# What's wrong with provoking board-wars? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 30, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858 "2012-06-30T22:53:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/1 "2012-06-30T22:53:06Z")
I’ve seen warnings against that on the SDMB many times over the years, not always from Mods, most recently in [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656718) and I still don’t get it. Board-wars are **fun!** Especially against mentally-unarmed enemies! Nobody actually gets killed. And it’s all free publicity for the SDMB! And it’s against basic SDMB fighting-ignorance principles to care that it’s also free publicity for the other dumbass board – all ideas should be confronted. So why not do it?! What are we so afraid of?! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/2 "2012-06-30T23:23:57Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And it’s all free publicity for the SDMB! I agree that in a logical world board wars would be tolerated. But there are those on this MB who think we are too tolerant of racists (for instance) as it is, and that the mere existence of them on this board means that the SDMB as a collective is racist. That feeling would only increase if more trolls or board warriors popped up every so often. I’m not saying that it’s an accurate feeling, because the trolls and idiots are not accepted into the board culture despite being allowed to post here. I’m just saying that the feeling of over-tolerance exists, and that if we became even more inviting, the larger scale of invasions might affect the reputation of the SDMB by the population at large (such that it exists at all,) not merely from the board’s offenderati. In other words, we might get free publicity as a place where racists and anti-evolutionists come and post wacky shit as opposed to a place where ideas and factual questions are mulled over. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/3 "2012-06-30T23:31:22Z")
If there was a way to keep the war neatly bottled up in one or two threads, I’d be all for it. Instead, it can easily spill over to any number of threads, and then I, as a poor innocent bystander, have to wade through the carnage. In other words: it’s a pain in the ass to most of us, having to read the idiotic comments that make up a board war. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/4 "2012-07-01T00:16:54Z")
A board war isn’t going fight ignorance. Or whatever you want to call it. It just means we get flooded with trolls that have no intention of having a conversation. It’s an annoyance and just work for the mods. Their ban hammer might break. I don’t know why you would want it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/5 "2012-07-01T00:31:11Z")
Yeah…let’s you and him fight.:rolleyes: If you really want to engage your “enemies”, there is nothing to stop you from visiting conservative boards. I strongly suspect you’ll get your ass handed to you in debate there, just as you usually do here, but hey, feel free to try. On the other hand, if what you want is a safe, comfortable place…ie, here, where you can lure members from other boards, only to provoke them and then run to hide behind the mod’s skirts, that would be a pretty lame ass thing to want. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/6 "2012-07-01T00:41:52Z")
If I had to put it succinctly, I’d say it’s because the board’s purpose is to “fight” ignorance, not to fight _ignorants_. There are plenty of places on the net better positioned to do the latter. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9d8465/32.png) [@New\_Deal\_Democrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Deal_Democrat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/7 "2012-07-01T00:46:31Z")
> [@oakminster](#): > > yeah…let’s you and him fight.:rolleyes: > > If you really want to engage your “enemies”, there is nothing to stop you from visiting conservative boards. I strongly suspect you’ll get your ass handed to you in debate there, just as you usually do here, but hey, feel free to try. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/8 "2012-07-01T00:57:18Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > I strongly suspect you’ll get your ass handed to you in debate there If by “getting your ass handed to you” you mean “instantly banned when you dare to politely disagree” then I concur. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/9 "2012-07-01T01:02:42Z")
For one thing it’s a pain in the ass when this board is flooded with people who are here to cause trouble and troll and insult people rather than have a civil discussion, and the latter is supposed to be what this board is about. Starting a debate is not the same thing as picking a fight. If you want to go bang your head against the wall and argue with people on fundamentalist or white supremacist sites, go for it. Do not use this message board to rally people and coordinate trouble somewhere else. In addition to being inconsiderate, it means people here are going to have to deal with the mess you’re making. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/10 "2012-07-01T01:05:34Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Yeah…let’s you and him fight.:rolleyes: > > If you really want to engage your “enemies”, there is nothing to stop you from visiting conservative boards. I strongly suspect you’ll get your ass handed to you in debate there, just as you usually do here, but hey, feel free to try. > > On the other hand, if what you want is a safe, comfortable place…ie, here, where you can lure members from other boards, only to provoke them and then run to hide behind the mod’s skirts, that would be a pretty lame ass thing to want. Particularly when that’s kind of the definition of trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/11 "2012-07-01T01:14:25Z")
Not only that, but the OP is proof of why drunk posting is discouraged. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/12 "2012-07-01T01:30:28Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I’ve seen warnings against that on the SDMB many times over the years, not always from Mods, most recently in [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656718) and I still don’t get it. Board-wars are **fun!** Especially against mentally-unarmed enemies! Nobody actually gets killed. And it’s all free publicity for the SDMB! And it’s against basic SDMB fighting-ignorance principles to care that it’s also free publicity for the other dumbass board – all ideas should be confronted. So why not do it?! What are we so afraid of?! The problem is that it quickly goes from an argument with a fool to an argument between two fools. Some of us prefer rational discussions and like this board specifically because it doesn’t encourage mindless shouting matches. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/13 "2012-07-01T01:45:32Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I’ve seen warnings against that on the SDMB many times over the years, not always from Mods, most recently in [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656718) and I still don’t get it. Board-wars are **fun!** Especially against mentally-unarmed enemies! Nobody actually gets killed. And it’s all free publicity for the SDMB! And it’s against basic SDMB fighting-ignorance principles to care that it’s also free publicity for the other dumbass board – all ideas should be confronted. So why not do it?! What are we so afraid of?! You mean like the time you invited a bunch of Stormfronters over here? Yeah, that was a barrel of fun. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/14 "2012-07-01T02:43:48Z")
For those of y’all who are too young to remember this, some years back some of our esteemed members thought it would be a good idea to troll a message board dedicated to the “Left Behind” series. [Here’s where it started](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=22165) on this board. At least I think. Anyway, this board was deluged with Behinders for a while, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/15 "2012-07-01T07:33:31Z")
It creates drama, which is what the Pit is for. If people start inciting board wars, there’s no guarantee they’ll be confined to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/16 "2012-07-01T08:49:39Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I’ve seen warnings against that on the SDMB many times over the years, not always from Mods, most recently in [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=656718) and I still don’t get it. Board-wars are **fun!** For you; you aren’t the mods, who will be the ones who have to deal with cleaning up the spam, trolls, socks and possible hacking/DOS attacks. Warfare is a lot more fun when someone else has to deal with the fallout. > [@Oakminster](#): > > If you really want to engage your “enemies”, there is nothing to stop you from visiting conservative boards. I strongly suspect you’ll get your ass handed to you in debate there, just as you usually do here, but hey, feel free to try. Unlikely; most likely they’d just ban him the moment he even hinted he didn’t totally agree with their particular set of dogma. Conservatives tend to be terrible at debates, in large part because they avoid having any. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/17 "2012-07-01T08:51:55Z")
nevermind ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/18 "2012-07-01T12:27:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You mean like the time you invited a bunch of Stormfronters over here? Yeah, that was a barrel of fun. :rolleyes: Link, please. Also, in the big world of the internet, we’re Lichtenstein. We’re a small board of people who write clearly. You could very quickly lose your board is a sea of LOLOMG. I noted when I skimmed the Satan thread about the Left Behind board that most of the posters are either banned or no longer post. It was like walking around Gettysburg. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/19 "2012-07-01T15:32:19Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You mean like the time you invited a bunch of Stormfronters over here? Yeah, that was a barrel of fun. :rolleyes: Oooh, a link would be nice, or maybe even a rough date/year. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858/20 "2012-07-01T15:55:52Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Unlikely; most likely they’d just ban him the moment he even hinted he didn’t totally agree with their particular set of dogma. Conservatives tend to be terrible at debates, in large part because they avoid having any. > [@Oakminster](#): > > nevermind I’m sure that’s not what you meant but my IRONY meter just pinged so loud the trucks at the fire station thought it was a four-alarmer. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-provoking-board-wars/626858.md?page=2)