New Rule: Replace the Word "Lynch" in Games

[xRECKONERx]

Either way, I hate this change.

lmbo

[Firefly7]

My home site started using "Condemn" (to the guillotine) as a replacement and i think it works well

[Ythan]

Good job mods.

[Elsa Jay]

This feels... Weird. Like a word being taken out of the dictionary because some people didn't like it. The word 'bitch' still also means a female dog despite its other meaning. I don't get why people are trying to take away the reference to the trials held back in the day because some other fuckwits also used it for other means.

Lynch on Mafiascum would never be associated with the other deeds done to racial groups. Words exist to a community like language. It doesn't mean anything racist here, so why should it be banned? It's like banning Spanish in a Hispanic community because it makes people not feel included. It's stupid.

[PenguinPower]

E-2, E-1, E-X?

For MyLo and LyLo, I am personally going to use MeLo and EyLo, because I still like those short hand terms.

Penguin is going to amend the Newbie queue with elimination based terms, if he hasn't already done so by the time I post this.

It's been amended.

[Nexus]

It's like banning Spanish in a Hispanic community because it makes people not feel included.

I mean, it isn't.

[Alisae]

I'm not sure that the mods other than maybe Penguin with newbies have made any rules regarding Lylo, Mylo, L-X, etc. that are abbreviations for lynch yet, but specifically L-X is easily replaceable with E-X if you want to be consistent right now.

i feel stupid for not thinking of this

[Albert B. Rampage]

This feels... Weird. Like a word being taken out of the dictionary because some people didn't like it. The word 'bitch' still also means a female dog despite its other meaning. I don't get why people are trying to take away the reference to the trials held back in the day because some other fuckwits also used it for other means.

Lynch on Mafiascum would never be associated with the other deeds done to racial groups. Words exist to a community like language. It doesn't mean anything racist here, so why should it be banned? It's like banning Spanish in a Hispanic community because it makes people not feel included. It's stupid.

Exactly. Context matters. The admin team seems out of touch with its users on this one, feeling a sense of responsibility for events beyond their scope.

We're a community with a specific culture, terminology, and understanding, our own humor, etc.

I would appreciate if there was an explanation of a history of racism on mafiascum that spawned this infringement on free speech. Help me understand if this site has been a bastion of white supremacy or something without my knowing.

As an ethnic minority, I'm insulted by overblown abuses of power that are ostensibly for mutual respect but end up just being an attempt to destroy a respectful, humorous and stylised internet culture based around forums, a form of communication that is antiquated and dates back to a time where strangers had complete freedom outside of the taboos and social pressures of religion, government, higher education, and other authorities.

[Something_Smart]

I think it's a clumsy administration move, personally.

I actually disagree with this, I think it's a pretty brave move to tell an established community that they can't use one of their most common pieces of jargon. They wouldn't do that unless they really felt it was important. And it obviously is important.

After thinking a bit over the ramifications, I think I will continue to use "lylo" and "mylo" but spell them lowercase, rather than uppercase as I have been, to indicate that they are words in their own right, and not acronyms for anything. I have no strong objection to E-X but I think using L-X (short for eLimination) is fine as well.

As for replacing the term itself, I think the best option is probably "hammer" as it's a word already in our lexicon that means pretty much exactly the same thing. I don't expect there to be much confusion over whether the term "hammer" refers to the act of eliminating a player or the vote that eliminates the player.

[Ythan]

I just want merch I can wear in public.

[panthaleon]

This is a good change. Nice work mods

[Elsa Jay]

The site isn't "public". Sure make different merch but that's something different.

[Blair]

I tend to agree with Albert (for once ), lynch isn't used in a racially charged way in Mafia and I firmly believe 0% of the players and moderators whom are reluctant to change their vernacular are clinging to racist motives for doing so.

That said, this change doesn't meaningfully impact anything (which is also a reason to question it, but I can't conjure the energy), so I won't dispute it.

My ruleset carries ten instances of the term "lynch" so I shall oblige. Henceforth, all instances of "living players" shall be recoined "woke players" and all instances of "has been lynched" shall be recoined "has been canceled."

[Battle Mage]

good move, although will take a bit of getting used to! Maybe we could just removing the killing altogether and say:

"Player X fled"?

[Firebringer]

so apparently there is a coordination going on in mafia communities to just ban the word.

Is the mafia illuminati trying to take away my rope!?

[Albert B. Rampage]

I think it's a pretty brave move to tell an established community that they can't use one of their most common pieces of jargon

Acting out of fear isn't brave. The fear of being perceived as racist should be tempered by an open and accepting community of people who gather around for a hobby, outside of political and cultural clashes.

This is really the same thing as religious people's fear of being perceived as sinful in our parents and grandparents culture, so they would tell their gay kids to pretend to be straight or talk and behave a certain way because being themselves was forbidden lest everyone in the family be perceived as "sinful".

This isn't so much of the NFL kneeling as the communist party burning books, if we're talking about metaphors. Even though the books may be imperfect, acting against it through power sends an authoritarian signal.

[Annadog40]

good move, although will take a bit of getting used to! Maybe we could just removing the killing altogether and say:

"Player X fled"?

lore wise, i'd be incentivized to get voted up since I wouldn't risk death unlike with the mafia.

[panthaleon]

For the record, Oregon has had at least the public lynchings in the last few weeks, and a couple in California as well. It's a gross word with a gross history, and special kudos to administration for opening themselves up to the nasty comments they will receive for doing so

[xRECKONERx]

This feels... Weird. Like a word being taken out of the dictionary because some people didn't like it. The word 'bitch' still also means a female dog despite its other meaning. I don't get why people are trying to take away the reference to the trials held back in the day because some other fuckwits also used it for other means.

Lynch on Mafiascum would never be associated with the other deeds done to racial groups. Words exist to a community like language. It doesn't mean anything racist here, so why should it be banned? It's like banning Spanish in a Hispanic community because it makes people not feel included. It's stupid.

as someone who has been out in public with scummers at a meet while they played mafia and loudly talked about lynching each other and have had to plead with them to stop because people around us were concerned -- it has racist connotations regardless of where it's being said

this is a public site. people may stumble upon it and have the wrong idea of what we do here because to most people, the word lynch doesn't mean a silly thing in a mafia game. it means something far darker and far worse with awful connotations. any move the mod team can make to erase a harmful word and encourage new vernacular that is less potentially damaging to people is a good one.

[Albert B. Rampage]

There are no harmful words, only people with harmful intentions.

[Ircher]

Execution I feel is an appropriate replacement.

Like many others, I don't think this change is needed or necessary based on how established it is here. As in, I doubt that anyone formally complained about the usage of the word. That said, I do think it's ultimately a change for the better and understand why it has been made.

[Ginngie]

The admin team seems out of touch with its users on this one,

said by ABR

[panthaleon]

I'm also happy for the people of color who might have otherwise been put off my the candor with which we use traditionally racialized violence as part of a game

[Ginngie]

There are no harmful words, only people with harmful intentions.

guys I'm 14 and this is deep

[Elsa Jay]

For the record, Oregon has had at least the public lynchings in the last few weeks, and a couple in California as well. It's a gross word with a gross history, and special kudos to administration for opening themselves up to the nasty comments they will receive for doing so

I'm not gonna look into this but that seems to be something you... You know, go to your governor/senator/mayor about? That seems to be a bigger protest issue imo.