# Proposed language restrictions in the Pit

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-language-restrictions-in-the-pit/487910>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [March 1, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-language-restrictions-in-the-pit/487910 "2009-03-01T20:44:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 84

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**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:** [March 2, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proposed-language-restrictions-in-the-pit/487910/84 "2009-03-02T06:47:49Z")

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> [@TVeblen](#):
>
> Look, the real goal is to cut down on stupid nastiness, casual and pointed, right? You want to cut down on vicious personal flaming, obscenities strewn about pointlessly and mods catching abuse just for doing their jobs. So the point is just a general clean-up.

That’s the goal, yes. If you can suggest a better way to accomplish it than what we’ve come up with so far, I’m happy to hear it. However, with all respect, saying we should have “a general clean-up” is not a useful piece of advice. It’s like saying all we need to do is enforce the “don’t be a jerk” rule. It’s not that simple.

> [@](#):
>
> Given the brand–Cecil, in all his pithy glory–there’s a limit to how far the place can be sanitized. Cece doesn’t clutter his columns with mindless obscenities either so the ‘Cecil can do it but we can’t’ argument doesn’t fly. The current rerun of greatest hits on the front page is a worthwhile reminder of the freewheeling range of interests that attract posters in the first place though.

Precisely. I’m not trying to restrict the range of discussion. I’m trying to limit the use of a handful of crude expressions. If people think the board will be sanitized as a result, that’s their privilege, but it’s not an argument I can take very seriously.

> [@](#):
>
> I don’t think even the most outspoken critic of the new Pit rules want the SDMB to resemble the mind-numbing swamp so common with other sites. One glimpse at IMDb and YouTube is enough to make a thinking person grab for brain bleach.
> 
> A codified set of forbidden words is guaranteed to spawn yet more rules and usage nitpicking and unholy _hassle_ for you guys.

You’ll have to excuse me, Veb, but I’m not following the logic here. You don’t want the SDMB to be a swamp, but you apparently also think we shouldn’t impose new rules, or at least not this rule. What then would you propose?

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