New Prohibition of the Word "T r o l l"

Oops that was starred out. Software does work.

Since this new prohibition, there have been two threads where I wanted to say someone seems to be yanking our chains, which I rarely do. I find myself now stopping to weigh how I would put it to a mod, when it’s just an inkling. I know this adds to mod work. So, I haven’t flagged.

Can we say “you seem to be yanking our chains?” Can we say, “I can’t see this as serious because…?”

Yes, we pointed this out to the tech guys months ago. It’s kind of helpful, actually, because I can see what a poster put up for real! Sometimes people claim to actually have just typed asterisks and not a prohibited word. Now I can see if they’re telling the truth if I hit “edit” on their post!

Is this a slippery slope? What’s the next word to get censored?

The next one that causes a problem.

I guess my concern is that, even after consideration, I find it was more efficient to use the T-word, with judgment, in some long aggravating situations. It was code or shorthand, a way of calling out another poster’s recurring argumentative or inflammatory approach. I only used it when i thought it was justified. Now we have to find the right polite words to describe to a mod. We can’t even use the T word in our flag/report. I stumble over this. I usually end up not reporting.

I wasn’t aware of the back and forth that was said to justify dis-allowing the word. But now I see still unfettered arguments between posters all the same, even adults. To me, the word itself wasn’t the issue. It was the free-for-all attitude some posters come on with. And the way it hogs and distracts a thread. (Please know this is “just sayin”.)

lookingforward–“the free-for-all” attitude is referred to as “sit back and get out the popcorn”…
I still think unicorn based character reference is the shortcut to a very real opinion–used universally nowadays in all media arenas…except the now PC CC.

That “sit back and get out the popcorn” situation may provide entertainment value, but it often detracts from fruitful discussion and certainly creates a disconnect between the original topic or question and the ensuing responses. Separating the wheat from the chaff was becoming more and more difficult and time consuming here on the moderation side of the coin.

We know threads morph. Worst is where the bickering between two posters effectively shuts out the gentle OP who needed a kind ear and a little personal advice. I don’t mean current events, general topics of interest, or the sort of admissions questions that get repeated all the time. I mean when the original question is personal and heartfelt. I’ve wanted to say to the distractors, “Get a room.” But, you know, that wouldn’t be polite. Oh, well.

Has anyone posted this?

<a href=“http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/internet-■■■■■■-could-get-two-years-in-jail-141020.htm”>http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/internet-■■■■■■-could-get-two-years-in-jail-141020.htm&lt;/a&gt;

So we can’t say it (the letters between internet- and s-could are the magic word) but they can arrest someone for it.

Apparently the number of asterisks doesn’t match the number of letters missing by the way.

All filtered words are replaced with four asterisks…regardless of length.