Censorship in the forum

[Patters]

The moderators are supposed to try to keep the forum relatively civil. Our rules came about after the forum got so out of hand and visitors to the forum (not participants) complained to Ian. Some even quit Patsfans they were so offended by some of things said.

Obviously, politics is a hot topic issue. Someone who is in Iraq and has seen his buddies get killed or injured may take personally criticisms of the war. Someone who is Muslim may take personally a belief that Muslims are guilty until proven innocent. A devout Christian will take an attack on his/her religion personally. A gay person will take the claim that pedophiles are all gay personally.

When people make sweeping statements about an entire group, I generally issue a warning. If I get complaints PM'ed to me, I may close the thread. In this way, I abide by the rule, "No attacks that stereotype all people of a race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, or sexual preference." Can this rule be improved upon while at the same time still protecting patsfans.com?

[wistahpatsfan]

Originally Posted by Patters

The moderators are supposed to try to keep the forum relatively civil. Our rules came about after the forum got so out of hand and visitors to the forum (not participants) complained to Ian. Some even quit Patsfans they were so offended by some of things said.

Obviously, politics is a hot topic issue. Someone who is in Iraq and has seen his buddies get killed or injured may take personally criticisms of the war. Someone who is Muslim may take personally a belief that Muslims are guilty until proven innocent. A devout Christian will take an attack on his/her religion personally. A gay person will take the claim that pedophiles are all gay personally.

When people make sweeping statements about an entire group, I generally issue a warning. If I get complaints PM'ed to me, I may close the thread. In this way, I abide by the rule, "No attacks that stereotype all people of a race, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, or sexual preference." Can this rule be improved upon while at the same time still protecting patsfans.com?

As an American, I am offended when anyone is said to be guilty until proven innocent. I won't quit the forum. I'll use it to rebut and retaliate against such ignorance. Theat's the nature of it . If one is so thin-skinned that they leave the forum when they see such a post, so be it. It took me decades to learn this: You can't please everybody, and I'm teaching my kids that.

I have no problem with your rule about attacking groups with stereotyping. It's your rule, but I think it's coddling the thin-skinned if you ask me. I enjoy stereotypes - they're fun and I think they're harmless - probably because I work in construction and we spend 50% of the day making fun of each other and our ethnic/racial/gender differences. We literally have everything from gays to black Liberian bikers to - get this- drunken Micks. I understand this type of talk is verbotten in offices and schools, but we're the last bastion of politically incorrect speech in America outside of meetings of the American Nazi Party (by the way, I'd love to take my crew into one of those meetings with baseball bats and do some batting practice for about 20 minutes - my guys and girls would have a ball!).

One rule we have is that if someone is offended - really offended - that particular stereotype is never used again, but that's rare. One case is when a Brazilian laborer from another company but working alonside ours was calle a "Rican" by the Liberian guy I mentioned. I thought this kid was going to kill the guy. Really hit a nerve.

[wistahpatsfan]

Originally Posted by NEM

Yeah, he should have been called a Zilian instead.

He would have been OK with that...that's nothin!

[Real World]

I think everyone needs to grow up a little. This is a political forum. If you can't take what some people post, ignore them. How old are we? I know which people in here have what agenda. I post accordingly. Grow up people. This is an internet forum. When you leave the site, your life has not changed any.

If I may offer something, I find it hypocritical that some in here would label the pope a Nazi, or support such claims. I think people are clearly free to call him one, as I feel people are free to say whatever it is they desire. I am not a big believer in the church, though I do believe in god. What's hypocritical is not so much what was said, but who it was that said it. Said hypocrite lectured me on Robert Byrd, the member and organizer of the KKK, when I said I would never vote for him. I was lectured about forgiveness, giving people second chances, and how to see that people do change. Funny how a child, forced into a Hitler Youth group is not given the same compassion as the adult KKK member, Robert Byrd.

Hypocracy? Nah.....

[Real World]

Originally Posted by wistahpatsfan

As an American, I am offended when anyone is said to be guilty until proven innocent. I won't quit the forum. I'll use it to rebut and retaliate against such ignorance. Theat's the nature of it . If one is so thin-skinned that they leave the forum when they see such a post, so be it. It took me decades to learn this: You can't please everybody, and I'm teaching my kids that.

I have no problem with your rule about attacking groups with stereotyping. It's your rule, but I think it's coddling the thin-skinned if you ask me. I enjoy stereotypes - they're fun and I think they're harmless - probably because I work in construction and we spend 50% of the day making fun of each other and our ethnic/racial/gender differences. We literally have everything from gays to black Liberian bikers to - get this- drunken Micks. I understand this type of talk is verbotten in offices and schools, but we're the last bastion of politically incorrect speech in America outside of meetings of the American Nazi Party (by the way, I'd love to take my crew into one of those meetings with baseball bats and do some batting practice for about 20 minutes - my guys and girls would have a ball!).

One rule we have is that if someone is offended - really offended - that particular stereotype is never used again, but that's rare. One case is when a Brazilian laborer from another company but working alonside ours was calle a "Rican" by the Liberian guy I mentioned. I thought this kid was going to kill the guy. Really hit a nerve.

Wistah I agree. My dad has a contruction company and I've been involved in it since I was 12. My dad, being an immigrant, loves to hire them for obvious reasons. Anyhow, if the PC people ever heard the things that we say, they'd try to close us down. The same applies to my Barber's shop here in Chelsea. The language and racial/ethnic stuff is crazy. Everyone calls each other racist names, and no one gets mad, they all laugh. Everyone knows its for fun. Me, I hardly ever get involved cuz I never feel comfortable saying some of that stuff. That aside, it doesn't bother me.


BTW, there is a reason why Latino's don't like to be called spics or ricans. I'd tell you why, as it was expained to me, but it might be offensive to some in here.

[Harry Boy]

The Thirties & Forties:
When a new kid moved into the neighborhood and started hanging around the corner the first thing we did was look for that "certain thing" his nationality, the way he walked, how he talked, his habits, physical affliction, then sooner or later somebody would hit the right note.
These are some of the guys I hung around with.
Marble Eyes------"Big Eyes"
Charlie The B!tch--"Never Smiled Or Laughed"
Rotten Arm Henry--"Polio In One Arm"
Hocka Lunga------TB, died at eighteen, we call him "Hocka" today when we speak of him.
Nose-------------Big Nose
Whisper--------Didn't know how to to talk softly, said "F-ck" in church at his daughters wedding everybody in the church heard it.
Everybody had a few on their corner called---- "Fat"
Pennie Annie----She had sex with every one of us under the BU Bridge before she was 15.
Flat Face Smitty, his nose was broken three times.
Vinny The Ginny--Only Italian kid on the corner that could speak Italian.
Two "Popeyes" both good street fighters.
Gleasman The Policeman---our Beat Cop (he hated that name)
Ratso, there were a lot of them around, but "Our Ratso" looked just like a Rat.

I was simply "*****head" (Red Hair)

[Patters]

Wistah, the thin-skinned people are apparently those who do not participate in this forum, but occasionally read threads. By restricting offensive posts, we are trying to help Patsfans retain its members, not affect political discussion. Personally, I welcome the harsh debates, especially when the posts are substantive.

Real World, I called the Pope a Nazi in the same spirit that QuiGon called me a "holocaust-denying scumbag." I should have more precisely responded, "Using the same logic by which you call me a holocaust denier, I could call the Pope a Nazi." (His evidence that I am a holocaust denier is that I once linked to an article on a holocaust deniers site -- the article had to do with North Korea, I believe. My evidence that the Pope was a Nazi is the fact that he belonged to Hitler Youth as a young man.) In all honesty, I think this Pope is bad because of his handling of child abuse in the church and his support for the church's view of women and gays, but I certainly don't judge him by his Nazi past. The fact is he was only a member of the Hitler Youth because he had to be, and I would not have brought it up if QuiGon didn't repeatedly accuse me of being a holocaust denier and anti-semite, which I am anything but. I chose to apply his skewed logic in my own way, but apparently that went over the heads of a couple people.

[Harry Boy]

Originally Posted by NEM

Harry, I heard that this was YOU, on that corner. Is that true? .

Thats me in the red dress, I still sit around the house once in awhile when it's raining with my wifes slip on.

[Real World]

Originally Posted by Patters

Wistah, the thin-skinned people are apparently those who do not participate in this forum, but occasionally read threads. By restricting offensive posts, we are trying to help Patsfans retain its members, not affect political discussion. Personally, I welcome the harsh debates, especially when the posts are substantive.

Surprise, surprise. A liberal catoring to the few and irrelevent, as opposed to those who butter the bread. Who cares what passers by think? Who cares if people who never post are offended? Fukc them. I don't post in the football portion of this forum, so should my "feelings" matter there? Of course not. What flawed, ridiculously idiotic logic. Sorry, but if you don't like that people in here get emotional, then don't come here. It's like going to a rated R movie and then complaining about the content. Hey retard, next time go watch something PG.

Originally Posted by Patters

Real World, I called the Pope a Nazi in the same spirit that QuiGon called me a "holocaust-denying scumbag." I should have more precisely responded, "Using the same logic by which you call me a holocaust denier, I could call the Pope a Nazi." (His evidence that I am a holocaust denier is that I once linked to an article on a holocaust deniers site -- the article had to do with North Korea, I believe. My evidence that the Pope was a Nazi is the fact that he belonged to Hitler Youth as a young man.) In all honesty, I think this Pope is bad because of his handling of child abuse in the church and his support for the church's view of women and gays, but I certainly don't judge him by his Nazi past. The fact is he was only a member of the Hitler Youth because he had to be, and I would not have brought it up if QuiGon didn't repeatedly accuse me of being a holocaust denier and anti-semite, which I am anything but. I chose to apply his skewed logic in my own way, but apparently that went over the heads of a couple people.

Ok, glad you explained yourself, so everyone can see how illogical your comparrison was. Quigon called you a Holocaust denier, so you called the Pope a Nazi. That's idiotic. The Pope didn't call you a denier did he? Nope. So why criticize the pope? A proper retort would have been to call Quigon something. I doubt that you weren't bright enough to see this, which leads me to believe you simply wanted to incite some anger by insulting christians and the Pope. Funny how a moderator closes threads that he dislikes, while hiding behind the excuse that passers by find them offensive, yet he then moves to criticize the icon of forum catholics, whom said moderator never sees eye to eye with. Hmmm......

[PressCoverage]

quite frankly, Patters...

if you want to get people's attention, you should start laying down the law to anyone mouthing off over your rules... a moderator is a moderator, not a arbitrator or social worker... a nice week's vacation, or a month, usually gets people's attention rather quickly... left or right...

the forum rules here seem pretty clear to me, and incredibly forgiving, compared to other places i've been... a 100 scale points system would let people know how close they are to a vacation, etc. ... call a race or religion "smelly" or suggest they should all die, or make a personal attack on another poster? 50 points... do it again? ... give them a week off... do it a third time? find your IP locked out for good...

it's really quite simple... some of these guys are trying to run the asylum , and you might just be coddling them ...