Hey peeps.
I recently suffered a two week suspension from these here forums. My crime? Using sarcasm!
I re-post my original comment below with the comment I was responding to and the context of that post (please don't suspend me again! This is for the purpose of discussion).
Originally Posted by USER NAME REMOVED (in response to me stating that traditions akin to marriage pre-date written history):
Total gibberish. If it pre-dates written history how do we know about it? It must have been recorded somewhere for us to know about it.
I responded thusly:
Apparently you've never heard of this thing called "speaking".
You see, people have these holes in their faces called "mouths" (you'll find yours just under your nose) which, on top of being great for eating, breathing and spitting can also be used to produce sounds which we use to make words. By speaking to people we can transfer information, just like the written word but in the form of sounds which we can hear with these other holes called ears! Amazing, right? It's like Wifi but with sound and mouths and ears and stuff.
Now, this is all well and good, I imagine I would hear you say were you to have previously heard of this thing called speaking, but what about when people die? Well, there's this thing where people have kids (it's called "procreation") and they tell their kids stories and the kids use their brains to remember the story and then they tell their kids. So even after all the original people are dead, we still have the stories! It's like people speaking from beyond the grave... spooky!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_tradition
As you can see, I even helpfully added a wiki link to educate the poor, ignorant soul.
Now, I can admit, I did rather go to town on the dude. But I was a little affronted. He had called my assertion "total gibberish" after all which is rude and aggressive. My response, while not exactly turning the other cheek, used humour in response to aggression. If I were a bigger man I may have just ignored him but I have trouble letting an open goal like that pass me by. The guy was asking for a ribbing! And that's all it was. In the real world, when someone says something dumb, adult humans like to take the Mickey a bit and it's all in good fun. Sure, no one likes to get shown up but we laugh it off and move on.
When I asked the moderator about it I was told the following:
Hi Aran,
To answer your question " So "sarcasm" is now banned? Is that the rule?"
Yes that's correct. Sarcasm is not allowed when it is used to irritate or otherwise anger members. Anything you write to irritate members is not allowed, and falls under trolling.
Kacie, MacRumors Administrator
Leaving aside the fact that irritating other people is half the fun of being a know it all like me, are we really now living in such a fascistic dictatorship that sarcasm is banned? Sarcasm!?! Banned!?! What's more - trolling? Isn't that a bit harsh for what was, in essence, no more than a bit of banter?
This is an internet forum, not the papal conclave! Why so serious? Do we really want a forum where people aren't allowed to use wit and humour, even if it is to slap down someone who has insulted them?
I dream of a Macrumors where people of all nations can come together and take the piss out of each other like normal adults with a pinch of self deprecation and a touch of good humour! Where I come from, refusing the rib someone for being a wally is about as rude as you can get! So, come on mods, have a beer, chill out and let's be adults, eh? Humour's fun! You'd like it if you tried!
I recently suffered a two week suspension from these here forums. My crime? Using sarcasm!
I re-post my original comment below with the comment I was responding to and the context of that post (please don't suspend me again! This is for the purpose of discussion).
Originally Posted by USER NAME REMOVED (in response to me stating that traditions akin to marriage pre-date written history):
Total gibberish. If it pre-dates written history how do we know about it? It must have been recorded somewhere for us to know about it.
I responded thusly:
Apparently you've never heard of this thing called "speaking".
You see, people have these holes in their faces called "mouths" (you'll find yours just under your nose) which, on top of being great for eating, breathing and spitting can also be used to produce sounds which we use to make words. By speaking to people we can transfer information, just like the written word but in the form of sounds which we can hear with these other holes called ears! Amazing, right? It's like Wifi but with sound and mouths and ears and stuff.
Now, this is all well and good, I imagine I would hear you say were you to have previously heard of this thing called speaking, but what about when people die? Well, there's this thing where people have kids (it's called "procreation") and they tell their kids stories and the kids use their brains to remember the story and then they tell their kids. So even after all the original people are dead, we still have the stories! It's like people speaking from beyond the grave... spooky!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_tradition
As you can see, I even helpfully added a wiki link to educate the poor, ignorant soul.
Now, I can admit, I did rather go to town on the dude. But I was a little affronted. He had called my assertion "total gibberish" after all which is rude and aggressive. My response, while not exactly turning the other cheek, used humour in response to aggression. If I were a bigger man I may have just ignored him but I have trouble letting an open goal like that pass me by. The guy was asking for a ribbing! And that's all it was. In the real world, when someone says something dumb, adult humans like to take the Mickey a bit and it's all in good fun. Sure, no one likes to get shown up but we laugh it off and move on.
When I asked the moderator about it I was told the following:
Hi Aran,
To answer your question " So "sarcasm" is now banned? Is that the rule?"
Yes that's correct. Sarcasm is not allowed when it is used to irritate or otherwise anger members. Anything you write to irritate members is not allowed, and falls under trolling.
Kacie, MacRumors Administrator
Leaving aside the fact that irritating other people is half the fun of being a know it all like me, are we really now living in such a fascistic dictatorship that sarcasm is banned? Sarcasm!?! Banned!?! What's more - trolling? Isn't that a bit harsh for what was, in essence, no more than a bit of banter?
This is an internet forum, not the papal conclave! Why so serious? Do we really want a forum where people aren't allowed to use wit and humour, even if it is to slap down someone who has insulted them?
I dream of a Macrumors where people of all nations can come together and take the piss out of each other like normal adults with a pinch of self deprecation and a touch of good humour! Where I come from, refusing the rib someone for being a wally is about as rude as you can get! So, come on mods, have a beer, chill out and let's be adults, eh? Humour's fun! You'd like it if you tried!