Restoring Civility in the Barber Shop: A Friendly Warning

**Obsessed** · 11-09-2011, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by thubbard76

Will this include inflammatory signature lines as well? It seems counter-intuitive to randomly administer justice to people in the Barber Shop while others spread their venom all willy-nilly with every post, in every forum. I'm speaking specifically about signatures that clearly mention political ideologies, parties, candidates, or what have you.

I ask this as an honest question in the interest of improving the discourse.

Agreed. Blatantly provocative political sigs should not be acceptable, IMHO.

**global_dev** · 11-09-2011, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by bhorsoft

My test has always been:

If you wouldn't say it at the dinner table with the kids, Grandma, and the Mother In Law there, then it shouldn't be said in an Internet forum.

this one is pretty weak.. and i am not trying to be offensive, it just lacks consistency and as we all come from different backgrounds/ideologies, sometimes kids, the grandma and the MIL are the roughest on me and we have fun with back and forths..

apparently the rules at my dinner table are a little more lax than most, and from what i understood getting together at dinner tables isn't really that common anymore.. and getting less common..

i hate to be down on this type of sentiment, but it appears to lack a feel for the society i currently live in...

**rajagra** · 11-09-2011, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by Clovis Man

Freedom of speech, according to the Constitution, is a limit on what CONGRESS can do. It doesn't apply to private forums, such as a barber shop or an internet forum. When people make such a complaint, they are simply showing what they don't know.

Freedom of speech is, first and foremost, a principle.
As well as being in the Constitution it is also enshrined in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, England’s Bill of Rights 1689, the 1789 French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and ... many other places.
Just saying. The Constitution is not the source of the principle or the last word on it, and its limits should not be seen as a minimum standard that you should aim down towards.

Of course that doesn't mean B&B has to provide a platform for anything they dislike. Freedom of speech is not the same as a responsiblity to act as someone else's mouthpiece. B&B can set what rules they like.

**Legion** · 11-09-2011, 06:00 PM

Guys.... You're doing it....

**Go West Young Man** · 11-10-2011, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by oc_in_fw

You have sigs blocked, yet have a sig line. Not sure why I find that humorous.

It's performance art.

**ackvil** · 11-11-2011, 05:55 AM

Glad to see this.

A gun forum I belong to has become so political in the past few years that it contains far more political posts than gun and ammo posts. Further, the passions have become so high that a number of long term members - including me - now rarely visit the forum.

**Clovis Man** · 11-11-2011, 06:33 AM

Originally Posted by rajagra

Freedom of speech is, first and foremost, a principle.

As for the Constitution -- well, this isn't really the place to discuss it. What I wanted to do in my original post, was to support the mods in cases where someone starts screaming about their freedom of speech being infringed. The funny thing is, rajagra and I seem to be in complete agreement. In fact, it could turn into "violent agreement" pretty easily!

**Gissy** · 11-11-2011, 11:41 AM

Thank you mods! I have tried to keep away from reading the posts anyway, but I rather not see them at all.

**xXClockwork** · 11-11-2011, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by Gissy

Thank you mods! I have tried to keep away from reading the posts anyway, but I rather not see them at all.

My thoughts exactly. Certainly it does neither myself or anyone on this forum a service to get worked up about these things. I prefer to skip right past them.

**Captain Pre-Capsize** · 11-14-2011, 06:39 AM

Well put (referring to the OP) and thanks.

**echotron** · 11-14-2011, 06:45 AM

I rarely visit the Barbershop here ... I have a habit of putting my foot in my pie-hole. Now, don't get me wrong, I can argue with the best of 'em - I'm Married!

I'm opinionated, stubborn and down right ornery on my views ... well, I guess I'm normal!

Honestly, I like you guys too much to show you where your stand on a subject is wrong! Again, you got a wife to correct you when needed ... right?

**CyberJCM** · 11-14-2011, 11:20 AM

You know, it may have gotten a little out of control for THIS forum, but we should all be thankful it's at least always stayed pretty civil, even if very heated at times. Have any of you ever visited a video game forum or the like? You wanna see lack of civility...

And what about comments on practically every youtube video that exists! Talk about the worst possible things that could be said, talk about societies lowest common denominator...

I get this post and "rule", and have no problems with it. I just think it should be stated that our membership here is generally STILL a representation of the highest common denominator for our society, in spite of the issues that caused this.

**raisindot** · 11-17-2011, 07:59 AM

I must say that it's been an absolute pleasure browsing the Barber Shop since this Sticky was posted and seeing a dearth of political topics from all sides of the ideological spectrum. The most controversial subject I've seen in weeks is the old "Mac/Windows/LINUX" debate.

**Austin** · 11-17-2011, 08:12 AM

Well done gents.

**ShaveThis** · 11-18-2011, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by jstutman

Politics is not to be spoken in a real barber, so one would believe it should be followed here.
Especially if the one cutting your hair, hates the guy you voted for :P

^^^^^ Or shaving your neck!

I've only been to the "shop" a couple of times at most and stayed away because it sounded like a few other forums I no longer visit because of this. But this forum is a good idea and I would like to be here, the Mod's action should enable me to do so. Thanks Mod's.
After all, we are all Gentlemen here, right?

**Stubblefield** · 11-18-2011, 05:19 PM

Thank you, mods.

**TonyH** · 11-20-2011, 01:09 PM

It sure has been nicer in here lately. It's like the old days!

**Gruder** · 12-11-2011, 07:29 PM

Having exercised this policy twice in as many days, it seems as though a quick "bump" may be in order here. Thanks to the vast majority of our members who help maintain decorum

**The Nid Hog** · 12-14-2011, 03:55 PM

I must say that things are very nice now. A couple of times over the past year I came close to signing off. No longer--thanks to everybody for making this work.