If thou gazest long into the Pit, the Pit will also gaze into thee

• Karma has the potential to push someone so far to the top or bottom that it is difficult to impossible to change their reputation for the better or worse in the short term as situations sometimes require.
  • This can be problematic for previously-trollish folks who reform their behaviours (I've seen this happen many times, and at RRS we were always willing to let past trollishness slide (as long as it wasn't illegal/unethical) to accept someone into a more rational frame of mind. Indeed, that is the whole point of the RRS.
  • Inversely, previously well-behaved folks can have their downward spirals as well, and turn into egotistical jerks, trolling newbies just because they can, and just generally acting like bullies (this was actually quite rare at RRS because of the structure of the moderation team, which was specifically designed to prevent favouritism as much as possible). Karma should not be something that is self-reinforcing; I can see the potential for karma cliques to form, and this board eventually being influenced into uniformity because karma is only one-dimensional -- you either have it or you don't, but it doesn't come attached with the *reasons* why you got it.
  • For those two reasons/patterns, karma can have a polarizing, uniformitizing (new word!), diversity-killing effect. I like the idea of generalized karma which could and should be awarded also to people one *disagrees* with because one appreciates the *way* in which they disagree reasonably and productively. So if we can find a balance here, where karma promotes diverse yet reasonable discourse, that would be fucking awesome. But I do have major concerns if karma is just implemented willy nilly 'just to try it and see how it goes'.
• Karma should *not* be used to filter out low-karma messages.
  • There are far better ways of dealing with trolls and/or disruptive topics than punishing people with censorship (I know some people hate the word censorship when not performed by a gov't, but if we consider within the context of this board that we as the forum members and the mods and owners are in a sense self-governing, then the word is appropriate within that context).
  • The *most* effective method of preventing group-think is for people to hear and listen to differing opinions. As I think this is crucial for any skeptical/rational group of people, we should be extremely reluctant to silence or distance ourselves from even the trolliest of trolls. At RRS, for example, it was actually extremely difficult to actually get banned permanently. We kept a troll pit specifically for trolls to be able to say whatever they wanted to say, and members who didn't mind engaging with the trolls could cruise around Trollville and try their hand at engaging the trolls. Crucially, it was/is possible for a long-time troll to get out of Trollville simply by cleaning up their tactics and making an effort to stop with the trollishness. How could we have encouraged this if we didn't actually pay any attention at all to the trolls, by banning them or shutting them down outright?
• Likewise, a 'like' feature should not be used to filter out negatively liked posts. If a post is problematic (but not illegal or unethical), deal with the poster's behaviour, don't censor the post itself. Even ugly or embarrassing posts are part of the discussion's history. They are evidence of bad behaviour, which should not be swept under the carpet. If they are egregious, move them to a separate post/thread (say, if they are way off-topic and derailing a thread), or to a separate forum (like a Trollville).

Lsuoma wrote:What do folks think. This poll will run for ten days.

Lsuoma wrote:

Lsuoma wrote:What do folks think. This poll will run for ten days.

Doesn't look like there's a huge desire for this, and in keeping with the anarchic and freewheeling joy that reigns in The Undead Thread, combined with my lazycuntitude, I'm not going to implement either.

Guest wrote:

Lsuoma wrote:

Lsuoma wrote:What do folks think. This poll will run for ten days.

Doesn't look like there's a huge desire for this, and in keeping with the anarchic and freewheeling joy that reigns in The Undead Thread, combined with my lazycuntitude, I'm not going to implement either.

Yes keep the anarchic and freewheeling joy of calling women cunts and bitches and crying in our beer when they suggest we maybe not do that!!1 The internet needs more of that....

What a fucking joke.

Lsuoma, I wonder if there's a "fainting couch" button for those who come here and get the vapors. Perhaps a "safe" thread where they can go to shelter and rest, before they continue on the road to adulthood?

In some parts of the world, being able to speak freely is considered a "freedom", no matter what anyone else thinks of it. We might have to explain that concept to you, but I'm sure with a lot of patience you might one day understand what that word means. As for Bad Werdz, I know you think they have magic power, but really, Harry Potter is fake. Sorry to tell you that - words only have the powers we give them. Perhaps if you removed yourself from the privileged and sheltered environment you've lived in, although from the demographics at FftBs, you might have to wait for legal adulthood, you might walk out into a world full of things that you may not like. But, guess what, those people you look down your nose at, well, they feel the same as you. Who's right? It's all opinion, isn't it? Unless you've had a revelation you'd like to share. I suspect it may have poorly drawn magical ponies in it, however, and you might want to leave those out when talking to adults.

Lsuoma, I wonder if there's a "fainting couch" button for those who come here and get the vapors. Perhaps a "safe" thread where they can go to shelter and rest, before they continue on the road to adulthood?

Guest wrote:

In some parts of the world, being able to speak freely is considered a "freedom", no matter what anyone else thinks of it. We might have to explain that concept to you, but I'm sure with a lot of patience you might one day understand what that word means. As for Bad Werdz, I know you think they have magic power, but really, Harry Potter is fake. Sorry to tell you that - words only have the powers we give them. Perhaps if you removed yourself from the privileged and sheltered environment you've lived in, although from the demographics at FftBs, you might have to wait for legal adulthood, you might walk out into a world full of things that you may not like. But, guess what, those people you look down your nose at, well, they feel the same as you. Who's right? It's all opinion, isn't it? Unless you've had a revelation you'd like to share. I suspect it may have poorly drawn magical ponies in it, however, and you might want to leave those out when talking to adults.

Lsuoma, I wonder if there's a "fainting couch" button for those who come here and get the vapors. Perhaps a "safe" thread where they can go to shelter and rest, before they continue on the road to adulthood?

OOOH! Sure told me...
No, I'm sure you have to work at it. Most intellectual persuits seem to be hard for you, so I would assume that is as well. Do try to keep up, though. Eventually you'll make it.
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