OFF TOPIC THREAD: Where derailing the thread is impossible!

BlueGasMask · Post by **BlueGasMask** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 12:19

i'm sure it'd sound hilarious with AWE32. I've actually been trying to find a .DLS or at least a .SF2 and I'm having trouble. If I had that, I could then get a semi-decent idea of how things will translate, and I can adjust the score appropriately. That way something like this doesn't sound like arse.

I'll admit though, ever since I heard the latter, Make It Tighter always reminded me of this. Any chance Robert Prince had the original Yes song in mind when composing?

VikingBoyBilly · Post by **VikingBoyBilly** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 22:29

Flaose wrote:
Paramultart wrote:If the word honky is not banned within 24 hours, things might not go so well for this little online forum.
We don't take kindly to threats here.

I'd suggest taking the next month to cool down and cultivate positive relationships because you won't be posting here.

Why not invent new slurs to spread "hatred" and "bigotry" with?

New words can always be created just as they are banned, but you can't ban the ideas behind them.

I mean, I'm sure those filthy scheming spaghettishmunglerspingas would if they could. They are responsible for all the toasted toast famines in the world, after all.

Banning Para was a silly thing to do. I don't agree with everything he said, but he certainly had a point. I know him personally and can safely say he is not the least bit racist. Politically incorrect, definitely... But he just hates hypocrisy, like the kind clearly exhibited here.

I saw no threats made. I see an abuse of power because people got their butts all butthurt.

Besides, we all know that banning him has never stopped him from posting on these boards. This is just petty.

Post by **Fleexy** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 0:16

Perhaps the ban was a bit stronger of an action than I would have used, but I don't disagree with it. I'm a big fan of two-day "go cool off" bans; the thread was heading toward something deserving that in a hurry. The "threat" deserved a warning, at least. And given the time between that post and the ban, and the fact that Flaose posted here once between them, I wouldn't be surprised if there was communication that we don't know about.

"Honkey" is not banned because, as Flaose said and everyone ignored, it is a component of a perfectly reasonable phrase. If I were moderator - and I'm not - I probably would have left the other gray-area words alone and dealt with them on a case-by-case basis. That said, I don't object to their being banned now that it's done. And on banning "all or none": would people be outraged if, say, Microsoft released an update fixing a bunch of bugs in Windows but didn't fix <insert favorite bug here, like notification area icons not vanishing immediately>? Well, some people would, but that's silly. Speed of iteration beats quality of iteration.

"The problem isn’t hypocrisy; hypocrisy is a boring crime, one of which everyone is guilty, one which has no interesting bearing on a discussion." -Alex Munroe. I'm not sure whether that quote has any truth to it whatsoever, but I'll leave it here for your consideration. (Source.)

So, the decision has been made. Not what I expected, but not unreasonable either.

VikingBoyBilly · Post by **VikingBoyBilly** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 0:23

But there's a country called Nigeria and it's full of foobs.

Post by **Levellass** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 6:33

VikingBoyBilly wrote: Why not invent new slurs to spread "hatred" and "bigotry" with?

It's a 'nice' idea but doesn't really pan out. Remember when gays attempted to well... adopt the word gay? (And hero too.) Now if something sucks, it's gay. You cannot just 'invent' a new term be it for good or for ill.

VikingBoyBilly wrote: New words can always be created just as they are banned, but you can't ban the ideas behind them.

This is true, but you can show your opposition to them. A famous quote speaks of 'First they came for' and ''and I was silent' So it is with words. I cannot stop the hatred behind animal abuse but if I see someone stomping a kitten I will object. In doing so I take a stand against these ideas. Maybe nothing will come of it, maybe it will encourage others to take a stand or send a message.

If something is done it contributes to the climate of such ideals not being tolerated. If the government banned the word 'freedom' few would think it trivial, something that could easily be got around. There would be no smug talks about how now we're using the word 'expensive' in place. Even if there were they would be with the goal of eventually subverting the ban and restoring the word.

Those who oppose word filters on offensive terms makes the stand that they support such terms being used in that environment. This can be a noble thing, standing up for freedom of expression. But it can also be oppressive, crushing dissenting views under a torrent of abuse.

VikingBoyBilly wrote: I saw no threats made. I see an abuse of power because people got their butts all butthurt.

Gonna partially agree, I don't think anything there is that important. On the other hand I'm sure he'll get over it. It's not like he doesn't have better things to do.

Commander Spleen · Post by **Commander Spleen** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 8:52

That's what the Cereal Board was originally for (link in my Sig)...

Plasma Captain · Post by **Plasma Captain** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 22:17

Fleexy wrote:"Honkey" is not banned because, as Flaose said and everyone ignored, it is a component of a perfectly reasonable phrase.

I don't think everybody ignored it... But, I guess I'd like to go back and expand upon something I said before, which is the fact that "spook" isn't censored here. Because "spook" has multiple meanings, most of which are not racist. So, the whole argument about "honky" not being censored solely because it relates to white people is sort of made moot by this fact.

Post by **Levellass** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 0:09

Let me introduce everyone to Cracked.com's list of words with racist origins: http://www.cracked.com/article_16967_8- ... y-day.html

guynietoren · Post by **guynietoren** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 3:56

There's a lot of racist slang for whites. I teach my kids that prejudice is just stupid. Like claiming to know someone before meeting them. Because personality is completely up to the DNA and not effected by a long series of life choices, habits, and environmental influences. So I find it funny if someone calls me honky.

I have a multi racial family(black, white, and latino). But that's because I'm a foster parent.

Post by **Levellass** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 23:30

Prejudice serves a vital function; it's just generalization and often pays. In general lions are dangerous. Some aren't. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_uVsmSbgCE but in general they are.

The problem is that humans are naturally conservative and err on the side of caution, marking people and things as negative when they're not. The idea is to have smart prejudice. (But of course what exactly is smart is also a prejudice.)

guynietoren · Post by **guynietoren** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 12:12

It's like being cautious about people with a criminal record, but not dismissing them either. Trust is hard thing to get back once it's lost.

MoffD · Post by **MoffD** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 0:27

Take me with you spammy!

On a side note, xfce's default screencap program has upload to imgur as an option...

Post by **Fleexy** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 0:52

The first major Republican debate for the 2016 US presidential election is on in ten minutes!

Post by **Levellass** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 4:52

My prediction is somehow Trump comes out on top and nobody knows why.

Roobar · Post by **Roobar** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 18:54

LGR plays Commander Keen 4 with the second dumbest gun controller ever!