# RickJay's warning in the 2012 Death Pool **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 17, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497 "2011-12-17T03:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/21 "2011-12-17T12:57:58Z")
I definitely do not want some of the people on my list to die. I’ve got some of my favorite wrestlers on my list. I also happen to know that they are aging, and most have health issues. Phelps is also on my list. He’s more in the…yeah, I wish that fucker was dead already…category. The game is certainly morbid, but it is a game, with a long history here. The mod action here is utterly unwarranted and should be rescinded. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/22 "2011-12-17T13:06:49Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Bad call, and unwarranted mod intervention. To a certain extent, **Rickjay** is saying the Pope is immune to snark, while other leaders are not. My own list in the game includes: > > Fred Phelps—asshole. > > If I can call Fred Phelps an asshole, then someone else should be able to call the Pope a cult leader if they wish. Essentially, this boils down to moderating according to personal bias, and is wrong. Slight difference though. Call the Pope a pedopusher and you are insulting him and offending some Catholics. Call the Pope a cult leader and you do the same thing. However, you are ALSO calling every catholic a name or stupid or something along those lines. Thats a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/23 "2011-12-17T13:12:53Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Slight difference though. > > Call the Pope a pedopusher and you are insulting him and offending some Catholics. > > Call the Pope a cult leader and you do the same thing. However, you are ALSO calling every catholic a name or stupid or something along those lines. Thats a difference. So what? Insulting groups is allowed here. Insulting non-poster individuals is allowed here. Rickjay is clearly allowing his personal bias to affect his moderating decisions, and that is improper. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/24 "2011-12-17T14:11:15Z")
I’m torn. The constant anti-religious fapping on the SDMB gets a little tedious, and it would be nice to have at least one forum free of it, or where it is at a minimum. On the other hand, as **Batfish** says, the idea of moderating a Death Pool for offensiveness seems like a striving after wind. Yes, it was clear that the post in question was a list of people the poster _hoped_ would die, rather than a list of those he _thought_ would die, and that is somewhat at odds with the spirit of the game. On the other hand, it is the same (as **Oak** says) as putting Phelps on your list. Phelps doesn’t appear to be sick or failing, so it is probably more of a death wish for him than for Pope Benedict, who is rather elderly. I am running out of hands. But I can’t agree with the decision. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/25 "2011-12-17T14:36:25Z")
In retrospect, not only did I quote the wrong thing, but my approach was overly ham-handed. Let me explain my reasoning here. Shodan has captured the essence of the issue; we don’t need or want religious sniping outside GD and the Pit. It is simply not the same to take a shot at the RCC as it is against Westboro Baptist; you can argue that one religion is intrinsically just as silly as another and all that and I won’t disagree - as an atheist I have no vested interest in protecting a religion from attack and I’m frankly not especially married to the idea that faith deserved protection. However, the fact remains that the RCC is a big, mainstream religion with many adherents on the SDMB. Oakminster, I would further point out that it simply is NOT universally true that “insulting groups is allowed here.” Insulting a group can and will be cautioned against, or ultimately warned, for any number of reasons, not the least of which would be hijacking a thread. The Game Room is not for religious debate and it’s not for starting fights. **Having said all that, it was an overreaction, and a badly written one at that.** Although the post had been reported and complained about, I should have left it to see if it just slid through without sparking anything. Not every poke at the rules needs a moderator comment, and that one could have been left alone. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/26 "2011-12-17T14:46:15Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Yes, it was clear that the post in question was a list of people the poster _hoped_ would die, rather than a list of those he _thought_ would die, and that is somewhat at odds with the spirit of the game. No, it isn’t. Some people play strictly to win and cull the web for sickies and oldsters. Some people make lists of people they actually want to kick off. Some people go for odd themes, like “people whose last name ends in -son”. None of these is outside the spirit of the game, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/27 "2011-12-17T14:53:36Z")
Meh, seemed like sniping at people he personally dislikes to me, complete with descriptors such as “telethief,” “corrupt,” and “hate group.” If it were an any other thread in the Game Room, I’d say a warning was called for, but considering it’s a farking death pool thread, I can go either way. There will be snark, morbidity, good riddance posts and wishful thinking in a thread like that. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/28 "2011-12-17T16:56:07Z")
This year I did a 12 Days of Christmas theme and for a leaping lord and dancing lady used Christopher & Charlotte d’Amboise, a brother and sister who are well known for their singing and dancing in stage musicals. This was someone’s response: > [@The Celebrity Death Pool 2012](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-celebrity-death-pool-2012/604679/68): > > In all the years I’ve been entering the Death Pool, this is the first time I’ve realized what a horrible, cruel, sick game it is. Nothing bad had better to happen to Charlotte or Christopher, or I’m going to be very, very upset with you, **Annie-X-mas** On the other hand, this pick is pure brilliance. I can’t even add him to my own list, because I am notoriously bad at picking, and he really does need to die. Seriously, people, it’s just a game. And if Chris or Charlotte reach their end before 2012, I will subsitute either Hunter or Sutton Foster. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/29 "2011-12-17T22:35:40Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Not every poke at the rules needs a moderator comment… Just wanted to make sure this didn’t get lost. Wise words, indeed. Thanks\*\* RickJay\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/30 "2011-12-17T22:40:32Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Meh, seemed like sniping at people he personally dislikes to me, complete with descriptors such as “telethief,” “corrupt,” and “hate group.” If it were an any other thread in the Game Room, I’d say a warning was called for, but considering it’s a farking death pool thread, I can go either way. There will be snark, morbidity, good riddance posts and wishful thinking in a thread like that. How right you are. The posts about Zsa Zsa in the 2011 thread are a good example of this. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/31 "2011-12-18T17:47:58Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I’m torn. The constant anti-religious fapping on the SDMB gets a little tedious, and it would be nice to have at least one forum free of it, or where it is at a minimum. Yeah, maybe we could create a forum limited to questions of fact, with no personal opinion allowed. Maybe we could call it **Comprehensive Inquiries**. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/32 "2011-12-18T17:51:09Z")
It wouldn’t do much good - you would still have people who can’t distinguish between fact and opinion. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/33 "2011-12-18T17:54:33Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > It wouldn’t do much good - you would still have people who can’t distinguish between fact and opinion. Heh. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/34 "2011-12-18T18:10:29Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In retrospect, not only did I quote the wrong thing, but my approach was overly ham-handed. Let me explain my reasoning here. > > Shodan has captured the essence of the issue; we don’t need or want religious sniping outside GD and the Pit. It is simply not the same to take a shot at the RCC as it is against Westboro Baptist; you can argue that one religion is intrinsically just as silly as another and all that and I won’t disagree - as an atheist I have no vested interest in protecting a religion from attack and I’m frankly not especially married to the idea that faith deserved protection. However, the fact remains that the RCC is a big, mainstream religion with many adherents on the SDMB. > > Oakminster, I would further point out that it simply is NOT universally true that “insulting groups is allowed here.” Insulting a group can and will be cautioned against, or ultimately warned, for any number of reasons, not the least of which would be hijacking a thread. The Game Room is not for religious debate and it’s not for starting fights. > > **Having said all that, it was an overreaction, and a badly written one at that.** Although the post had been reported and complained about, I should have left it to see if it just slid through without sparking anything. Not every poke at the rules needs a moderator comment, and that one could have been left alone. I have no stake in this issue whatsoever, I just wanted to note that this post truly exemplifies quality moderation, IMO. You clearly explained the logic behind your original intentions, clarified some misunderstandings that arose during the course of the discussion, and demonstrated both an understanding of people’s concerns and a willingness to be open-minded in how you approach grey area situations like this. Very nicely done. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/35 "2011-12-18T19:54:55Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > I have no stake in this issue whatsoever, I just wanted to note that this post truly exemplifies quality moderation, IMO. You clearly explained the logic behind your original intentions, clarified some misunderstandings that arose during the course of the discussion, and demonstrated both an understanding of people’s concerns and a willingness to be open-minded in how you approach grey area situations like this. Very nicely done. Agreed. A good moderator is one who realizes his mistakes. Good show, RickJay; hoping some of that rubs off on the others… ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/36 "2011-12-18T21:58:12Z")
**RickJay** for Admin in 2012! ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/37 "2011-12-18T22:03:39Z")
> [@fubbleskag](#): > > **RickJay** for Admin in 2012! Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/38 "2011-12-19T03:16:13Z")
> [@fubbleskag](#): > > **RickJay** for Admin in 2012! If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/39 "2011-12-19T03:34:06Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve. What’s wrong..afraid you’ll hit the wrong button and ban everyone? I mean..what are the odds of that happening. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497/40 "2011-12-19T04:45:27Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > This year I did a 12 Days of Christmas theme and for a leaping lord and dancing lady used Christopher & Charlotte d’Amboise, a brother and sister who are well known for their singing and dancing in stage musicals. This was someone’s response: > > Originally Posted by SpoilerVirgin > In all the years I’ve been entering the Death Pool, this is the first time I’ve realized what a horrible, cruel, sick game it is. Nothing bad had better to happen to Charlotte or Christopher, or I’m going to be very, very upset with you, Annie-X-masOn the other hand, this pick is pure brilliance. I can’t even add him to my own list, because I am notoriously bad at picking, and he really does need to die. > Seriously, people, it’s just a game. And if Chris or Charlotte reach their end before 2012, I will subsitute either Hunter or Sutton Foster. **Annie-Xmas** - I really didn’t mean to criticize your Death Pool choices with my post. It was meant to be lighthearted, and I even complimented one of your other choices. I have played in the Death Pool for many years, and enjoy the ghoulishness of it. But somehow when I saw Christopher and Charlotte listed, my heart sank and I really felt bad for a moment, and sort of understood what others who are disturbed by the Death Pool may feel. I’m sorry if my tone didn’t come across in my post. I wish you nothing but good luck in the Pool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rickjays-warning-in-the-2012-death-pool/606497.md?page=3)