Insulting posts & improper behavior

[Deepdale]

For those individuals who have been on the receiving end of a post in which a rude or insulting comment was personally directed at them, or have been subjected to any type of harassment, threat or intimidation designed to prevent them from full participation in these forums, I urge you to avail yourself of the small red triangle above a member's name and promptly report such incidents as an offensive post and explain your rationale for doing so.

There is absolutely no reason why obnoxious behavior -- regardless of whether the source is from a teenager or adult -- should be tolerated by anyone. This will include such things as being referred to as stupid, moronic, clueless or a jerk, plus those who denigrate others because they are card carrying members of the highly intolerant (but intellectually superior, or so they think) spelling and punctuation goon squads.

And it is also time to serve notice on all offenders that lacing into somebody cannot be forgiven by placing a totally meaningless smiley face after a hurtful remark. One final thing: I urge all responsible moderators to take swift and aggressive action against those who flagrantly and/or repeatedly violate stated forum rules.

If that means a suspension of posting privileges for two weeks as an initial reminder or a permanent ban when warranted, so be it. Any computer forum that makes lame excuses for abysmal conduct is a forum that I will not have a long-term relationship with.

The many decent people who regularly visit here no longer need to be at the mercy of electronic bullies. Enough is enough! If you are incapable of posting with decency, redirect your unwelcome sarcasm to spouses and family members ... I am sure they will love you and be apologists for you no matter what transpires..

 

[eva01]

ummm all you have to do is hit that report post icon and then the moderators will take care of it, you don't have to make a post stating what is already known.


^_^

 

[Deepdale]

ummm all you have to do is hit that report post icon and then the moderators will take care of it, you don't have to make a post stating what is already known./QUOTE]

In the event you thought I was oblivious to that, I will state for the record that I was not. The purpose of a general message here was for the benefit of those who get away with far too many transgressions and others who unknowingly let it continue.

 

[mac-er]

I really don't want this forum to turn into televisionwithoutpity.com, where its a total fascist state.

I like the smartassness on this site.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I think the moderators do a really good job of keeping order in these parts. I've been on plenty of theoretically moderated boards where flamefests are the order of the day. Not around here, or not so I've noticed -- and I'm one of the denizens of the political board, generally thought to be the roughest crowd around here (it isn't really, IMO, but that's the reputation).

Yes, report violations -- but make sure you've got a very good reason.

And consider using the ignore function to tune out people who might not violate the rules so much as try to antagonize others into stepping over the line.

 

[Deepdale]

I really don't want this forum to turn into televisionwithoutpity.com, where its a total fascist state.

I like the smartassness on this site.

Newsflash! I like the smartassness as well ... but sans the personal insults, especially since I do not attack any others for the sheer sport of it.

 

[bousozoku]

ummm all you have to do is hit that report post icon and then the moderators will take care of it, you don't have to make a post stating what is already known.

In the event you thought I was oblivious to that, I will state for the record that I was not. The purpose of a general message here was for the benefit of those who get away with far too many transgressions and others who unknowingly let it continue.

That's fine, but the people who are posting rudely aren't going to care whether this thread exists or not. If people don't report the bad posts, I probably won't see the majority of them and, with all the moderators we currently have, we'll still miss some.

I'm glad to give anyone a vacation who deserves it.

 

[Deepdale]

That's fine, but the people who are posting rudely aren't going to care whether this thread exists or not. If people don't report the bad posts, I probably won't see the majority of them and, with all the moderators we currently have, we'll still miss some.

I'm glad to give anyone a vacation who deserves it.

I can hardly say it is a major surprise, but I have heard from some newer members who said they never paid any attention to the red triangle until I mentioned it. If that act alone has increased awareness, then it was clearly worth the effort to post.

 

[bousozoku]

I can hardly say it is a major surprise, but I have heard from some newer members who said they never paid any attention to the red triangle until I mentioned it. If that act alone has increased awareness, then it was clearly worth the effort to post.

I'm always quite surprised that people aren't more curious about their surroundings. Why don't people look around at all the pretty-coloured things and look at the settings and learn about their environment?

I hope many people learn to report properly. It would be great to have the extra thread URLs in any report of duplicates. Here is to a better MacRumors!

 

[Doctor Q]

This is a good place to mention this tip:

You can't report your own post (an unfortunate feature of the forum software), but if you want your post deleted for some reason, report a neighboring post and carefully explain in the message that it is YOUR post, not the one you clicked next to, that you want removed.

(If you want to identify a post by post number, you can use the post# within the thread and/or the absolute post#, as shown in the status bar when you mouseover the Reply button next to that post.)

 

[Chubypig]

plus those who denigrate others because they are card carrying members of the highly intolerant (but intellectually superior, or so they think) spelling and punctuation goon squads.

Isn't this part of your post offensive to some people? I mean, it just seems a bit hypocritical to be denouncing insults, and then to just throw one at others.

 

[bousozoku]

Isn't this part of your post offensive to some people? I mean, it just seems a bit hypocritical to be denouncing insults, and then to just throw one at others.

I was laughing. I'm part of the goon squad for precision. If people can't spell, they should be using a spell checker. If they can't use a spell checker, maybe they shouldn't be using a computer.

 

[rosalindavenue]

I was laughing. I'm part of the goon squad for precision. If people can't spell, they should be using a spell checker. If they can't use a spell checker, maybe they shouldn't be using a computer.

I have posted in a couple of goon squad against "1337 speaking"/misspelled threads recently-- one titled "how dum is the average FPS player " and another one I can't recall and the original posters have gotten really, really huffy-- just like the original post in this thread. I'd hate to be a writing teacher these days. Normally, I'd put a "roll eyes" at the end of this post, but I don't want to give anyone heart palpatations.

 

[bousozoku]

I have posted in a couple of goon squad against "1337 speaking"/misspelled threads recently-- one titled "how dum is the average FPS player " and another one I can't recall and the original posters have gotten really, really huffy-- just like the original post in this thread. I'd hate to be a writing teacher these days. Normally, I'd put a "roll eyes" at the end of this post, but I don't want to give anyone heart palpatations.

That thread was particularly important. If you're going to call someone stupid, you'd better be perfect.

It's about time that people worry more about what they're posting than how many posts they have. If I start going through them with the voracity that I once displayed, I could pull out 300-400 posts per day, just because they're useless.

 

[Deepdale]

Isn't this part of your post offensive to some people? I mean, it just seems a bit hypocritical to be denouncing insults, and then to just throw one at others.

Offensive ... bit hypocritical? Your feedback is clearly valid, but there is a real distinction between a general comment earmarked for a certain select audience and a specific insult directed against a given individual. It seems as if that point is not as widely recognized, and that does cause some confusion on my part.

I have enjoyed the overwhelming majority of posts here, and expect that to remain the case. Prior suggestions about utilization of the ignore button are helpful. BTW, the moderators do a very good job of maintaining order. As stated several posts above by bousozoku, "Here is to a better MacRumors!"

 

[Deepdale]

... Normally, I'd put a "roll eyes" at the end of this post, but I don't want to give anyone heart palpatations.

Forget palpatations ... wasn't even a gentle flutter. The forum cardiologist is free to return home to enjoy some relaxation. I will forego the smiley before I am branded disingenuous. We're good here.

 

[Lacero]

Words hurt. But my sledgehammer would hurt more.

 

[xsedrinam]

I think the moderators do a really good job of keeping order in these parts. I've been on plenty of theoretically moderated boards where flamefests are the order of the day. Not around here, or not so I've noticed -- and I'm one of the denizens of the political board, generally thought to be the roughest crowd around here (it isn't really, IMO, but that's the reputation).

Yes, report violations -- but make sure you've got a very good reason.

And consider using the ignore function to tune out people who might not violate the rules so much as try to antagonize others into stepping over the line.

Amen to that. The rascals in the political board won't even admit to being "ruthless".

 

[solvs]

The rascals in the political board won't even admit to being "ruthless".

I usually warn newcomers that I'm going to destroy them. Plus, I welcome them first. So it all balances out.

 

[Deepdale]

Words hurt. But my sledgehammer would hurt more.

No disputing that. After the nasty fall that I took on a wet supermarket floor this afternoon, the last thing I need is more pain from any source.

 

[Lacero]

No disputing that. After the nasty fall that I took on a wet supermarket floor this afternoon, the last thing I need is more pain from any source.

Nah. Words only hurt if you allow them to hurt you. For instance, if I called you a dumbass, and you really believed you were, then it's going to hurt. However, if someone called me a dumbass, and I don't believe it, I don't allow it to hurt me because I know it to be untrue. Before entering forums, one needs to grow thick skin, and have of the highest of high self-esteem.

Does what people say hurt me, nope. People who throw insults usually have the bigger problems with themselves. It probably doesn't even involve you.

 

[Bern]

I left an Australian forum because it was overly moderated. The great thing about these forums is you meet people from across the globe with different ways of looking at things. This can invoke healthy (albeit sometimes heated) debates over certain subject matters and that's pretty cool.

I think if someone makes a smug comment followed by a smiley face it's usually so they can alert everyone that they didn't mean it in a nasty or hurtful way.... hence the smiley face.

I know I posted some radical threads here and I certainly don't mind reading other people's comments and thoughts, this is what life lessons are all about.

For MR to be big brother controlled like the other forum I use to frequent would be a darn shame.

 

[IJ Reilly]

Amen to that. The rascals in the political board won't even admit to being "ruthless".

Right... and who are you calling Ruth?

 

[xsedrinam]

I'd tend to agree with Bern's assessment. There seems to be a good, pervasive healthy tension in threads where there's disagreement. And learning to express opposite opinion without being disagreeable should be a mutually beneficial exercise. That has been one of the strengths [imo] of M.R. and its Mods. They will act, when needed, but have shown some pretty wise restraint in the process.

 

[Deepdale]

People who throw insults usually have the bigger problems with themselves. It probably doesn't even involve you.

That's a truism and worthy of remembering. Thanks.