but now i cant make useless comments :(

Well, we could just have one mod who has unwritten "charge" of the Debate forum; not necessarily a purely "Debate Mod", but, just someone who looks after the Debate forum and has the responsibilities of making sure that things are going according to the rules set. Also, people could not get all fussy for rules being a little different here, saying it is "unfair" or whatnot.

well, i hate to be a spoilsport, but in recent years, iq tests have been shown to not be an accurate measure of intelligence. this isn't just about someone's intelligence, it's about their ability to debate properly. someone could have an iq of 93 and be an extremely skilled debator.

but i digress. let's not turn this into a debate about iq tests.

IQ is pretty worthless.

?...

And then, as offenses build up, people could be removed from posting there...

Oh, I'm all for being exclusive.

Just do what Abercrombie & Fitch does. Discriminate by jacking up the prices!

$5.95 / month for all the debate action you can handle.

^ That action would limit the socioeconomic diversity of this forum and thus reduce the diversity of perspectives that are presented. =(

^ Mindy!

<3s lots.

Ahem. Ahem.

Human nature wouldn't let it work. I've not read through all the responses, but I assume people brought up behavior and intellect.

I don't get it.
I thought these were all the reasons to make this forum exclusive: Human nature.

How are you going to dictate who can and can't come in? And how would one earn their way in?

Personal discretion.
Essentially, someone just needs to demonstrate a desire to actually debate.
If someone were to take the time to apply and actually make an attempt to get posting privileges here, I'm sure that alone is enough. I can't imagine many applicants, if any, being turned down. Essentially, you would have to make an intentional ass of yourself to be denied. But, the beauty is this: once posting is made a privilege here, that privilege can be taken away. If someone decides to abuse these forums, we could handle it in a far more efficient manner.

Know what else takes posting privileges away? Mod preview. IMO, if someone's that out of hand, they'll eventually get it, anyways.

It's not about being "that out of hand," it's about being productive and respectful to the ethic of debate. It's about a reevaluation of what these debate forums should be. If quality isn't a concern, then I don't think this point should be worth consideration, but... I would like to believe some of us still value quality debate.

Gay jokes are boring, eh?

Look at this forum demographic. What do you expect?

A man can dream (sometimes without even getting shot).

Mod preview always seemed terribly useless.

I fully agree with Nate (Nate, right?) that the people who put the effort into bothering to apply should be given the privileges, as they will more than likely be the ones who wouldn't simply drop in to go 'omg gayz r grosssssss!!!!11!' However, I also propose that one of the qualifications be a basic grasp on the English language, because I for one refuse to take someone's opinion seriously when they can neither form structurally sound sentences nor spell everyday words correctly (for god's sake, just download firefox if you're that bad at spelling; yay spell check!).


Edit: oh god, just noticed that I had several typos. Am not a hypocrite, I swear it was just 1:30am and I've barely slept in a week!

^Haha I hear you there. I always find it hard to take someone seriously when they cant differentiate when to use their, there, they're, here, hear, your, you're, and other words like those. Also when they type like "those apples is tasty" or use "a" instead of "an" when it comes before something that starts with a vowel. I used to pick on certain people, but I stopped ha ha.

I'm trying this thing where I don't act like a complete bitch to everyone, because I'm in college now and it tends not to be the best way to make friends (though actually, it seems to be working pretty well for my roommate). I've had to get myself out of the habit of correcting people's every error, and it's definitely harder than it should be. But oh god, being back here...certain people still haven't improved, and it's killing me.

Nobody is perfect. This is obvious, but it's something many people forget (even myself). Humble yourself. Although your not a complete failure in the area of grammar and spelling, you may be a doof when it comes down to other areas in your life. Personally, I think you don't seem like the type of person who can joke around. I think you need to loosen up. You take things way, way, way to seriously.

Also, you can still correct grammar mistakes and the like if you do it with a helpful attitude and not a critical one. When I see you correct mistakes on the forum, I get the impression you're only doing it because you're bothered by their "stupidity". If you do this in real life then you're probably pretty annoying, and I could understand why you would want to stop. No-one likes to feel stupid.

For example, Jeremy (Abominable C-Pillar) helps me out with grammar and spelling all the time. He doesn't critique my grammar and spelling it in a condescending tone. He does it in a way that says he's there to help. In the same way, I help him out with computer issues and anything similar (my area of strength). It's mutual respect.

Truth is, to many things that bother you, and like I said, "You need to loosen up." You're wasting your time being bothered by all these petty things that don't effect your real life in any way, shape, or form. All that time your wasting could be used to enjoy life rather than be bothered by it.

I may bust your chops a lot on this stupid website, but it's mostly because you jump on and bust mine by calling me ignorant. Now, don't get me wrong. I could care less as to whether you think I'm ignorant or not. You're some girl that I will probably never meet in real life, you live 1000 miles away, and you get annoyed at the smallest things. You are an easy target. I reply to your posts because I enjoy pissing people off and you are particularly easy to piss off.

Think of yourself as a form of entertainment. I enjoy the fact that you are on this site because you give me what I crave. On the other hand, as much as I enjoy the high feeling I get when I see one of your more passionate posts, I also realize you're a person. I want you to enjoy life just as much as I am.

:]

Also, in response to the topic at hand. Most people in this world are complete idiots. To make this forum exclusive would be a disaster. Yes, there are people that obviously participate and debate well, but everyone likes to be heard no matter how stupid or ignorant they are. I think it would be morally wrong to ban someone from the Debate forum because they weren't "intelligent" enough. You can't measure intelligence, and therefore the "intelligence" of an individual would be in the hands of a person. While it is obvious that some people are more "stupid" or less "intelligent" than others, everyone is opinionated, biased, manipulated, and different (including myself) there would be no way for someone to fairly judge the intelligence of someone else. Although it would be nice in a "perfect" world, I don't think this idea is possible.

No, you just fail to realize that 90% of the time I am joking. You just aren't the type of person who gets my irony.

I appreciate that you see me that way, because I really do mke yourself seem like an utter fool. Wonderful comment about how I need to humble myself, by the way. I mean really, you aren't that funny. Not at all. I'm not saying this because I'm offended or any shit like that that you want to make of this, but because if you have to present yourself as a dumbass to make a fool out of other people and enjoy yourself, than you're not much better off than the person you seem to think I am, are you?

Ignorance is bliss

Never said that I was. I didn't say that you specifically need to humble yourself. I said:



I was referring to all people who correct others for petty mistakes, and I even included myself. If you're enjoying the site then "rock on".


*sigh*

One thing that does frustrate me:
When you try to help someone and they try to make you look like an ass for it.



I guess so...

*reaches out and touches CowerPointyObjects with his index finger*

Ouch!! I burned my finger!!