Allow indirect insults on the forum, or make a zone for flamewars?

[Apotropoxy]

Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

Insults are not nice and reduce the property value of the forum. Please desist, lest more penalties have to be handed out.
WEB

I think your position needs some refinement. Here's what I'd suggest:
1. Insults to public figures should be allowed. They harm no one and generate traffic on the web site.
2. Direct insults to posters should be discouraged.
3. Indirect insults to posters should be enjoyed.
.

[Saharan]

Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

Wrong assumption, I'm afraid. Actually I'm a registered Democrat, voted for Gore and Kerry, also voted for Democrats in 2006, will probably vote for them in 08 too. I take this forum seriously though and I do my best to be fair. I'm not trying to turn this place into the international version of the Democratic Underground.

Try putting the shoe on the other foot.

Hillary Clinton is a fucking bitch. I hate her. She is a fucking phony. She is a dirty cuntrag who says that she likes the Yankees and White Sox. Too bad no one will fucking drop a bus on her. That dumb bitch.

Obama is a ghetto asshole too. Really hate his guts. Why in the world would some one vote for that moron?

Edwards is a communist cock smoker. He is an ambulance chasing, whining, cowardly fool who gets his wife to do his fighting for him. That loser makes me sick.

You WOULD be complaining if there were several posts of that on the forum, would you not? YET this is exactly what you do for Bush. So who is really allowing their feelings to get in the way of their judgment?

Actually NO, I WOULD NOT.
I only bitch to the mods when *I* am being attacked.
Besides...
Why would I report an occasion to indulge in a good flamewar?

Now, is it the swearing, that bugs you? Because I suppose it's easy enough to go from "Bush is a limpdick" to "Bush is Viagra's best customer", but when discussing his so called "leadership" (puhleeze...) I would personally find it impossible to associate him in any way with words like "intelligence", "manhood", "insight", or "thoughtful".

Anyway.
We could argue until pigs fly, on this, we'll never agree.
I guess I will go check out the climate on other boards, or even consider starting my own, that might be fun.
Take care.

[Sebelius for VP, not Hillary]

Originally Posted by Apotropoxy

I think your position needs some refinement. Here's what I'd suggest:
1. Insults to public figures should be allowed. They harm no one and generate traffic on the web site.

No, this reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the reason that this forum exists. The reason this forum exists is for political discussion. To say that "insults to public figures should be allowed" is a bit of a strawman since I don't moderate against that. What I moderate against is low quality bullshit.

i.e. Excessive:

Hillary is a bitch
Obama is a moron
Bush is fool
Cheney is an ass


That is low quality and it is selected against.

Originally Posted by Apotropoxy

3. Indirect insults to posters should be enjoyed.
.

This is not the forum for that. This forum is not for flamewars and being really clever about insulting other people. I think on most other forums one can get away with that. If that is what you are looking for I suggest giving them a try.


WEB

[Sebelius for VP, not Hillary]

Originally Posted by Saharan

Actually NO, I WOULD NOT.
I only bitch to the mods when *I* am being attacked.
Besides...
Why would I report an occasion to indulge in a good flamewar?

Now, is it the swearing, that bugs you? Because I suppose it's easy enough to go from "Bush is a limpdick" to "Bush is Viagra's best customer", but when discussing his so called "leadership" (puhleeze...) I would personally find it impossible to associate him in any way with words like "intelligence", "manhood", "insight", or "thoughtful".

No, it's just that persistent ad hominem attacks on anyone or anything are fundamentally a waste of people's time.

Originally Posted by Saharan

Anyway.
We could argue until pigs fly, on this, we'll never agree.
I guess I will go check out the climate on other boards, or even consider starting my own, that might be fun.
Take care.

Indeed. You are exiting with class, I acknowledge and respect you for that.


WEB

[Apotropoxy]

W.E.B. : The reason this forum exists is for political discussion.

Your grasp of the obvious is strong, Mod.

To say that "insults to public figures should be allowed" is a bit of a strawman since I don't moderate against that. What I moderate against is low quality bullshit.
i.e. Excessive:
Hillary is a bitch
Obama is a moron
Bush is fool
Cheney is an ass

1. You have just conflated your concept of "Excessive" with your impressions of "low quality bullshit." The two are not the same.

That is low quality and it is selected against.

Can you site something in the site's guidelines that make mods literary critics?

This forum is not for flamewars and being really clever about insulting other people. I think on most other forums one can get away with that. If that is what you are looking for I suggest giving them a try.

Suggestion noted.
I have one for you...
Reflect on why it is that you are the only mod who routinely comes under fire for your editorial comments and "punishment" threats?
.

[donsutherland1]

Apotropoxy,

With all due respect, I believe the point W.E.B. is making is that he would like Political Forum to be a little more substantive than the typical "lite" fare one finds in many other forums. He appears to be trying to build Political Forum into a place in which there is a little more concrete content than one might find elsewhere. If he is successful, that would make it fairly distinct in an environment in which many of the big messageboards offer little more than atmospherics.

I could be wrong, but that's my perception.

[Saharan]

Originally Posted by W.E.B. Du Bois

Indeed. You are exiting with class, I acknowledge and respect you for that.
WEB

Who said I was exiting? See, this is precisely what I mean about the way you (mis)interpret things.
My exact words were:

We could argue until pigs fly, on this, we'll never agree.
I guess I will go check out the climate on other boards, or even consider starting my own, that might be fun.
Take care.

So I will break this down for you:

We could argue until pigs fly, on this, we'll never agree.

This means that no matter how much we argue back and forth, we will not agree.

I guess I will go check out the climate on other boards

This means that I decided to surf the net and board hop and have a look around at other forums.

or even consider starting my own, that might be fun.

This means I am considering the possibility of hosting my own board, weighing the pros and the cons, thinking about it.

Take care.

This was a simple parting, people still do that when they have things to do, don't they?
Now again, please show me, and feel free to quote any such post of mine, WHERE I said I was leaving the board, WHEN I said I was leaving the board, to WHOM and in WHAT CONTEXT.

Because unless I am banned, I see no reason why I shouldn't stick around.

[Sebelius for VP, not Hillary]

Originally Posted by Apotropoxy

Your grasp of the obvious is strong, Mod.

Yes, it's sad that the obvious has to be emphasized when it is so elusive to others.

Originally Posted by Apotropoxy

1. You have just conflated your concept of "Excessive" with your impressions of "low quality bullshit." The two are not the same.

Why, cuz you said so? I see no reason to accept something as true just because you say it's true.

Originally Posted by Apotropoxy

Can you site something in the site's guidelines that make mods literary critics?

Have you read the forum rules?

Rule 5: Moderators are charged with keeping political discussions civil and on-topic. Moderators do not exclude political opinions that are legally made over the internet, but will delete or edit a post that attaches personal comments about another poster to their political commentary.To keep discussions on topic and civil, moderators are empowered to edit or delete ANY POST for ANY REASON.

Rule 6: Posters who post excessive partisan taunts, hyperbole, one-liners and irrational rants may be asked to leave the forum by the Administrator or the forum staff.

Originally Posted by Apotropoxy

I have one for you...
Reflect on why it is that you are the only mod who routinely comes under fire for your editorial comments and "punishment" threats?
.

I would answer your question if it asked about a fact and not about something you made up. I didn't realize that you were privvy to the complaints that come into the mod forum. Please feel free to list in more detail exactly what percentage of complaints come in on me. Apparently you know more about it than I do.

[Sebelius for VP, not Hillary]

Originally Posted by MountainMike

Maybe this discussion board needs a "Dungeon" forum where the (bleep) can hit the fan. Then when anyone makes the choice to participate at that forum, they have an expectation of what will happen. Just tossing out an idea from one of the other discussion boards where I participate.

In one way, I am anti censorship. However, I do like quality discussions.

Personally, I don't like the idea. Insults are just ugly. When you have quality posters around there's no need for that sort of stuff. There are actually forums just dedicated to flames. It might be a good idea for people who are interested in that stuff to go over there, do their flames and then come here when they are serious.

[Sebelius for VP, not Hillary]

Originally Posted by Saharan

Who said I was exiting? See, this is precisely what I mean about the way you (mis)interpret things.

Better than your false assumptions (which you did twice).

In any case, I will let other people decide if I did "misinterpret" this comment of yours:

I guess I will go check out the climate on other boards, or even consider starting my own, that might be fun.
Take care.

as a farewell message or not.

Originally Posted by Saharan

So I will break this down for you:

I wouldn't call it breaking it down, just saying what you actually mean this time.

Originally Posted by Saharan

Now again, please show me, and feel free to quote any such post of mine, WHERE I said I was leaving the board, WHEN I said I was leaving the board, to WHOM and in WHAT CONTEXT.

Done. Although, I don't see why you would bother to argue about something like that. That's petty.

Originally Posted by Saharan

Because unless I am banned, I see no reason why I shouldn't stick around.

Well, we shall see.