# The discourse here is bad for my mental and physical health, and yours, too. Prove me wrong

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-discourse-here-is-bad-for-my-mental-and-physical-health-and-yours-too-prove-me-wrong/1001714>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [May 17, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-discourse-here-is-bad-for-my-mental-and-physical-health-and-yours-too-prove-me-wrong/1001714 "2024-05-17T19:13:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 80

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**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2024, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-discourse-here-is-bad-for-my-mental-and-physical-health-and-yours-too-prove-me-wrong/1001714/80 "2024-05-21T01:39:08Z")

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> [@octopus](#):
>
> I’d agree if it weren’t for the fact that the so-called cruelty doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is a deliberate feature of this place due to the existence of the pit. Ironically, the pit is also probably the best place for discussion due Miller’s philosophy in moderation.

This is remarkably hypocritical. The bit is the best place due to (deliberately) lax moderation while also being the worst because of (equally deliberately) lax moderation?

But leaving that aside, the Pit could have the personal attacks turned down, [as I suggested before](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-common-reason-to-be-pitted-appears-to-be-dishonesty/946422/357), if we could call out persons of proven falsity in the rest of the threads. But for reasons the board and culture have chosen long before I ever read or posted here, to consider calling someone out for blatant falsehoods, deliberate (or ignorant) dishonest, or other excessive shadings of the truth as a personal attack.

So IMHO, we’ve chosen to artificially force everyone to be _more_ polite everywhere else, causing the Pit to be nearly inevitable.

But, and back to the OP, because even if hijacks are mostly tolerated in the Pit, if you are pitted for whatever reason, and then you come and try to make a fight of it in the Pit, yes, it’s going to increase the rancor and the impact on mental and emotional health.

But no one is forced to participate, no more than I am forced to participate in Thread Games which I’ve muted.

Same way no one is forced to go see an X-rated movie (or even R!).

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