Offensive sig?

Endurance Man

Noticed earlier that my sig had been removed and replaced with that message?
Not sure who i would pm to find out about sigs? I cant remember the exact dimensions but im fairly confident that it was within size limits.

Joseph

Mabey, it was offensive, as in, to other people?

Ruu_Old

A few people had reported it, as far as I know it was what you had written regarding the special olympics. Even if you didn't mean it, it was in poor taste.

Gordon

What exactly was your sig Endurance Man?

Hagar

Hey Deaddude your sig has 4 pics is over 65k. Let he who is without sin yadda yadda yadda...

Basq

I reported it to SIGPO anyways.. as i got a few reports from people who said it was offensive. I believe it was something along the lines of:

Arguing over the Internet is like competiting in the Special Olympics - even if you win, you're still retarded!

Maybe it was meant in jest but it's not particularly clever or funny, just offensive.

The_Minister

I remember that, I noticed it a few times....
It's not THAT offensive. Bad taste, but so is Monty Python.

Endurance Man

Good lord...fair enough, i'll find something else, you didnt have to remove my whole damn sig ><.

Nick_oliveri

I take it as being funny tbh. Small bit OTT and could be offensive to some or many.

Boston

Jesus, turning into a bloody nanny forum here.

Stark

I thought it was hillarious though some oversensitive souls take huge offence to it.

Here's a thread on a different forum where people got hugely riled up in response to someone making the joke: http://bb.ucc.ie/viewtopic.php?t=12279

Endurance Man

Tbh i thought it suited soo many people on this forum, thats the reason i used it. Guess they didnt like facing facts ;'o.

Hagar

We friend are but the mirror of your soul.

Boston

The comment had been made hundreds of times on boards and not been questioned, but slap it in a signature and, oh noes, it's offensive. Just because someone complains about it lads doesn't mean you should follow up on those complaints.

Beruthiel

That sig has been there for years with no problem if I recall correctly.

Rabies

Just curious, did anyone send a PM to Endurance Man about his sig? Doesn't seem so. Is the poster not supposed to get notified about it first?

It isn't that bad in my opinion, it is a joke after all.

I think it is the word 'retarded' that offended some people. That might lead some people to believe that it is just mentally disabled people that compete in Special Olympics.

RE*AC*TOR

Utter nonsense. Fairly tame in fairness.

r3nu4l

Rabies wrote:

Just curious, did anyone send a PM to Endurance Man about his sig? Doesn't seem so. Is the poster not supposed to get notified about it first?

Yep, in normal cases, the poster is supposed to be notified and offered the chance to remove the sig themselves. In cases where the sig is considered offensive and has been reported as such a number of times, then no such courtesy is extended. This is normally the case where a sig links to porn or warez etc.

As for this particular sig, I can understand why some people find it offensive. I have a friend who has a brother in a specal needs (psych) hospital and my friend gets very upset when people use the word 'retard'. Perhaps it's oversensitivity on his part but I can't really say because I'm not in that situation.

So far as I know only SMods and Admins have the power to remove sigs so if I'm right wouldn't the decision to remove would have been taken at that level?

Boston

Fair enough if the admins removed it, it's their site and they can do what they want, but if it was some S-Mod applying some un disclosed censorship criteria I think there's a problem, especially if they are removing content based on personal bias.

Endurance Man

Rabies wrote:

Just curious, did anyone send a PM to Endurance Man about his sig? Doesn't seem so. Is the poster not supposed to get notified about it first?

It isn't that bad in my opinion, it is a joke after all.

I think it is the word 'retarded' that offended some people. That might lead some people to believe that it is just mentally disabled people that compete in Special Olympics.

Nope, no pm and why was the entire sig removed to? Im guessing the mod only has the option to remove the whole sig and not sections of it?

pickarooney

Hang on, participation in the Special Olympics is limited to people with intellectual disabilites, in other words mental retardation.

The Paralympics is for physically disabled athletes.

So what are people getting offended about exactly?

Hagar

Show us your medal.:rolleyes:

Boston

Listen, it's not even about the signature or whether or not people find it offensive, it's about not being held to some standard of taste and decency which goes beyond normal boards standards.

muffler

Correct me if Im wrong here but did I not see see a banning or two being handed out in the last year or so for referring to someone else as a retard?

It seems the word only becomes offensive depending in what context it is being used so I can see why the sig was removed as some people obviously found it offensive. But I dont understand why it was done now.

aidan_walsh

muffler wrote:

It seems the word only becomes offensive depending in what context it is being used so I can see why the sig was removed as some people obviously found it offensive. But I dont understand why it was done now.

Presumably because people only reported it as offensive now.

Cuddlesworth

Stark wrote:

I thought it was hillarious though some oversensitive souls take huge offence to it.

Here's a thread on a different forum where people got hugely riled up in response to someone making the joke: http://bb.ucc.ie/viewtopic.php?t=12279

Ahh, nothing like a good laugh in the evening. Poor admin's on that forum.

Stark

pickarooney wrote:

Hang on, participation in the Special Olympics is limited to people with intellectual disabilites, in other words mental retardation.

The Paralympics is for physically disabled athletes.

So what are people getting offended about exactly?

"What's better than winning the Paralympics?"
"Having two good legs".

Boston

muffler wrote:

Correct me if Im wrong here but did I not see see a banning or two being handed out in the last year or so for referring to someone else as a retard?

It seems the word only becomes offensive depending in what context it is being used so I can see why the sig was removed as some people obviously found it offensive. But I don't understand why it was done now.

If an insult is directed at someone, regardless of whether or not they find it offensive, the mods usually hand down a ban. Case in point, I recently was called a prick on this forum, I couldn't give a damn and didn't find it offensive, however the user was banned. So personal bias doesn't come into it.

Rabies

pickarooney wrote:

Hang on, participation in the Special Olympics is limited to people with intellectual disabilites, in other words mental retardation.

The Paralympics is for physically disabled athletes.

So what are people getting offended about exactly?

Sorry, thought physically and mentally disabled people competed in the same Olympics. My bad.

nesf

Boston wrote:

If an insult is directed at someone, regardless of whether or not they find it offensive, the mods usually hand down a ban. Case in point, I recently was called a prick on this forum, I couldn't give a damn and didn't find it offensive, however the user was banned. So personal bias doesn't come into it.

Very true, but you can also earn a ban on some forums for insulting 'groups'. Like calling all Muslims thieving terrorist scum or such.

Though once we go down the road of 'potential to insult/cause offence' then it gets very murky.

raido9

Endurance Man wrote:

Nope, no pm and why was the entire sig removed to? Im guessing the mod only has the option to remove the whole sig and not sections of it?

In fairness, half the people on boards are mods of one kind or another. There are so many of them they dont often get the chance at flexing their modding muscles and putting us lowly posters in our place. So when the opportunity comes to ask someone to edit their sig and remove something offensive, they'll pass that up and use their super modding powers to remove the "offensive" sig without hesitation!!

muffler

raido9 wrote:

half the people on boards are mods of one kind or another. There are so many of them they dont often get the chance at flexing their modding muscles and putting us lowly posters in our place.

Get back into the corner ... or else

6th

raido9

muffler wrote:

Get back into the corner ... or else

What are you gonna do about it? Ban me?

I'm not wrong though. Ye even have everything sub-catagorized so as to have as many mods as possible. Ye even have games as a sub-forum of games and the same with soccer. I've never seen so many threads moved on a board. So what if someone puts something in HE Do It Yourself instead of Building & Upgrading, sometimes it might be relevant to both.
Seriously mods, don't take it too seriously, its not like ye get paid for it or anything. The only possible motivation must be the feeling of power, which you don't feel unless your moving/ deleting/ banning!!

fade2black

Most of the forums on Boards are over modded, that's common knowledge. The site has grown very popular in recent years and more and more people are eager to help out. Unfortunately power doesn't sit as well with some as with others.

With regards that particular sig, I personally have never found it funny but that's just because it's one of those over used "funny" internet phrases like O Rly and Atari Jaguar etc.

muffler

raido9 wrote:

Seriously mods, don't take it too seriously, its not like ye get paid for it or anything. The only possible motivation must be the feeling of power, which you don't feel unless your moving/ deleting/ banning!!

Couldn't have put it better myself. Give that man/woman a prize

r3nu4l

raido9 wrote:

...unless your moving/ deleting/ banning!!

pfft, amateur! You forgot locking and placing stickies in your tirade

Most of the sub-categories are there for a reason and for the most part they work out and have been requested/supported by the userbase

Yep, some mods are a bit OTT but there are also some excellent mods out there whom you almost forget are mods until they are needed.

Boston

6th wrote:

...some crap attempt at being AMP...

Seriously, go away like

6th

Most mods do what they do because they have a bit of 'love' for Boards and want to contribute to its smooth running.

So are saying there are too many mods? There can be but seeing as there is a real life outside of the internet they are not all on at the same time.

Look at the amount of threads where people complain that a mod isnt getting abck to them.

Oh and Boston ..... dont worry, you'll be a mod one day

Tar.Aldarion

Seems to be too strict, not my site though.
So many sigs are potentially offensive, just guess you were unlucky there Endo.

Boston

6th wrote:

Oh and Boston ..... dont worry, you'll be a mod one day

You haven't a clue.

nesf

raido9 wrote:

Seriously mods, don't take it too seriously, its not like ye get paid for it or anything.

I completely agree. It should never be treated like a job.

raido9 wrote:

The only possible motivation must be the feeling of power, which you don't feel unless your moving/ deleting/ banning!!

I disagree, there are other motivations like helping the community by keeping forums clear of spam etc. You'd be suprised how little moving/deleting/banning most of us do.

Stark

6th wrote:

Oh and Boston ..... dont worry, you'll be a mod one day

I believe it's a case of "been there. done that".

oscarBravo

raido9 wrote:

In fairness, half the people on boards are mods of one kind or another.

40,000 mods. Wow.

fade2black wrote:

Most of the forums on Boards are over modded, that's common knowledge.

No, f2b, that's your opinion.

rediguana

It's funny and not so outrageous. The signature, I mean.

ps. Just to clarify, my signature in no way implies that non-tortoise animals lack initiative.

DaBreno

Do they have reserved parking for non-handicapped people at the special olympics?

RuggieBear

nope...only for foreigners and homosexuals

fade2black

oscarBravo wrote:

40,000 mods. Wow. No, f2b, that's your opinion.

True. Boards has grown into quite a massive place, I think "most" was a poor choice of words on my part.

6th

I'm a mod in my house .... I had to ban my kid the other day.

Anti

And it all came from This one pic.

Dont click it if your offended by Enduranceman's old sig though.


I thought it was funny myself, But I dont think I would if someone close was in fact " retarded "

Boston

tbh the signature is neither hilarious nor entertaining. Mainly because I'm a jaded interweb users.

I notice no one has been along to claim responsibility for removing the sig, or did I miss a post?