5 replies to this topic

[Void Angel]

Now, I'm not one of those guys who want to pour forth profanity and pretend that it's everyone else's problem if they don't want to hear it.^* However, the badword filter just feels kinda... random. And sometimes stupid.

I know we want to keep it polite, and that part of how we accomplish that aim is to censor terms that are extremely, or broadly, offensive. But we're way beyond that with the filters here. When words like "N@z1," "Gee-aye-why," (which is not a pejorative) "@1DS," and others and others are filtered out, it can actually impede serious conversation, and cedes control of the language to those who use it for abuse.

But the final straw that made me write up this thread was my discovery that the word filter is even trying to ban workarounds of the filter. Spaces, contractions, words strung together, etc. That's just insane - and it still provides no real obstacle to those who wish to be offensive in defiance of forum rules. Word filters can always be gotten around, because language is flexible.

In the end, I don't want to be able to vomit forth a stream of profanity on the forums, or to be on the recieving end of such a diatribe - but I do want to be able to communicate inoffensive terms without feeling like I've been hit with a club by an overzealous hall monitor. I'd really just like to be able to talk about hit detection and use contractions at the same time.


_*:(as if consideration for others wan't a requirement for civilization - there are parts of the world sunken into barbarism; go live there. But I digress.)

Edited by Void Angel, 17 July 2013 - 12:04 PM.

[Void Angel]

That's not.. I don't even... what is this...

I don't USE vulgarity - that's rather part of my point. The filter screws with things that aren't profanity to the point of blocking legitimate spellings of common phrases. If someone decides to violate the forum rules, no filter is going to be restrictive enough to stop them - but we might end up a little like this if we try.

Oh, and you modded legitimate feedback concerning the website out of the proper forum and into the trash. Thanks.

[IceCase88]

FILTER!!!!!!!!

[Blue Footed Booby]

Void Angel, on 17 July 2013 - 07:28 PM, said:

That's not.. I don't even... what is this...

I don't USE vulgarity - that's rather part of my point. [bold]The filter screws with things that aren't profanity to the point of blocking legitimate spellings of common phrases. [/bold] If someone decides to violate the forum rules, no filter is going to be restrictive enough to stop them - but we might end up a little like this if we try.

Oh, and you modded legitimate feedback concerning the website out of the proper forum and into the trash. Thanks.

This. I can understand filtering g a y because all legit uses (for a gaming forum with no real need to be discussing matters of sexual orientation) have so many easy synonyms, but there are lots of words that are filtered that just make me roll my eyes.

-When my dog is confused he will {LT-MOB-25} (c o c k) his head to one side.
-My grandfather's name is Richard, but his friends call him {Richard Cameron} (*******). Edit: oh my god, this word and this word alone gets filtered even if you put spaces between the letters. What the hell, PGI?
-There is a ***** (c h i n k) in his armor

Meanwhile, it's A OK to say "I don't want to share a bus with no darkie."

Edit 2:
Racial slur test: ****, ***, ******, ****, paddy, *****, {Capellan}, ***, abo, ******, *******

Really, PGI? Really? You filter the BOTH of the slurs for white people but not the major one for Australian aboriginies?

Edit 3: I was originally just joking around, but now I'm actually a little offended because the holes in the filter are telling.

Edited by Blue Footed Booby, 22 July 2013 - 07:29 AM.

[Void Angel]

I doubt they're deliberate; it's just that it's that since many slurs are regional (if not cultural,) no filter is going to get them all without a lot of research - and then the trolls will just find new terms, or new ways around the filter.

[Blue Footed Booby]

Void Angel, on 22 July 2013 - 10:24 AM, said:

I doubt they're deliberate; it's just that it's that since many slurs are regional (if not cultural,) no filter is going to get them all without a lot of research - and then the trolls will just find new terms, or new ways around the filter.

I'm not saying I think it was intentional. See, if they just missed stuff I wouldn't care. I spent a good ten minutes copy-pasting from Wikipedia's big list o' slurs, and I expected to find SOMETHING to pretend to be offended about. I was originally going to go with "paddy" because lol. Even "abo" I can understand missing for anyone who doesn't deal with Australians a lot. Missing "darkey" is a huge oversight, though, especially in light of all the innocuous stuff they filter. Missing that while remembering to cover both "h onkey" and "c racker" makes me roll my eyes so hard I need a crochet hook to recover my contact lenses. I know enough about Canada to know it's not just a regional vocab thing, either. I'm not like "break out the pitchforks" mad but come onnnnnnnnn. It's like writing policy on sexism where the wording of the policy tacitly assume everyone on the internet is male.

If it were me I'd just google for lists of racial slurs and pick out anything silly like "mudblood."

If PGI (or whoever wrote the stock wordfilter set) didn't use a list then I bet that was a hilarious developer meeting.

Edited by Blue Footed Booby, 22 July 2013 - 11:17 AM.