Since when is buffy an insulting term???

[joepistole]

He's subject to the same rules as everybody else. If I receive reports of BR misusing other posters' names, especially after this episode, I'll happily ban him.

I think the real issue is that some people can call him Buffy and never and issue. But let someone else call him Buffy and you get notices. And Buffalo Roam is one of the greatest offenders when it comes to name modification. Buffalo Roam has learned that he can use this behavior as a weapon when he looses arguements.

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

I think the real issue is that some people can call him Buffy and never an issue. But let someone else call him Buffy and you get notices. And Buffalo Roam is one of the greatest offenders when it comes to name modification. Buffalo Roam has learned that he can use this behavior as a weapon when he loses arguements.

B.R. has obviously made himself moderately famous for crafting offensive nicknames for other members. This is a statement to all of us that he believes that offensive nicknames should be allowable on this website.

That is not a totally unreasonable opinion. On a website like ours where childish behavior is routinely tolerated so we don't have to ban half our members, I personally believe that a name has to be seriously offensive to merit punishment. Calling Asguard Assguard was seriously offensive; calling Sam Spam was merely childish.

Nonetheless, whether or not he has managed to get away with his own nicknaming, because the Moderators are overworked volunteers who sometimes let things slip past us, is not the point. The point is that he believes that it's fair to make up nicknames.

Therefore, to yell "offensive" when somebody else calls him by a nickname, which is not obviously and seriously offensive and which indeed is considerably less offensive than "Spam," is to be an [obviously and seriously offensive seven-letter expletive deleted.] Or, as we used to say when we were of an age when calling Sam Spam would have been considered really cute and clever, "You can dish it out, but you can't take it."

We should not be fine-tuning the rules of SciForums (much less those of the English language!) to accommodate [obviously and seriously offensive eight-letter plural expletive deleted.]

Childish nicknames should be tolerated the way we tolerate most other childish behavior. Normally formed English-language nicknames (truncated, with optional -Y or -IE, like "Buffy") should be tolerated categorically because this is an English-language website.

If a nickname is obviously crafted to be offensive, for example because it contains a vulgar word, an ethnic insult, or some other term that the member has an exceptional reason to be hurt by (for example if Sanborn's wife just delivered a dead baby it would be phenomenally cruel to nickname him Stillborn), THEN we can simply invoke the rule against rudeness. (Yes, I checked and we don't have anyone named Sanborn.)

We still don't need to change the rules of SciForums.

Or of the English language!

 

[joepistole]

[Massive unnecessary quote condensed by Moderator.]

We still don't need to change the rules of SciForums.

Or of the English language!

Agreed. We should also not be allowing people to change standard word definitions. Those on the right wing of the American political spectrum are inventing new meanings for words in order to scare people. They should not be allowed to invent new meanings for old well defined words like socialism, marxism, etc.

 

[phlogistician]

B Calling Asguard Assguard was seriously offensive

See, I think not. If a member is naive enough to pick a handle so easily lampooned, and thinks it won't happen, well, they deserve the flames.

calling Sam Spam was merely childish.

Hmm, referring to a muslim by a name associated with a Pork product is merely childish?

See, if we all chose to be pedants, like BuffaloRoam has, we could keep spinning this issue until the cows come home. I should think that simply, people learn to live with a bit of ribbing. Far worse happens in the real world.

 

[S.A.M.]

FYI, I never thought of SpAM as a pork product, yes, it was childish just like Assguard or tiASSa [you know who you are]

But if someone wants to advertise their immaturity, who am I to interfere?

 

[sniffy]

Interesting thread we have here.

Not OK: Making fun of a user's username

OK: Trying to imply a user is mad, bad, dangerous, dishonest, needs to get a life, simply because they point out certain glaring inconsistencies.

Oh to be a mod's favourite.

Noted

Not that I'm bitter or anything

BTW feel free to mess with my username.....

 

[Pinwheel]

BTW feel free to mess with my username.....

Sure thing smelly.

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

See, I think not. If a member is naive enough to pick a handle so easily lampooned ["Asguard"], and thinks it won't happen, well, they deserve the flames.

The rule I would enforce, which as a linguist I insist is quite reasonable, includes these bullets:

• If the nickname is formed by the normal grammatical rule of vernacular English, which is to truncate the name and optionally add -Y or -IE, then it is presumed not to be offensive. Azzy and Buffy both conform to this rule. Assguard and Spam do not.
• If the nickname is formed to include a word generally considered offensive among English-speaking people, such as a curse word, a vulgar word, an ethnic slur, etc., then it is presumed to be offensive. Neither Buffy nor Spam violate this rule. Assguard does.

Therefore I presume that Buffy is inoffensive and that Assguard is offensive. Spam is presumed neither offensive nor inoffensive, so if Sam complained I would listen to her reasoning, but I would not be easily disposed to rule in her favor. (She did not complain so this point is strictly academic.)

As for choosing a name that is easily lampooned, it's not easy to foresee what idle childish minds are going to do on a slow day. Plenty of real-life names contain the character string AS. If your name is Aston Asplund and somebody changes it to Asston Assplund, do you have no right to be offended?

My problem with Azzy is that he chose a name that has already been vandalized. Asgard is what Heaven is called in Norse mythology, and there's no U in it. To deliberately misspell it could easily be regarded as disrespectful and offensive by someone from Scandinavia who treasures his people's ancient culture. So to complain because someone else comes along and defaces it further seems pretty silly. I have no idea whether Azzy actually did complain about this, but in any case the Moderators ruled on it because of the embedded vulgarity, not the mangling of a sacred name.

Hmm, referring to a muslim by a name associated with a Pork product is merely childish?

Sorry, I haven't eaten Spam in fifty years (gratefully) so I forgot what it's made of. Nonetheless, as a haven for science SciForums makes no secret of exempting religions from the rule against insults. So we'd have to split some hairs and decide whether Spam is a personal insult against an individual or a generic insult against a religion.

But if someone wants to advertise their immaturity, who am I to interfere?

Indeed. Gentlemen and ladies do not stoop to acknowledge the boorishness of their inferiors. All they really want is attention so they should not be rewarded with it.

 

[Trippy]

Sorry, I haven't eaten Spam in fifty years (gratefully) so I forgot what it's made of. Nonetheless, as a haven for science SciForums makes no secret of exempting religions from the rule against insults. So we'd have to split some hairs and decide whether Spam is a personal insult against an individual or a generic insult against a religion.

It doesn't have to be about pork and islam to be insulting.

Consider it as a reference to post volume, and post content. It's still derisive, because it implies that S.A.M does nothing other than spam the board, but it has nothing to do with being about Islam and dietary requirements.

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

It doesn't have to be about pork and islam to be insulting. Consider it as a reference to post volume, and post content. It's still derisive, because it implies that S.A.M does nothing other than spam the board, but it has nothing to do with being about Islam and dietary requirements.

I'm restricting my comments to nicknames that are offensive, not insulting. Insults are merely childish. As I've noted, we can't start banning childish behavior or this will be a very lonely place.

 

[Trippy]

I'm restricting my comments to nicknames that are offensive, not insulting. Insults are merely childish. As I've noted, we can't start banning childish behavior or this will be a very lonely place.

Interesting, not generally a distinction I've ever made (or one I had intended to make). I've always considered that everything that's offensive is also an insult in some way, and everything that's insulting is offensive in some way.

 

[Buffalo Roam]

I'm pretty sure he's called me Spam too.

Yup, right here

As well as:
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?p=1708678&highlight=spam#post1708678
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?p=1708668&highlight=spam#post1708668

http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?p=1706969&highlight=spam#post1706969

http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?p=1706149&highlight=spam#post1706149

And thats just a few of them from the first page on the search results

On a side note, I notice that the graphic image warning [or absence thereof] also appears to work in the same direction.

Yes, and someone complained about it and I got slammed, by Asguard, 3 days, along with Asguard stating anyone else who disrespected anyone name would be banned.

Yes, S.A.M., you and Asguard were real buddy buddy as Mod's weren't you.

You would run to Asguard and Asguard would nail a warning on me, or hit me with a ban.

And as for Buffy, it isn't a contraction of Buffalo, I will accept Buff, Buffalo, or Buffalo Roam.

I have never complained about what anyone called me until I was hammered for serving up sauce to the goose.

Seems I remember you calling me a murderer.

 

[Trippy]

And as for Buffy, it isn't a contraction of Buffalo, I will accept Buff, Buffalo, or Buffalo Roam.

And yet, since 2007 you appear to have accepted it.

I have never complained about what anyone called me until I was hammered for serving up sauce to the goose.

So that's your explanation then?
Revenge?

 

[Buffalo Roam]

And yet, since 2007 you appear to have accepted it.


So that's your explanation then?
Revenge?

I have never accepted the dimiutive of Buffy on Forum after I was banned by Asguard and He posted His edict about banning anyone who used diminutives in a insulting manor.

Now as to revenge, you seem to know a lot about such things your self.

 

[Trippy]

I have never accepted the dimiutive of Buffy on Forum after I was banned by Asguard and He posted His edict about banning anyone who used diminutives in a insulting manor.

You're going to have to be more specific here (A rough idea of dates would be useful) otherwise I have no way of reasonably verifying anything you say.

Now as to revenge, you seem to know a lot about such things your self.

Again, you're going to have to be more specific, and be forthcoming with some proof - generally I'm not a fan of false or vexatious allegations, they tend to make me somewhat testy.

Addendum: I'm also fairly certain that I'm not the only one in this thread that would appreciate a straightforward answer to a straightforward question.

 

[pjdude1219]

So that's your explanation then?
Revenge?

he's retconning reality

 

[Syzygys]

would appreciate a straightforward answer to a straightforward question.

You, and your unreasonable expectations....

You are talking to a conservative, after all.

 

[Buffalo Roam]

You're going to have to be more specific here (A rough idea of dates would be useful) otherwise I have no way of reasonably verifying anything you say.


Again, you're going to have to be more specific, and be forthcoming with some proof - generally I'm not a fan of false or vexatious allegations, they tend to make me somewhat testy.

Addendum: I'm also fairly certain that I'm not the only one in this thread that would appreciate a straightforward answer to a straightforward question.

I would give you date's but for some reason the bans from Asguard seem to have been deleted from my files.

MOD HAT

Buffalo Roam, this is the only warning you will get, Any more posts refering to SAM as "SpAM" will be deleted. It is unaceptable to change a posters name in order to insult them and trash there argument. Atack the argument, not the person

 

[Trippy]

I would give you date's but for some reason the bans from Asguard seem to have been deleted from my files.

You mean this post?
209082

From September 2008?

You're telling me that you changed your mind, apparently in the last two weeks, about something that appears to have been okay as recently as three months ago, because of something that was said to you 15 months (or so) ago?

There seems to be a small problem with causality there to me.

And before you go accusing me of anything, these are your words exactly:

I have never complained about what anyone called me until I was hammered for serving up sauce to the goose.

Addendum:
I also can't help but notice you haven't addressed your accusations regarding my desire for revenge. I've asked you to provide proof, you haven't, you have instead avoided the issue. Does that mean we're free to assume that you withdraw the allegation?

 

[S.A.M.]

Interesting, not generally a distinction I've ever made (or one I had intended to make). I've always considered that everything that's offensive is also an insult in some way, and everything that's insulting is offensive in some way.

I used to think like that, but I was disabused of that notion here. Apparently some things require mockery and derision to make their point. Unfortunately since all my attempts meet with warnings, I have yet to discover how that works.