Abolishing the Infraction System?

[opebo]

Sadly the system has not improved the discourse.  It's  made it worse, everyone attacking each other.

Maybe we are just sick of each other after all this time, and  can't stand it anymore, and lash out.

Not at all, Torie, the forum was enjoyable before, and it has clearly been ruined by the censorship. No one is tired of one another, we're just sick of the tyranny.  As soon as we had freedom of speech again, it would be like a breath of fresh air.

[Torie]

Sadly the system has not improved the discourse.  It's  made it worse, everyone attacking each other.

Maybe we are just sick of each other after all this time, and  can't stand it anymore, and lash out.

Not at all, Torie, the forum was enjoyable before, and it has clearly been ruined by the censorship. No one is tired of one another, we're just sick of the tyranny.  As soon as we had freedom of speech again, it would be like a breath of fresh air.

Opebo, do you think posters personally dissing each other is a "breath of fresh air?" How does that contribute to facilitating a discussion of ideas, and sharing information regarding elections and public policy issues? And it is the personal attacks the generate the vast  bulk of the death points come from, not other content, like fantasizing about doing minors or something, which while it may happen (and not something that I would do), I don't think that is the norm. 

Granted it might be a useful exercise in the abstract if we experimented, where the mods just all go off on vacation for a month, leaving us to our own devices, and we can all assess what happens. I suspect the results would be unfortunate, and increasingly unfortunate over time, but that I guess is speculation.

[© Tweed the Younger]

there is no need for such experimentation, as the Forum operated without significant moderation for the vast majority of its existence, and led to no disasters.  though I cannot prove it Forum satisfaction was in all likelihood higher then than it was now (exempting the votes of the New Class).

[opebo]

Opebo, do you think posters personally dissing each other is a "breath of fresh air?" How does that contribute to facilitating a discussion of ideas, and sharing information regarding elections and public policy issues? And it is the personal attacks the generate the vast  bulk of the death points come from, not other content, like fantasizing about doing minors or something, which while it may happen (and not something that I would do), I don't think that is the norm.

No, buddy, it is the absence of the overbearing censorship which would be the breath of fresh air, obviously.  The personal dissing and other little peccadilloes were NOTHING compared to the chilling effect of this censorship.

Granted it might be a useful exercise in the abstract if we experimented, where the mods just all go off on vacation for a month, leaving us to our own devices, and we can all assess what happens. I suspect the results would be unfortunate, and increasingly unfortunate over time, but that I guess is speculation.

Not at all!  This is what once prevailed, and it was absolutely fine.  This is a realm of pure text, torie, and thus no ill can come of our freedom.  The converse is also true - without freedom of speech, the whole enterprise is spoiled.

[Senator Snowstalker]

A proposal for cursing: I've seen on other forums that one, in their options, can automatically censor or leave on profanity.

[Inks.LWC Supports Chuck Hagel]

A proposal for cursing: I've seen on other forums that one, in their options, can automatically censor or leave on profanity.

The point is that we want the site to be educational and publicly visible, so such a solution wouldn't solve Dave's concerns.

[Senator Snowstalker]

How so? It would be as simple as checking a box to hide profanity.

[Inks.LWC Supports Chuck Hagel]

How so? It would be as simple as checking a box to hide profanity.

Because if a kid at school unchecks the box at school, a school's filters may then block the site.