Hail Knights Reborn,
Long time no forum. Some of us were having a chat the other day, and I brought it up to Jawf tonight, and he recommended I bring it to the forums, which I think is a good call because this isn't really suitable for just a random server chat. Just to begin though, I wasn't entirely sure where to post, and while this isn't an issue at all with the admins, it is tangentially related as it is an issue with the very outdated naughty word filter.
I have personally been affected by this filter for years, and despite repeated mentions, my pleas have been shrugged off as jokes or not worth the time to consider. However, speaking as an educator of young adults and as a longtime out and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I can't stress enough that there are many words that today are necessary for young adults like the kids I teach to feel included and able to identify as themselves. One of these words is the word "gay." Gay has not really been used in the way that it was used when this word list was likely last updated in a very long time.
In 2022, gay is now generally a pretty accepted way for people to identify themselves if they don't specifically identify as say "homosexual" (as was once offered me as an "alternative"). I am nonbinary, so I am absolutely not "homosexual" and instead identify as "gay" or "queer" -- it is a vital component of my identity, and being able to express this within contexts in which it is relevant is important to me. While it is not a subject that comes up regularly, it is one that I shouldn't be prohibited from discussing using the terms most of us in the real world feel comfortable using to discuss it.
Now, I do understand that in the '90s and early '00s, there was a pejorative use of this word in the same way people use other offensive words in a demeaning way to alienate and bully, and this connotation is often still thrown around in Europe and other places where English is not the primary language, but here it is done more just as slang than anything offensive needing policed. As for the slur itself, it is generally no longer the case in 2022 that this word is used in such a way, and in fact, not being able to use that word is fostering a far greater problem in making those who wish to identify in such a way as feeling as though they are not seen; it also provides troll fodder to those who want to accuse you of getting around the word filter just to talk about your identity in a meaningful way. Thus, in your efforts to make an inclusive environment, safe from bullying, the fact this word filter has not been updated in a very long time has slowly made the server more and more alienating at times for some, including myself. This kind of thing could easily drive away younger players who have never not been accepted as "gay." Therefore, potential new gamers could be easily driven away from our community before they even get started.
I don't necessarily disagree with the idea of a word filter, but I do think we'd all be better served to have a tighter filter of actually offensive things that the community finds it wants to be avoided, as I'm sure this is not the only instance of a word ban or partial word ban that is a bit silly today, especially with the capabilities we have to mod this game beyond what is already available. This seems like a rather simple task to do something like a forum survey in which people voted on whether a word was offensive or not for a handful of words that maybe could or should come off the list, as well as adding a few transphobic and other actual slurs that are not currently caught by the filter. I think the KR server community would also be better served if the admins then enforce this language rule in the spirit of the law by silencing cyberbullies and hate speech (as I have often seen some of them rightly do) rather than relying on a script that targets a far too wide scope of arbitrary words that most don't even find offensive or partial word bans that end up earning you a strike for talking about grapes.
Thanks for considering my suggestion.
Salutations,
The Wicked and Westerly Warlock
Long time no forum. Some of us were having a chat the other day, and I brought it up to Jawf tonight, and he recommended I bring it to the forums, which I think is a good call because this isn't really suitable for just a random server chat. Just to begin though, I wasn't entirely sure where to post, and while this isn't an issue at all with the admins, it is tangentially related as it is an issue with the very outdated naughty word filter.
I have personally been affected by this filter for years, and despite repeated mentions, my pleas have been shrugged off as jokes or not worth the time to consider. However, speaking as an educator of young adults and as a longtime out and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I can't stress enough that there are many words that today are necessary for young adults like the kids I teach to feel included and able to identify as themselves. One of these words is the word "gay." Gay has not really been used in the way that it was used when this word list was likely last updated in a very long time.
In 2022, gay is now generally a pretty accepted way for people to identify themselves if they don't specifically identify as say "homosexual" (as was once offered me as an "alternative"). I am nonbinary, so I am absolutely not "homosexual" and instead identify as "gay" or "queer" -- it is a vital component of my identity, and being able to express this within contexts in which it is relevant is important to me. While it is not a subject that comes up regularly, it is one that I shouldn't be prohibited from discussing using the terms most of us in the real world feel comfortable using to discuss it.
Now, I do understand that in the '90s and early '00s, there was a pejorative use of this word in the same way people use other offensive words in a demeaning way to alienate and bully, and this connotation is often still thrown around in Europe and other places where English is not the primary language, but here it is done more just as slang than anything offensive needing policed. As for the slur itself, it is generally no longer the case in 2022 that this word is used in such a way, and in fact, not being able to use that word is fostering a far greater problem in making those who wish to identify in such a way as feeling as though they are not seen; it also provides troll fodder to those who want to accuse you of getting around the word filter just to talk about your identity in a meaningful way. Thus, in your efforts to make an inclusive environment, safe from bullying, the fact this word filter has not been updated in a very long time has slowly made the server more and more alienating at times for some, including myself. This kind of thing could easily drive away younger players who have never not been accepted as "gay." Therefore, potential new gamers could be easily driven away from our community before they even get started.
I don't necessarily disagree with the idea of a word filter, but I do think we'd all be better served to have a tighter filter of actually offensive things that the community finds it wants to be avoided, as I'm sure this is not the only instance of a word ban or partial word ban that is a bit silly today, especially with the capabilities we have to mod this game beyond what is already available. This seems like a rather simple task to do something like a forum survey in which people voted on whether a word was offensive or not for a handful of words that maybe could or should come off the list, as well as adding a few transphobic and other actual slurs that are not currently caught by the filter. I think the KR server community would also be better served if the admins then enforce this language rule in the spirit of the law by silencing cyberbullies and hate speech (as I have often seen some of them rightly do) rather than relying on a script that targets a far too wide scope of arbitrary words that most don't even find offensive or partial word bans that end up earning you a strike for talking about grapes.
Thanks for considering my suggestion.
Salutations,
The Wicked and Westerly Warlock
