Change the commenting rules (see below) – yea or nay?
Or talk about Scarlett Johansson. Your choice.
by Tim F| 95 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads
Change the commenting rules (see below) – yea or nay?
Or talk about Scarlett Johansson. Your choice.
Comments are closed.
Ryan S.
I like pie! I like it a lot. I’ve got this great recipe for apple blackberry. It’s great!
Paul L.
What is a attack?
The Democrats claimed they did not support the nuclear option for judicial filibusters as it overturns a long standing sacred tradition.
However mentioning the fact that Democrats wanted to get rid of the Electoral College after the 2000 election (a long standing tradition written in the US Constitution), I was asked why are you attacking Democrats.
It seems on the left, an attack is any criticism of their position.
Tim F.
Composition fallacy. Rephrase it and try again.
John Cole
Or, even better, don’t.
The Other Steve
Actually they wanted to replace it with mandatory abortions.
So it’s ok.
HyperIon
this is very scary. gamers are a strange lot IMO. but fundy gamers?
Wilfred
A gentleman does not talk about Scarlet Jo. He fantasizes.
Dug Jay
comments attacking people will be deleted
A good rule! The repeated attacks on Bush, Gonzales, Cheney, etc., were way out of bounds.
srv
I think it’s a great idea, you jacka**es.
Actually not. Two bloggers who post pretty randomly are going to actively supress postings during the day? Block deleting well after a flame war has started would be pretty confusing to the readers.
So I nominate this the Doug Feith Idea of the Day(tm) award.
David
Let it be noted that I favor both Mitt Romney and John Edwards staying in their repsective party races all the way to the national conventions.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070808/ap_on_el_pr/romney_iowa
Between the Romney family and Edwards lamenting that he’s a rich white male… comedic gold.
Tim F.
Since anybody who repeatedly crosses the line would be banned, just like with our present commenting rules, I imagine that the problem would sort itself out in a fairly short time.
Perry Como
Tim F. Says:
Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!
Wilfred
Ad hominem is tedious and lame, but the blogosphere is far from the ideal setting for the Socratic method. Is it your intention to raise the level of discourse or simply can the attacks?
Tim F.
Yes.
But as much as anything I am sick of watching people I respect on the left and on the right get driven away by relentless abuse.
canuckistani
Sometimes when you catch someone fucking pigs you *have* to call them pigfuckers.
rawshark
Ditto.
Anyone who doesn’t agree is a Paul L. (i.e. idiot)
Would that fall under the composition fallacy?
Cyrus
Maybe, but I dunno, it does seem like more work than you guys want or will be able to sustain. Would you delete full comments, or just the personal attacks within them and leave whatever argument is left to stand or fall on its own? Would there be a blanket “three strikes and you’re banned” rule, or will you consider the intensity and personal level of the insults? (Someone might get banned after the eighth time in a week he or she says “you’re stupid,” for example, but it only takes two instances of “you’re a fucking lying shithead.”) Do the personal attacks have to be direct and obvious, or would you eventually call someone out just for repeatedly implying that the other guy is hypocritical or something? Does trolling or spoofing get a pass as long as it doesn’t actually insult other commenters? Will you just take a haphazard, possibly-unfair* “I know it when I see it” attitude, or use a spreadsheet to keep track of all that? Should people get a pass if they make a judicious riposte to an abusive drive-by commenter from a blogswarm, for whom a threat of banning doesn’t matter much anyway?
I foresee this amounting to very little if you don’t take it seriously, and a lot of aggravation for everyone if you do. You never know, you might surprise me, but still.
* Sure, it’s your blog your rules blah blah blah.
timb
How would I insult Dan Collins and Pablo and any Protein Wisdom posters? Will there be a grandfather clause for people who told John to “blow me” in answer to a question and then posted his manly retort on his blog?
Can Tim and John attack people for me?
Dang it all.
Cyrus
That’s fair enough, and something I hadn’t thought of. I can think of one example, and for all I know there are more.
Dreggas
I saw this game a while back, doesn’t even look worth the money graphically. The only REAL entertainment value would be the fact you get to play as the anti-christ. The only difference between this crap and the video games put out by white supremacists is that this one has the cover of religion, one which no one in high places will criticize because to do so feeds into their martyr complex and because it’s not PC to do so.
Punchy
Tim, I don’t remember being driven away.
By the way, CNN says Mother Earth’s vagina just opened up again. Damn whore is going to drown whatever part of SE Asia she didn’t get the first time.
rawshark
Isn’t that Rod and Todd Flanders favorite videogame?
ThymeZone
The following was posted to another thread, before I caught the poorly-placed suggestion to post it here.
Also, the idea that anyone is “driven away” by abuse is just nonsense. Almost all flames are responses in kind, very few are the original bash. Sometime a flame is fired in error, happens to everyone. The remedy for flames is to stand up and make a good argument. I have never seen a competant argument “Driven away” by flames, in ten years of posting to Usenet and the blogs. Anyone who is whining otherwise is somebody who can’t stand up and have a defendable argument and take his lumps with the rest of us. Anyone who coddles that behavior is a damned fool.
And anyone who makes twenty or thirty people eat the crap of Darrell for three years has no business lecturing anybody on any aspect of blog etiquette whatever. Sorry, but a spade is a spade, and the shoe fits. If you guys don’t like to hear things that don’t give you warm fuzzies, then maybe you should rename and repurpose the blog to “My Warm Fuzzies.”
Then we can all blog about our favorite recipes and discuss romance novels and exchange reviews of our favorite Daryn Kagan offerings?
Perry Como
Are there going to be any rules about personal attacks on Gaia?
srv
Hmm. No offense, but I don’t think your readers are that deep.
BJ is a generalist, semi-moderate current events blog. It’s the Usenet for recovering Republicans who haven’t completely tuned out and have nobody to vote for and social liberals who lean more libertarian than Fondafarian. The blog content is all over the map. If you want deeper thinkers and prose, you need to specialize (intel-dump, Volokh, sometimes Greenwald, Belgravia Dispatch, etc).
The Other Steve
Where are these comment rules again?
BTW, if you want to hear how to properly handle a disaster listen here.
MPR had Rocco Forte on, who is Minneapolis city coordinator for disasters and such. He was fire chief and such, so has experience in that realm. They’ve put together a very tight knit emergency response team. The city is on the 800 Mhz radio band, so all agencies can talk to one another. So the response last wednesday was rapid and well timed.
I got to see the bridge last night, from the balcony at the Guthrie theatre. It is quite disturbing.
CNN is also reporting now that the 2000 engineering report said replace or repair the bridge now, and it included exclamation marks. I think it’s safe to say the state budget woes is to blame for this disaster.
The Other Steve
I do have to agree with ThymeZone. People aren’t driven away by unfair attacks. They are driven away because they are full of shit, and can’t defend against attacks and are unwilling to change course.
Dreggas
well prolly not her vagina, but her bladder sure is full, must have been on a bender again.
mrmobi
Umm, TOS, I believe that the state legislature passed infrastructure funding and the governor (a devotee of Grover Norquist) vetoed it. There may in fact have been budget woes, but this appears to have been a case of an “all taxes are bad” Republican Governor just doing his job, which is to make sure government does not work.
Marine Corps Proctologist
Johansson will pass on porn queen role
People reports actress has no interest in playing Jenna Jameson.
I blame Scott Beachamp
Davebo
Oops, forgot to shed my proctologist ruse. Sorry folks.
Punchy
I was running with the earthquake/faultline/tsunami meme, but I guess the rains aren’t much bettah.
tBone
The final boss in that game is really hard. You have to dodge blasts from the Hillary-form’s abortion gun while illegal immigrant minions try to hold you down and gay marry you to Michael Moore. I finally had to resort to GameFAQs.
Re: comment policy – good luck with that. I think it’ll probably end up bunking with Tom in Texas.
Mike
If the new policy means I can’t attack Bud Selig I’m against it.
Tim F.
Sorry, that just does not agree with events that I personally observed. There clearly exist good arguments for not changing the policy but that is not one of them.
Jake
[Shrugs]
Your blog dude. You can make everyone call each other Dealy Beloved and sign their posts “Luv n’ Kisses” if you are so inclined.
You’d still be ahead of the panty waists who don’t allow comments or only allow comments after you’ve given them all of your personal information including a DNA sample.
ThymeZone
Then, you’re wrong.
Dug Jay
Tim F. says:
ThymeZone responds
See. That was handled with extreme politesse…the new rules are already effective.
Paul L.
I thought human evolution like man-made global warming was “settled science”.
Study finds twist in human evolution
This study must have been funded by a christian groups and energy companies.
Billy K
I agree with what srv said.
But I’m an idiot. I like the flames – usually good for a laugh or two. Aside from the main content, it’s why I read this blog. But then, I’m an internet vet., and flames almost never bother me on any forum (this place is full of comparative patty-cakes).
I mean, honestly, there’s not usually much in the way of high-level criticism or commentary in the comments, anyway. I doubt that would change if you started banning “abusers.” You’d just have an empty comment section.
BJ is the first non-tech blog I read every day, because it’s not too heavy, in number of posts or tone. It doesn’t require me to fully invest the few morning brains I have at hand. I know this probably sounds like an insult, but it’s not.
Cyrus
To elaborate on my earlier post, there are differences between personal attacks, ad hominem arguments, and offensive content. The last option is sort of subjective, but sort of not. If Darrell returned somehow and made blanket statements or not-explicit-but-totally-obvious insinuations about how “leftists” are all horrible, terrible people (but not mentioning anyone by name or using any actual naughty words), and ThymeZone’s response starts with calling him an asshole, do both comments get deleted, or just TZ’s? Or, hell, use the exchange with Paul L. upthread as an example.
myiq2xu
In that sarcasm is one of the few services I am truly expert at, I must inquire what would happen if I shred someone else’s comment in a smarmy and indirect manner that leaves the victim embarrassed and humiliated?
Is that a personal attack?
If not, and the victim responds with a classic rebuttal such as “Your Mother!” will he/she be censored and/or involuntarily egressed?
What about truly witty vituperation? Snide rejoinders? Condescension?
Might I suggest that rather than immediately start deleting posts and ejecting participants in discussions that grow lively, warnings be issued after a flame exchange to break clean and get back on topic.
One last question – do you consider trolls to be real people? Most civilized peoples consider it to be “open season” on trolls 24/7/365, with no restrictions on heaping scorn, derision and distaste, and if necessary, tarring and feathering of these subhuman, feces-eating vermin.
I do hope that this will remain a civilized place.
tBone
Then you should have paid more attention in science class. Here’s the simple version:
1)The fact that evolution occurred: settled science*.
2)The exact path that evolution took: still the subject of considerable debate.
*insomuch as science can ever be considered “settled”
Question: under the new comments policy, are attacks on Paul’s jackalopes still allowed?
The Other Steve
Context?
I’m still looking for a link to this policy change discussion.
capelza
Paul L, I politely clicked on your link.
What suprises me most is that this is presented as some “new” find. Good grief, the Science Channel even had a show on it awhile back. Like last year or the year before, something like that. It takes a bit for that kind of information to make to the “entertainment” stage.
Now if the “news” had been that carbon dating had shown that all previous datings were wrong and the earth was indeed only 6000 years old, then you might have had a point.
A tweaking in the “family bush” (get your minds out of the gutter mine just fell into)..is NOT a kind of “proof” that evolution is wrong.
tBone
Go fuck yourself, you smug asshole.
I am, of course, simply arguing that your above assertion is incorrect. Good day, sir.
The Other Steve
That article is rather confusing, and I wonder if they’re accurately portrying the opinions of the scientists.
There’s nothing really controversial there. That evolution didn’t work as neatly as the author assumed doesn’t mean it’s in conflict with the scientists assumptions.
P.S. The Catholic Church concluded that Evolution is not in conflict with the Bible. Why can’t you?
Dreggas
Now see this is where the term asshat would be a viable descriptor and not really a personal attack, since, if one reads the article all it proves is there is no evolutionary straight line, something most people who have even a high school education could understand.
capelza
This is an open thread right?
I just have to say that I hope BIRDZILLA nevers gets banned, I love that crazy bird, from his cute little SQUAWK to the click of his taloned toes on the floor as he flaps his wings shouting things in BIG CAPS!
Cain
I like the new commenting rules. Frequently, I felt that commentors tend to attack a person even though that person has not attacked first. If you’re trying to change their minds/philosophy attacking rarely works. It gets their guard up and they get more stubborn.
On the other hand, there are some delicious knockdowns that keeps me coming back. High entertainment value. You’ll have to use your best judgement I suppose when deleting comments. Some people really deserve it.
cain
tBone
just WATCH next they’ll try to TAKE AWAY our GUNS bunch of Nazis singing in a parade, CRAZY.
myiq2xu
Will it be permissible to point out that someone’s argument is fallacious, but impermissible to state that the person making the comment is fellatious, even if they really are?
If truthful, will it be permissible to state “That’s the stupidest post I’ve ever seen?”
What about questions such as “Did you type that in crayon?” or “Who made your computer, Fisher Price?”
Badtux
I already enforce the same rule on my own blog. You come to my blog and you attack my arguments, I’m fine with that. You instead lower yourself to name calling and personal insults against myself or my regular commentariate, I replace your post with “This Comment Deleted By Moderator” and below it post “Note to XYZ: Personal attacks are not allowed on this blog. If you don’t like it, go elsewhere.”
My blog is my property, and that’s how I want it on my property. If that is how you want it on your property (your blog), fine with me. I don’t attempt to post on Free Republic for example because they have a rule that any posting advocating policies that the moderators don’t agree with (basically anything to the left of Atilla the Hun) get deleted. Fine. No big loss. And I haven’t noticed any big loss by going the other way either — allowing posts that I (my moderator) don’t agree with, as long as they don’t engage in personal attacks.
My property, my rules. That’s the way it ought to be, right? Same deal here. Your property, your rules.
– Badtux the Libertarian Penguin
Cain
haha!
cain
HyperIon
so are you backing away from this and stating instead that folks who attack people will be banned at some point?
if so, i’d hope there would be an announcement of the banning with the offending posts. that’s so we know that the offender was banned and not merely disappeared by Gonzo and his crew.
of course it’s your blog…so do your thing.
Cain
Since this is open thread. Anyone read the news about the head of the Young Republican arrested for sexual assault on another guy. What is with Republicans and deviant (homo)sexual behavior?
Poor bastards.
cain
Andrew
To steal a quip from Sarah Silverman, it’s not that I hate that fucking asshole Cassidy, it’s that I really like that fucking asshole Cassidy. It’s the pejorative of love.
myiq2xu
GOP = Gay Only Party
Jake
A question: Does the attack have to occur in the thread? What if I disagree with another poster in a reasonable manner but I link to a very offensive website that is clearly meant to insult/intimidate that poster?
myiq2xu
How does the new policy apply to Scott Beachamp?
Andrew
As long as you use polite language, it doesn’t matter that you’re wearing an Iraqi child’s skull.
myiq2xu
Whew!
Darn you to Heck, Scott Beauchamp!
Billy K
Woo hoo! That’s more like it. Now we’re INTERNETTIN’!!!1lol
Punchy
Shorter Tim–I disagree, therefore you’re wrong.
Punchy
No. You are free to fly out to Phoenix and pummel Thymezone until your hands hurt, or schlepp up to Canada and sass Krista to her face directly. Personally, I’d recommend a trip to Alaska just to poo on Pooh.
myiq2xu
Is it permissible to challenge someone else to a duel? What about a dual?
Waterpistols at dawn? No? The how about you and your sister at midnight?
Cain
You need to come to Oregon there’s more of us here. You can gang-bitchslap us till we cry for Reagan.
cain
ThymeZone
My rules of engagement are stated, and consistent.
I basically respond in kind. If you crap on me, I shall crap upon you. If you don’t, I will not. If I violate my own rule, I will step back and usually apologize. Which I have done.
I will not walk on eggs, however, in fear of offending some whiner who will email Tim of John and complain. And I won’t even listen to anyone who lets a Darrell crap on everything that moves here for 3 years and then tells us, the people who support this place, to “back off” because we are making some friend of theirs cry. Screw that.
Let me tell you a little secret learned at the pain of ten years of Usenet flame wars: Winning arguments win. Losing arguments lose. It’s the arguments, not the flames, the names, the rhetoric, the snark, the spoof, or the trolls. It’s always the arguments. If you have the winning argument, you shall prevail. If your facts are good and your case is strong, you shall prevail. If not, you won’t. That is the immutable law of the Tubes.
You can take that to the bank, my friends. Trust me.
myiq2xu
Aren’t most Oregonians DFH draft-dodgers from California who ran out of gas on their way to Canada?
myiq2xu
You almost had me until the final two words.
Perry Como
Everyone knows it’s “GOOD DAY, sir!”
Wanker.
capelza
Oh…snap.
Sadly were it so, most “Oregonians” now are, while from California, not draft dodgers, but rather folks who sold their little ranchhouses in CA for a gajillion dollars and moved on up here and paying top dollar, thus raising our property values (and thusly our property taxes) through the roof. People who planned on living in their old houses for the rest of their lives are forced to sell because they can’t afford the hundreds of $$$ a month in property taxes. Oh, and always voting down new school bonds and telling us folks who tend to favour the MYOB approach to things how to live, because they know what’s best for us.
That’s hyperbole..sort of. (and yes I am not native born, bt I have lived here and in the rest of the PNW since I was 11.)
Tax Analyst
RE: New rules of discourse.
Can I still say “fuck”? If I can still swear I can probably stop calling people “assholes”, at least for the most part, for a while, anyway. (Lotta qualifier’s there)
If I can still say “fuck” I guess it’s OK. Maybe if I wink somehow you will all know intuitively it really means, “Go fuck yourself, buddy, and that includes the horse that you rode in on and your friends, if you have any”.
Would it be OK if I’m able to insult somebody in a really, really clever and unique way? That’s more of a “talent” and “skill” issue than real acrimony. Of course, that would be a pretty subjective item to evaluate.
Slightly off to the side, I used to post creative material to another site, but the site-operator started banning “obscenity”. So you had to wussify anything you wanted to put up…and it was LAME…poster’s ended up going “f*ck” and ‘a$$h*le – as if anybody past the 2nd grade wouldn’t know what they were saying.
My own personal standard on swearing was to use it only for a specific effect, and if I had to use the same word more than once in the piece I should look and see if there was a better way to get where I wanted to go.
Fortunately for my sanity, I don’t apply that standard here.
That’s how I fucking feel about it, you sanctimonius A$$H*LES (John & Tim – I’m just kidding with that, really…kiss-kiss).
OOH…can we use cloying, clearly sarcastic false praise instead? Sometimes that can be as much or even more fun as just flat-out calling somebody a “fascist Right-wing dick-head”.
Seriously (well, semi-seriously), good luck monitoring and censoring all these threads. And all along I thought both you guys had real jobs that require considerable amounts of your time and attention.
ThymeZone
Oh well, close but no cigar!
Perry Como
That’s a brilliant idea! I’m surprised no on has thought of that before. Did you come up with that all by yourself? If so, that’s quite an impressive feat. You should probably patent the idea before someone else comes along and steals it.
Jake
You guys are both so funny. I bet it must be hard, being so witty and clever and all. How do you do it? Does it require a lot of coke, or do you just sell your soul to the devil?
ThymeZone
I’m going to ask the owners to ban you before that kind of personal attack sarcasm is turned on me and makes me cry.
Too late, I am already crying. Just knowing that it might happen to me is enough to shake me to the core.
Now see what you’ve done. I am crushed. Goodby cruel world.
ThymeZone
Please send for our informative booklet, “A Sense of Humor in 21 Days.” Just $14.95 plus S&H.
Tax Analyst
(Hypothetical Post-New Rule comment)
“Tim & John…Now see what you’ve done. Perry was mean to me and I have to go home all sad and hurt. Please make the mean man stop.”
Is that really better than just telling someone to stuff it?
Well, I really do have to go home now, I’m off the clock.
tBone
Quit calling me names, you Limey buttlick.
Krista
Thank you for only recommending subjecting me to a sassing. Being pummelled and poo’ed on? To quote the horse from Ren and Stimpy, “No sir, I don’t like it!”
John and Tim, what if we put smiley faces after all of our insults, so that it’s obvious that we’re just kiddin’ around when we call each other miserable goatlicking fuckfaces? Would that work?
(You’re already regretting this policy after reading this comments thread, aren’t you? Hell, you’re probably regretting ever opening this place up to comments in the first place.)
over it
Sounds good to me…whatever it takes to keep those damn Lefty Cowards and Traitors from posting. Anything that steers all the fracking Righty Nazis and Stormtroopers to another site is a good idea. Oh, and the Bloody Idiots (regardless of Party affiliation)….get rid of them as well. And that one guy…that Son of a Motherless Goat….purge him as well. While you are at it…all those that smell of elderberries need to go. Begone the foul lot of them!
I should have fun commenting to myself. ;)
Really though, I don’t care. Whatever rocks yer boat. ;)
Duane
TF, you are demonstrating what a little pussy you are with this new rule. You are making all of us manly Democrats look bad with your pathetic whining about mean speech. Stop feeding the stereotype. If you can’t stand the free speech, go start a right-wing blog.
Douchebag.
Thank God for a man’s man like John Cole.
TrishB
Damn, after reading all of the above, this post will sound almost serious. Across the board at forums, groups, blogs, etc., I am 98% lurker and 2% commenter, so take this for what it’s worth. I’ve been online since the days I had a usenet reader, and I’ve never seen this kind of policy work, especially at a place that values its snark. It always seems to devolve into a “but he started it” type of argument with the need for a mommy moderator. Sometimes a little anarchy can be good.
Then again, I know a very active forum where the owner and mods allow 99.9997% of stuff to stand, but if someone really pushes them over the edge, poof! Oh, and then they vote for the craziest ass of the month.
tBone
Now this idea I like.
Psycheout
Nice people like Tall Dave, Defense Guy, Mac Buckets, Stormy77, scs, Don Surber and others have left the site because the comment threads have had so many insults and lefty talking points and profanity.
Perhaps if they moderate and ban some the worst offenders, some of these great commenters of the past may return.
jake
I would never strike a lady (so don’t worry TZ) and since you quoted R & S I wouldn’t even dream of sassing you.
And now, in Krista’s honor…
Psycheout
Oops, I left out Darrell, who usually argued in good faith, but was always shouted down by the echo chamber.
ConservativelyLiberal
I have to vote leave it as is. I have a free speech forum (game related, but it has open discussion areas) and I rarely have to mod it. I do not allow racist remarks, but that is about it. Everything else is pretty much a free for all. It is amazing how civil it is. People do a pretty good job of self-moderating when given the chance. But when it gets hot, it gets hot (thus the name of the open speech area, “The Steam Room”). People tell me that they really like the place. It works.
If you get in to deciding what is right or not, expect to be attacked for censorship, for being afraid of the truth, for taking perceived ‘sides’ in hot issues and on and on and on… It will be an endless fight for you guys, and while you may win the skirmishes I think that you would lose in the end. Just my opinion though… :)
A self-moderating community is about the best in balance, IMO. Letting it all hang out here fits me nicely, and I have never felt that I should leave. Rather, that is one of the things that attracted me to the place. My thought was ‘Wow, someone on the right that reminds me of the old style republicans. And he welcomes diverse opinions!’
Call the museum! ;)
Rome Again
Yeah, this was just a tease, right?
So, John posts the above four days ago and yet the two of you (John/Tim) have been discussing tightening the rules for a while? I wonder if John is currently taking any medications? There appears to be some kind of a relapse going on here.
I am making a prediction, tighten the rules, and watch this blog fade into obscurity. Oh well, it was fun for a while, and I did get to fulfill my obsession. I guess it’s a good thing I’m really busy these days and have little time to post. Alas, it seems, the fun may be coming to an end, yet, I want to acknowledge that, for me at least, BJ has served it’s purpose. ;)
Redhand
FWIW, I do think you should change the comments policy. There are some pretty rancid personal attacks on commenters here that give the blog a disgusting food fight quality. Reduces the level of discourse and all that, honest.
David
More fuel to the “Don’t quit, Mitt!” campaign…
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/09/romney_has_a_memory_lapse_on_mass/
This guy would be perfect for Jeff Foxworthy’s game show.
rawshark
End of story.
Saying they left because they were insulted is crap. Once again the right is blinding the issue with bullshit. They can’t state their weak case without challenge so they leave and say they’re leaving a cesspool.
Find me a right winger that doesn’t blame every problem he or the country has, on the left. Its always someone else’s fault. Saying they leave here for the insults is as valid as aaying the left and their media lost the Vietnam War.
canuckistani
Well spoke. You deserve a coupon for one unmoderated personal attack on the wingnut of your choice.
Psycheout
Every problem in this country can be traced directly to the left and its allies the RINOs.