Racism/discrimination policy

[Ephemeral]

I'm not condoning racism or verbal degradation, but having staff act as babysitters is a little more than the TW community should expect. There are tools available to people who are offended by what's said in the chats - whether is be the filter, leaving the arena... many things - and if people don't want to use these tools, then they get what they deserve. I can see Tarn's original point, but, in my opinion, banning people left and right because they say offensive things isn't a job the staff should have to do.

Respectfully disagree.
If the perspective is to be whether or not the staff is 'babysitting', then my opinion is that is exactly what their purpose is.
Consider your agruments in terms of cheating. Aren't they babysitting for cheaters? Isn't cheating something that they shouldn't have to do, or something that none of should have to deal with? Same with team killing.

If I don't like the teamkilling or cheating, then I should ignore it, or leave the arena?

And lastly, I think that if the policy/rule on racism was not in place, then it would be perceived as acceptable, or as condoning it.

[PH]

I don't know if it's an issue of "babysitting" as much as it is trying to create a perfect gaming environment where everyone gets along or whatever. I can understand that to a certain degree, but I stand by my original statement that players have the option to use the filter, and if they choose NOT to use it then they deserve to see whatever offensive language might come up. Racism is wrong, sure, but so is homophobia, and I don't see 200 people getting banned every hour for saying "stfu fag" in the pubs. I think staff has taken the racism thing a bit too far, as there are more important issues that are being overlooked just because EXAMPLIFY [© SRB] and his pals feel it's their right to use the N-word. The variations of the word that escape the filter are more important to worry about than the actual word, because as I stated above, if you turn the filter off, what you see is YOUR responsibility.

Bottom line, if someone's pathetic enough to try to get under the skin of people they'll never meet by using racial slurs, let them. I understand that it's staff's job to create an enjoyable gaming environment for everyone, but when keeping a steady stream of good events going takes a back seat to lynching EXAMPLIFY for his use of the N-word, something's wrong.

[Troll King]

As I said in a previous post, it's not babysitting because the point isn't to protect people from seeing racist things. That's not the point of it at all. This is about holding people accountable when they are being racist. There is a big difference. If it was purely about prevention then people wouldn't be punished for being racist. It's about people doing and saying things that are just plain wrong and should not be tolerated, and facing due sanctions for their actions.

And I don't see how you can argue that staff concern with racism has taken so much out of the zone that games suffer because staffers are so busy. Even if that's the case, then it highlights just how big a problem racism is and how important something should be done about it.

[PH]

Point taken, maybe the drop in quality of hosted events is just my imagination. I concede defeat. I still believe the racism issue has been blown way out of proportion.

[Pressure Drop]

My View On The Subject.

1) in no way should racism be tolerated and neither any of the homophobic comments either really.

2) racism is worse than calling someone gay as it is picking on a section of the world community for no other reason than they were born a different color. For homosexuals it is because they have an entire different lifestyle choice and it is more generic as you get homosexuals in all races.

3) saying ppl have a choice to turn the filter off so don't complain that you see racism when you do is silly. Why should there be allowed to be a racist "underground" that turn off their filters and exchange racist abuse? This to me would only increase the problem as a whole and lead to more racism slipping through the filter.

4) It is okay to talk hypothetically about how racism is only words, and words only have power if you assign it to them. However this is also not really valid because the fact is words do have power and racists can use them to spread racial hatred through an apathetic population. On the extreme scale of this is what Hitler did in germany. obviously TW is not like this but i don't see why the small percentage get to spread their hatred to others who will think it is ok to use such language.

5) if you have been subjected to discrimination then perhaps you would be more against it. I've been subjected to it on different levels and its not nice i can tell you that. All though i'm not black it offends me when i see it, because i wouldn't like it if it were the sectarian names i've been called.Actualy in fact i would probably stop playing the game. I'd say that it could very well put off some black ppl since it isn't exactly welcoming to have 2 idiot white kids call each other ******s to insult each other.

[Asmodeus]

It's all about the context in which the word is used.

Edit: You could also report the person who used the homophobic quotes and staff member will look into it for you. If they see something they deem discriminatory, they'll warn.

The reason I wrote this was because I saw somebody get warned for saying "(name), you black person". He was warned for racism by a member of staff. Apparantly, I'm the only person who finds this ironic - but I think if anyone was being racist in that case, it was the staff member, for acting like black person was a racial insult. And that's the point. It's not. It's the equivalent of me saying to someone, "You brunette". Whether the person is or not, what the hell is insulting about the colour of their hair? OR their skin. And Leaf, yes, lots of people would get banned if it were illegal to call someone a retard (discriminating against intelligence) or homo, or whatever. I wasn't trying to get this to happen - I was trying to change the rules on racism. Because people say the N word for a reaction. They know that everyone makes a big deal out of it here. If no one made a big deal, they wouldn't have a reason to say it. In real life, no one has the power to stop me using that as an insult in normal conversation, or anyone I know. NO ONE I know uses it as an insult in real life. But because of the attitude on TW, that word is seen as a very offensive term, and is therefore used often.

And btw, it isn't racial discrimination. Do you honestly think players go hunting through the TW gallery, find a black player, and then spam him with "N___"? People get spawned, or teamed, or want to insult someone for whatever reason, and so they try to say something hurtful. Sometimes it's "lame newb", sometimes "omg fag", or sometimes when they want a bigger reaction, it's the N word. If people weren't conditioned here to go hysterical every time they heard a word like that, they wouldn't use it to cause a reaction. The only people that would use words like that would be the real racists - whom thankfully are quite few in number - and there's nothing you can do about them anyway. You can't change people's attitudes like that just with an online game. If anything, you're making things worse, by teaching little kids that N_ is a great word that they can say to really offend people who piss them off.

So yeah. I'm proposing that you stop the hysteria every time someone says a racial word. Hell, I'm British, what's a slang term for that... limey. Yeah. So, say I spawn someone, and they call me a limey... So what? I feel like I'm missing something big here, but I don't see any reason to actually give a damn. They could call me a N too, for that matter. Maybe I'm wrong about this... I mean, Leaf, say you kill someone, and they get angry and call you a 'tard, or a N_. Do you honestly get upset or hurt, either way? Anyway. Yeah. People insult each other all the time, for a variety of reasons. That's not discrimination. Now, looking up a player in the TW gallery, finding out they are of a certain subset (black, female, whatever), and then repeatedly insulting them based on that - that would be discrimination. But if someone were to actually do this, isn't that already covered under the harassment rule? (Yes).

Anyway, sorry Leaf, I just don't understand your point. Why can I call someone a fag, but not a N? I mean, hell, I could be wrong but... it sounds like YOU'RE (I mean the establishment - not meaning to single out Leaf here, he doesn't make the rules) the ones being discriminative. Either make both illegal (bit of a stupid thing to do, IMO) or both legal (more sensible), but the double standard is quite daft.

Oh yeah... I offer a critical opinion because I like to try to make things better for the community. That's why. I'm not a subscriber to the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" school of thought.

[Volcs]

I didnt read any other posts, but this being the TW forum I assume someones already called you a faggot.. so on we go!


I've brought this up before, and dock> told me they had to draw the line somewhere. If we ban Faggot, we'll have to ban Fatty, and then Ugly, and then Divorcee.. etc. They had to draw it somewhere, they chose to draw it at racism.. :bigups:
(sorry if its already been said, like i said I didnt read any other posts)

Asmo - the context thing isn't true either. You can't use the N word out of context.. If you ask "Hey, did I spell ****** right?" or "If I say the word ****** out of context, will I be warned?"

AAAND I was told BY a saffmember that I am free to call all the faggot newbs faggots each and every time I choose to

Personally I find it stupid to be warned for saying anything, there used to be a time you could go around calling people ****** fuckers all you wanted.. those were good times

[Jerome Scuggs]

o yea
faggot

how do you like me now

[Volcs]

still pretty neutral... you're a ****** faggot, how ya like dem apples?

[Profound Magician]

Dear Volcs,

_ STFU
_ GTFO
_ lick my balls
_ die
x banned,

_ newblet! (_ w/cheese)
_ n00b!!1
x idiot!
_ xog!
_ nerd!
_ laggot!

_ you suck at subspace
_ my squad pwnz yours
_ I HAVE MORE STREET CREDS THAN U
x I'M A MOD AND U ARENT

x so go back to DSB.
_ so f off and die.

_ l0l
_ thx
_ gg
x pwnt!
_ here's your napkin, you want ketchup with that too? sorry, we're all out.

Love,
Profound Magician

[Volcs]

DSB? Mod? what? I think you hit the wrong boxes...oh, and you have too much time on you hands, faggot.

Atleast you knew enough to not try calling me a newb

[Ezor]

That thing was funny the first time I saw it.

Now it's barely as entertaining as Lucon's useless threads.

[Jerome Scuggs]

still pretty neutral... you're a ****** faggot, how ya like dem apples?

what am i to you
nothing but neutral?
look at yourself
see what youve become

[winipcfg]

Dear Volcs,

_ STFU
_ GTFO
_ lick my balls
_ die
x banned,

_ newblet! (_ w/cheese)
_ n00b!!1
x idiot!
_ xog!
_ nerd!
_ laggot!

_ you suck at subspace
_ my squad pwnz yours
_ I HAVE MORE STREET CREDS THAN U
x I'M A MOD AND U ARENT

x so go back to DSB.
_ so f off and die.

_ l0l
_ thx
_ gg
x pwnt!
_ here's your napkin, you want ketchup with that too? sorry, we're all out.

Love,
Profound Magician

Lol.

[Simple Mistake]

In my opinion.

All idiots who use any profanity should be warned. Find something intelligible to say or don’t say anything at all. Arguing to make freedom of speech so that you can use the N'word makes no sense. Come to downtown Baltimore and say "what up my N" see how innocent, and friendly your greeting is taken as you’re loaded onto the back of an ambulance. Enough said.