Suggestion for Adding a New Forum Rule Against Accusing People of Pedophilia or Grooming without Supporting Evidence

[Felis Leo]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

 

[Pound4abrown]

People throw that term around far too freely.
There are enough real scumbags out there, that we don't need to invent more to argue a point.

 

[Felis Leo]

People throw that term around far too freely.
There are enough real scumbags out there, that we don't need to invent more to argue a point.

I agree. I think it's a bit like the Boy who Cried Wolf. If everyone is accused of being a pedophile and accuses people of pedophilia as a matter of course, people stop taking the accusation seriously, thereby letting actual pedophiles hurt people for far longer.

 

[Schism]

Yeah, it's beyond stupid.

 

[Fletch]

Can we throw in calling everything racist and/or fascist too?

 

[VanceMack]

By proof of course you mean "do they support forcing a sexual agenda on children?" Because that makes them at LEAST pro-pedo if not pedo and DEFINITELY groomers.

 

[VanceMack]

Can we throw in calling everything racist and/or fascist too?

Oh no...its a perfectly acceptable standard on this site for leftists to label anyone that is slightly to the right of Karl Marx a racist, a Nazi, and/or a fascist.

 

[Davin]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

I'm sure they are just taking a page out of the right's new hero MTG. I mean, after all, she did exactly that for those that dare confirmed the SCOTUS nominee.

 

[Captain Adverse]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

No. It would be one thing to assault a Forum Member with derogatory/demeaning/insulting terminology.

However, to use the term "grooming" in a general sense as it is being used in open political discourse is not a "personal insult" as much as a description/opinion of actions being taken. Much like the use of terms like "Fascist, Commie, etc."

I do not agree with any need for such censoring, and I cannot understand why anyone would think so.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

Oh no...its a perfectly acceptable standard on this site for leftists to label anyone that is slightly to the right of Karl Marx a racist, a Nazi, and/or a fascist.

I mean, Karl Marx was a kinda antisemitic himself. Even he isn’t safe.

 

[VanceMack]

I mean, Karl Marx was a kinda antisemitic himself. Even he isn’t safe.

Leftists are cool with that. Viva Palestine.

 

[Schism]

Can we throw in calling everything racist and/or fascist too?

But then DP members on the left will have nothing to say.

 

[Nomad4Ever]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

In my opinion, there had been a worrying conflation recently with just calling LGBTQ+ people groomers. Reminds me of when gay people were being smeared as pedophiles and zoophiles. Baseless claims that Disney or queer people are broadly groomers is the kind of language that leads to Pizzagate situations.

 

[AGENT J]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

its already at least a silent rule that you can't accuse people of crimes even in the basement

as for the term groomers, I've seen it used against posters and it was always some batshit nutter that people right left and center just mock for how stupid they are so I never really thought much of it

 

[j brown's body]

Can we throw in calling everything racist and/or fascist too?

"Without supporting evidence?" Sure.

 

[j brown's body]

its already at least a silent rule that you can't accuse people of crimes even in the basement

as for the term groomers, I've seen it used against posters and it was always some batshit nutter that people right left and center just mock for how stupid they are so I never really thought much of it

Never seen a political party use it as a weapon.

 

[Fishking]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

Not without also adding in "racist", "fascist", "bigot", "transphobe", "homophobe", ect. ect. ect....and those are used much more often and with less accuracy. At least the groomer accusation is in the ballpark. If you support teachers/anyone talking to kids about sex, including sexual orientation or gender ideology, and you try and hide it from the parents/tell them not to tell their parents, then you're groomer adjacent, at the minimum.

 

[weaver2]

Sure, let's make a law against calling men pedophiles. It starts arguments, hurts feelings, makes people angry and isn't true. So, now tell us, how do you feel about the denigrating terms, some implied and some not so implied, women who abort are being called when the topic is women and sex, insurance and contraception, abortion and the Constitution.

 

[Lloyd Christmas]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

There is a rule against trolling that doesn't get enforced. That would take care of stupid threads like you mention, as well as a lot of other moronic, flamebait threads

Anyway, its right wing projection as they have the biggest amount of pedophiles and creeps on their side, so they project onto dems

 

[MaryP]

No. It would be one thing to assault a Forum Member with derogatory/demeaning/insulting terminology.

However, to use the term "grooming" in a general sense as it is being used in open political discourse is not a "personal insult" as much as a description/opinion of actions being taken. Much like the use of terms like "Fascist, Commie, etc."

I do not agree with any need for such censoring, and I cannot understand why anyone would think so.

We don't need to censor it, but I completely agree with the objection.

 

[Common Sense 1]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

Kinda like when Nazi gets thrown around..... and the rest of the list.

 

[Rawley]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

??? "Grooming" can also, and I would say the more accepted definition is "to prepare for" E.g, 'he was being groomed from the job.'

 

[AJG]

Maybe there is already a rule against this, but can we please stop starting threads accusing people of pedophilia or grooming children without any evidence for it whatsoever? I am referring specifically to baseless accusations that Disney is "grooming" children (i.e., gaining kids trust in order to make it easier to take sexual advantage of them) or that Republicans are pedophiles because Tennessee attempted to pass a law allowing young couples to get married without specifying age limits.

I think this ruins any ability to actually have a debate on any given issue on the merits and just descends into a an angry fist-fight with people calling one another pedophiles (or the political parties they support).

I definitely agree that it lowers the quality of debate on this site, but I feel like this rule would be difficult to enforce, or open up the possibility of adding a much broader set of rules some people might not agree with. For example, how would someone determine if evidence was provided? Seems like it would be a difficult judgement call left up to the moderators to decide. And would it make sense to apply the same rule to similar threads accusing people of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc?

 

[multivita-man]

I'm on both sides of this or "it depends" category. I am okay with the accusation provided that someone is at least willing to provide or make a good faith attempt at explaining why they are a pedophile, why someone is a racist, or whatever.

On the other hand, if someone is just clearly doing it to inflame, troll, or thread-shit, that's different, understanding that the strike zone can be different for different umpires. In short, I don't believe a poster should have the absolute right to toss around those terms baselessly, any and every time he feels like it, but I think the bar or standard for moderation needs to be fairly high. Which means I'm probably okay with things mostly as they are.

But having said that, other posters should be allowed to call it bullshit and rebut those claims aggressively and in kind. The term "pedophile" is pretty contemptuous and posters who throw that term around are earning their contempt from fellow board members, and I think mods should 'let the players play ball' so to speak and not call any ticky tack fouls if posters give them a piece of their minds.

 

[Mycroft]

But then DP members on the left will have nothing to say.

Silence is Golden.