It’s a interesting discussion and one that I think is a bit of a reflection on where we are as a society. I think there is a very simple personal rule that I try (and sometimes fail!) to apply: If you wouldn’t stand in front of someone and say the same words to them, face to face, don’t type it.
There were a bunch of posts above that were flagged, and people were asking why and saying that they shouldn’t have been. I believe they were flagged because people found them offensive. By definition, that is a subjective test. But that is where the mods come in - they review the flagged posts and decide if they stay hidden - their role is to play the ultimate arbiter. There is nothing wrong with someone flagging a post they find offensive. But let’s be clear offensive is not the same as “don’t like” or disagree with.
There are also some posts above saying that the OP and others are suggesting that compliants are being suppressed. Personally I don’t think that is true, and I don’t think that should be the case. However, what I do believe is that people need to consider the way they complain. It is this that creates the trigger for others, that can create the frustration and hence the backlash.
I’m not, in any way, suggesting that people should be apologetic if they are complaining. Be forthright, blunt and to the point as much as you like. But there is no excuse for abuse or vitriol. I’m a great believer that people tend not to get up in morning and go to work with the intention of doing a bad job, and so I believe that it is unlikely in the extreme that Asobo and MS are deliberately trying to screw up the sim. We should do what we can when we complain to help Asobo and Microsoft make things better and not hinder them.
Generally, I think most people want the sim to be great. There are some who behave in a way that makes that difficult to see at times - to the point where it can make you wonder if they are deliberately trying to stir up trouble or provoke other users. People who are here solely to do that are, hopefully, in the tiny minority, but they should be banned.
There are also more subtle forms of triggering and, frankly, abuse - using terms like “fanboy”, a term clearly intended as derogatory, and is actually intended to suppress people’s views. Just as “hater” or “ranter” is too. Terms like these have no place in these forums and repeated use of these terms is a problem in these forums and it normalises oppression. I am allowed to like the sim as much as I am allowed to dislike the sim.
As a final thought - these forums are not age restricted. Consider how you would feel if your son or daughter was to read these forums - not so much what others write, but what you write. What would that tell them about you as their parent? Just something to think about before you think “right mate, you’re going to get it for that post!”
). I notice that whenever something doesn’t work as I think it should (!) I get annoyed and my fingers are quick to type things that should have been typed a bit slower or even not at all. Quite a few of my posts on this forum became redundant over time all by themselves because it turned out a problem really wasn’t a problem or it was solved automatically (but not always