I watched the colts dismantle the broncos in complete horror. I could not change the channel. Felt like I was standing on the corner watching a major car wreck unfold and the carnage was awful, kept me riveted in a sick kind of fascination - the kind that causes the 'looky-lou' traffic jam when commuters have to slow down and gawk at the wreck in the lanes going the opposite direction. Well, that's what Wild Card games can give you, at least they made it to the play-offs with some hope for the future.
Now as to the censorship. Give us all a break. Perhaps the forum police just accidentally hit the delete button and are now too embarrassed to come clean. I missed the coon-a@@ comment and do remember it being a term I encountered often in my visits to the south, perhaps Don is right about that being the reason it was pulled. I do remember using the phrase dam#ed if you do and dam#ed if you don't on a thread. I spelled it the way it shows up in Websters only to find it had been edited to remove the word dam#ed and completely replacing it with symbols.
I thought that was a bit over the top since the words are even on the radio and tv now, but to remove the post completely may be an indication that they are watching Don D closer than others. There is probation and then there is double secret probation (remember animal house?).
You're correct when you surmise that it was the coon-ass reference that caused the concern. The person who was monitoring the forum late last week noticed the post and tried to find me to ask about it. I was unavailable, so she ended up deleting it. Although a non-native southerner, she was not versed in the piquant flavorings of Cajun speech and feared the reference might be taken as a racial slur.
While Don's right that some people consider the term a badge of honor, some don't -- witness the fact that the Louisiana legislature passed a resolution condemning its use a few years back. And it wasn't just a reference to coon-asses. It was coupled with references to the use of suppositories and jet fuel, all of which seems a bit over the top.
We're really not trying to enforce polite behavior. We recognize this is in HR-de-har-har, and we want that to be an area where you can have fun, but we have to reserve the right to maintain at least a modicum of taste. Or maybe I should say t***e.
Sorry that you were offended by our attempt to avoid being offensive.
Brad Forrister Director of Publishing M. Lee Smith Publishers
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 01-05-04 AT 12:07PM (CST)[/font][br][br]The New Orleans Times Picayune, Louisiana's (and one of the South's) largest newspaper, is the one that remarked that LSU's running backs were fast as greased lightning and it was one of their sportswriters who remarked about the jet-fuel suppository. The Times' readership no-doubt includes some nine year olds among its readership of millions and is arguably a bit more diverse and broad than the Forum. I think you know by now that some of your group is a bit over-zealous in their attempts to protect us from ourselves in the interest of who knows what. Often, adults do not need such protections. If you have people running you down to ask if a post ought to be deleted or not, that's an oddly staffed organization. If you guys were more concerned about whether, on the whole, we are all benefitting from the Forum exchange, we would be better served. The Forum and HR Hero in general are second to none and provide not only the country's best assemblage of HR materials and guides, they also host the best exchange for professionals. Hopefully that will be your maintenance goal; not who mentioned bodily fluid or said ##### instead of darn or who might have been harsh with a virgin poster. Take this in the spirit of constructive criticism.
(edit): I now see that the word D*mn has been deleted. When you told us last week that these rules have always been in place and nothing has changed, that was, how shall I say, an untruth. That is NOT the case. Why didn't you just tell us there are new 'tea party rules' instead of telling us the untrue message that nothing has changed? The truth is the truth. The rest is BS.
Mr. Forrister: As a HR professional, I strongly recommend you have the person/persons monitoring the Forum take training classes, perhaps one from HRHero's library. It's obvious the person that deleted Don's post needs to know the Forum is a stage for enlightment as well as entertainment.
Quoting Brad: "While Don's right that some people consider the term a badge of honor, some don't -- witness the fact that the Louisiana legislature passed a resolution condemning its use a few years back."
Not being one to take anything much as gospel, I called a friend in the Louisiana legislature. He told me, "I don't recall any such bill coming out of committee. What committee handled it? Are you kidding about this? Everybody I serve with is either a coon-ass or his brother in law is. So am I. I assume if it was pre-filed as a bill, it was somebody's idea of a joke. You guys in Mississippi had your 'State Toy Bill and passed it making the Teddy Bear the state toy', maybe we were trying to have the "State's silliest bill of the year, who knows?"
There's a guy right in the legislature who laughed at the whole notion of such a bill. He also fondly describes himself with the same words.
I agree that we've beat this thing to death at this point and obviously nobody will admit to over-reacting. So, let it lay (lie?).
Marc, censoring the word "damn" was a computer error, and I fixed it. The Forum software came pre-programmed with a list of forbidden words, including "damn," that will automatically be changed to "####." We changed the list years ago to allow damn and other words. But back in November, when the Forum software was going haywire, it somehow converted back to the pre-programmed list and started its damn censoring. No one here noticed it until today when you mentioned it. Now it's fixed.
Don, the legislative action was a resolution (not a bill) that passed in 1981.
And, yes, this discussion has gone on way too long. Finally, something we both agree on! th-up
Any fool can pass a resolution simply by standing erect (no offense) long enough to utter what might be construed as a complete sentence supporting, acknowledging or condemning an action, event or occurrance. Then it's gavelled into the record and forever forgotten. I like your explanation of how 'damn' now gets censored.
With all due respect, Don, James -- I think this dead horse has not only been beaten, it's been drawn, quartered, decapitated, dissected, dessicated, cremated, folded, spindled and mutilated. Can we please just let the whole thing GO AWAY?? That will only happen when the attempt to get the "last word" between the two of you ENDS. x:-)
Ray - I think we need a picture of that to verify that you actually dressed up and performed. I can almost picture it now - will you do long blonde brunhilda braids?
Comments
Now as to the censorship. Give us all a break. Perhaps the forum police just accidentally hit the delete button and are now too embarrassed to come clean. I missed the coon-a@@ comment and do remember it being a term I encountered often in my visits to the south, perhaps Don is right about that being the reason it was pulled. I do remember using the phrase dam#ed if you do and dam#ed if you don't on a thread. I spelled it the way it shows up in Websters only to find it had been edited to remove the word dam#ed and completely replacing it with symbols.
I thought that was a bit over the top since the words are even on the radio and tv now, but to remove the post completely may be an indication that they are watching Don D closer than others. There is probation and then there is double secret probation (remember animal house?).
You're correct when you surmise that it was the coon-ass reference that caused the concern. The person who was monitoring the forum late last week noticed the post and tried to find me to ask about it. I was unavailable, so she ended up deleting it. Although a non-native southerner, she was not versed in the piquant flavorings of Cajun speech and feared the reference might be taken as a racial slur.
While Don's right that some people consider the term a badge of honor, some don't -- witness the fact that the Louisiana legislature passed a resolution condemning its use a few years back. And it wasn't just a reference to coon-asses. It was coupled with references to the use of suppositories and jet fuel, all of which seems a bit over the top.
We're really not trying to enforce polite behavior. We recognize this is in HR-de-har-har, and we want that to be an area where you can have fun, but we have to reserve the right to maintain at least a modicum of taste. Or maybe I should say t***e.
Sorry that you were offended by our attempt to avoid being offensive.
Brad Forrister
Director of Publishing
M. Lee Smith Publishers
(edit): I now see that the word D*mn has been deleted. When you told us last week that these rules have always been in place and nothing has changed, that was, how shall I say, an untruth. That is NOT the case. Why didn't you just tell us there are new 'tea party rules' instead of telling us the untrue message that nothing has changed? The truth is the truth. The rest is BS.
"While Don's right that some people consider the term a badge of honor, some don't -- witness the fact that the Louisiana legislature passed a resolution condemning its use a few years back."
Not being one to take anything much as gospel, I called a friend in the Louisiana legislature. He told me, "I don't recall any such bill coming out of committee. What committee handled it? Are you kidding about this? Everybody I serve with is either a coon-ass or his brother in law is. So am I. I assume if it was pre-filed as a bill, it was somebody's idea of a joke. You guys in Mississippi had your 'State Toy Bill and passed it making the Teddy Bear the state toy', maybe we were trying to have the "State's silliest bill of the year, who knows?"
There's a guy right in the legislature who laughed at the whole notion of such a bill. He also fondly describes himself with the same words.
I agree that we've beat this thing to death at this point and obviously nobody will admit to over-reacting. So, let it lay (lie?).
Don, the legislative action was a resolution (not a bill) that passed in 1981.
And, yes, this discussion has gone on way too long. Finally, something we both agree on! th-up
James Sokolowski
HRhero.com