A question/suggestion to the moderators

[JMZ]

As a 30+ year old woman I would like to say that I don't fit with that demographic.

You'll probably find that a minority of ANY agegroup will act like complete asswipes.

(And the only place I approach Harry Potter fandom is from reading the fallout on Fandom Wank - I am awaiting the wanksplosion that will accompany Book 7 with bated breath.)

[alia]

The older you are, the more set in your ways you are.  Teenagers can and will switch identities at the drop of the hat.

You are absolutely right about this. My point about openhousejack was that if you had heard from somewhere (your peers, parents, whatever) that gays do disgusting things, and you didn't know that much about the whole subject, wouldn't the OHJ thread confirm that idea? And if the gays=disgusting idea was never questioned, it could stay with them for the rest of their lives. That was my point in banning the younger kids. And I still think some of the discussions here are not suitable for kids.

Licensed high school biology teacher, here.  I couldn't do middle school, (the age group you work with), they'd drive me nuts.  But we're talking about older than the COPPA limit, so teenagers.  Where I have my experience.  More like 13-18.

Well, that explains the difference in our views. Here, kids get out of school when they turn 16, so I really haven't dealt with older teenagers. I know kids start developing their own ideas and beliefs around 14 (some earlier, some later). It must be a very exciting stage to observe.

I've been in fandom for years, and the most annoying, stubborn drama whores are the middle aged women, in my experience.  It's kinda hard to ID them ahead of time, though, and we can't exactly ban all women over the age of 30, that would be ridiculous.

Hmm. Well, I'm glad that you're not proposing that, because that would mean you'd also ban me.

I've also worked in customer service, and as a result I am always extremely nice to salespersons or customer service people, even when I'm complaining about something, because I know how shitty it is when somebody yells at you even though they themselves screwed up.

[Got_Nerd]

I like Harry Potter...

Anyway, I think anyone who is immature enough to believe that all gay people do disgusting things is immature enough to swiftly be banned anyway...

And raising the age limit will simply mean people are actually lying about their age when they join, rather than saying that they're mature.

[yamikuronue]

Someone to noted certain misogyny in some of the lastest posts?  I'm sorry, but those comments they seem me very unjust and discriminatory. :evil:

I don't want to start a sex war, but It is not correct to judge to all for which do a few.   :roll:

Men are more straightforward by nature (there are exceptions to every rule, especially in psychology)- when they have an issue they tend to fight it out and get over it, and when they're being stupid they tend to do so blatantly.

Women are more complicated, they hold grudges sometimes eternally over little stupid things, and they tend to slyly and cattily exclude others they dislike rather than openly state their dislike of someone.

Thus, women cause more drama wheras men cause more blatant bullshit.

[cakewalk]

Pfff... Oh, yes! Damned and holy differences!  :lol:

But returning to the question of which the topic began.  My opinion is that alia was right, maybe it would be necessary to have some control in certain parts of the forum, but it is impossible to know the age of each forum member (minors only have to click a box to hide the age)therefore, I believe that this task should be left for the moderators.

[Célimène]

I'm pretty sure that 90% of all internet drama could be headed off by banning all women over the age of 30 for the Internet. But that statistic isn't watertight, and you might get much of the same effect with less of the discrimination by just banning everyone between 35 and 50. Teenagers, on the other hand, are young, and can be trained.

I have to say my experience has been the same as yours. I have found that most of the people in forums and chat rooms that are annoying and act juvenile are women over the age of 30. I don't know why this is, but I find them to be more of an irritant than the kiddies. Of course this is not always the case.

The older you are, the more set in your ways you are. Teenagers can and will switch identities at the drop of the hat. Finding where they belong is an important stage of development, and they can and will change their core beliefs and their social groups.

Kids are smart. In fact, they are extremely smart, but teenagers are likely to stick with prejudices and opinions they have heard from their peers or from their parents, or something they've read on the internet. Teenagers define themselves by what they are not, and can be extremely judgemental/discriminative towards minorities. Unfortunately, if they never start questioning those ideas, they might stick with them for the rest of their lives.

Men are more straightforward by nature (there are exceptions to every rule, especially in psychology)- when they have an issue they tend to fight it out and get over it, and when they're being stupid they tend to do so blatantly. Women are more complicated, they hold grudges sometimes eternally over little stupid things, and they tend to slyly and cattily exclude others they dislike rather than openly state their dislike of someone.

Many thanks to the above noted scientists, professors, doctors, theologians, statisticians, at al learned scholars. I feel enlighted and better educated having read the broad sweeping generalizations, prejudices and bias you've all provided from the Bureau of Facts and Opinions Pulled Out of Our Collective Arses.

[Surelyfunke]

LOL.

What Celimene said.

[yamikuronue]

Well my statements are backed up by several hundred issues of Cosmo, so there ~_^

[Quinctia]

I'm as against "age-ism" as the next guy, but I wrote the thing about teenagers trying on different hats because it's a noted characteristic about that stage of development.  You'll have to take it up with adolescent and developmental psychologists if you don't like it.

That's like saying schools discriminate against first-graders because they wait til it's developmentally appropriate to teach algebra.  You can think they're wrong, I suppose, but I didn't start it!

[Kid]

Rather then place the responsibility of protecting children on the various non-familial people and/or institutions, usually indifferent ones at that, we should expect parents to stand up and take responsibility for protecting their kids from whatever crap the may read/see on the internet.  

How do you propose that Pescado and the mods keep teens off the site; are you going to personally do a member by member age verification?

[The ISZ]

I have to say my experience has been the same as yours. I have found that most of the people in forums and chat rooms that are annoying and act juvenile are women over the age of 30. I don't know why this is, but I find them to be more of an irritant than the kiddies. Of course this is not always the case.

Many thanks to the above noted scientists, professors, doctors, theologians, statisticians, at al learned scholars. I feel enlighted and better educated having read the broad sweeping generalizations, prejudices and bias you've all provided from the Bureau of Facts and Opinions Pulled Out of Our Collective Arses.

Hey, way to be an ass, thanks.  

Could you please go back and read what I said again.  I do believe I used the words, "my experience" which means what I have personally experienced myself.  No where in there did I say if was a fact.  I do believe I ended it with, "this is not always the case".  This is my experience from the forums and chat rooms I frequent.

This is my experience and my opinion of it.  I don't need your approval or anyone else's for that matter.  

I am a woman over thirty, just for your own edification.

[Célimène]

I have found that most of the people in forums and chat rooms that are annoying and act juvenile are women over the age of 30. I don't know why this is, but I find them to be more of an irritant than the kiddies.

I am a woman over thirty, just for your own edification.

Thank you ISZ, I stand both corrected and edified by your words. You've shown me the truth. Women over 30 truly are more annoying and juvenile. And I too, find them irritating.

See, look how nicely we are bonding  

[Max_The_Repairman]

And this, alia, is why we can't ban everyone under the age of 18. How do we tell them apart from the forum posters who are just acting fifteen because it's fun?

[Pescado]

It's illegal to have a member under the age of 13 on the forum without parental consent.

Technically speaking, it's only illegal to collect information from them. COPPA only forbids the collecting of personal information from 12 year olds, but PMBD does not collect information from ANYONE. A related law, COPA, covering the online pornography everyone worries about, was struck down as unconstitutional and is presently injunctioned.

None of this has anything to do with policies here. The user agreement here stipulates that users must convincingly pretend to be older than 12, with 12 as defined by the Rule of 6. Not because there's necessarily inappropriate content, but simply because I hate kids. Note that this policy means people can be smitten regardless of whether or not they are 12. You are required to convincingly pretend to be older than 12, even if you actually are.

[neriana]

As a woman who will be over 30 in a year, I have one thing to say: bite me. Not straightforward my ass.

And considering all the crapola I put up with from middle-aged men at work, I find the idea that women are the bigger offenders to be highly amusing. Ever think that maybe you're noticing and being irritated by women more than by men because women are "supposed" to be nice and easy to get along with?