As Quebbster noted [I knew this topic seemed familiar], I said what I had to say on the subject 3 years ago. My position hasn't changed.

And it should have been listened to three years ago (I’m sorry I was absent). It shouldn’t have been Gira’s voice that people followed but yours’. We all owe you an apology.

I believe I was also absent at the time due to my hectic job, but yeah, I had missed this. Sorry it ended up me being the one to actually bring attention to this rather than us listening to you in the first place.

Every game that has been run since that discussion is still on the first page of the forum. It was a steady downwards trend and I guess people were grateful for the few games that got off the ground. It's good you brought the subject up again, it never should have been dropped.

I would argue that all things considered, the discussion surrounding the word "Lynch" is itself a political discussion.

Why are they uncomfortable about it? What is it that makes those people uncomfortable?

Also, I'm not sure how I can discuss/respond to this particular part of the conversation without going back to:

Basically, we're at a point where even the start of this conversation is because of a topic that supposedly shouldn't be in this forum in the first place.

But apparently I can't offer debate on the matter because current political movements are off-limits.

If I might ask, we're discussing doing away with "Lynch", what other words should we be prepared to do away with?

And long term, what will the reaction be when there there is inevitably a move to do away with Mafia games entirely? (Or Werewolf, or whatever you feel better about renaming it to)

Because I can guarantee you that eventually, as long as the line of thinking that is causing this debate continues, there will eventually be people who make a genuine case that this entire genre of games is problematic and offensive and needs to die.

Slippery Slope argument while being a poor one in general to use, really doesn't make any sense here. Changing one word to make a significant number of people's here experience with the game improve seems like a no brainer at this point.

Also, I would be willing to take you up on that guarantee that that will never happen unless someone was put up to it to prove your point that no one will make a complaint that we need to stop playing these games period on a website about a game about superhero conflict.

And if they did, they wouldn't be someone interested in playing in the first place so the goal of making things better for those interested in playing the game doesn't apply to them at all.

Can't you enjoy the game if you can't use the L-word? Because to me, that is all there is to it. Some of our members have requested that word be avoided, and since I think the game can be played just fine without using it, I don't see a reason to not show them that courtesy. I don't see the slippery slope you seem to worry about.

Precisely this. Requests have been made, and you either respect your fellow players, or you do not. It really is that simple.

Echoing others, yes. Keep the violent kills - as a mod, that's half the fun - and then try to eventually get away from "Lynch" as a term used often. Not that hard, IMHO.

All the other wording, Eliminate, Expel, Arrest - can all be used as long as it's clear to the mod it's a real vote. And if the mod puts 'em in the list of players not in the game, i.e. Dead... Welp, that's it.

Now, if you post something like SHUT UP ROKK, it will have to be clear that it's NOT a Vote, just someone venting in thread (or using a Day kill )

Except society has shown that the Slippery Slope is very much a real thing.

Consider, if you will, the fact that even in this very conversation, we have people who are already asking "Is the violence really necessary though?"

Even in this very conversation, we've already gone from "We need to stop using 'Lynch'" to "Should we make Mafia less violent?"

People keep saying "That will never happen" right up until it actually does.

I'm not saying that someone will target HCRealms specifically. I'm saying that someone will come along and decide that Mafia/Werewolf is harmful and problematic. And that person or those people will push to get the game cancelled. Maybe they'll link it to the Salem Witch Trials. Maybe they'll make the case that the inherent nature of Mafia celebrates ostracizing 'the other' and has no place in a society that should be focused on building communities rather than finding people to villainize.

Regardless, that cancellation movement will spread to HCRealms. Someone will eventually take notice of "Hey, these other communities are talking about how Mafia is insensitive and hurtful" or "People I know are discussing how they find Mafia to be problematic" and the question will arise - "For the sake of empathy and being sensitive to others, should we do away with Mafia entirely?"

It's not about "Lynch" specifically, it is about the general principal of the matter. About how there is always another word that will be found problematic, how there is always another word that not OK to use because someone is able to explain why that particular word is hurtful.

And as long as people continue to allow words to be cancelled one after another, then like a frog in pot of water being boiled alive because the water was slowly heated up, our language is eventually boiled down to Newspeak.

That is ultimately what is so dangerous about it - it is easy to miss the signs, and it is easy to not realize what's actually going on or the long-term implications, because it is a slow and gradual grind that, unless you know what you're looking for, unless you recognize the signs, you don't catch on to things until the movement rolls over whatever your own personal line would be and you find things you actually care about being targeted.

There is something to be said for empathy, yes.

But just as a lack of sensitivity makes one feel nothing, over-sensitivity makes one irritated by everything.

"Dangerous" sure seems like one heck of an overstatement regarding a discussion on if it is preferable to use a different term.