Unfortunately, I won't be around to read any more threads on this site.

Why? Because the mods and admins apparently don't care about this forum -- or its policies. This thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-sl63-amg-sl65-amg-r230/114017-god-dammit-just-1-2-more-days-sl65-gets-me.html has clear profanity in the subject line. That the user stuck in a space and varied the spelling of one word to get around the server parameters doesn't change the fact that it is unquestionably profanity. It's a word that still isn't permitted on public airwaves. It's a word that in most public settings would be considered both offensive and inappropriate.

The site policy is clear: "You agree, through your use of the Discussion Forums, that you will not post any material which is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually oriented, threatening, invasive of a person's privacy, or otherwise violative of any law." And of course the site retains the right "to delete any message for any reason whatsoever."

Nevertheless, while the policy may be clear, it's application is muddier than the Mississippi. When asked to edit or delete the referenced thread, the admins refused. Apparently -- to them -- it's neither generally offensive nor profane, and of course there is mention of "free speech".

Yeah, right. Cross-posting and pornography are also free speech, but those are both disallowed on this site. Of course, the other answer they've offered is that it's not "generally offensive". Ahem. So in other words, if enough people complain, perhaps they will enforce the policy prohibiting profanity (which -- you would think-- means people don't HAVE to complain, since it's POLICY). That attitude is like a police officer that sees a shoplifter, but then waits to see if the store owner will complain. The fact that the law has been broken is irrelevant. Of course in this case the admins have allowed "generally offensive" to swallow all of the other provisions of site policy. Profanity -- at least in site policy -- is a different category, not a subset of offensiveness. But this appears to be a distinction without a difference to the admins.

Please understand two things, folks: First, I'm not a prude; I occasionally use foul language, but never generally or indiscriminately (neither do most people I know). Nor was I trying to get the user banned, but I would have considered appropriate a warning to him/her. Editing the subject line with asterisks or deleting the thread would have been okay, too. But boiled to its essence, the collective response of the admins was, "So?"

"So", I hope some of you are as sorry to see me go as I am to leave. I really haven't been here very long, but I've been quite active and would like to think I've made some very positive contributions along the way. But I'd like to be proud of this site and be able to refer others to it without reservation or embarrasment, and the lack of any meaningful policy renders that impossible.

For those of you I leave behind, I wish you well and leave you with a final thought: if the mods by their inaction reinforce the conduct of the fringe elements and cause mainstream members to leave, what will you have left? If you care, please let your mods and admins know.

Take care, folks, and enjoy the ride,
Greg

 

I don't see it...

If you mean "****ing" or b__ch, you need to loosen up bro. This happens on almost every forum I belong to, plain and simple. If thos mods had to babysit every single * and _, they wouldn't sleep.

Edit: Oh, now I see..."Dammit"...you're really this pissed off over that?