AC Update, 18th - 24th Jan

i never said i think talking about illicit drugs should be allowed. i just asked a question, so please put the wet noodle away.

jeff, i DO know damn well that there's a difference between using illegal drugs and getting a speeding ticket. i was replying to the recurring idea that something shouldn't be allowed simply because it breaks a law in some way. "because it's illegal" is a sufficient reason to disallow something, but NOT a necessary reason. in other words, just because something breaks a law in some way, that doesn't mean it should be automatically disallowed. if that were the case then discussion of jaywalking and speeding should not be allowed.

EDIT: i hate my keyboard.

 

"i was replying to recurring idea that something shouldn't be allowed simply because it breaks a law in some way. "because it's illegal" is a sufficient reason to disallow something, but NOT a necessary reason. in other words, just because something breaks a law in some way, that doesn't mean it should be automatically disallowed."

Point taken, I understand now. Thanks for clarifying.

 

i never said i think talking about illicit drugs should be allowed. i just asked a question, so please put the wet noodle away.

<slurp>... mmmmm, good noodle.

And yeah, I get what you're saying now. Good point, actually.

 

"because it's illegal" is a sufficient reason to disallow something, but NOT a necessary reason.

And you would also have to ask according to which country, state, or city's specific laws.

 

"There are kids under 21 there"

So what? We are an international community now, whether the Administration likes it or not. They have to realize that people not in America drink before 21 and it is legal. There should be no punishment for saying you drink if you are under 21. Regardless, it is not the job of the JC Administration to police our real lives, just our fake, drama-ridden internet ones.

I think casual discussion of drinking, not promotion, should be allowed or at least not punished. We need to treat people like adults. The key problem with a lot of the whining is that the Administration (or what used to be we) treats the masses like 14yr old fanboys. If the Census Age poll is to be believed, and it probably can be, most people are mid-high school -> college. Everyone should be treated then as an adult, since that is generally the stage in life most people are closest to.

Follow? Treat people in a mature fashion and they'll respond in kind.

 

great update gang
keep the weekly updates coming!

GOOO JC!

 

well said, Erik...

 

You can't get a drivers license if you're under 16, and we have lots of people under 16 here, not to mention people over 16 who don't have a drivers license. Should discussing cars be against the rules?

How is that any different?

 

I agree with everything Lord Bane said.

 

SoK, there is a big difference. One can get you killed or seriously affect your health, while the other...hmm...

 

i see no harm in discussing illegal activities, seeing this is a discussion board in itself. there's a big difference in discussion and promotion. some may argue that discussion in itself automatically promotes the illegal activity at hand, but if it isn't the intent of the person, and thus the board itself, then there's no crime. if a 13 year old sees a dicsussion of alcohol on the boards, and because of it, goes and starts drinking... it's THEIR perogative. it's no different to them seeing a beer commercial on commercial TV or seeing a news article about the amount of people who've overdosed in the past year, and then going out and doing something illegal because of it. people want to blame this or that... movies or video games or things they see on the internet... but it comes back to an individuals personal bloody choice. it's their decision. if they're gonna do it, so be it, but that shouldn't stop the rest of the community discussing topics that pertain to real life and encourage discussion overall.

and kids are gonna drink whether we like it or not. whether we discuss the topic on this board or not, it's not going to make any difference. bah.

 

Just a general question for everyone, but where did the idea that the mere mention of alcohol wasn't allowed?

I'm actually rather curious about this, considering as far as I know that this isn't the current rule on things alcohol related. The current general rule is that discussion of alcohol is okay, but promotion of it isn't.

Now, this is in itself a rather fine line, but it was one that did seem to be easily abided by back when I was a regular of the JCC. Yes, some threads were locked if they were promoting alcohol consumption, but for the most part they were few and far between. I can not remember any instances where this resulted in a ban, other than one that I gave to a certain user who insisted on creating thread after thread as I locked them in advertising how plastered they were (which was lifted early the next morning).

So, what classifies as "promotion" can be slightly subjective, but there isn't likely to be as big a difference between the standard on these as there used to be when it was a collective of about 10 mods that watched the JCC.

 

What do you think about restriction on drugs and alcohol related conversation in JCC? Considering that this place is family-friendly, where do you think the line crosses between promotion and harmless comments? What would you consider to be appropriate, fair action to take when this line is crossed?

Alcohol I dont feel is a problem. But drugs should not be mentioned in any sort of promotional way, IMO

 

I think this thread is an example of those in charge of this website (or enforcement of its rules) taking themselves way too seriously.

Does anyone really think some 13-year-old (of which there are very few here) is going to decide to become an alcoholic because someon nameless, faceless person on a Star Wars message board reveals he's drank before, and therefore he himself should try it?

And how will the original drinker know if he has any influence on the matter? People are responsible for their own actions, plain and simple.

This is just like the debate over song lyrics. Is someone gonna do something because an Ozzy Osbourne lyric says to? (yes kids, he used to be a rock singer)
Similarly, is someone gonna do something because of a post they see? It's not the administration's job to monitor what people do in their real lives away from here. Therefore, they shouldn't make any assumptions to the effect either.

 

i agree with myself on this issue.

...and some stuff other people have said.

 

I don't even care if people discuss Heroin use in their own thread. Personally, I think it's idiotic to discuss the use of/price of alcohol or any other drugs, but, hey, people have the right to be idiots.

 

ah yes, Peer pressure...


well, like my mother used to say to me... "Tess, just because the other kids do it, does not make it right.. Why, what would you do if all the other kids decided to jump off the roof of the school?"

"I'd sleep in, Mom.. they'd have to close school in light of such a tragedy..."

 

So if everyone seems to agree with each other, why are you people still discussing it?

 

//bangs head on wall

HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO


HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This is the REST OF THE WORLD calling

//WAVES


You know, over to the east - or even west depending on your route. {over the sea }

The whole world does nopt have the same rules. In the UK drinking is 18yrs, NOT 21 and in much of Europe their is no official age for drinking.
It is not unusual for young teans to drink wine, especially with dinner.

If they discuss this will they be banned based on US rules???


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As I understood it the rule was no promotion so a user can talk about having been drunk, or stoned, or whatever as long as they are not promoting the issue.
Hey, the fact that I may talk about how I took loads of coke on Friday night, drank far too much and spent half the weekend curled in bed in pain is not exactly promotion, is it? {quite the oposite many would say}

One must remember that if all you allow kids to hear is 'drugs are bad' and 'drugs are evil' they will almost certainly rebel and try them. As with all things an honest discussion is needed. If the JC want to censor all talk of any drug then that is up to them, but in my opinion it would be a stupid move.

 

Yes speaking of that... Let's remember that a 16 year old can legally drink beer in Germany and MANY other countries in Europe and around the world. Americans need to be a little less American-Centric. However, this IS a site owned and run by Americans so THEY are held accountable to American laws, not German laws.

That being said, I have seen mentioned several times already in here... DISCUSSION of alcohol is not forbidden. Promotion of it is. This is already a simple and CLEAR enough policy in my opinion. This IS a policy that is easily understood, followed and enforced.

Drugs are illegal in America and most countries, barring marjiuana in the Netherlands, and therefore I feel discussion of them is not appropriate for the JC. YodaJeff made this point best in his post about closing the "Bong" thread.