I'm not sure what a "Tipper" is, but I'm content being an Eric, thank you very much.
That's a good question. First a joke is posted, where the humor involves the facts that "beech" sounds
almost like that word for a female dog and "birch" looks
almost like that word. Putting that word into the phrase "son of a beech" or "son of a birch" gives them a completely different, and derogatory, meaning. Also, the word "ash" sounds
almost like that word for buttocks and "pecker" is slang for a part of human anatomy. Putting those words into that last sentence and you've got something most parents would object to having their 12 year old read. Making those substitutions was the point of the joke, and we all know it.
Then, someone posts a strongly worded message about the joke being inappropriate for the minors who read this forum.
The response? A veiled threat. While the threat wasn't intended to be taken too literally, it was intended to intimidate (and intimidate a minor, at that).
Then someone points out that there was nothing wrong with the language. While that is literally true (nothing's wrong with the words "beech," "birch," "ash," "pecker"), the only way of taking the OP as a joke is by making the substitutions I mentioned above. There are a lot of jokes that play on words like this, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that a 12 year old can figure it out. The intent of phrases like "there was absolutely nothing wrong with the language" and "There's nothing at all wrong here from the point of what you're saying" is to make someone feel like they're wrong and, so, intimidate them. That joke is all about sexual innuendo (and we all know it), so attempting to defend it based on the actual words is simply an attempt to deceive.
That post then goes on to use phrases like "You have the choice of leaving," "[m]aybe you could go to a pokemon site," "[t]his is Stardock's forum, not yours," "What would I do? Say wood[censored]?," and "Grow up. There's nothing at all wrong here from the point of what you're saying." Again, those are all literally true, but their intent is to intimidate someone into being quiet or, worse, leaving.
So, yes, your question is a good one.
What is with
me? I saw attempts to belittle and intimidate someone who was doing the right thing (and someone who's a minor, at that). I stood up to encouraged them, and let them know that they're right.
This forum is for the video game Galactic Civilizations 2 (which isn't rated for adults only, or even 17+). When I saw the headline, I thought you'd found an Easter egg in the game, or maybe some way of triggering an amusing bug. I didn't expect to find a bad joke.
Evil Stormbringer, you made a mistake. That's not the kind of joke that should have been posted here, and you know it. Someone publicly pointed this out, and in strong language, to boot. The appropriate response would have been to apologize and ask StarDock to delete the thread.
Eric
