Mod inaction and the future

[M. Demetrius]

It's just not possible to make a list of rules comprehensive enough to cover every possible choice of words, or mood, or smiley face, etc. A person should simply make sure his words are not likely to be offensive to whomever reads them. That's not hard to do.

The "Spartan helmets" from the movie 300."This helmet is a piece of junk and it sucks, and anyone who buys it is a stupid fool." Obvious. Same helmet: "Is there provenance for a style like this helmet, or is it a movie-maker's costume piece?"

Freedom of speech is alive and well in just about all free countries everywhere, both sides of the Atlantic. But like any other freedom, my right to swing my arms around ends just before your nose begins. We want things friendly here, even in disagreement, and especially because English is not the first language of many of the people on the forum. I'm free to say, "The government of East Andalaysina is stupid." But the East Andalaysinians will mostly be offended. So I don't say that. Freedom of any kind without thougtful restraint is not really freedom, especially for those who choose to press the limits deliberately: it becomes another form of bondage.