One reason I started reading/posting here rather than JA606 is the lack of infantile crap being shouted around the place and tedious, mindless arguments as people WUM and generally act like dickheads. I also liked the fact that fans from different teams can actually have fair and sensible debates. The internet is full of places where people can scream like morons about anything they want - football especially. Having a special thread for WUM stuff is just encouraging them. I for one would rather have a space where that sort of vacuous crap is not tolerated. And that's not to say I'm not up for people having a laugh - it's just, well, WUM stuff isn't actually funny is it?
It's encouraging them to keep thier views on a separate thread to (hopefully) allow other posters to debate about football subjects without wums bothering them. Otherwise unless stricter rules are in place, wums will continue to post on all threads for a numerous amount of time before receiving a ban or warning - Me personally I don't mind and if anything find wums quite funny but when people are constantly complaining and moaning about them, I probably find that more annoying than anything and therefore I'm trying to find a solution to keep everyone happy. Keeping wumming to a separate forum, which, whoever fancies joining in on banter and wumming can do so freely and by doing that, the mods could (or should) enforce a rule that any wums posting drivel outside of that thread should receive immediate bans or a suspension for a period of time. Some people enjoy winding others up, taking away all sorts of wumming will, in my opinon make the forum a lot less boring as most wums usually get mugged off themselves by the opposition posters which generally creates a bit of humour. Surely having the option to post on wum or non-wum threads is a win-win for both sets of forum posters?
To tell you the truth, Wummery is part and parcel of this sort of site. If you can't take the cut an thrust of it, maybe you shouldn't be here. The thing that I find intensely annoying, is when two posters hijack a thread and turn it into a slanging match between themselves. It happens waaaay too often here. Guys, (you know who you are) nobody else is interested in your petty squabbles. If you want to fight, do it on PM.
I have to agree with Chirpy on this one, though I'd suggest that you don't even squabble via PM. Just let it go. I'm sure that I've done it before on here and I'm certain that I did it on 606, but I do try to avoid it now, as it's just not interesting for anyone else.
The problem I have with all of this lies in the use of the expression "wum." It stands for "wind-up merchant" and signifies someone whose prime intention in any matter is to create ill-feeling and make no viable contribution to a discussion. Unfortunately, more often than not, the use of the term is abused to include anyone who makes a comment, no matter how fairly drawn, that is critical of another fan's team. It is also extended to those of us who like to engage in the odd bit of intelligent banter. More insidiously, it is used by the Nazis on this site to censure free speech. Because there are certain mods who mis-use the term to label perfectly proper postings as "wum" posts in order to justify their banning and to perpetuate their own particular agenda, I believe that banning should only be used in clearly prescribed circumstances. These should be:- - use of bad or foul language against a fellow poster - use of personal insults against a fellow poster - racism - homophobic comments Banning should not be used for any other purpose, whether or not partisan fans happen to be upset by the views expressed.
Maybe we're getting into PC territory here, but isn't Wummery in the eye of Wummed? If somebody is irked by what you have written, even if you wrote it without the express intention of pissing somebody off, do you qualify as a WUM? Nobody knows what the author is really thinking, but I think repeated postings on another teams board (generally with a negative reaction from that board) probably suggests that you are, indeed, a wum.
I disagree and setting out the circumstances in which somebody would be banned would only encourage more intelligent WUMs to skirt around those rules.
I disagree with that, HIAG. If you make the rules hard and fast then that is MORE of a limitation on free speech. I mean - I just used the words "crap" and "dickhead". Should I be banned? Of course I could then use those words in a much more aggresive manner at a particular individual which would not be good, in my opinion, and could be good reason for a banning if I kept doing it. But I could also imagine someone calling someone else a dickhead in a perfectly acceptable way - human judgement has to be used. And I'm not sure that the term "WUM" is abused more often than not. I really don't see false-WUMery accusations as being a big problem.
The wum side, as I've said previously, doesn't bother me, I actually find it amusing whether they're wums against or for Spurs. It's the moaning about them all the time that annoys me and as like Chirpy said it turns into a slanging match which takes things well off topic and out of hand.
Just to get a quick check on how people feel at the moment: Do people believe that WUMs are currently a problem on this board? Do people believe that WUMS are currently a problem on other sections of the forum?
I haven't a problem with wums, though I have a problem with the people that allow wums to get to them, start moaning and throwing insults and turn it into petty arguments which takes it off the original thread topic.
To add to my last bit - Which is why I suggested the wum thread, so the wums can have their fun against opposing wums and hopefully give as good as the get and then that'll allow all the members that moan about them to steer clear of the thread so they can stop annoying myself and any others who get aggrieved when the moaners bang on with the wums when we're trying to talk about football related matters.
Repeated postings on a rival's board should not be the basis for a banning. It's all too subjective. I will give you a prime example. On numerous Gooner threads, the partisan fans were slagging-off Wenger, saying he had to go. I stood up for him, pointing out that Wenger had been highly compromised by the likes of Fabregas and Nasri leaving and that Wenger would need at least this season, and possibly longer to adjust, and that they would be mad to get rid of him, even if it meant losing CL footy for a while. Now, on one level, my comments could be seen as those of a wum, because I am (a) taking a view contrary to the partisan support (notwithstanding that I am supporting their club's manager), and (b) implying that they won't finish in the top 4 this season or next season. The question is this: even if, as undoubtedly was the case, certain of the Gooners were "wound up" by my criticism, thereby making me a "wum" should I be censured for making the comments I made?
TBH I haven't found WUMs to be a big problem on this board. It's why I'm here. The main thing that this site has over the old 606 and JA606 is that there are none of the posts like "What are you all having for lunch today?" and other boring nonsense - it's all about football. When I go on JA606 I see loads of this - people moaning that "things are a bit quiet on here today" so starting a thread that is just full of smileys and kindergarten "banter". Maybe that makes me a bit snooty there you go. I just can't stand the sight of hundreds of cartoon smileys jumping around the place. So let's try and keep it that way, that's what I reckon. I genuinely have no idea what happens on other team's boards - I've never been on one.
Can we not go down this route again please, HIAG? You don't agree with the reason that you were banned. That's fine, but I've already explained how to go about having that reversed. Nobody here believes that holding a minority view or even one that's explicitly critical of the club or manager is WUMing.
Hey, lennypops, I absolutely agree with you! If I had my way, there would be no ability to ban, at all, except for the most heinous of crimes, such as persistent racist comments. But whilst the mods on this site are able to ban posters or censure postings, we need a system to curtail and control that power, since it is clearly abused. As my recent banning from the Gooner board is testament.
1. No I don't, but personal arguments about who did what to whom and why are tedious to say the least. 2. Other sections of this forum are not my concern and neither is how folk are dealt with if they visit them. I think you obey the house rules, which of course vary from house to house. If you can't, don't go there or you will suffer the consequences.
