# "Raising the tone of the board" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 31, 2002, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735 "2002-07-31T18:31:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/21 "2002-07-31T20:36:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*And along those lines, if a relative newbie had begun that thread, how would you all have reacted? My guess is that you wouldn’t be in his corner as you are in **Scylla’s**. \*\* …because all us clique members stick together, dontcha know. :rolleyes: That’s a bullshit comment, **dantheman**. If a newbie had written the OP in question, I’m certain the reaction would have been the same as we have here. This isn’t about _who posted_, it’s about the uncharacteristic and seemingly unreasonable closure of a clever but slightly risque thread. ---
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/22 "2002-07-31T21:01:28Z")
There should be a Great Debate somewhere in this topic about “their board, their rules” vs. “we are memebers of their community, we get some say”. **Their Board** : The Chi Reader does pay for the board, all of the admins are volunteers, and it is similar to when you are in someone’s house, you abide by their rules. **We Are Members** : Without all of us here, there would be no Straight Dope. There isn’t any monetary loss if we all leave. In fact, the only big job we have is absorbing smaller or stupider questions to lighten Cecil’s mailbox. However, we should be able to cry foul when something seems too off-the-wall. An example would be if you are at someone’s house, and the host chastizes only you for walking with both your left and right feet. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/23 "2002-07-31T21:16:02Z")
This whole notion of “the place is free, so what are you complaining about” or “the mods have absolute power so you should just accept what happens and continue to chew you cud in bovine contentment and above all keep your mouth shut” is a big fucking load of steaming crap. I for one will always applaud those that seek at very least an explanation for a perceived injustice. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/24 "2002-07-31T21:41:11Z")
A few thoughts: I’m not going to get upset about a couple of closed threads, and I rarely post anything graphic myself. (And those few are usually in the realm of “how to make your partner really, really happy,” which I doubt most of us mind.) The most controversial stuff I tend to post is political, not sexual, and as I tend toward the PC side of things, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten close to having a thread locked or being banned. That said, however, I think if there is going to be a new standard of language and/or behavior around here, I would hope the new rules would be clearly articulated, where everyone will see them, BEFORE they are implemented. And believe it or not, most posters do have lives outside of the SDMB (at least I assume/hope so!), so it would be polite to give everyone a reasonable chance to see the rules before they take effect. Personally, although I don’t post much on the more graphic and/or bathroom humor threads, I do lurk there occasionally for a change of pace. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they’re just disgusting, but I’m a grownup and I take responsibility for my decision to read them. I can understand the idea of banning hate speech or promotion of illegal acts, or even TMI in thread titles, but banning bathroom humor or explicit anatomical descriptions? What’s the point, and where will the line be drawn in the larger sense? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/25 "2002-07-31T21:41:11Z")
“Injustice” is a little strong, I think, **Binarydrone**. We _are_ guests here, it’s important to keep things in perspective. And I’m not saying that _only_ because I love TubaDiva and want to bear her children. The dichotomy that **red\_dragon** mentioned is real, and both views have merit. The Doctrine of the Mean applies well:[ul]\*Confucius said: “The Superior Man actualizes the mean, the inferior man goes against it. The superior person actualizes the mean because they are always with it; the inferior person’s contrariness follows from their heedlessness.”[/ul]\*Or something. \*“Mean,” in this context, means “middle way,” not “vindictive.” 😉 I love the SDMB, warts and all. I like some of the TMI threads. I like that some of the threads that I _don’t_ like are there. It’s very rare that I have any doubts about a moderator’s actions. In this case, I don’t think that scylla’s OP was offensive. Indelicate, yeah, but… real life, and not merely prurient, or there for a “gross-out.” **Scylla** ’s description of his endeavours to raise his sperm-count raised some, uh, “issues.” And I still have no idea what the smegma foreskin guy’s thread is about. Zero curiousity. But it’s working for _somebody,_ apparently. I’m babbling. ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/26 "2002-07-31T22:13:30Z")
Maybe **TubaDiva** ’s account got compromised? I can’t say that I understand why we need to “improve the tone”, has anyone been complaining? ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/27 "2002-07-31T22:22:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kamandi \* > \*\* > > …because all us clique members stick together, dontcha know. :rolleyes: > That’s a bullshit comment, **dantheman**. If a newbie had written the OP in question, I’m certain the reaction would have been the same as we have here. This isn’t about _who posted_, it’s about the uncharacteristic and seemingly unreasonable closure of a clever but slightly risque thread. \*\* I think you may have misunderstood me. I didn’t mean to imply there was any clique at work at all. I only think that because he is an established poster, people may view his threads differently than they would view the same thread by someone whom they do not know. And the fact that earlier so-called risque Scylla threads have been referenced (either in this current thread or in the other Pit thread) might bear this out. Honestly, I don’t consider there to be any “clique” here whatsoever. I think **LarryMudd** said it very well, a whole lot better than I could. I agree with his last paragraph in particular: > [@](#): > > I love the SDMB, warts and all. I like some of the TMI threads. I like that some of the threads that I don’t like are there. It’s very rare that I have any doubts about a moderator’s actions. In this case, I don’t think that scylla’s OP was offensive. Indelicate, yeah, but… real life, and not merely prurient, or there for a “gross-out.” Scylla’s description of his endeavours to raise his sperm-count raised some, uh, “issues.” And I still have no idea what the smegma foreskin guy’s thread is about. Zero curiousity. But it’s working for somebody, apparently. I also think that **red dragon’s** post was very logical and well-thought out. ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/28 "2002-07-31T22:31:26Z")
**Larry** , perhaps you’re right. Perhaps **Lynn** was primarily concerned about a copyright violation. That’s not, however, the impression I took away from her closing comment. In any case, isn’t it common practice to play off of some bit of already-done humour? I’m not familiar with the particular routine in question, but were none of the comments in the thread original? Anyway, my point remains. There seems to be a new policy (or several new policies) in place. Yes, it’s a private board and the mods and admins can do whatever they like. But that is manifestly **not** the issue. There’s nothing the least bit ungrateful or disrepectful in asking the adminstration to explain just what the new policy is and why it is being implemented. The alternative, I suppose, is a series of test-threads designed to determine the exact contours of the new policy by observing which threads get locked and which posters get banned. Who wants to go first? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/29 "2002-07-31T23:07:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Who wants to go first? And get banned for trolling? Sure…volunteers take one step forward. [everybody in thread except Truth Seeker takes one step–_backward_] 😃 If “raising the tone of the boards” means we can get rid of all the thinly disguised “heh heh heh let’s talk about body sex parts” Beavis and Butthead GQ threads, then I’m all for it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/30 "2002-07-31T23:12:28Z")
The closure of the labia thread bothers me a little bit, because there was a “penis poll” thread that actually requested much more information and was allowed to go. However, that was at least a month ago, so maybe things have changed. If they haven’t, and a penis poll started today would be allowed to go, then we have a troublesome double standard. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/31 "2002-07-31T23:15:03Z")
So…did they explode yet?:eek: ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2002, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/32 "2002-07-31T23:22:11Z")
**vanilla** I just read **Scylla’s** pit thread on this topic and you posted the same comment there. any particular reason that you’re crossposting, and not about the specific topic of the threads, but in comment to the referenced thread? ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/33 "2002-08-01T01:00:34Z")
wring, sometimes you need info so bad it hurts inside… ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/34 "2002-08-01T01:05:49Z")
sorry, **Medea** I don’t agree. The original thread in question was closed w/a cryptic comment by the admin about raising the ‘tone’ around here. Several pit threads have been opened about that, and she chose to ask in two of them, the same question, relating to the closed thread. I asked why, since, generally speaking cross posting is not appreciated, and her question could be construed as re-opening of the closed subject. And I’m wondering why anyone would want to emphasize that was what they were doing. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/35 "2002-08-01T01:13:39Z")
especially since **both vanilla & Scylla** have their emails listed. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/36 "2002-08-01T01:13:57Z")
Well, if it means that much to you, you can do the lashing-with-a-wet-noodle bit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/37 "2002-08-01T01:15:57Z")
She’s joking. I chuckled. Get some perspective. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/38 "2002-08-01T01:21:38Z")
fine, let her say so. And explain the double posting as well. ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/39 "2002-08-01T01:24:18Z")
I was just being snarky…didn’t mean to get into anything serious. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2002, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735/40 "2002-08-01T01:32:42Z")
I’ve seen some much scarier crap on this board, and it’s usually done pretty tastefully. I mean, what about the “Fexual terms” list? 😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raising-the-tone-of-the-board/121735.md?page=3)