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Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
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George Floyd Protests and Riots

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  • Originally posted by D-BONE View Post

    They still don't teach it now. At least no where beyond the superficial MLK wanted all people to live in harmony and sing kumbaya and achieve it all by peaceful methods. Then came civil rights legislation and all was peachy. Then came Obama to usher in the post-racial society. A teacher in my kids grade school actually was planning to have students dress up as pilgrims and "indians" for Thanksgiving a couple years ago until some parents called in to put the kibosh on it.
    My heritage is American Indian. My great grandfather was full blooded. I am not sure what would be bad about people dressing up as Indians. I am not at all offended by that. I know all about the history, the trail of tears, etc. My people (dad's side) came from North Carolina and traveled and settled near Richmond IN, and then made their way further west. Were terrible things done to people? Yes. It was also a very, very long time ago.

    Comment


    • Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post

      My heritage is American Indian. My great grandfather was full blooded. I am not sure what would be bad about people dressing up as Indians. I am not at all offended by that. I know all about the history, the trail of tears, etc. My people (dad's side) came from North Carolina and traveled and settled near Richmond IN, and then made their way further west. Were terrible things done to people? Yes. It was also a very, very long time ago.
      You mean the native American genocide? The school thing was more about a romanticized/idealized recreation of euro-indigenous "harmony". There was not intent to explain to children that the pilgrims and the native americans were not at all on friendly terms.

      Whatever feast occurred was more out of convenience, as the Wampanoags wanted weapons from the settlers who had no idea how the farm well enough to make it through the winter.

      For Washington the holiday of Thanksgiving represented thanks for our independence. Lincoln suggested it was for healing from the civil war. If a meal took place between native Americans and Pilgrims, it likely was not during late November.
      Last edited by D-BONE; 06-23-2020, 07:26 PM.
      I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

      -Emiliano Zapata

      Comment


      • Originally posted by D-BONE View Post

        You mean the native American genocide? The school thing was more about a romanticized/idealized recreation of euro-indigenous "harmony". There was not intent to explain to children that the pilgrims and the native americans were not at all on friendly terms.

        Whatever feast occurred was more out of convenience, as the Wampanoags wanted weapons from the settlers who had no idea how the farm well enough to make it through the winter.

        For Washington the holiday of Thanksgiving represented thanks for our independence. Lincoln suggested it was for healing from the civil war. If a meal took place between native Americans and Pilgrims, it likely was not during late November.
        Conquest has been happening since the beginning of time. Any time one group has ever taken over a country or land, there has been bloodshed. That's not an indication of one race of people being more or less evil than another. That's an indication of how the world has functioned forever and for that group's time and space in history.

        And people and races have gone back and forth in terms of power over the centuries. So to demonize one group is to demonize yourself because our ancestors have all at one point oppressed others. People have even sold their own people.

        So, to get caught up in what happened 300-500 years ago just because I have some remote relative who suffered at the hands of <insert your hated race>, is really a complete waste of time and energy. Hating people is a good way to hurt yourself. It's also a good way to get stuck in the past.

        As for the pilgrims and Indians, would it feel better if they shot each other and scalped each other on Thanksgiving? I guess I don't get this idea from someone I thought wanted healing.

        Edit: BTW, this conquest, genocide, slavery thing is a global concept that started at the beginning of time. I am sure most people have forefathers guilty of one or more of these. Ultimately, we are all guilty of them all unless you don't believe in creation or a single heritage.
        Last edited by BlueNGold; 06-23-2020, 07:59 PM.

        Comment


        • No hate here - other than maybe for Trump. You are right in the long historical sense. In terms of the Thanksgiving example, I think a nuanced (a word you use to describe your own views on complex issues like race) discussion in a classroom is appropriate. Not just dressing up as pilgrims and native Americans and talking about an idealized feast which historians are not in agreement that actually happened, but rather one that presents a more accurate reality reflected in the motivations of each group and the various definitions or meanings the holiday has marked over our history.

          If that discussion can't happen with grade-school age kids, then it's better not to get into a sanitized, romanticized version. If it can, it wasn't evident that it was going to happen in the incident I relayed. I would suggest history should be presented in education in a way that presents facts along with multiple perspectives/interpretations of those facts. In terms of your accurate long-term appraisal of power and modern thought as it relates to past time frames, it's important to take all these narratives into account so we learn from the errors and injustices of the past and apply them to a more positive and inclusive future.

          I'd say the same approach be taken to Confederate monuments whether they are left where they are or placed in some historical memory/reconciliation memorial. While they depict historical personages of that some might see as cultural heritage, others see them as symbols of past and present injustice/institutionalized racism. Resolving the latter conflict helps us get closer to being a unified nation.
          Last edited by D-BONE; 06-23-2020, 09:00 PM.
          I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

          -Emiliano Zapata

          Comment


          • Originally posted by D-BONE View Post
            No hate here - other than maybe for Trump. You are right in the long historical sense. In terms of the Thanksgiving example, I think a nuanced (a word you use to describe your own views on complex issues like race) discussion in a classroom is appropriate. Not just dressing up as pilgrims and native Americans and talking about an idealized feast which historians are not in agreement that actually happened, but rather one that presents a more accurate reality reflected in the motivations of each group and the various definitions or meanings the holiday has marked over our history.

            If that discussion can't happen with grade-school age kids, then it's better not to get into a sanitized, romanticized version. If it can, it wasn't evident that it was going to happen in the incident I relayed. I would suggest history should be presented in education in a way that presents facts along with multiple perspectives/interpretations of those facts. In terms of your accurate long-term appraisal of power and modern thought as it relates to past time frames, it's important to take all these narratives into account so we learn from the errors and injustices of the past and apply them to a more positive and inclusive future.
            I respect the idea you want the reality to be on display, rather than the truth hidden. If so, if you don't want a sanitized version of the past, do you still support tearing down Robert E Lee monuments? Even though they are undoubtedly viewed as "this is the racist that lost the Civil war"?

            To me, the reason why I'm fine with the pilgrims and Indians is that, as an adult I know the truth of what happened. But these are kids. We should try to plant something positive even if it's romanticized. JMO. When they grow up, they may care about learning all of this history including the Civil War but if you take down all statues of it you will not have much to learn.

            I really feel we are pissing in the wind with this whole thing. It's really not that important compared to some really serious issues going on. (e.g. in Chicago with a dozen people killed and over 100 casualties). It's like a war zone and we are here talking about kids and pilgrims.

            I don't know. Just seems like we are whistling past the graveyard.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by D-BONE View Post
              I'd say the same approach be taken to Confederate monuments whether they are left where they are or placed in some historical memory/reconciliation memorial. While they depict historical personages of that some might see as cultural heritage, others see them as symbols of past and present injustice/institutionalized racism. Resolving the latter conflict helps us get closer to being a unified nation.
              Let me focus on the bold part which I think is a big part of the problem with the discussion.

              What you are saying is that unifying requires that the "latter conflict" is the one to resolve. I agree, but I also think the other side of the coin should be considered. We are simply not getting a dialogue in this nation at the moment, it's a monologue where one group believes it needs to educate the other (and that may be true). Yet that same group is not willing to own some of it, whether educating themselves or taking responsibility for some issues in the culture. Again, I am just looking for openness, a complete dialogue where there is some shared reflection, not a one-way street.

              Comment


              • I have not seen this talked about much. Do you think Disney will cancel his show? Or does this just blow over?

                https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/enter...ogy/index.html

                Jimmy Kimmel apologizes for performing in blackface

                Comment


                • Originally posted by vapacersfan View Post
                  I have not seen this talked about much. Do you think Disney will cancel his show? Or does this just blow over?

                  https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/enter...ogy/index.html

                  Jimmy Kimmel apologizes for performing in blackface
                  I doubt it but I don't know. All of this stuff could blow over or meet more scrutiny. Jimmy Fallon issued a similar statement not that long ago. There's a clear message that it's time for the practice to cease.
                  I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

                  -Emiliano Zapata

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post

                    I respect the idea you want the reality to be on display, rather than the truth hidden. If so, if you don't want a sanitized version of the past, do you still support tearing down Robert E Lee monuments? Even though they are undoubtedly viewed as "this is the racist that lost the Civil war"?

                    To me, the reason why I'm fine with the pilgrims and Indians is that, as an adult I know the truth of what happened. But these are kids. We should try to plant something positive even if it's romanticized. JMO. When they grow up, they may care about learning all of this history including the Civil War but if you take down all statues of it you will not have much to learn.

                    I really feel we are pissing in the wind with this whole thing. It's really not that important compared to some really serious issues going on. (e.g. in Chicago with a dozen people killed and over 100 casualties). It's like a war zone and we are here talking about kids and pilgrims.

                    I don't know. Just seems like we are whistling past the graveyard.
                    I get what you're saying, but if Confederate statues are removed, some of them would still be displayed somewhere (the reconciliation museum idea) and you would include discussion of the reasons behind removal. I don't know how realistic it would be, but if this is being looked at seriously, it would be important to gauge where black Americans are on the issue and have that inform the discussion. I know there was some poll a couple years ago showing blacks opposed to removals something like 44% to 40% with the remaining chunk undecided.

                    As far as the Chicago point, I think we've been there before in this discussion and we know we agree at best in very limited ways when it comes to criminalization, criminal justice reform and social reform. For me, that would be the starting point to try and work on so-called "black-on-black" crime, which is what you are referring, right?

                    I would hope that such initiatives would involve significant input from black communities. Within that, I think there can be dialogue on what policy approaches/specific techniques would support the community and how the community can reciprocally work to support those moving towards the objectives of the reforms. If you are, in fact, saying the black community needs to take responsibility for its problems, I'm not sure they are denying or ignoring them. I think they want to improve the situation. I'm sure they are already trying, but would welcome and be significantly bolstered by reforms that will support that. But I think whatever changes might be made within the community can be talked about around how they will complement structural reform.

                    Again, here it is very important to get lots of black input and craft changes around that. The black community has been dictated to for a long time. The historical/social narrative of the country has been white-centric. That's why listening is essential - to establish trust, respect, and be sure there is buy in on how to work toward progress. In terms of both these two issues, I think it would be helpful to formally announce planning for a mechanism to start these dialogues and a time frame for when they will begin. Show a commitment to it. Show it has value to do so. This hopefully allows time for all parties to cool off from some of the heat of the moment prior to discussion on these issues.
                    Last edited by D-BONE; 06-24-2020, 08:35 AM.
                    I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

                    -Emiliano Zapata

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by D-BONE View Post

                      I doubt it but I don't know. All of this stuff could blow over or meet more scrutiny. Jimmy Fallon issued a similar statement not that long ago. There's a clear message that it's time for the practice to cease.
                      So this stuff right here pisses me off, the retrial of something you did 20 years ago with no nuance. Certainly black face is just terrible in general, but you must judge people with nuance. Kimmel was doing parody of specific black celebrities like Karl Malone.

                      example:


                      It was funny, and you know it was funny.

                      That is much more evolved than say a Minstrel type character with big lips and wide eyes and doofus mannerisms. Those characters and performances were done to make fun of blacks as a whole from a purely negative and racial inferiority stance.

                      I wouldn't recommend anybody to do a Black Face skit going forward. But I think you do have to consider context and intent when judging what is already out there.

                      Robert Downey Jr. performance in Tropic Thunder was glorious. I didn't see any real controversy over that one.


                      You can't get champagne from a garden hose.

                      Comment


                      • Can you imagine being instructed to put your hands behind your back while another officer has you in a bear hug? Then to be body slammed like that? I hope that man brings a lawsuit so big that he never has to visit Western Union again to get money from his sister. The officer who bear hugged him and slammed him just walked up on the scene and said "Hold my beer!" he had no information on what the situation was.

                        Joe Rogan and Jocko are absolutely right, these guys need to spend one day a week just training, because we are apparently picking humans to be cops from the bottom of the barrel. So they need training on how to be better humans.
                        You can't get champagne from a garden hose.

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by graphic-er View Post

                          So this stuff right here pisses me off, the retrial of something you did 20 years ago with no nuance. Certainly black face is just terrible in general, but you must judge people with nuance. Kimmel was doing parody of specific black celebrities like Karl Malone.

                          example:


                          It was funny, and you know it was funny.

                          That is much more evolved than say a Minstrel type character with big lips and wide eyes and doofus mannerisms. Those characters and performances were done to make fun of blacks as a whole from a purely negative and racial inferiority stance.

                          I wouldn't recommend anybody to do a Black Face skit going forward. But I think you do have to consider context and intent when judging what is already out there.

                          Robert Downey Jr. performance in Tropic Thunder was glorious. I didn't see any real controversy over that one.

                          To be fair it was not only blackface

                          https://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...-comic-podcast

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by vapacersfan View Post

                            To be fair it was not only blackface

                            https://www.foxnews.com/entertainmen...-comic-podcast
                            Imagine if Trump did that. smh...

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by BlueNGold View Post

                              Imagine if Trump did that. smh...
                              uh, normal people would still hate him, and you clowns would still love him?

                              Comment

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