Oddball censorship of benign subject matter and jokes

[LexingtonSeal]

No bans will be referenced.

However, it has occurred to me, over the course of two prematurely ‘locked’ topics on the matter, that Steam’s rules must be updated to include ‘we do not have a sense of humour’, so that one can avoid conflict with ‘The System’ and those who police it.

Specifically, I request that Steam includes, in its rules, examples of jokes that are ‘offensive’. I take one from reality here, where calling a poster an ‘old man’ in jest, while also confirming that you’re likely the same age, is unacceptable.

As this is normal ‘jokey’ discourse here in Ireland, there’s a degree of ‘cultural shock’ to having something so tame be labelled as inappropriate.

Secondly, self-depreciating jokes about one’s own race – I’m blue-eyed white Irish, and made a joke about white girls not being ‘cute enough’ – is also apparently not acceptable, and I would like this example included in the rules, as anyone from my country would likewise label this as tame.

I note in another thread here an individual referred to me as an ‘idiot’ and also as one ‘living in mommy’s basement’ (multiple times), with no repercussions.

As these jokes are clearly permitted, I would like them added as examples to the Steam rules of ‘permissible jokes’. I have also seen people allowed to express ‘incel’ and ‘bigot’ without repercussions: these appear to also be ‘permissible jokes’, and I would like that clarified.

PS to the guy who kept saying I live in ‘mommy’s basement’: the old house I bought initially cost 450k and has been modernised over the course of a year with an additional 300k+ investment. It continues to see further upgrades, and certainly the heat-pump powered temperature of the living room in which I type this (complete with heat-recovery vents) is by no means reminiscent of a ‘basement’. Particularly with the immense photowall ‘mural’ I recently had installed and the luxury tiles.

Cheers.

[Leonardo Da Pinchi]

Pretty sure "relax guys, it's just a joke" hasn't worked since like the 90's...

[Qbert ⭐]

I like how you really want to establish the "I spent moneyz on mah house" just to validate your point (quick note, it doesn't)

So on topic: Trying to define what is offensive or not could lead to landimes on moderation, because people will fight using the "my joke is offensive in the spectrum of rules", ergo, way too much struggle to deal just to close a thread from someone who's probably trying to troll... People on internet will always be like this.

[Nx Machina]

Humour is subjective therefore cannot be easily defined.

[LexingtonSeal]

Qbert ⭐님이 먼저 게시:

I like how you really want to establish the "I spent moneyz on mah house" just to validate your point (quick note, it doesn't)

I was told multiple times I live in my ‘mommy’s basement’, and you feel that clarifying I actually live in a nearly one mill valued house doesn’t validate my point that I don’t live in the equivalent of a ‘basement’?

Well, you know, could be another matter of ‘cultural difference’, because here in Ireland that’s called ‘counter-evidence’.

Qbert ⭐님이 먼저 게시:

So on topic: Trying to define what is offensive or not could lead to landimes on moderation, because people will fight using the "my joke is offensive in the spectrum of rules", ergo, way too much struggle to deal just to close a thread from someone who's probably trying to troll... People on internet will always be like this.

Well, we all have opinions, don’t we?

I just presented mine, in that I feel most definitely examples of ‘inappropriate jokes’, perhaps even sampled from previous bans, would assist in avoiding conflict with ‘The System’.

When one regularly sees – as above – posters being allowed to call other posters ‘idiots’ and ‘living in mommy’s basement’, one forms the impression, obviously inaccurate, that calling someone of your own age ‘old man’ or calling girls of your own race ‘not cute enough’ is comparatively mild.

Clearly it is not.

[Abigail From Sneaky Squid Dept.]

Leonardo Da Pinchi님이 먼저 게시:

Pretty sure "relax guys, it's just a joke" hasn't worked since like the 90's...

No officers I didn't put on a ski mask and walk into the bank with a gun to rob it, I just wanted to look like I was robbing it as a joke.

[xBCxRangers]

"I note in another thread here an individual referred to me as an ‘idiot’ and also as one ‘living in mommy’s basement’ (multiple times), with no repercussions".

That should likely be deemed "insulting, off topic and likely to derail the thread". But they go by report spam. One report alone likely won't do it.

There's also massive amounts of translation issues, not knowing figures of speech and slang, and so it's almost like you're dealing with robots.

In short, unless they go to some sort of paid premium folks can get into, to bring more money into the service, free service means, we get what we pay for.

[Mad Scientist]

Leonardo Da Pinchi님이 먼저 게시:

Pretty sure "relax guys, it's just a joke" hasn't worked since like the 90's...

Especially doesn't work on the steam forums.

[Thermal Lance]

Leonardo Da Pinchi님이 먼저 게시:

Pretty sure "relax guys, it's just a joke" hasn't worked since like the 90's...

Did it ever work? I have my doubts.

[miakisfan]

Wouldn't it simply be easier for you OP if you just blocked those users and moved on instead of getting sucked into these name calling games being played by others?

Letting people rent space in your head should itself be defined as deserving of what you get.

I learned that lesson here very quickly ... especially since there are people here who let feelings get in the way of facts. Laugh, ignore, move on.

[LexingtonSeal]

xBCxRangers님이 먼저 게시:

But they go by report spam. One report alone likely won't do it.

They don’t – in fact, they clearly even know who triggers the report and also have a ‘weighting’ system.

I’m sure it’s determined by a number of factors – but I used to be in ‘good graces’ with Steam, believe it or not, and if I clicked ‘report’ beside an offensive poster, literally seconds later action would be taken.

That’s not a joke.

I believe that they have internal rules applied to who’s getting MVP ‘brownie points’. Could be positive constructive input to games – could be anything. And I also believe you can get the equivalent of Reddit ‘downvoted’, but all this is happening on a system level.

Either way, it’s not as clearcut as you express.

Even if robots are doing all the preliminary bans, it still must be a human, if that’s the word for Steam police, that address the ‘support ticket’.

Yes, a lot of it is copy and pasted – cynically, you could call that a script. But more than likely it’s a ‘junior mod’, as I’ve seen multiple tickets get ‘esculated’, where you’re obviously dealing with a human (they’re finally addressing the conent of the post, making inquiries etc)

[BJWyler]

There are a few things to keep in mind when attempting to use a forum:
Unless you are a world famous comedian, your jokes are only funny to you.

Unless you are a renowned entertainer, you are only entertaining to yourself.

Unless you have had a book of prose on the NYT bestseller list, your words of wit are only witty to you.

There is this thing referred to as "know your audience." Humor and manners of speaking are subjective things that will be taken by different people in different ways, which of course also carries over to profile naming conventions.

The jokes my friends and I tell and the language we use while sitting around the card table late at night in the man cave are not the same jokes and language used at our kids' birthday parties. It is also not the same things we say when out in public among other people we do not know. It's about being smart in your communication when other people are involved or around the general vicinity.

There are rules and etiquette for what you say and how you say it in many different places and settings. I don't use the same level of voice and language in my local library or at church as I do when at home, or back around that card table.

What many here fail to realize is that the gaming community is not the same as it was back in the 90's and 00's. People want gaming forums to reflect the gaming community that uses them. What they fail to understand is that they now do. What may have been permissible back during the reign of the Edgelord Neckbeard is no longer tolerated by the general Gaming Community. And this is now reflected in the forums we use on platforms that are designed to appeal to that greater Gaming Community as a whole.

One needs to either accept that and learn to play within the rules, or one will find oneself rightly banned from those forums. Because, in the end, these forums are not a personal playground. Others do not find amusement in these types of antics, especially if one is just embarrassing the Conservative ideal. If that is what one seeks, then Valve has provided Steam Groups to serve that purpose, or one can use a myriad of online blog options. What is desired and enlightening are conversations and debates made in good faith among those who understand that no individual is the center of attention, and no one else is interested in playing the classic role of fodder for the PKer who is camping outside of the newbie spawn point for his own entertainment. Griefing, be it in an MMO or on a forum is passe, and those who wish to partake will no longer be tolerated. And that holds true whether it be a forum post, a comment in a game, or the name you choose for your profile/account.

[LexingtonSeal]

miakisfan님이 먼저 게시:

Letting people rent space in your head should itself be defined as deserving of what you get.

Did the blasé language I used not give the game away that I could care less what this dude wrote about me?

I mean, if I was offended, or if I wanted to ‘get back at him’, do you really think this is how I’d approach that matter?

It was quoted to juxtapose the fact that some can make those remarks, while others can make comparatively tame remarks (me) and face deletion and bans.

Again, ‘not allowed to mention bans’.

Not doing that.

My war here is against these moderators who are abusing their power. It’s ‘on topic’ because it’s about ‘jokes on Steam discussions’.

I am asking for these people to provide more material within their rules to qualify what is appropriate and what isn’t.

Frankly, ‘you live in mommy’s basement’ has no room for interpretation as anything other than an insult.

Idiot, bigot and incel fit that same categories (IMO).

As for my referring to another poster jokingly as ‘old man’ (when he confirmed we were born in the same era) – it is absurd to be penalised for that. But that is obviously what happens: if it’s in the rules as an example, at least we know.

Just for the record, I’m 39 and the guy I referred to is obviously the same age. Even the ‘old man’ jibe has zero credibility as a ‘sting’.

[Nx Machina]

EbenezerSlack님이 먼저 게시:

You're an idiot (a 'joke' directed at me by another posters) and 'you live in mommy's basement' (again directed at me) obviously has no repercussions in Steam Law.

Your post history on the BG3 forum is public and you are not adverse to making comments you deem jokes but as already stated: "Humour is subjective therefore cannot be easily defined" yet you want to define "but mine are jokes".

[LexingtonSeal]

Nx Machina님이 먼저 게시:

Your post history on the BG3 forum is public and you are not adverse to making comments you deem jokes but as already stated: "Humour is subjective therefore cannot be easily defined" yet you want to define "but mine are jokes".

I'm aware of that fact. You think I can't stand by anything I've ever written as a 'joke'?

It's public so you're welcome to provide a quote. You find 'no flies on me' mate - especially compared to other so-called 'jokes', unsubtle in my opinion, such as 'bigot', 'incel', 'idiot'.

If you feel I've ever been this cack-handed in my responses to people, you have the 'post history': fire away there horse.

[LexingtonSeal]

BJWyler님이 먼저 게시:

One needs to either accept that and learn to play within the rules, or one will find oneself rightly banned from those forums.

Quoting again for ref:

As for my referring to another poster jokingly as ‘old man’ (when he confirmed we were born in the same era) – it is absurd to be penalised for that. But that is obviously what happens: if it’s in the rules as an example, at least we know.

Just for the record, I’m 39 and the guy I referred to is obviously the same age. Even the ‘old man’ jibe has zero credibility as a ‘sting’.

---

'Rightly banned' over that, huh?

Well call me old school, but I think even your average four year old can read between the lines here re: any ill intent.