Poor MoscowFleet :(

I strongly dislike the use of the term "mother***er" in explicit form, or really any form in Forum posts. It's, imho, extremely offensive to all women and many, many men. I would suggest that anyone using it in the Forum should be warned and even punished by the Almighty Mods, perhaps a sliding scale of points deductions. We are trying to make WebDiplomacy a more friendly place for our current and future women members. If I can achieve just this one thing before I "go on sabbatical" I would be much happier to have left WebDiplomacy a better site.
I'm not saying we can't use f**k, but come on you chaps & blighters, the M~F term is clearly extremely offensive to all women and to many, many men. It should be offensive to all men bought into this world by a mother.
Let's show some respect to all women, and to ourselves. I feel quite passionate about this, I want WebDiplomacy to be the best Diplomacy site on the internet thingy, and to get there I absolutely believe we have to completely stop using the M~F term in the forum as part of that.

Hmmm. Youve been kind to me these last few months. If it bothers you ill do my best.

@captainmeme, OK you've had your joke, but I see a symbol by your player name, and the position that you hold at WebDiplomacy has responsibilities. Please take this seriously and step up. I dislike getting personal, but assume you were "born of woman" and love and respect your own mother. How about making it clear that you respect, and welcome our current and future women members.. I think you do, please make that clear.

Thanks Dipbro Brainbomb. It's not all about me.This is about us improving the WebDiplomacy site, it's about respecting women, and men. It's about respecting ourselves.

Major, please note the "I AM NOT A MODERATOR ON THIS SITE" written on my profile page...

Kek

Well; I dont think the term actually is used out of disdain for women... but I guess I could see how that would be interpreted.

@captainmeme, I apologize for my mistaken assumption. But I repeat my request for you to take this seriously, perhaps even as seriously as you took the mistake I made about your status..you were quick to jump on that..but no clear comment on the use of motherf***er in forum posts

I don't really use the forum outside of Mafia/Tournaments except when I spot an opportunity to make a joke, so I don't really have much to say on the matter.

Well I think that is a really weak, pathetic excuse cm

I think captainmeme only has limited powers for the purpose of running the 1v1 tourney (for which I'm most greatful). I agree that there is no call for profanity on the site, and the MF word wouldn't be a bad place to start policing it. Profanity is not a sign of strength - go for something more witty to make your point and you'll come off much better.

And to think you see this issue as nothing more than an opportunity to make a joke, cm.
This is an example of what I referred to recently as my opinion that a lot of us are failing the "character test" & partly why I've made a certain decision recently, but let me make it clear that the "push" factors within WebDiplomacy that have influenced that decision are not the dominant cause, the external to WebDiplomacy factors are stronger, and irresistible in their influence on that decision.

You're upset because it is offensive? I think you are missing the point of an insult.

Manwe, you are missing the point, I haven't been called a motherf***er. I also am NOT suggesting insults cannot be made. I simply say we should stop using motherf***er in forum posts, I am saying Manwe, please use that brain, the most highly developed brain in any species on this planet, and find an alternative term to use in insults, Use intelligence, wit, language in superior ways, and produce devastating insults, not crude, low IQ rubbish.
Right now I am watching the first game for the first season of Women's Australian Rules Football, c'mon the blue baggers ( Carlton)
Don't you get it ? women and men deserve some basic level of respect, we have women members here at WebDiplomacy and hope to get more. We also have members here who are young teenagers.

>this issue

@MajorMitchell - I wish you well in trying to improve the site for all members. I hoping that raising the issue will be enough to dissuade any members from using the term. I'm not sure if sanctions is the answer, I would much prefer people think about their use of language rather than feel there is a list of 'approved' words. That could result in a backlash and cries of 'censorship' and 'restricting freedom of speech'.

Maybe we could get some bright coder to trawl through all the forum posts and give each member a expletive/ word ranking. As I've been here 9 years and have contributed quite a bit with maybe only half-a-dozen expletives, I'd be interested if anyone else could be bottom (or top) of such a chart.

Maniac, I agree with you about it being better if we could achieve the result without sanctions. I do hope that discussion and consensus gets us there.

Interesting fact, expressions such as "fuck you" or "mother fucker" are probably left over from our ape days, when our species regularly used simulation of sexual domination to either curry favor with the alpha or to keep subordinates in line with sexual humiliation, regardless of gender. When we say "fuck you" we are
Basically saying "I fuck you whenever I want cause I am the boss." It is basically a holdover from our evolution. As to "mother fucker" I think we can all trace the evolutionary root of the expression.
Now all of the teenagers on the forums won't be confused or befuddled when they come across the expressions. Problem solved, Mitchell. You are welcome.

^ thanks for sorting that out for us shirky. Gee whiz you sure is smeee-art.

I agree with the Major. Where is the wit and intellect that Dippers have long been famed for?

I'm all for free speech but does free have equal offensive?

Wow I can safely say that this thread is definition of FREE SPEECH ATTACKED. ND was right... Smh

The hell?

Are you serious?

Do you actually think words are a threat to women? Do you actually think you need to protect women with censorship?

And don't be angry at meme, I'm on a discord server with him and we compiled results to see who sweared the most (don't ask) and in all the months I think meme slipped maybe once or twice. It was impressive and he's an angel.

I am not suggesting that we cannot trade barbs and insults. I like robust debates, exchanges. But the best barbs are the intelligent, eloquent, witty, clever ones. I am not suggesting we ban all blasphemy, or crude words. But there are two words in particular that I think we should be able to avoid using in the forum.
One is motherf***er and the other is a four letter word, starts with a "c" and is a very crude expression for a part of the female genitalia, and I objected strongly to krellin's use of that word in forum posts. Krellin's refusal to accept that it was offensive is a big reason why I have no sympathy for krellin and support his expulsion from this site.
As I have remarked before, there are teenagers, "children"/ minors in the legal sense who use this site as well as women. Now I am no Pollyanna type,and realise that many teenagers often use these words, and worse... But if we continue to send them the message that certain things are OK, that certain things are acceptable, then I think we fail them, I think we encourage, by default, things that we should not encourage.
I won't pretend that I don't, haven't used extremely offensive language. I'm a bit of a dinosaur, and it's inconsistent, but it is common for us all to have different standards of behaviour that depend on circumstances.
I think a lot of you would be pissing yourselves with laughter if you could see me copping a verbal blast from the fire breathing MemSahib, Her Indoors lying on a sofa eating cake, and me cowering before her awesome presence saying " Yes dear", "You are right dear" "It shall be done immediately as you wish dear ". I'm a lot bolder in my remarks about the fire breathing MemSahib the further I am away from her, eg here or on a golf course

No words should be off limits anywhere. Every word has an appropriate context. Web dip already has rules against gratuitous personal attacks. That should be enough.

Clownie, please don't "verbal" me by misrepresenting what I have said. I am reasonably confident that I have NOT said that the use of these words threatens anyone, including women. What I have "said" was that it is my opinion that the use of motherf***er ( and the "c~bomb ) are offensive to all women and many, many men.
GET THAT Clownie ? Offensive, not threatening. It's a shoddy technique and intellectually lazy, this misrepresentation of a person's statements to then make criticism easier.

It is possible that many women would feel threatened by the repeated use of such words in a hostile way in their presence, but I cannot speak for them. I simply say, I think the use of these words is offensive & we should stop using them in the forum

Hypothetical for you, Ishirkmywork, let's assume you have children who are between the ages of 9 and 13, would you use these words in their company ?