# Protesting the Warning I was given **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 29, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981 "2012-08-29T00:26:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/1 "2012-08-29T00:26:58Z")
Okay. So, it’s been six days since I’ve posted and thought about this. Although my choice of words may have been wrong, I didn’t deserve a warning: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=15412921#post15412921](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=15412921#post15412921) Posters in this thread were making “jokes” about my home and current state of residence. I responded in kind with a similar “joke” about a racial ethnic group to see if it would garner the same hilarity. Jokes about West Virginia deserve a note, but generic racial slurs directed at no one deserve a moderator warning. I disagree. Yes, I should have reported the post, but I come from the old school where we don’t run to the teacher when we are picked on during recess. If the board thinks I’m wrong, I will accept the democratic process. Otherwise, I believe my warning should be rescinded, and more attention should be placed upon specific regional and religious insults instead of generic racial insults. I await the judgment of the good citizens. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/2 "2012-08-29T00:38:24Z")
Well, I don’t necessarily agree with it, either, but the rule here is that you are supposed to run to the teacher when you’re picked on. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/3 "2012-08-29T00:42:25Z")
Dude…that was in GQ. The forum with the strictest rules about that sort of thing. You might have gotten off with a note in GD, but not in GQ. ---
**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:** [August 29, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/4 "2012-08-29T00:52:47Z")
Use of a racial slur and junior mod’ing. You lose. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/5 "2012-08-29T00:53:54Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Dude…that was in GQ. The forum with the strictest rules about that sort of thing. You might have gotten off with a note in GD, but not in GQ. oh? I thought there was one rule for the the BBQ Pit and one for everywhere else. no? ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/6 "2012-08-29T00:58:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Use of a racial slur and junior mod’ing. You lose. And IIRC, you were making a “joke” about my state of residence in that thread and got a mod note. You didn’t use a slur…just bashed my state. Is that better? ---
**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:** [August 29, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/7 "2012-08-29T01:04:26Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > And IIRC, you were making a “joke” about my state of residence in that thread and got a mod note. You didn’t use a slur…just bashed my state. Is that better? Yes. Well, not as bad. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/8 "2012-08-29T01:08:50Z")
Does anyone ever get their warnings rescinded? I’ve never seen such action taken. These threads are a waste of time. ---
**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:** [August 29, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/9 "2012-08-29T01:11:16Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Does anyone ever get their warnings rescinded? I’ve never seen such action taken. These threads are a waste of time. In some situations, mods re-consider and warnings have been rescinded. We’re only human, and we do make mistakes on occasion, and we can correct those mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/10 "2012-08-29T01:11:59Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yes. Well, not as bad. Well…see that’s my problem with the moderation. It’s acceptable for you to make jokes about West Virginians fucking their cousins, but if I respond with hyperbole, I get a mod warning. Double standard there, IMHO. Are blacks less subject to insults than West Virginians? Or Irish? Or Ole Miss Grads? Or Jews? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/11 "2012-08-29T01:12:40Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Does anyone ever get their warnings rescinded? I’ve never seen such action taken. These threads are a waste of time. Yes, the better mods have admitted error and rescinded warnings a few times. Doesn’t happen often, but it is possible with certain mods. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/12 "2012-08-29T01:17:02Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Well…see that’s my problem with the moderation. It’s acceptable for you to make jokes about West Virginians fucking their cousins, but if I respond with hyperbole, I get a mod warning. Double standard there, IMHO. Are blacks less subject to insults than West Virginians? Or Irish? Or Ole Miss Grads? Or Jews? You got a warning for a double whammy of using a racial slur and junior modding in GQ. You just took things too far with the N-bomb, and then you got a bit ranty about the moderation. John got a note for his comment. In football parlance, John jumped offsides, and you roughed the QB after the play was over. He gets 5 yards, you get 15. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/13 "2012-08-29T01:28:21Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > You got a warning for a double whammy of using a racial slur and junior modding in GQ. You just took things too far with the N-bomb, and then you got a bit ranty about the moderation. John got a note for his comment. In football parlance, John jumped offsides, and you roughed the QB after the play was over. He gets 5 yards, you get 15. I’ll address your two points: 1. Racial slurs are only prohibited on this board in as much as they are directed at posters or directed towards people in a mean spirited way. The word “nigger” is all over this board. It is used for a variety of purposes. A board search can confirm that. In my post I did not direct a slur or demean the African American race with my post. (To anyone who read it in context) 2. My “junior modding” comment was a bit over the top. There was a passage of time from the two comments about West Virginians and their cousins. No notes or moderation. Perhaps I should have told the teacher. That wasn’t what I got the warning about. I got a warning for my language which is prevalent all over the board. I should have gotten a note…as I said my words were chosen poorly. But I still contend that the mods let the WV/MS/AL, the south jokes about incest stand without recourse. I am offended by that. A lot of good people live in my state, none of which have sex with their families. Tolerance needs to be expanded. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/14 "2012-08-29T01:31:32Z")
I think your problem was the use of the word nigger. Had you said exactly the same thing but with “black people” you’d have an excellent point. Although the more I think about it I can’t really see why using the word nigger makes things worse, because when you used it was effectively short hand for “black people, who are niggers”. No different to “west virginians, who are niggers”. All in all I think you have a point. But on the other hand does it really matter? You don’t have to declare a SDMB warning to your next employer you know. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/15 "2012-08-29T01:33:01Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > But I still contend that the mods let the WV/MS/AL, the south jokes about incest stand without recourse. I am offended by that. A lot of good people live in my state, none of which have sex with their families. Tolerance needs to be expanded. I agree with you here. I get offended by that stuff, too. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/16 "2012-08-29T01:35:01Z")
I thought your intent was very clear, and did not indicate racism on your part. You said something very ugly to emphasize that you found the other post very ugly. I agree the other post was breathtakingly ugly. I did not find the post immediately preceding yours particularly edifying, either. I find it disturbing that only you were warned; your language may have been more offensive, but the sentiment was not. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/17 "2012-08-29T02:02:48Z")
Originally I was kind of with the OP this one. Ultimately I’m not so sure. I’m offended by the posts that triggered the OP post. I think the casualness with which the OP threw around “nigger” bothers me a bit more. ‘Blacks’ could have been used to exactly the same effect without the inflamitory nature. And as been noted, around these parts you should report regardless of your schoolyard history. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/18 "2012-08-29T02:05:13Z")
**jtgain** , I just want to thank you for defending our home state. I get sick of that shit, too. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/19 "2012-08-29T02:13:21Z")
I think the warning should be changed to a note. I think that gratuitous slams against the South are repellent and are signs that the person making the slams is a bigot. It’s among the most acceptable bigotries among the left (I once, hilariously, got chided for being a straight white man daring to criticize a gay white man for his nasty comment about the South, despite the fact that I and not he am engaged in the struggle for equal rights for gay folks in the South and have dear friends impacted by the local homophobia–but that’s another story). I think your comparison to racism was over-the-top and unwarranted. That about covers it. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981/20 "2012-08-29T03:07:34Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > 1. Racial slurs are only prohibited on this board in as much as they are directed at posters or directed towards people in a mean spirited way. Nonsense. Where did you get that from? Racial slurs should in general _not_ be used on the board. They may be permitted in certain cases, such as discussion of the offensiveness of the term itself, song lyrics, literature, etc. Gratuitous use merely for effect, as yours was, should not be regarded as being permitted. Certainly they should not be tossed around casually in GQ. If you had merely said “black,” I would have made it a note instead of a warning. Using “nigger” was entirely out of line. The object of these rules is to keep discussion in GQ and other forums on track. Tossing around grossly offensive terms as you did is likely to derail a thread into responses to the terms themselves rather than the subject at hand. > [@](#): > > 1. My “junior modding” comment was a bit over the top. There was a passage of time from the two comments about West Virginians and their cousins. No notes or moderation. Perhaps I should have told the teacher. I’ll say it was over the top. As I said in my warning, if you were so exceedingly distressed by the other posts you should have reported them. And it’s juvenile to regard reporting a post as being “telling the teacher.” We don’t read every thread (not even most of them), and since a few of us have actual lives we may not even see a thread report for several hours. If you’ve reported a post and a mod has not taken action, you can follow up with a PM or email to see if he or she just not seen the report yet, or decided that the report didn’t merit action. _In no circumstances are you justified in retaliating against another poster on your own._ > [@](#): > > I should have gotten a note…as I said my words were chosen poorly. But I still contend that the mods let the WV/MS/AL, the south jokes about incest stand without recourse. I am offended by that. A lot of good people live in my state, none of which have sex with their families. Tolerance needs to be expanded. The remarks got a note as soon as I became aware of them. You got a warning instead of a note because you upped the ante with an unnecessarily offensive term. I said specifically that the other posts got a note instead of a warning because they did not use such offensive language. > [@jtgain](#): > > I responded in kind with a similar “joke” about a racial ethnic group to see if it would garner the same hilarity. Your remark was in no way a joke. It was just a hostile attack on another poster. > [@](#): > > If the board thinks I’m wrong, I will accept the democratic process. Otherwise, I believe my warning should be rescinded, and more attention should be placed upon specific regional and religious insults instead of generic racial insults. > > I await the judgment of the good citizens. In case you haven’t noticed, this board is not a democracy. You haven’t made any valid case to have your warning rescinded. I’ve issued plenty of notes regarding regional, ethnic, religious, and political jabs. Your allegation that we ignore these insults and only pay attention to racial ones is without merit. Your warning stands. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protesting-the-warning-i-was-given/632981.md?page=2)