# question about hate speech **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 12, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989 "2018-06-12T19:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/21 "2018-06-13T02:02:53Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I don’t get this at all. > > There have been many threads on this subject and many of the same people have posted essentially the same sentiments “over and over and over again”, including the OP of this thread. > > Why are you singling out octopus here? And why is his repeating a contrary opinion “derailing” the threads in which they’re posted? > > ISTM that you’re according special status to the majority opinion on this issue, and allowing it, via moderator authority, a safe space where its adherents can discuss the finer points among themselves without pesky dissenters interrupting. > > I don’t recall seeing this before on this MB. I did a quick search of the last 3-4 threads that were related to this issue. octopus is in the top 3 posters for each thread. I am not. He posted 62 times in one of them. This is not including the pit thread that was opened for him. He’s also posted things that contradict each other. He did so in this very thread by advising me not to participate in the Pit if these things bother me. He has the opposite stance in the Skald pit thread. He is derailing each thread on this subject and making it all about him. I am not. Anything else I can clear up for you? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/22 "2018-06-13T02:07:25Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > I did a quick search of the last 3-4 threads that were related to this issue. octopus is in the top 3 posters for each thread. I am not. He posted 62 times in one of them. This is not including the pit thread that was opened for him. He’s also posted things that contradict each other. He did so in this very thread by advising me not to participate in the Pit if these things bother me. He has the opposite stance in the Skald pit thread. He is derailing each thread on this subject and making it all about him. I am not. Anything else I can clear up for you? Each thread is its own thread. I’m honestly not sure how my Pit thread is relevant at all though. Perhaps that belongs in the Silence about Harassment thread? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/23 "2018-06-13T02:08:16Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > I did a quick search of the last 3-4 threads that were related to this issue. octopus is in the top 3 posters for each thread. I am not. He posted 62 times in one of them. This is not including the pit thread that was opened for him. People who maintain a minority viewpoint and stick to their guns will generally tend to have a higher post count in threads, as compared to people who are in the majority. This is because they need to respond to multiple opposing posts, while those in the majority have much less to respond to. > [@](#): > > Anything else I can clear up for you? Your generosity is noted, but unnecessary. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2018, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/24 "2018-06-13T02:29:14Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I don’t recall seeing this before on this MB. [I did it just yesterday.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=21016203#post21016203) ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/25 "2018-06-13T02:37:31Z")
_drops mic_ ---
**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:** [June 13, 2018, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/26 "2018-06-13T02:50:43Z")
FTR, I’m working on a reply to the OP right now. I might wait 'til tomorrow to post it, but I’m not ignoring your concerns. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/27 "2018-06-13T03:28:35Z")
Thanks Miller. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/28 "2018-06-13T04:01:53Z")
I’m genuinely torn on the question of gendered insults. I don’t use them myself, but my social circle is a bunch of hard-left queers who would react to me calling someone a bitch like I’d used the n-word. So my personal experience is a bit of an outlier. As a moderator, the problem I have with treating gendered insults as hate speech is the difficulty in drawing bright lines. At the risk of going all MRA, if gendered insults are out, is “dick” not allowed? I don’t personally feel there’s any parity there, but can I defend that distinction in the inevitable ATMB thread? Also, where on the continuum of gendered insults do we draw the line? “Boob” is arguably a gendered insult, and I don’t think anyone would argue that I should be handing out warnings for that, but where do we draw the line between that, and calling someone a “cunt?” I don’t see easy answers there, and given the nature of the forum, I think I should err on the side of putting the fewest restrictions on what posters are allowed to say in the Pit. That said, gender is covered under the hate speech rules, and while there aren’t any specific words that trigger moderation, we have moderated people because they showed a pattern of general misogyny in their posts. Of the two links you posted, I would probably not moderate the first, unless there was a pattern of the poster aggressively attacking female poster’s looks like that. The second link would definitely be moderated, and should have been at the time. I checked the automated reporting system, but that wasn’t instituted until a couple years later. It doesn’t look like I posted to the thread, so I can only hope that I never saw it, otherwise I dropped the ball there. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/29 "2018-06-13T09:10:45Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > Hopefully **all dehumanizing insults** in the Pit would be forbidden. Is “cat-like agility” dehumanizing? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/30 "2018-06-13T11:39:21Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Is “cat-like agility” dehumanizing? :rolleyes: Is it an _insult_? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/31 "2018-06-13T12:21:36Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > > > Moderator Note > > > > You are free to post your thoughts, and you have done so, over and over and over again. It’s getting to the point where it is derailing every single thread related to this topic. We are all more than aware of your opinions on this topic. > > > > That’s enough. Do not post this again in ATMB. > > I don’t get this at all. > > There have been many threads on this subject and many of the same people have posted essentially the same sentiments “over and over and over again”, including the OP of this thread. I don’t get it either. There have been a number of recent threads on this and related topics. Why is it necessary that only posts and posters who disagree be singled out to be silenced? We already know perfectly well what other posters think on the subject - should they be required to stop posting their opinion because they have done so already? Why is repetition of “we need a new rule” OK but “no, I don’t think we need a new rule” censored after a certain number? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/32 "2018-06-13T13:32:31Z")
You get to pick only one: (1) Have a hate speech rule (2) Have bright lines If you’re trying to do both, you’re going to have a bad time. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/33 "2018-06-13T14:00:49Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I don’t get it either. > > There have been a number of recent threads on this and related topics. Why is it necessary that only posts and posters who disagree be singled out to be silenced? We already know perfectly well what other posters think on the subject - should they be required to stop posting their opinion because they have done so already? > > Why is repetition of “we need a new rule” OK but “no, I don’t think we need a new rule” censored after a certain number? > > Regards, > Shodan Only one poster has been silenced, and it seems to me he was silenced for spamming his boring, one-trick-pony opinion over and over and over more than his specific opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/34 "2018-06-13T14:22:41Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Only one poster has been silenced, and it seems to me he was silenced for spamming his boring, one-trick-pony opinion over and over and over more than his specific opinion. What’s the difference between the two? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/35 "2018-06-13T14:23:48Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Is “cat-like agility” dehumanizing? Definitely not. Anyone can recognize an insult when they see one. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/36 "2018-06-13T14:27:44Z")
And sometimes when they don’t! ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/37 "2018-06-13T14:31:50Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > What’s the difference between the two? My guess: a “boring, one-trick-pony opinion” is a repeated opinion that you disagree with. That can get boring pretty fast. And the real problem is that it gets in the way of the repeated opinions that you do agree with, and in that sense it “derails” the discussion. Clearly needs to be stamped out. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/38 "2018-06-13T15:08:15Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > My guess: a “boring, one-trick-pony opinion” is a repeated opinion that you disagree with. That can get boring pretty fast. And the real problem is that it gets in the way of the repeated opinions that you do agree with, and in that sense it “derails” the discussion. Clearly needs to be stamped out. I think you might onto something here. Discussions of this sort seem to be like séances. The ghosts won’t show up if there are unbelievers in the room. And we can’t have a productive discussion unless everyone agrees in advance. And the true believers get pissed off when you show up at the third séance in a row saying “that’s a guy in a bedsheet”. Regards, Shodan ---
**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:** [June 13, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/39 "2018-06-13T15:12:22Z")
This conversation about why and when one-trick ponies get topic-banned in ATMB is super interesting, but I can’t see the connection to the OP. It sounds to me like it’d make a great new thread– **FP** , wanna start one? ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2018, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989/40 "2018-06-13T15:15:52Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I think you might onto something here. > > Discussions of this sort seem to be like séances. The ghosts won’t show up if there are unbelievers in the room. And we can’t have a productive discussion unless everyone agrees in advance. And the true believers get pissed off when you show up at the third séance in a row saying “that’s a guy in a bedsheet”. > > Regards, > Shodan So, you’re likening a discussion about gendered insults designed to degrade women to a gathering of a group of gullible idiots trying to raise the spirits of the dead? Is this an accurate reading of your post? edit: also, what LHoD said. Start your own thread to cry about octopus being modded and leave this crap out of mine. Thanks everso. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-hate-speech/815989.md?page=3)