Eifelland wrote:This thread started out pretty well - people turned around, had a look at themselves and went 'oh, I probably need to chill'. We have. The problem is now that people are getting really really introspective and the blame game is starting to come around again.
Enoch is right - there isn't much point to be served in identifying every single little thing that may or may not be offensive. There will always be banter, as there is in every sport (where testosterone is the driving force). Maybe this thread has run its course, and we should just leave it now? Everyone has got the point I think - that we shouldn't argue over trivial stuff, to the detriment of the spirit around here, but now we seem to be arguing about how bad it is (vs how badder it is).
Let's conclude this discussion on a note of positivity, then.
Allow me to say that this forum, regardless of all of its faults, conflicts and imperfections, is, by a considerable margin, the most tolerant, receptive and fulfilling place I've ever frequented on the internet. That this discussion even exists, and that members are openly offering ideas on rectifying the issue while also acknowledging their own past errors, is absolutely extraordinary to me. The only other active forum experience I've had previously was on a Counter-Strike Source gaming forum, where issues far more intractable than the ones we face were permitted to escalate to unmanageable dimensions, and were generally "resolved" through a mass exchange of profanity and petty insults between the conflicting parties. Perhaps I'm overstating the merits of this forum, but I genuinely think that the fundamental ethos we have here is exceptional.