I would like to think that there is an answer. I live in hope. But it involves cooperation, which I don't think is forthcoming.
Nobody has a responsibly to be Mr Nice Guy here. Nor do they have a responsibility to tell the truth, or to be who they say they are. We are in cyberspace, so that's a given.
We have the right to post whatever we want (within reason). Matt can tell us he's blind. Latin can tell us he fucks straight workers he picks up from the construction site. Frequent can tell us he's been living in Thailand for the last three decades. Brad can tell us he's not Surfcrest.
Members have a perfect right to post such garbage, but then we also have the right to question it. If you are not happy with that, don't post. Simple.
As mentioned above, there are members here who are very entertaining, whether they mean to be or not. They help make the board fun - and funny. But they need to accept that we can also have fun, even if that means we laugh and ridicule their posts. That's our right, too.
But should they have their fun in the middle of a serious post, knowing full well that they'll be taken to task? Can't they do it elsewhere?
Matt's post in paperboy's "tuk-tuk hop" thread is a perfect example. Here was a member posting useful information, but Matt had to post that he was going to hire a guide and go sightseeing.
Members do not have the right to post untruths about others. We have rules here to stop that, but they are not enforced on every member. Rules are enforced on an adhoc basis, which does little to inspire confidence in the integrity of the board. As bobsaigon has pointed out, some recalcitrant members have been told they will not be banned and so feel free to post whatever they want, no matter how offensive or how untrue.
Members do not have the right to mercilessly criticise and harass others post after post, thread after thread. There's a rule against that, too. However, they do have the right to take a poster to task for his comments. There's a big difference.
For example, there was a time when frequent, posting as kommentariat, mentioned me over 65 times in a period of 2 months! Most of that had nothing to do with anything I had posted. It's that very behaviour which makes this board unpleasant and dissuades people from joining and members from posting.
But you can't possibly force people to be civil. You can only rely on their goodwill.
If they are unwilling to cooperate, then you are right, arsenal. There is no answer.
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Originally Posted by a447
