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Originally posted by no1marauderi think you make a good point, and to be honest, the only username i was REALLY offended by was 'andreilikeslittleboy' - the others just had the misfortune to be on page 1 of 'Public Games' when i looked, and i would not have posted on the strength of them alone. sure, i iwish their owners had been capable of a little more imagination / consideration or - dare i say it? good taste, but there you go. as for usernames such as 'sheepslabia', which someone mentioned, i would simply choose not to play this person, and leave it at that. but what if i was forced to play them in a tournament or clan battle situation? i would have a problem with that, as i simply do not have the desire to engage in any way with individuals who would choose to represent themselves this way in this context.
Unless a username contains some obvious profanity that the bulk of the RHP community would find clearly offensive, I think people should be able to call themselves whatever they want. I mean "TOILET BOY" offensive? Give me a ...[text shortened]... h. I personally couldn't care less what my opponents username is.
I would like to make one thing clear: i have read and appreciated books by William S. Burroughs such as 'The Naked Lunch' and 'City of Red Night'; I have watched and enjoyed 'In the Realm of the Senses', a Japanese movie that featureas actual sex acts and the (simulated) cutting off of a man's penis (ok, i didn't really enjoy that last bit - what man would?); i like punk music, including the Stooges 'I Wanna Be Your Dog', 'Death Trip', 'Penetration' etc.), and an album by Big Black called 'Songs About F***ing' (only it's spelled out); i like the Velvet Underground and their songs about S&M and scoring heroin ('Venus in Furs', 'Heroin', 'Waiting for the Man', 'White Light/White Heat' etc.); i like some black metal, such as Dimmu Borgir, complete with satanic overtones.
So i am not coming from the position of someone who needs to live in a sanitised version of the world. i amnot on some crusade to 'clean up the world'.
i do object to 'andreilikeslittleboy' though, with its suggestion of paedophilia. personally, if i were the administrator of this site, i would be severely tempted to draw police attention to this individual. overkill? tell the parents of abused children. i am not accusing this person of engaging in this kind of activity, but ask yourselves - who would choose such a name? i think the presence of individuals flaunting this kind of attitude does no credit to RHP, or its community. it is well known that people who do engage in this kind of (criminal) activity regularly trawl the internet in search of victims. think about it.
as for other names, that include words such as 'f***', 'pussy' (in the non-feline sense), toilet etc, there are three points i would like to make:
1. the books and records i mentioned above will only be encountered by me if i choose to read the books, listen to the records etc. and most records have warnings about potentially offensive lyrics anyway, so if i was concerned about it, i could avoid them if i wished. similarly, tv and cinema movies are rated, so that people likely to be offended canchoose not to watch. but having such stuff thrust in your face in a public place is a different matter - it's taking away my choice to encounter or not encounter material like this. that is why such names, in this a chess site, involve a colossal lack of consideration on the part of those who choose them.
2. these individuals, when faced with a situation in which they can choose a name to represent themselves to a community, can think of nothing more imaginative or dignified. ultimately it is themselves they degrade and it is sad on two counts: first, that they appear to have such low self esteem that they choose to represent themselves this way, and second that they are incapable of even recognising this.
3. the books, movies, records mentioned above can be said to have redeeming qualities as art, entertainment of whatever. they involve a degree of creativity. i can even go as far as to say that the infamous 'faeces in a jar' display in the Tate Modern makes a valid point about the nature of art. but as someone aptly put it in a post in this thread, this is like a child just screaming out 'bad' words repeatedly to get attention. it's on that level. as someone else pointed out, it's like toilet cubicle graffiti.
if anyone cares to rebut in a thoughtful manner, i welcome the opportunity to debate this further. i am certainly open to other, considered points of view. anyone who simply wants to hurl abuse, please don't bother.
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Originally posted by Brother Edwinwhat does that have to do with this thread? if you want to discuss stabbing please start your own thread.
I didant want to stab you. I wanted to prove that there is nothing that can be done against someone who wants to stab you.
and why did you state you find me offensive, on the strength of the question i raised?
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Originally posted by dfm65Stabing can happen anywhere. In life you cant expect to not be stabed just because it isant on topic. Not to mention you live in Brighton which is full of miscrents.
what does that have to do with this thread? if you want to discuss stabbing please start your own thread.
and why did you state you find me offensive, on the strength of the question i raised?
I said I found you offensive to prove the point that anyone can find anything offensive.
Originally posted by dfm65Right, you have nothing better to do then search the games for offensive names?
On page 1 of the 'Public Games' display right now are usernames including 'TOILET BOY', 'andreilikeslittleboy' and 'checkmateBITCH'.
is it just me, or does anyone else find these offensive, or potentially so. i admit there is some ambiguity with the second, but it sounds very suspicious to me...
If you're offended by those names, then you've leaded a very very secluded life. The second and third name should change if you must, but for you to complain about toilet boy is evidence of a very pathetic person.
Originally posted by TheMaster37Why is he a very pathetic person? just because he made his opinion?
Right, you have nothing better to do then search the games for offensive names?
If you're offended by those names, then you've leaded a very very secluded life. The second and third name should change if you must, but for you to complain about toilet boy is evidence of a very pathetic person.
The whole forum is about freedom of speech, anyone can say what ever they want to as long as it is not directed at someoneas offensive, so why shouldn't he say what is on his mind? and why should he be called pathetic over it?
For his post he got 2 recs. that is already 2 people that agree with him and that is enough for this post to be made.
If you want to say that you disagree with him say it better then calling him pathetic please.
FNM
I think the question is: What kind of people are to be found on this site? What is this site about?
It is not necessary to search for the public games mentioned...those games were found on the first page of this site. The games rotate, so it is not always the same game.
If I had come here and those were the first names on I saw here and stayed to look at the forums...if they had been like this thread is...I would have left.
I stopped playing chess at another pay site and several free sites because this was just the kind of stuff that was going on those sites. It infected the whole site and even the chat during games was unpleasant.
My questions as I was lurking around here (which I did for a month prior to registering) were: What is the community standard for conduct? Are people respectful of one another? Will my being new make me a target of some sort? Is there an administrative presence?
Yes, there were person/names/threads which I found uncomfortable and one person/theme in particular which was offensive to me. I observed,however, that this appeared to be an exception not the rule and that there were individuals who were respectful and honorable and those persons of quality were to be found here in abundance.
Respectufully
Originally posted by pradtfIn friendship cert.
i can vouche for that!
dfm65 is a fine individual and an excellent contributor to the site.
he has every right and good reason to draw attention to suspect usernames.
this is not an issue of censorship as much as an issue of graffiti - cubicle walls sometimes need washing.
in friendship,
prad
Lets get a graffiti board.You can write what you like and it can be wiped?Like George is worth two in the bush.
You add or wipe.
Graffiti is t
Originally posted by TheMaster37in the interests of intelligent discussion, please read the previous posts before adding your opinion. i've already covered everything you mention here right here on this page.
Right, you have nothing better to do then search the games for offensive names?
If you're offended by those names, then you've leaded a very very secluded life. The second and third name should change if you must, but for you to complain about toilet boy is evidence of a very pathetic person.
i can't for the life of me see how complaining about 'TOILET BOY' makes me a pathetic person. rather than just calling names which any schoolchild can do, why not at least attempt some kind of reasoned argument? it may not be easy the first couple of times, but once you get the hang of it, it is a skill that you can transfer into other areas of your life.
Originally posted by Brother Edwinjust what IS your obsession with stabbing. i repeat: this has nothing to do with being stabbed. also, i don't live in Brighton.
Stabing can happen anywhere. In life you cant expect to not be stabed just because it isant on topic. Not to mention you live in Brighton which is full of miscrents.
I said I found you offensive to prove the point that anyone can find anything offensive.
finally, this has nothing to do with any individual finding any particular thing offensive. it is about what standards a community wants to adopt, and it was in the interests of investigating this issue that i raised the question. some people have said they are not offended - fair enough. others have agreed with me fine. but there is nothing wrong in asking, and those who feel the need to be abusive rather than rational seem to be stuck in some kind of 'no-one can tell me what to do' adolescent or even pre-adolescent mindset.
Originally posted by dfm65Damm right. I used to talk rubish when I debated. But now I always say things relevent to the duscussion.
in the interests of intelligent discussion, please read the previous posts before adding your opinion. i've already covered everything you mention here right here on this page.
i can't for the life of me see how complaining about 'TOILET BOY' makes me a pathetic person. rather than just calling names which any schoolchild can do, why not at least attem ...[text shortened]... you get the hang of it, it is a skill that you can transfer into other areas of your life.