yourself” is not. “You’re stupid” is fine; “You’re a cunt” is not. It’s a question of insult vs abuse. There is a difference, and it’s usually pretty clear. We’re not cutting out insults, we’re cutting out viciousness and abusiveness. > > Are we going to define it? Sure, if someone would like to draft up the 700-page document… which would still not be fine enough. So why change the rules to something that would require a 700-page document at all? WTF was wrong with the Pit before? Were posters ODing on sleeping pills because somebody called them an “asshole”? I don’t get it. The Pit was, first and foremost, _entertaining_ for a lot of us. Now you’ve basically done the equivalent of telling posters (_adult_ posters mostly, I should add) that we can no longer see R-rated movies and must content ourselves with PG-13 and below. Do you not understand why people think this is crap? Obviously you don’t, with your condescending “over-reaction” line. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/110 "2009-02-24T21:16:21Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Wait… so “Go to hell, you dripping vagina face” is NOT ok, but “Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you diseased smegma-encrusted urethra.” IS ok and it’s supposed to obvious??? > > Terrible, ridiculous rules. I _think_ #6 is supposed to be abusive as well, and the “2-5” was a typo. If not, then yes that’s pretty weird. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/111 "2009-02-24T21:19:29Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Wait… so “Go to hell, you dripping vagina face” is NOT ok, but “Go to hell, **Giraffe** , you diseased smegma-encrusted urethra.” IS ok and it’s supposed to obvious??? > > Terrible, ridiculous rules. My apologies for the typo. I meant 2 through 6. Relax. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Call_Me_Shirley)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/112 "2009-02-24T21:19:46Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > I _think_ #6 is supposed to be abusive as well, and the “2-5” was a typo. If not, then yes that’s pretty weird. I just assumed it was as a result of the Puritanical fear of the word vagina. ---
**Author:** ![GillianBoardman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GillianBoardman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GillianBoardman)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/113 "2009-02-24T21:20:01Z")
I mostly lurk, because typically somebody else has said what I want to say, faster and better than I could. But except for that year that I was flat broke, as in depending on friends to feed me, I have paid my membership fee, because I wanted to be a Doper. Every day when I sign on the first place I go is the Pit. Only after seeking out the most over the top and outrageous insults do I then move on to forums with more social value. The Pit was a special treat, a place I could count on to have some reason to laugh during uniformly bleak days. If its going to be castrated, I fail to see any reason to continue to support this board…because I think we are all really clear that the whole fighting ignorance thing is futile. A noble pursuit, but about as effective as tilting at windmills. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/114 "2009-02-24T21:20:37Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > A few comments: > > 1. First of all, relax. I read a lot of Pit threads. Posts I’d consider abusive are pretty rare. > . Than why is a rule necessary at all? IME, legislation for the rare exception almost always is idiotic. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/115 "2009-02-24T21:21:37Z")
Can we speak in hypotheticals? How about: “If it wasn’t against the new Pit rules, I would call you a no good motherfucker. But since it is, I won’t!” ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/116 "2009-02-24T21:22:59Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Some of this is starting to remind me of the absurdities of FCC regulations over the years. You can say “anal sex” and you can say “bent over a sink,” but “anal sex bent over a sink” is gonna cost you $500,000. Bingo! Or the Hays Code that infantilized the movies for 30 years from the mid-30s. “Male and female posters should always have one leg on the floor when posting from a bed.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/117 "2009-02-24T21:23:11Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > They all would be, because you can’t imply that you want someone to die. You can go to Hell without dying. Just take I-40 westbound from Nashvile for about 2 hours. Bang! You’re in Memphis. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/118 "2009-02-24T21:24:40Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You can go to Hell without dying. Just take I-40 westbound from Nashvile for about 2 hours. Bang! You’re in Memphis. You misspelled “Fresno”. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/119 "2009-02-24T21:25:06Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > You can go to Hell without dying. Just take I-40 westbound from Nashvile for about 2 hours. Bang! You’re in Memphis. Shhh… that’s hate-speech now! I’d like to state publicly that I support Memphisensians and think that their oppression by The Man should end! ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256/120 "2009-02-24T21:26:12Z")
There was nothing wrong with the Pit. Now there is. I hardly ever post there, but do read it for the entertainment value of which there will now be zero. You haven’t fixed anything Ed, it seems you’ve smashed it to bits. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pit-rules-have-been-revised/487256.md?page=7)