Board warning issued for:

[semper]

Is this thread STILL going!

Are you all THAT bored and bothered...your arguing over calling someone gay as a serious insult when half of you know better. You know...really...People in this community seriously need to put things in perspective..

Its amazing! How DO you all survive in this world!?

*walks off waving arms about and ranting, lab coat swinging behind as he hits newbie with his stethoscope...and quickly disappears down the hall..*

[Robe]

For a long time in the GC it was accepted practice to thow insults at other players you were at war with. The rules were relaxed in comparison to the main forums and so mods were more generous in their interpretation as to what comprised a personal insult and what was seen to be just a bit of fun.

There has been a slow and sad decline in many of the war threads in the GC. Some players now repeatedly post with the express purpose of insulting others. Environments do change and so we must adapt.

The Forum Community expect and need moderators to consistently apply to rules to all parties. This challenge has been very difficult for moderators because there has been several changes to the GC rules. Now given we moderators have experienced a degree of difficulty apapting, it must be even more confusing for the community to keep abreast of the recent changes.

So this being the last case open during to the formal handover period for the new Ombudsman and the Understudy, I would like to summarise some of the opinions posted here with a view to closing this case unless the author would like to lodge a new complaint with the new Ombudsman.

In the current environment within the GC it is acceptable to say that something, someplace, some situation, some decison or even some action is gay. However, it is not acceptable to call a player gay because that is a personal insult.

This is because the current rules of the GC as posted by Forum say:

Forum rules (for the GC)
This is a war Forum. Minors, faint of heart, or those with heart conditions are encouraged to use the General forums.
That said - THERE WILL BE NO REAL LIFE THREATS/BOASTS/INSULTS -- this is a role playing section.
Alliance talk, character talk, etc -ok. Insulting the real person behind their character - NO.
thank you.
Admin Jason.

Because this thread evoked so much discussion over an extended period of time, its obvious that rules were not widely or clearly understood by the community, at the time this complaint was lodged in the Ombudsman's Corner.

Therefore in this case, the warning should be removed.

If the complainant or any other party is unsatisfied with this decision, they are welcome to contact the new Ombudsman to re open the case or lodge a new complaint.