bsh1

See post 56.

There are no scores at this stage, everything is holistic. Virt could still submit his mini-challenge entry, but the judges would have to consider its extreme lateness. However, the maxi-challenge carries the greatest weight, and there is still ample opportunity for him to submit that.

Everyone has something they're talented at.

Ping 2x.

Ping.

I will now announce the Mini-Challenge winner! Congratulations to KM! You have earned an extra 24 hours to create and submit your Talent Show entry! Also, the guest judge for this round will be Ragnar!

For the Talent Show portion of this round, you will each have three (or four for KM) days from the time stamp of this post to put together a talent entry. Your entry can be composed of any talent you want, whether it be singing, storytelling, dancing, painting, or nunchuck-wielding. And yes, even rapping. You can also choose to record your entry in one of three media--video, text, or image (including gifs and collages). But whichever medium you choose, the final product must be accessible to myself, the guest judge, and the other competitors. Your entry can be no more than 5 minutes; 4,000 words (not characters); or 15 images long, depending on the medium of your entry. You may not work with anyone else to complete your entry, nor may your entry violate the COC. Please post your entry to this thread, either in its entirety or as an accessible link, by the deadline. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Let the Talent Show begin, and good luck!

Why cut LD? At least on your local circuit, not the national one, it shouldn't be any more expensive than fielding policy.

No, I meant funny as in it made my chuckle, not funny as in I doubted your sincerity in anyway. It was just the ironic-ish juxtaposition of "guys are gross" immediately followed by "fuck 'em".

Welcome!

Welcome!

I will review these tomorrow and update everyone on the maxi-challenge once I have determined a mini-challenger winner.

It's funny how you worded this, given the topic of the thread. 

Lol. No. I bring my own, and they're mesh.

Eh. Having *too* many standards can create confusion and burdens moderators, who have to know, understand, and apply multiple frameworks. If there is significant demand for a three set of standards, I am open to considering their adoption. But, I am not inclined to institute a third framework without that kind of demand.

Three entries so far. Four to go. This ping is just a reminder that you've got about a day left.

To do policy really well, doing the circuit is key. Camps are less important, because they're most useful for underclassman, who happen also to be the least catered-to group. We had a TOC octofinalist and NCLF quarterfinalist policy team at our school, and they went to tournaments every weekend. It is a trade-off, because you can make a choice between grades and competition, which is sad. I don't think you need to do *that* many tournaments to be successful, but twice a month is probably a minimum.

Of course, I am LD all the way, so...

lol

Lol :)

Lol.

It's when, instead of writing a story, you describe a moment. There's no plot, it's just a focused effort to paint a picture with words.

Ping 2x.

Ping.

Who is the ultimate DARTer?! Clearly, they'll need to be someone who is talented. This round is therefore all about showcasing your talents. But, before we get to the maxi-challenge (and the announcement of our guest judge), we're going to get started with the first mini-challenge of the Race! Oh, and a review of the competition rules, of course.

1. Speed

Each round of competition will involve a different challenge. Four rounds will begin with a "mini-challenge" and all rounds will contain a "maxi-challenge." In the final determination of the round winner, the mini- and maxi-challenges will not be scored separately, but will instead be considered together, with an emphasis placed on the maxi-challenge.

Okay. Sign-ups are closed. We'll press ahead with just 7.

The competition will begin at 8:00pm, EST. That means there is still one hour left to join! Again, I could really use just one more participant!

Every user has the right to know why they are banned; that is fairly clearly spelled out in the COC. Unless there is clear evidence that something life-threatening or doxxing would occur as a result of delaying the final implementation of the ban (and there wasn't), moderation tends to err on the side of respecting users' rights to be informed of the reasons for and type of ban they face.

As for the "conclusive" proof you offered, it was hardly conclusive. As I said in previous public remarks, the evidence you offered was highly suggestive, but not sufficiently compelling to be actionable. At the time you presented the evidence to me, I concluded that if Sparrow was indeed a Type1 alt, both accounts would have to be permanently banned. I was not and am not prepared to take the step to permanently ban any user unless the evidence of their guilt is extraordinarily compelling. In this case, the evidence you provided was not. Though, both Virt and I continued to monitor the situation and to accumulate evidence in order to reach the evidentiary threshold necessary to take the step of perma-banning those accounts.

Perma-bans should not be undertaken lightly, in my view. That you have a personal grudge with Type1 is not something that I was going to allow to influence my reasoning. You may feel aggrieved by this process, which is certainly your prerogative, but that you are frustrated you didn't get your way or that things didn't play out exactly as you wanted them to is not going to change how I conduct moderation business. Feel free to protest, as is your right, but I hope this can be moderation's last word on the subject.

@Sparrow

It’s kinda sad that you’re that invested in the site. I mean, it’s great the site is so good that you can’t walk away, but really man, get a life.

I’ll comment on this later.

Not an appropriate thread to ask that question. He's been unbanned temporarily, in order to provide him a chance to review the reasons for and type of ban he is facing, and to offer some defense or protest if he so desires. This is a basic right all users are entitled to, except in extreme circumstances.

Would any of your reconsider participating? 

Last call for participants! I could really use one more.

Aloha, DART!

As many of you will now be aware (and many won't), there is now the option to have "unmoderated" debates. While there is still some question on moderation's end about the technical aspects of this change, it is clear that unmoderated debates do not impact your ELO scores, whether you win those debates or lose them. We are currently working with Mike to understand fully the implications of this feature.

It is unclear to moderation whether, as it stands, we are technically empowered to remove votes on unmoderated debates. If we're not, then we're not. If we are, it will be our policy--until this question can be MEEP'd--to only remove votes on unmoderated debates if those votes (a) violate the site's conduct policy (e.g. by making a personal attack) or (b) are for a debater who fully forfeited the debate. No RFD will be actually required to pass moderation review, either.

Therefore, for those debaters and voters who desire minimal moderation, the unmoderated option is ideal. It provides the least amount of vote moderation available on the site. For those who want all of their debates to be moderated, it is imperative that they read carefully the fine print before accepting the debate. Ideally, these debates could be flagged somehow to prevent unsuspecting users from accepting them accidentally. In the meantime, be cautious and be aware so that you are neither hoodwinked nor, dare I say, bamboozled into accepting any unmoderated debate challenges.

If you have any queries about unmoderated debates, or moderation's stance regarding them, I will attempt to respond. Until I have more information, that might be difficult, but I'll do my best.

- Bsh1, Chief Moderator

lol

I love Ian Mckellen!!!

There are always going to be drunk idiots at *any* public event, Pride included. The question isn't whether some gay people hold problematic views, the question is instead what Pride is about on balance.

Yay :)

Have you ever been to a Pride?

That is an awesome picture...

Did you literally read anything of what I said? Since you obviously either didn't read, didn't process, or didn't understand, I'll repeat myself: "Pride is not a celebration of homosexuality." It is not, in fact, a celebration of sexuality of any kind.

Instead, it is a celebration of the community that has been forged through years of oppression and a message of support to those who are facing oppression right now.

This will start on the 5th.

Forum based.

Death's response is spot on. An excellent deconstruction of an obtuse line of argumentation.

You can't really fine people for getting sick, even if it resulted from their own negligence. Suppose you don't wear a medical mask to and then catch airborne flu. Can I fine you for being sick? After all, it was your fault your forgot to wear the mask. 

Moreover, promiscuity is *not* a gay issue. People of all stripes, straight and gay, are promiscuous, and many gay men are not promiscuous. The argument from promiscuity is rooted in false stereotypes which justify and perpetuate oppression. It is not true that gay men are more promiscuous than straight men in any statistically significant way. 

Finally, campaigns--which are often a big part of Pride--to educate gay men about safe sex practices and things like PrEP are ramping up. If sex ed in this country were more liberal and less religiously up-tight, the problem of STDs would be significantly less. The solution then is not to punish people who get sick, but to comprehensively educate everyone on how to avoid getting sick in the first place.

There has been an unsettling argument made in these forums that Pride Month is somehow based on an unjustifiable premise. In other words, since straight people shouldn't take pride in their heterosexuality, neither should gay people take pride in their homosexuality. More nuanced versions of this argument might claim that the fact that these orientations were assigned at birth--and are thus unchosen--render them not worth celebrating.

This argument, while popular in some quarters, is ill-informed. It comes from a place of ignorance or strawmanning that is rooted in attitudes of privilege, a lack of critical analysis, and/or, more charitably, misunderstanding. The strawman on which the entire argument rests is that Pride is a celebration of homosexuality. In fact, Pride is not a celebration of homosexuality, but of something related, yet far more consequential.

LGBTQ+ people have faced historic discrimination across the globe. We were persecuted by Nazis, lynched in the American South, and stoned to death in the Middle East. In many places, being gay still carries the death sentence. Even where being LGBTQ+ is not an executable offense, gay people may face official and unofficial persecution. Gay people leaving bars at night may be victims of gay bashing assaults or murders. Across the US, it is legal to fire an employee simply for being gay. In dozens of countries, we are denied access to civil unions and marriage. We may face life imprisonment for such arcane crimes as "carnal knowledge against the order of nature." We may be denied the ability to adopt or we may feel the torture of being rejected by the family we love for being something we did not choose to be. 

In the face of such everyday oppression, gay people have formed a sense of community, united in our struggle for basic human rights and respect. From the Stonewall Riots to Obergefell, gay people in the US and around the world have fought together for the attainment of the fundamental dignities that we are owed. And through this joint endeavor, we have gained solidarity.

Pride is a Celebration of our solidarity as a community. It is a celebration of all the battles (win or lose), of all the martyrs and heroes who fought for our equality, of all the successes and defeats that paved the way for equality, and for the sense of shared identity that we have forged through centuries of fighting to be recognized as equal persons in the sight of law and public morality.

Pride is also a message of solidarity sent out to all those still fighting oppression. This message is twofold. First, Pride is an act of performativity which enacts a narrative of value for all those people who ask themselves, like I once did, "am I a monster because I am gay? Am I a freak? Am I worthless?" Suicide is a leading cause of death within the LGBTQ+ community, and for all those struggling with depression as they confront their orientations and identities, Pride is a message of hope. It tells them that life can--and does--get better. Pride is not a celebration of homosexuality, but it is a reaffirmation of our human worth notwithstanding our homosexuality. It is a reminder to those depressed kids just starting to navigate their feelings that they are not less human because they are gay.

Second, Pride is clarion call to all those around the world who cannot imagine their own countries coming to accept them as equal and valuable persons. To them, it communicates that the gay community is strong, vibrant, and unified in our commitment to keep on fighting, to keep on the rainbow train to victory. We will not be silent. We will not go away. We will not shut up. We will not stop resisting. We will press on with our message of love, acceptance, and togetherness. We will put on a spectacle to be a counterpoint the hate and prejudice so many of us face.

Pride then is both a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and a rallying cry for that community to keep on fighting. The ignorance of those who critique it as a celebration of homosexuality itself is revealed by the very utterance by which those critics present their argument. Pride is not about homosexuality itself. It is about having Pride in how far we have come, in what we have achieved, in the community we have, and in the humanity we all share, irrespective of our orientations and identities.

Aloha!

Given that both Virt and I are gay, it would be an atrocious oversight if moderation were to fail to remark on this most fabulous of seasons: Pride Month! 

For Americans like us, Pride month is a celebratory time to watch go-go dancers parade their abs down Main Street thoroughfares throughout this great country, while Britney and Cher bang out from massive speakers. Color-filled Pride parades are a way for queer people of all stripes to revel in our community's strength, talent, and solidarity and...of course, to party.

For many other Americans and non-Americans, life as an LGBTQ+ person is not as sunny. We should all take time to reflect in horror the places like Brunei, Sudan, Uganda, and Saudi Arabia where gay people are not just denied access to marriage, but face stiff punishments simply for loving someone of the same gender. Many may be stoned to death. Others may be socially ostracized or imprisoned. Pride Month is also a time for the world to investigate their plight, to think on their suffering, and to, where possible, take action for improved equality and justice. 

Whatever Pride month means to you, be you an LGBTQ+ person or a straight ally, join us in celebrating this wonderful time of year by updating your avatar to reflect the Pride theme. Be it a sexy snap like mine, or a rainbow-infused image, or a respectful gif, please show your support for the millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world!

-Bsh1

Do not request, or intimate that you are requesting, votes specifically for you on your debates. You may ask that people vote on your debates, but you may not request or intimate that you are requesting that they vote for you on those debates.

I could really use just one more participant!

Maybe, but I'll leave sign-ups open for a bit more.

Probably because whatever the threshold is will still be insufficient to live a truly comfortable life. I think, on balance, the evidence sufficiently dispels the idea that people won't work.