Campaign to Limit Signatures

[archangel]

Much like in Democracies, Free Speech is a cornerstone of this community. It's what allows us to contribute freely and openly without fear of reprisal or censorship.

 

However, like in any community, and any democracy, there are (by necessity) some limmits imposed on Free Speech for the sake of order, safety, and sanity. You are not allowed to falsely cry 'fire' in a crowded room, for example, nor are you allowed to threaten someone. In some states (and countries) racial slurs are not protected under Free Speech and neither are other forms of harrasment.

 

When aspects of Free Speech become an obsticle to the daily management of life and business, cities place some restrictions on it, enough to allow the daily business to continue without infringing too much on the right of the individual to express themselves.

 

I think its important that we have the same limmitations on Hondo's. While I agree that everyone has the right to say pretty much what they want, there is also a public outcry that signatures here have become long for the sake of being long. For no other reason than to be an asshole, Jax and Baytor have made their signatures unbearably long. It's gotten to the point where people are either unilaterally ignoring sigs (which makes it unfair to both people with regular sigs and to those blocking them, since it deprives them the ability to view the wittier ones) or they aren't going to threads because they're page down button no longer works from over use.

 

So propose the following solution in a democratic way: If a plurality of us vote and decide that a sensible limmit be placed on signatures, then so be it. If not, then so be it. But I would really like this to be binding one way or another, since it's really annoying many people.

 

Feel free to bitch and complain below, since it IS the suggestion box.

[the division of joy]

i cant have many complaints about jax's one, given i get a laugh out of it every time i see it, but baytors one is just plain stupid...

 

I will admit though, my sig does slow my work pc down whenever i have hondos running in the background

[archangel]

care to vote, then?

[the division of joy]

im fence sitting my friend, it be wrong of me to vote when i have conflicting views on similar length sigs

[archangel]

damned Swiss

[Lycaon]

What makes a man turn neutral ... Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?

[Silent Bob]

No fence sitting for me, I hate the damn things. I overlooked baytor's because it just had to be an April Fool's joke (and an Andy Kaufman reference?) but Jax's pisses me off every single time.

[the division of joy]

What makes a man turn neutral ... Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality?

 

Ah, the temptation to quote off some futurama here is mighty

[Lycaon]

Ah, the temptation to quote off some futurama here is mighty

... That was a quote from Futurama.

[the division of joy]

... That was a quote from Futurama.

 

I'm aware, but given my mind is amass of coffee and stress, i couldn't think of any lines to follow it...

 

if you see my wife, tell her i say, hello

[Nanno]

well i think its about time there was some limit. Its so annoying seeing nothing but stupid ass long sig's everywhere.

 

Sof sort yours out too, its ridiculous

[Lycaon]

I'm against limiting sigs. Do I think long ass sigs are annoying? You bet. Do I think it unfair that I need to turn off signatures to avoid the longer ones? A little, but life isn't meant to be fair.

 

Also, censorship is unHondonian. *goes back in time after getting his Hondo's Bar t-shirt and uses it as a a flag, saluting it afterward*

 

Except in Project Mayhem.

[Iambaytor]

Heh, I love how Jax goes unchallenged for over a year now but I put one piece of classic literature up and you all go apeshit.

 

Oh you...

 

Edit: And yes Bob, it's an homage to Kauffman's old bit.

[Reverend Jax]

You are not allowed to falsely cry 'fire' in a crowded room,

I find it amusing that the expression "shouting fire in a crowded theater" is never used in reference to such an example. The issue with 'shouting fire in a crowded theater' is that it instills panic in a situation that can lead to quickly to unwillfully physically violent destruction and injury. This is a matter of nuisance at a level of triviality barely measurable without an electron microscope. The expression/talking point that is 'shouting fire in a crowded theater' was first coined in the case of Schenck v. United States in 1919, when the Secretary of the Socialist Party was sent to prison for distributing pamphlets advocating opposition to the draft during World War I (a war fought over as close to nothing as any war in world history has ever been fought). Schenck was not instilling panic in a situation that could have lead to quickly to unwillfully physically violent destruction and injury. He was taking a reasonable side of a political issue and advocating in support of his political beliefs.

 

I know this doesn't have a whole heck of a lot to do with the issue of signature length, but I don't honestly give a fuck. It's ironic that I actually heard a quote yesterday that I was planning on replacing my entire signature with. Now, as a matter of principle, as a matter of making a simple and ultimately meaningless stand against Arch's perversely obsessive authoritarian fetish, I will hold my quote for another day. A day when my country is not calling on me to fight on its behalf against a narcissistic anti-freedom megalomaniac's tirade for the permanent obliteration of all free expression. That's is my calling, my duty, and my honor

 

I'd like to close with a poem

 

First they came for the long signatures

and I did not speak out

because I was did not a have a long signature.

Then they came for the Rick Rollers

and I did not speak out

because I was had never Rick Rolled.

Then they came for those that posted images of kittens with amusing captions

and I did not speak out

because I did not post images of kittens with amusing captions.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me.

 

- Reverend Jax, circa 2008

 

Think about it.

[Acalis]

In my opinion, it's all about QUALITY not QUANTITY. A great sig doesn't necessarily have to be long, just keep it short and sweet, but make it good so it expresses who you are, and gives people a good laugh each time.

 

I will say this, those long sigs get on my nerves. I'm glad that Nick made it so that each sig only gets posted once per page. Can you imagine having to scroll through endless times because Jax decided a certain thread is his favorite?

[the division of joy]

I find it amusing that the expression "shouting fire in a crowded theater" is never used in reference to such an example. The issue with 'shouting fire in a crowded theater' is that it instills panic in a situation that can lead to quickly to unwillfully physically violent destruction and injury. This is a matter of nuisance at a level of triviality barely measurable without an electron microscope. The expression/talking point that is 'shouting fire in a crowded theater' was first coined in the case of Schenck v. United States in 1919, when the Secretary of the Socialist Party was sent to prison for distributing pamphlets advocating opposition to the draft during World War I (a war fought over as close to nothing as any war in world history has ever been fought). Schenck was not instilling panic in a situation that could have lead to quickly to unwillfully physically violent destruction and injury. He was taking a reasonable side of a political issue and advocating in support of his political beliefs.

 

I know this doesn't have a whole heck of a lot to do with the issue of signature length, but I don't honestly give a fuck. It's ironic that I actually heard a quote yesterday that I was planning on replacing my entire signature with. Now, as a matter of principle, as a matter of making a simple and ultimately meaningless stand against Arch's perversely obsessive authoritarian fetish, I will hold my quote for another day. A day when my country is not calling on me to fight on its behalf against a narcissistic anti-freedom megalomaniac's tirade for the permanent obliteration of all free expression. That's is my calling, my duty, and my honor

 

I'd like to close with a poem

 

First they came for the long signatures

and I did not speak out

because I was did not a have a long signature.

Then they came for the Rick Rollers

and I did not speak out

because I was had never Rick Rolled.

Then they came for those that posted images of kittens with amusing captions

and I did not speak out

because I did not post images of kittens with amusing captions.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me.

 

- Reverend Jax, circa 2008

 

Think about it.

 

 

That was great...

 

All the moreso because Don't Stop Believing came on as i started listnening to it....

[archangel]

God, if he where any more of a drama queen Paris Hilton would sue him for copyright infringement.

[Stilly]

Eh, if they're limited, I'll just add a crazy long sig-like thing to the bottom of each and every post.

 

Mwahahahahahahaha.

[Darth Fluffakins]

To be honest the fact that there is an option to turn signatures on & off ends this debate. If you don't like them, don't look at them. If you like them put up with them.

 

I agree the point about free speech, I just so happen to think they're dumb. So let them be as long as they want, and I'll proceed to never look at them. Sounds fair right?

[Stilly]

Eh, if they're limited, I'll just add a crazy long sig-like thing to the bottom of each and every post.

 

Mwahahahahahahaha.

 

I hope people realize I'm joking with that post.

 

Anyway, here's my stance on the "issue"...in all honesty there probably should be a limit. My sig is far too long (because I'm an asshole and I find it amusing)...and it should be taken down several notches.

 

However, if there is an option to just block sigs entirely, this becomes a non-issue does it not? I believe someone in the other thread said something about wanting to see the occasional bit o' wisdom in sigs...as long as they were shorter. If I want to say something meaningful, I'll say it in a thread, not in my sig.

 

 

The End.

[Lycaon]

Of course, if it bothers you that much that someone's sig is long (but you don't want to turn off signatures and miss a couple of good ones)... there's always ignore.

[archangel]

To be honest the fact that there is an option to turn signatures on & off ends this debate. If you don't like them, don't look at them. If you like them put up with them.

 

I agree the point about free speech, I just so happen to think they're dumb. So let them be as long as they want, and I'll proceed to never look at them. Sounds fair right?

 

However, if there is an option to just block sigs entirely, this becomes a non-issue does it not? I believe someone in the other thread said something about wanting to see the occasional bit o' wisdom in sigs...as long as they were shorter. If I want to say something meaningful, I'll say it in a thread, not in my sig.

no, it doesn't, because there are many people here with interesting sigs that are a reasonable size that we can no longer look at because ONE person decides he wants to be a prick.

 

This also stops other people from making/updating THEIR sigs, since they're not going to look at it, and they can't enjoy other people's, why bother?

 

again: the actions of one person are forcing the behavior change of the entire boards just so he can be an ass. Unless Nick manages to make an option that blocks ONE PERSON'S sig an option for everyone, then there's no happy medium. The only logical solution is to put a reasonable limit on sigs.

[Iambaytor]

God, if he where any more of a drama queen Paris Hilton would sue him for copyright infringement.

 

Said the pot to the kettle.

[Dr`Steve]

Why on earth would anyone even think that limiting the size of ones sig would be an attack on their right to free speech (the thought of that actually existing is laughable, but beside the point I am getting at). I will demonstrate. As the the honorable Jax is copping flak, I will use his signature as an example.

 

Without removing any of the probably very meaningful content I have been able to reduce it in size to a 500x100 pixel signature. While this is a little larger than some boards would allow I would ask the senior board administrators to turn a blind eye for the sake of April Fools shenanigans...

 

[Lycaon]

This also stops other people from making/updating THEIR sigs, since they're not going to look at it, and they can't enjoy other people's, why bother?

Not really. I didn't change my sig much before I turned off the viewing option, but I have added a line or to to mine since then.

 

Once again, an option that I liked (and I'm not sure how feasible it is to do again) was to have people's profiles show up on their profile page (even if you'd turned off the option to view signatures in posts).