[Moderator Note]
Let’s dial back the hostility here. Nothing “requires” you to open a new thread.
I’m sure you can tell me.
Well, more than one since his generous reply to my early OP.
Well considered newbie instruction.
Since then, meh.
Far from complete. My position, and quiite possibly that of several others, is that I believe that it is man-made nonsense that needs to be exposed, questioned, ridiculed, mocked and derided frequently and mercilessly.
So it’s a sacred word?
The point here is that “cunt” may be used in any forum here so long as it is not directed at another poster.
Yes, and this is explicitly stated in the rules. That Mod note was inappropriate whether the thread was in GD or the Pit.
Sorry, I forgot which forum we were in. :smack: (The constant use of the word “cunt” must have fried my brain. 
Dangerous and all that!
I know the answer to this question.
With all due respect, I absolutely agree that nothing requires me to open a new thread. I’m just curious as to what tomndebb requires to answer a fairly direct question that is directly related to this thread’s topic, which specifically involves him, in a forum specifically for SDMB moderators to field questions that arise about their moderation.
I suspect that nothing short of an act of God will be required for that to happen, however.
I’d like to add my voice to the chorus of people who appreciate Tom’s willingness to admit a mistake but find themselves a bit unclear on what he thinks is and isn’t allowed.
To be specific, it is it permissible to use the word “cunt” or any other obscene language in all forums, so long as the obscenity is not directed at a member of the SDMB?
In a Cafe Society thread, could I refer to some annoying person on “Survivor” as a [coarse word]? In Great Debates, could I say that terrorists are all a bunch of cowardly [shockingly vile word]s? Most importantly, in MPSIMS am I allowed to say kittens are nothing but [Mexican obscenity followed by brain-freezingly hateful epithets and a childish reference to feces]?
Right.
This has been the crux of this entire thread, that is, that we can use bad words anywhere we want, but that we are explicitly restricted from launching personal attacks against other board members anywhere except the Pit. While tom did apologize for the faulty admonition, he has yet to confirm that we can say “cunt” wherever we like, so long as we are not calling each other that. Instead, he’s decided to harp on some ridiculous argument about the difference between crude language and profanity. Who gives a shit? Can we, or can we not, refer to people who are NOT board members as cunts on non-Pit forums?
I’m pretty sure the answer is yes, but here we are.
Actually, I take that back. We can never refer to board members as cunts anymore in any forum. So I should say, “Can we, or can we not, refer to NON board members as cunts in any forum?”
That’s the ruling I’m looking for, too. I just noticed this post - "Joy Behar is the biggest -‘I can’t say the C-Word’ on this site- in television. " I think this needs to get nipped in the bud and clarified as soon as possible.
Only a [Mexican obscenity followed by brain-freezingly hateful epithets and a childish reference to feces] would think that about kittens… Or a [childish reference to feces] dog lover. :p;)
<wince>
Funny how often that word gets used in the aftermath of Ed’s little hissyfit. Quite the opposite of what was intended, which makes it all the more hilarious to me.
Hopefully tom will sack up soon and respond with what he perceives his actual mistake to have been.
“Little hissyfit”
“Sack up”
“Hilarious”
Yup, these are certainly the phrases to use when you want to convince someone to respond to a query, especially when you know that the person being addressed would get slammed if he or she responded in kind.
Tom is an adult. He can either take the criticism and learn from it, or keep dodging it. I have no interest in convincing him to respond – mostly because I shouldn’t have to convince him to do his job competently. Competent moderation includes a) understanding the rules and b) fully responding to questions about whatever rule he thought he was enforcing.
Also: “hissyfit” and “hilarious,” to the extent that they were directed toward anyone at all, were directed at Ed, not tom.
Ah. “Me, too” recreational outrage, then.