Yup.

Fact is: we have lots of intelligent people here with whom it could be great to engage and discuss. But far too often it becomes personal and/or offensive for no reason.
I'd like to believe we can self-monitor, but it only takes a few to create enough emotion to make that impossible.

If posting the same thing over and over again is spamming, Krellin should be banned every time he says the word "libtard" or posts something about stupid liberals

Why not ban profanity altogether? It doesn't add anything to anything really. Just delete any post with it and those who want their posts read will quit using it.

I don't think 'outright' banning is the solution.
I think that people should be silenced more often. I also think that people who are silenced too often should not have access to the forums.

As for the rules that lead to silencing, there's been decent propositions in this thread already. And using the Fox thing might help convince all involved that it makes sense!

@ Emac:

Because -
(a) A "no swearing at all" policy would probably be very cumbersome to administer, and
(b) Most of the people on this forum are grown-ups* and we can swear if we want to.

*Notwithstanding the fact that their behaviour** often indicates otherwise.
** And mine sometimes, before anyone points this out.

I agree Emac. There is no reason for profanity

There's a difference between a heartfelt "fuck" and a "you fucking libtard" or " you fuckwad of a cunt-servative prick".

I also think anyone who posts the n-word should be given at least a few months silence

CACH: "Krellin: you have some nerve playing the offended virgin here... "

I have not claimed to be personally offended at all, which is also how I replied to YJ in thread.

I object to perverted hypocrites like YOU, though, who **claim** to be so offended by bad verbal behavior...UNTIL it is one of your allies that has done the bad deed. It makes me laugh every time you *fools* defend the behavior of YJ and such by pointing out others bad behavior. Seriously, do you know how stupid that makes you look?

I am calling for YJ to be silenced for SPAMMING the forum. And more to teh point, all you good Liberals around here who are offended by bad language should be doubly insulted that one of your own ilk spammed the forum with threats of rape against minor children. His actions are his own, not mine, and you shoudl *MAN UP* and judge YJ for his own behavior (Spamming, threats of rape) and judge him alone....but that's not how Libs operate, is it?

It is quite stunning to see the Liberal Defender of Pedo's stomping out before, arms locked, sniggering little laughs at the thoughts of getting their hands on little girls. Interesting to witness this, for sure...

I don't think this is a Liberal issue Krellin.

I think that this is actually something that both Libtards and Cunt-servatives alike can get behind.

Hey... We can walk across the aisle in a bi-partisan effort!

I think Krellin definitely meets the definition of spamming by saying liberal over and over

"I don't think this is a Liberal issue Krellin."

funny, because the Libverals are the ones equivocating and saying maybe what YJ did (spamming rape threats) is teh same as callign someone a fucktard liberal.

No...there is clearly a division here based upon political affiliations. It's quite fascinating.

I mean, just look at SYnner up there going on and on and on. I shoudl be banned for Libtard, blah blah blah. Good lord.....deflect much, SYnner? SYnner apparently doesn't seem to have much concern at all for spamming rape threats against children....so, no, I'd say there is no clear consensus here.

ESTABLISH rules and I wil follow them. I have no problem with that.

There IS a rule against SPAMMING, which YJ violated. Period, end of discussion. it isn't about content, it's about a violation of a known, existing rule, and YJ has been around long enough to clearrrly know this.

Krellin:
No one has equivocated the two cases here, at least not explicitly (and I really doubt even implicitly).
No one is saying you should be banned: there is some fun had at your expense, it's true, but not to the level of getting you banned.

Chill. Just for once. Chill.

This is about how we would like the forum to be a place for exchanging ideas without having to suffer unduly through repeated offensive ad hominem attacks. It's a plea for some reason and respect. Nothing more. I'm sure you can get behind this.

"ESTABLISH rules and I wil follow them. I have no problem with that. "

Yes, +a lot on that. What we need is better rules so we can stop yelling at each other.

I've only read one of YJ's rants, so I'm not in a position to comment on the spamming issue. But my point is that content was grossly inappropriate and borderline illegal, and we need to adopt official rules that allow more robust moderation of such content in the future.

Cach - your reading skills are quite poor, my friend. SYnner has tried to make out saying "Liberal" to be as bad as what YJ did. Please....have some integrtiy, Cach.

And all your ideas for "policing" the threads are cute....the Thought Police are orgasming at the idea of trying to figure out which words to ban.

YJ spammed the forum with rape threats, his polictical allies sat quiet, he had not yet been silence though he obviously broke the rules.

Please, this discussion isn't about me saying "Libtard". *I* didn't put up 6 different threads attacking me in the past few days...the good Libs around here did...the one's who bitch about my language and then turn around and insult me back. lol It's *luaghable* the hypocrisy on display here. You are amongst them, pal.

For the record I think there's a big fucking difference between rhetorical profanity (see this sentence) and profanity as personal invective. I favor keeping the rhetorical and ditching the personal (you fucking fucker).

Krellin,
I think you're right. But I'd appreciate it if we could stay concentrated for the purposes of this thread on the bigger picture. You've expressed your concerns to the mods via email, and they will give it due consideration. Please simply wait.

Dude. Seriously: can you, for one moment, step out of yourself and see that this is not the issue right now? I'm not saying it's not an issue. I'm saying that this is a thread where we're trying to discuss something more general than that.

Is it that you want me to paint you as a victim here, Krellin? If that's what you need to be part of the current conversation, then you got it: Krellin, good sir, you've been a victim. What I ask is that you don't victimize yourself further by giving the bad liberals like me reason to think you can't do anything here but set fire between liberals and conservatives (however you may construe them).

Again: just for a moment, can we move beyond the details of our problematic forum past so that we may envision a better tomorrow for all?

"the bigger picture."

Thought police. I get it. Good luck settignthe parameters for that.

If "fuck" allowed? Walk on any construction site, through a factory, lip-read the TV during a football game, etc...is fuck a bad word?

How about "cracker"? Real mixed bag, there, isn't there. Some see it as a hate-filled racial slur (even though it is highly ineffective....because the targets don't empower it to be so...just sayin'), while others think it is a word that can be used freely without incident

Shall we step in to Anti-Semitism...the supporters of Palastine among us have no concern, while Obi will rip your head off and shit down your neck, if I'm not mistaken.

So who shall this God-like arbiter of language be? This should be very amusing to watch play out.

Cach - Thank you...yes, I was waiting for you to have the courage to choke back the bile in your throat and admit I had been wronged. I congratulate you - that must have been difficult, and you lost respect from some comrades, I imagine -- but you earned +5 on my respect scale, and it *is* a valid topic (my case) as it is what provoked this thread.

I shall keep focused on the OP now...see above...

Thoughts: what's in your head. Have all the thoughts you want.

Speech: way we have to express our thoughts, using the means made available to us by language.

Point: have all the thoughts you want, express them with respect for the people you talk to. If you can't do that, you should be held responsible. On this site, this will only mean that you will be silenced. In society, hate speech can land you in jail.

So: NO THOUGHT POLICE. Your perfectly safe to think what you want.

So: SOME CONSTRAINTS ON HOW YOU EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS. Given the richness of our languages, I'm sure you'll still find a way to communicate what you have say.

Is this a bit more clear?

I think that people need to toughen up.
I enjoy a bit of abusive banter & blasphemy & value free speech
In a recent krellin thread I described a distinction between the pure and impure as
the difference bewteen a proper christian vagina complete with hymen and wicked heathen genitalia full of corruption
now it could be argued that I had made a comment that was
1 sexist & 2 offensive to christians

it could also be argued that the comments were possibly amusing

I used to occassionally say to Her Indoors that she ( or one of her associates )
"looked like the antichrist in that lewd new hat / outfit / dress"
what are the community standards for stand up comics ? -- I can recall when Richard Pryor was a young chap and his implied use of the "mother f******r" term was controversial
I think this "right to be offended" philosophy is getting a bit precious
I think that some of the "anti krellin" threads are tending to go too far
& some of the comments posted are offensive,
but krellin has himself at times handed out some strong abuse
so he has to "cop it sweet" ie put up with it
the best thing he could do would be to completely ignore a lot of it

@ Sbyvl your comment "there is no reason for profanity "
maybe some of us enjoy a bit of blasphemious profanity

Cach -- not clear at all. I gave you specific examples, you didn't address them. You gave us some wispy philosphical bullshit...but words are specific, and you will have to start picking and choosing what words are to be banned, or...follow me here...which words constitute "hate" speech (which is, essentially, reading someone's thoughts --- one man's "Hey, n-word" is another mans, "Hey, friend". Friendly greeting, or hate speech? It's in the thoughts behind the words, Cach. You can't avoid that.

@MM All I'm saying is that it wouldn't hurt if everyone acted a little more civilized

@ hecks

Okay, so it's not an official rule, but the mods have taken disciplinary action against forum spammers in the past. I'm honestly surprised that none of the mods have said anything about krellin's recent antics.

Are there too few mods? Didn't one resign not long ago? Was he replaced?

Your definition of forum spamming is way too broad and arbitrary. I would favor a more liberal, simplistic approach to enforcing forum etiquette. I would love to see some mod input on this discussion, though.

As I said, the remaining mods have more important shit to do than babysit the forum. Content that is widely illegal in the Western world should not be permitted, but other than that people should be able to say whatever they goddamned want as long as they don't take up more than their fair share of forum space.

Wait... I keep saying JMO would be liable. I don't mean JMO. I mean Kestas. Don't I?