<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Kothoses:

As a owner of a reasonably successful forum my self and former admin over at the MH I know quite intricatly what it takes to run a forum, and I cannot honestly say that telling people how or what to post in a SERIOUS DEBATING forum is the way to go about it, ok thats just my opinion but I have been asked for it by a few of my memebers.

I am not posting against the admin and mods here, but I think that opressings peoples ability to express them selves and get their point across because your worried about offending the flower power brigade is detrimental to the whole spirit of this section.

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Koth, that's the entire point - this is a TEMPORARY section on this site. This is a gaming forum on the Ironworks Gaming site, not a serious discussion forum. This forum was put up as a courtesy to those who wanted to discuss the Sept 11 tragedy. It was not intended to become a forum for people to argue about politics. As such we expect the same standards of courtesy that we have traditionally had in this forum. This is where the disconnect is.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Memnoch:
We obviously have a disconnect here. This forum is not subject to different rules from the rest of the forum just because of the subject material. We had our doubts in putting this forum up on a gaming site, because of this very reason. There are sticky threads at the top of the forum that indicate the standard of behaviour we expect.

None of us mods/admins have the time to constantly mediate disagreements between people here. We don't have to do it in ANY other forum here. The only problem we have in the other forums are trolls. Why is is that we were able to discuss serious issues in the GD forum in a spirit of friendliness and respect earlier this year but here it seems like every single post I make is to reprimand, admonish or warn someone? I don't like doing it any more than you like hearing it. I'm not here to be a schoolteacher at a playground, but I feel like I'm having to do this here all the time.

Maybe you've all gotten used to a standard of behaviour here that we wouldn't tolerate in the other forums, and I guess we're to blame for letting this become the norm here.<hr></blockquote>

THIS is one of the points I've been trying to make for a while! I have been here 10+ months now and in GD there have been good debates and I don't recall everyone there having to hiss and spit vitriole at one another, yet somehow, people of vastly differing opinons and life/posting styles managed to discuss things in a sometimes heated manner, without ticking one another off all the time and bringing mods into the fray!

DEBATE the issues, use sarcasm wisely in context, don't use spiteful remarks to make yourself look better at the other guy's expense, all it does is make the other guy want to escalate things or leave in disgust. Either way, a mod or admin gets called in.

Well I do hope that sarcasm isn't banned completely - because it would deprive us English people of one of our major forms of communication. It is natural to me to use sarcasm, although I hope I have never been nasty. I hope I will not get into trouble because my culture is different than that of the moderators ;)

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Fljotsdale:
Do you enjoy tepid, undercooked food?
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I love Sushi and sashimi, medium rare steaks, and Thai just-cooked vegies that are still crunchy.....

I guess that is an affirmative then.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Epona:
Well I do hope that sarcasm isn't banned completely - because it would deprive us English people of one of our major forms of communication. It is natural to me to use sarcasm, although I hope I have never been nasty. I hope I will not get into trouble because my culture is different than that of the moderators ;) <hr></blockquote>

Hi Epona! Haven't seen you for ages. Where have you been?

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Silver Cheetah:
Actually Memnoch, with respect ... your comment about so few people posting here. Many have left for the opposite reason - that they cannot have a heated debate about issues without subjecting everything they say to major censorship. .<hr></blockquote>

The only time I ever contemplated leaving was because of the aggression, not lack of it.

I personally know of six to eight people that left because of the aggression.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Fljotsdale:
I know this will look as though I am just supporting Cheetah because she is my daughter, <hr></blockquote>

Dead right.

Same as you did with your other one. ;)

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Ryanamur:

When Mem talks about sarcasm, I have a feeling that he means sarcasm directed at people. This constitutes an attack on the individual and has nothing to do with the debate. Personnally (and I'll see if Mem agrees with me on that one) I don't see any problem with factual or opiniated sarcasm. The one that is solely directed at a fact or an opinion.
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Yo Ryanamur! When you say he means sarcasm directed at people, - but my comment in response to Hiram's post was not sarcasm directed at him. It was in response to a point he made. :Cheetah, getting really confused now:

Seems to be now the view is sarcasm is ok as long as not directed at people. But what I said that started all this fuss *wasn't* directed at Hiram personally!! Goddamn it, I like Hiram! We've interacted on AIM and I think he's a lovely guy.....

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Epona:
Well I do hope that sarcasm isn't banned completely - because it would deprive us English people of one of our major forms of communication. It is natural to me to use sarcasm, although I hope I have never been nasty. I hope I will not get into trouble because my culture is different than that of the moderators ;) <hr></blockquote>

HI Epona!

No, I can't recall ever seeing you respond to someone in a nasty way! I don't think I've ever seen you use sarcasm to cut someone down just because you had an opposing view. In fact, I've always thought you were pretty funny and witty with your responses to things! (and usually with some twist of insight that would never occur to me!)

Besides, I really do think that sarcasm in general was never the issue, belittling other posters to the point where they no longer feel they can continue posting and in some cases leave not only the War Forum, but IW, because of it is the issue. Making a hostile atmosphere that mods have to wade through to put out fires all the time is the problem Mems and Z bring up as well. The mods and Z get so much mail on this they have trouble keeping up with things. One mod left this area altogether and another won't even read here so you know it's got to be considered unpleasant in as well as time consuming. :(

Cloudy

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Epona:
Well I do hope that sarcasm isn't banned completely - because it would deprive us English people of one of our major forms of communication. It is natural to me to use sarcasm, although I hope I have never been nasty. I hope I will not get into trouble because my culture is different than that of the moderators ;) <hr></blockquote>

I think when Mem said Sarcasm, he mean it in a 'Personal attack' type of way, which is against the rules, but general sarcasm is fine, just as long as it's not directed towards someone.