One-Thousandth Post (for real this time! Reflection and PIF

I would like to share my thoughts as I reach the milestone of one thousand posts (this one's for real!) here at B&B.

This forum is an enjoyable place where knowledge and experience are shared in the most gracious and helpful of ways and where generosity abounds both in spirit and in action. I have several times come across blogs and message boards on which former troublemakers sound off about how bad and unfair this place supposedly is. Nothing could be further from the truth. Such individuals obviously refused to keep the rules laid down by those who administer the site and were on that account terminated.

There is but one thing that I do not enjoy here at B&B and that is when fellow members engage in conduct which is decidedly ungentlemanly. It seems as if there is a more or less constant pushing of the envelope especially as regards sex-related matters. Gentlemen worthy of the name carefully avoid the mention of such things in polite company together with other things such as foul language, arguing about politics and insulting the religion and the clergy of others, to mention a few. If we are striving to be gentlemen here on this forum, then we should have both the sense and the decency to avoid such things entirely. At times these things are blatant, but more often than not they are obliquely woven into an otherwise proper discussion. In all honesty and sincerity, my Friends, the steady introduction of indecent and/or inappropriate material (however cleverly couched) bothers me. We should all take pride in pursuing our common interests on this great forum as gentlemen, who sincerely want to keep not only the letter of the rules, but also their spirit, so as to avoid offending our fellow members at all costs.

What exactly is a gentleman? The American Heritage Dictionary gives the following definition: "A well-mannered and considerate man, with high standards of proper behavior." If we are striving genuinely to be gentlemen, then we should conduct ourselves according to the norms of polite society, regardless of the common practice of the world around us. Otherwise, in all honesty and with due respect, we should refrain both from considering ourselves as "gentlemen" and from passing off our pursuits on this forum as "gentlemanly" ones. Please understand, my Friends, that I do not intend to offer offense to anyone; I merely intend to offer my own thoughts for your consideration.

I hope sincerely that more of us can refrain from such behavior going forward, not only in consideration of the rules of this forum, but also in consideration of the moderators, whose job is thankless and whose time and effort make this forum possible for all of us.

Gentlemen, please share your own thoughts regarding this post.

And now a PIF for all who are interested worldwide. Simply share your own thoughts regarding my reflection above and say that you are in. The winner will be chosen on September 1. Can you guess the prize?

I'm in!
Maybe I don't peruse the same threads you do, but I don't see the pushing of the envelope regarding sex related matters. But, if you do see something that offends you, or you feel is ungentlemanly (is that even a word?), hit the Report Post button.

I'm in. In my short time here, I have found most members to treat each other with a high level of respect. This is, however, a good reminder for all to act and treat each other like gentlemen. Congrats on 1000 posts and I hope the next 1000 are even more enjoyable!

Nice of you to offer a PIF and congratulations on 1000 posts. I am going to pass on the PIF but thank you (not an Irish Moos fan). Regarding your comments, its a bit of a slippery slope isn't it? Without a specific example to site, comments like your post can come across as being a bit high handed and perhaps scolding in nature. I don't believe that is your intent, however, it may be interpreted that way. What one member considers ungentlemanly another member may not notice at all. I have not observed a constant pushing of the envelope here at all. I have not seen any negative comments regarding any religion or politics of any kind. I have seen in very isolated cases where a post falls into the "my product is better than yours" catagory, but the moderators quickly put an end to those. I believe a 1,000 post is something to celebrate and I suppose I personally would prefer to highlight the many positives rather than the few negatives. If the forum is degenerating as suggested I believe it is the role of the moderators to call this to everyones attention and encourage a change in direction. I would suggest that if you find a post offensive you contact the moderators so that they can observe and handle it.

Again, congratulations on 1000 posts, I believe your heart is in the right place, but I personally have not seen the general issues you have. Best of luck Sir and I look forward to others ocmments. This post is exactly what B&B is all about, open, honest, and mature discussions. Cheers!

I'm in since i have been unable to find this soap anywhere due to it being discontinued. As for the reflection on what is stated above i am not sure about the sex related posts, but i have offended some people here and there for other reasons and all i can say is that no matter how much i give back or do good by my own thought of what a gentleman is supposed to be i feel as if you cant please everyone and at some point someone will be offended no matter what you say. But as most people that know me would say that i don't talk about topics that people don't want to hear about unless i am asked too. I have seen people complaining too much on B&B about a variety of things and i have learned that sometimes you just cant argue with ignorance so i just refrain from commenting. Well to not go off topic Thanks for the PIF and congrats on the 1K posts.

Oh, I am in, thank you. Congratulations on 1000 posts! I'm very new, and so far I have been pleased by the generous attitudes of everyone I've run across.

I'm in!

ive only been here a few months, but B&B is by far one of the most "gentlemanly" forums I've seen. With that said, I agree with everything you've said, and have been personally trying to act in a more gentlemanly manner recently (not just on B&B).

Thanks for the opportunity!

I'm definitely in.

Well said Timothy, I do agree with what you said, though maybe I'm not seeing quite as much of it as you are.

For example, in all the time I've spent on this site, the most common issue I see is that it's still unacceptable to use a curse word even if you substitute a couple ** for some of the letters. Just choose a different word please.

As far as inappropriate sex type things go I've seen some bikini pictures but nothing too inappropriate at all, the lines are set for inappropriateness in this area and the tolerance is very small.

I've seen some posts that jest about shaving "other areas" get quickly deleted (keep your privates private people, I don't need, nor do I want, to know about any of that).

Arguments about politics I've seen addressed as well, but not so many about religion.

I've seen dirty jokes cross some lines and be quickly removed.

I've seen some arguments that got too heated get addressed by the moderators.

References to a specific razor manufacturer that starts with I and ends with n will be edited. I took the ouch challenge and trust me these edits are definitely well deserved. Creating a username with some very strong curse words you wouldn't want your wife of kids to hear will get you banned. The words you're thinking of now, it's not those, it's much worse.

References to live auctions will be removed, as well as some pricing information, but that makes total sense as well.

That being said, this is about the most gentlemanly forum I've ever been on. People here are polite, generous and extremely kindhearted. Much more so than any other site I've ever been on.

If you spend enough time on here, like I do, you will occasionally run across some threads that go a bit too far. The moderators are absolutely excellent at handling these situations. Problems are often cleaned up very quickly so they can be difficult to find. If you look hard enough you'll find them every so often but it's not that common at all especially considering the number of members here. At least not from what I've seen.

I would think that getting banned here would be something you'd have to earn by really crossing some lines and showing a continued disregard for the rules and guidelines.

Congratulations on 1000 posts and thank you for the generous pif. I'm not in but will offer my two cents. I agree that this is an amazing and gentlemanly place that is an absolute treat to come to on a daily basis. I have not noticed much of a trend in the way of pushing the envelope, but of course there is the odd post here and there. As the others have said, if it seems inappropriate, don't feel bad about reporting it. That is exactly what the option is there for, and I feel we owe it to the mods to lend a hand when we can.

I guess by your standard I will never be a gentleman. I don't see much pushing the envelope on here. Rather I see a lot of very friendly helpful men giving advice to others that enjoy wet shaving. Having said that, I have no problem with a course joke or even cursing if the situation calls for it. So I will not fit your standard of what makes a gentleman. I find the whole statement to be rather prudish and more than a little holier than thou. I am on no way trying to derail your thread, but you did ask for comment and that is just my view. If the mods feel the need to remove me from the roles of membership here then so be it.

I'm in.
I have seen some of that kind of discussion on other sites, but never here. I maybe do not read all of the posts that you do, but everything I read can be considered as gentlemanly.

I'm in.

I can't honestly say I've seen much ungentlemanly behavior, but again I'm still somewhat new to thus fine site. But when I have seen it the mods usually put a quick stop to it.

Thank you for the generous pif.

I'm in. I'm sorry it sounds like you've had some bad experiences. I've participated in several online forums over the years, but this is the best one I've ever found. The people are very polite and helpful here. Some are more knowledgeable than others, sure, and some are a little more brusk than others. But I feel like this is a friendly place, and I respect the gents here. If nothing else, these are people who appreciate a good shave. And that means we have one thing in common, no matter what other opinions we may encounter here.

One more thought (just for everyone in general): If you are writing something that won't be perceived well, before you post it just delete it and walk away. It's better to write nothing at all than to write something you can't take back. Maybe even come back later after you've cleared your mind, and write an appropriate post instead. It really does feel better.

I'm in. Anybody on this forum I have dealt with are really awesome people.

I'm in. Thanks!

I have no problem with heated discussions as long as it doesn't get hostile, and I've never seen that happen on this forum unlike so many others. I also feel that in the company of other men there's no need to be quite so prim and proper; a gentleman is not a saint after all. I have no problem with foul language, but if I know it will offend someone I'm able to censor myself. I agree that political and religious statements should be avoided in a forum such as this one, where there are so many people from all over the world with different beliefs and backgrounds, because someone will always be offended and the discussion always escalates to absurd proportions, and I can't think of any reason why shaving would tie into those topics anyway.

I'm in! I as well have not seen the pushing of the envelope. I have seen where the mods have removed posts with a warning, but of course at times boys will be boys and sometimes lose sight of where they are. Every time that happens, I see the offending party usually post an apology or something of the sort asking for redemption. So this place tends to be gentlemen helping gentlemen in a good way!

I'm in. I believe that many people don't really believe the views they publicly share; they share them because it's popular to do so. A dead give away is the immediate back-pedal when their point of view is challenged publicly or the steady repetition of one phrase as a response to questions. The anonymity of the Internet makes it easy to vent anger but, and I'm sure I'm not alone, that is the easy way out. I believe that being a gentleman also means standing your ground and helping those who are being needlessly attacked. Thank you for the opportunity sir.

I'm in. Thanks for the wonderful PIF.

I'm a fairly active(okay, very active) member and I go through a good amount of posts everyday, but I have never come across any sex related arguments.

General petty arguments do erupt every now and then, but that is taken care of by the moderators.

On a general note however, I do find arguments (sex related or others ) not gentlemanly.. However given the fact every person has a difference in opinion, arguments are almost inevitable. I'm not justifying the act, I'm just saying that its hard to control.

Thanks again for the PIF.

I'm in.

I am very new around here so I can't really comment on what is or isn't said. I can tell you that this place is a breath of fresh air when you consider the typical forums found on the net today. I applaud your call to a higher standard.

Thanks for the PIF

I find OP's condescending views expressed from a personal ideology perspective on a public shaving forum inappropriate and ungentlemanly. As for this site, I believe the mods here at B&B do an amazing job keeping things in check and look forward to seeing how the mods tackle this already controversial thread.