Regarding our Rule on Insults (Please read post before voting)

[chasm]

Yay, now I can feel stupid.

My brain isn't working right today...

[CoolBoy]

I think the rules should be kept exactly as they are. They should not be changed because of one argument.

Most of the time people behave themselves on here. The only time I have seen someone insulted is when they are asking for it by being obnoxious. And besides, this is an internet forum. If lame little insults must be banned then it is a sad world.

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I'm going to briefly step out of my wise-ass role for a moment, El. I'm a veteran of a lot of boards and have seen quite a few collapse in chaos when there is a split between the admins or mods or whatever, so you guys have to be in agreement among yourselves. Otherwise, you are literally inviting people to take sides and that never works out well. Likewise, I have seen boards collapse when a new mod wanted to institute all sorts of "rules." I've also seen boards collapse when the mods couldn't be bothered doing their jobs at all so its a fine line. This is the best atheist board I've been on. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. It sounds as if you already have the tools and inclination to handle serious outbreaks. Putting things in writing is not always for the best. As the late US Supreme Court Justice Potter Steward said about pornography: "I can't define it but I know it when I see it."
Your collective judgment is probably good enough to know when to act and when not to.

Well said. I agree entirely.

[Zen Badger]

Don't change the rules.

You know you've won the argument when the best your opponent can do is insult you.

You; I consider case "A" to be the truth because of "X", "Y" and "Z"

Your opponents reply; You're a poo poo head.

Who holds the intellectual high ground in that conversation?

[KichigaiNeko]

Don't change the rules.

You know you've won the argument when the best your opponent can do is insult you.

You; I consider case "A" to be the truth because of "X", "Y" and "Z"

Your opponents reply; You're a poo poo head.

Who holds the intellectual high ground in that conversation?

^^^

WHS

Yeah it sounds lame on the forum but I happen to agree with Zen B.

Besides how in hell are we going to get any theistic views on this forum....they are just so lacking of anything that resembles debate and logic???

Just my thoughts....

[LastPoet]

Keep the forum as it is, its my 2 cents

I personally don't like using insults, but its fine if someone else wants to use them, its their perrogative, just remember confucius words "Injectives only dishonor the one that says them". As to be in the receiving end of an insult, well "Sticks and stones can brake my bones, but words never will!".

But that is just me, since in my line of work, insults come with the job. It would be a surprise to me if someone could really offend me with one.

[Scented Nectar]

I really like this forum's vibes, which are at least partly due to the free speech here, including things considered to be insults. Min is right about this forum. I too think this is the best atheist forum I know of right now.

Shell B and Dotard make really good points about the impossibility of determining what is or isn't an insult.

Don't ruin a really tasty recipe by omitting ingredients please. This place and YouTube are my 2 current favourite internet things to read/view/participate in.

Luckily the votes look to be in favour of keeping it the same. Yippee!!!!!!

[Autumnlicious]

You and Syn called her a cunt and bitch and you don't think that was overboard? It was not just insulting but personally offensive to me, as a woman. It was clearly going the way of flames, and for a 45 man you were acting like a child.

I only said 'cunt' as that is what Cecco said:

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who cares? who cares about accuracy and truth on a discussion about science? beats me mate, but there seems to be quite a few of you who really care about telling me how much you don't care. it's almost as if you care.

Paul The Human: if you understand so well, define one single unit of a meme for me...

if you understand so well explain to me the difference between a meme and an idea...

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(if you don't understand so well, ignore my questions, and call me a cunt or something...)

I know you took offense at it, but it was (a) not directed to you and (b) not targeted by gender, but only by what the author of the post said.

I did not in any way even know the gender of the author nor even care - if someone asked to be called a dickweed after thoroughly ignoring carefully constructed responses and the logic of myself and others, then so be it.

I calls them as I sees them, using their own writing as an entropy source.

[Violet]

But I did have to agree that locking the objectification thread was a good idea. It was going in circles and everyone was just insulting each other for the most part.

I actually disagree as to locking that thread... it allows some people's stupid suggestions (such as In This Mind suggesting that I 'flat out admitted I was trolling') to go unresponded to... which could leave future readers with her words to go off of.

It kinda irked me to find it locked after being away for some days :S

[Dotard]

You and Syn called her a cunt and bitch and you don't think that was overboard? It was not just insulting but personally offensive to me, as a woman.

Which I believe is the reason for the lock. Eilo was personally offended by it's content and set things up to lock it.

[Eilonnwy]

Dotard, get your facts straight. I didn't lock the Dawkins thread.