matta

Please Close this thread. It's just turned into a fraternty vs. nonfraternity thread. I believe that if members are not allowed to insult each other's states, the same rule should apply for fraternities / national institutions. Some of the posts have gone beyond personal opinion. Thank you.



http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=156686

twikoff

youll defend them, even after they bombed your house?

joltaddict

Frats are institutions. Not a region, state or a race or religion. Get thicker skin. Its a perfectly acceptable topic for debate. Not being able to defend your position or others disagreeing with you isnt a valid reason for closing a thread.

matta

But they're not making comments about fraternities... they're making comments about fraternity members. Basically, they're making blanket prejudice comments to the extent that I, and the other fraternity brothers on this website, are destructive, law-breaking, racist, sexest pigs that rape women. I find that extremely offensive.

Blade

From my scan of the thread, I took those posts to be directed at the frat. people who had actually done the deed, and not a blanket statement of any and all frat. members.

Also, I believe Justin merged your thread into the one dealing with the original incident:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=157025

I will post a warning asking that everyone try to qualify their statements more carefully.

Finally, if you disagree with a moderator action, it's better to address it via email.

sfsdfd

For the record, a "personal attack" is an insult that is in some way directed towards you. An insulting statement about a group is only a "personal attack" if the insult is made to collaterally attack you personally, <b>matta</b>. That hasn't happened here.

The following <i>is</i> a personal attack:
<b>Member 1:</b> I'm a member of the Merchant Marines!
<b>Member 2:</b> That figures; the Merchant Marines are a bunch of morons.

The following <i>is not</i> a personal attack:
<b>Member 2:</b> The Merchant Marines are a hypocritical organization.
<b>Member 1:</b> Hey, I happen to be a Merchant Marine, and I'm going to take personal offense at that statement.

The entire fraternity post falls into the second category. The statements weren't made with any intention of attacking <i>you personally</i>, <b>matta</b>.

- David Stein

CaptainMarvel

Dammit Stein, why don't you just lay off the freaking Merchant Marines, okay?

El Scorcho

Got it. Thanks for the clarification

AndyCapps

matta, I suggest you do what I did... walk away. Life's too short to get so worked up over other people's opinions. I got sick of that thread, so I stopped reading.

Applejack

About time someone exposes those merchant marines for the pieces of crap they are... god I hate the merchant marines...

matta

It wasn't quite like that. Several members mentioned they were offended by comments made. Comments then continued to stereotype fraternity members as being racists.

What if this happened:

Someone: Lawyers are all greedy scum
Lawyer: I'm a lawyer and I'm offended by that comment
Someone: Yeah, well lawyers are still all greedy scum.

Does that not qualify as an attack?

Also, remember the state thread from a few months ago?

Someone: People from Alabama are hicks
Someone else: I'm from Alabama and I'm offended by these comments
Mod: [Closed since it offends members of the forum]

It seems to me that this last example and the fraternity thread are the same situtation, and yet one thread was closed and the other is not. It also seems to me that certain moderators have voiced that they agree with one specific side of the fraternity thread. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but it still doesn't explain why one thread is closed and one is not.

Betho

hey

My opinion follows:

I don't like frat boys. I would never, ever date a frat boy. I live in a town with hundreds of them. Personally, I think they suck. I read a study once in the WSU newspaper that said something like 85% of the greek system had some sort of STD/STI. Isn't that disgusting? Makes you kinda nervous in my town, since it's kind of overrun by the frats/sororities.

BUT

That's my opinion. I'm not saying that you personally are a date raping, overdrinking, STD infested person, or anything like that. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rules on everything, frat boys included. I am friends with several frat boys who belong to this exception. In fact, just a few weeks ago I went with a frat boy who happens to be my friend to get our eyebrows pierced.

I'm kinda going off on a tangent here, but what I really wanted to say is this: SOmeone's opinion is not a personal attack unless they specifically point at you. Just because they happen to not agree with an organization that you are a proud member of, doesn't mean a damn thing when it comes to person attack.

My $.02

matta

But at the same time, If I said something like that about, say hindus or muslims, then the thread would be shut immediately. Whats the difference?

What if I posted in a thread about how sad and pathedic people who date online are? That's an opinion, but I'm sure it would be shut down immediately and I'd probably receive an email from a mod.

RandyC

I think it should be obvious that there is a large difference between saying something derogatory about a race or religion, and a fraternity. I better comparison would be a club, social group, profession maybe.

And there is a thread now that has been discussing how wrong it is for online couples to consider themselves as a couple. The thread has been a heated discussion at times, with a lot of accusations of personal attacks and more.

And no, the thread was not closed down (until the original poster asked for it to be closed). The mods did not come down on it. We did not email the originator.

matta

Well, I'll just say that I respectfully disagree and let this thread die.