Friends: I want to make an observation about something I've noticed a little too often lately. "Anyone who doesn't lotto is gay," "you're gay, dude," and various other uses of the word "gay" as an insult -- or the word "fag." (sorry, mods, this won't make sense unless I include that word.) Many of the players on here are young, and I think many of you haven't yet learned how damaging that kind of thing can be. Life can be very difficult for young gays/lesbians, because many are brought up in homes or communities where they are taught that who they are is wrong or worthless. They didn't choose to be who they are, and there is still a higher rate of suicide and depression among gay youth than the general population. Often, for a kid coming to terms with who he or she is, and living in an unkind home or community or part of the country or world, having a safe place to escape to is so important to their well-being. More important than you can quite grasp. It can be a little spark of brightness in a hostile world. A kid who feels that way about this server could be anyone you are playing with, or anyone listening to any chat channel. A kid who is scared at home, or bullied at school, or just plain depressed -- but they can come on here and stack little blocks or play sg or mine and feel that they belong, that they're among friends, that they are in a safe place. They're not going to complain when they hear someone called a "fag" or something like that -- they're just going to hurt, and they're going to feel unwelcome, and you'll never know that you did that to them. Because they're not going to tell you, and they might not come back. And you don't know what the rest of their life is like, and maybe you just broke something for them in a way you'll never understand. When you want to throw out an insult in good fun, find a different one. It's not like this server isn't full of players creatively insulting each other all the time, and it is fun. We have a million ways to make fun of each other -- use the other 999,999. Thank you for reading.
This. Yes. I actually know a few people IRL who are gay, and does that matter to me? No. They're just people, in fact quite nice ones. I can't stand when people use "gay" as an insult. Another one is "retard" - Can't stand when people say "bluh bluh bluh this certain thing is retarded."
This thread is so 12-year-old-with-no-social-skills-that-doesn't-know-any-other-adjectives-other-than-gay-and-retarded
It's as simple as this: Don't call people names they don't want to be called (gay and retarted) Don't make fun of gay or autistic people for how they are. Don't bully.
Don't be a jackass, have common sense, don't be a bully, and you won't need to get banned or hated by everybody. Really, nowadays I have no idea how gay is an insult anymore. Accept it, because being gay is only going to get even more accepted in the world. Didn't Ireland just pass a law allowing gay marriage by popular vote? Don't hate on people because they don't want to be with the opposite gender. After all, it is just a game and it's not like they can actually physically do anything that a homophobic person might find "offensive", so there's no point on hating em. Enjoy the game people, and don't be pricks.
I completely agree with you Jmichael, and I am for LGBT Rights. Using terms like this, can be very hurtful to many groups of players, and tears apart the community. It isn't right to use Sexual Orientation as an insult nor anything else then insults groups of people.
I'm actually very disappointed to hear that Staff aren't moderating this in-game. They used to, and it's even in the rules that you can't use words like gay as an insult or in a demeaning/degrading manner. Unless that was removed, in which case... that's even more upsetting. It's nice to see that someone is bringing up the issue publicly. Orientation, gender, and all forms of identity should never be used negatively. People go to the internet, especially games like Minecraft, to find a safe haven and place to be happy. If people are using these words negatively, that completely makes a place unwelcoming, unfriendly, and even dangerous. :/
I completely agree with your point @jmichael214. I personally use Eco City Craft to escape certain issues from my family/school life and am all for gay/lesbian rights. I believe that the use of these words in a homophobic manor can be both damaging and hurting to people that may feel this way about themselves. No one has the right to make another person feel worthless and I think some people need to understand this. How would you feel?
To clarify: a situation did come up last night with a player, but staff did bring the hammer down on him. I don't want anyone to think that I brought this up because staff wouldn't address it. It's just that the player really went overboard trying to argue that this was OK, which is what got me thinking, and led to the post. I really think that most players who would talk like this really ARE only 12 or 13, and they really don't understand. That's why I posted, not because I was in any way disappointed in the staff response.
Though I do not necessarily agree with your ideological and moral values, I do agree with what you say. There is no reason to demoralize someone by insulting them through the terms aforementioned. You don't need to say "blah blah blah" to them, just leave them alone.
Everyone has the right to their own views, as long as they're polite about them. I would appreciate it, if you do get into that debate, that you not do it here.
Very true right there PS. Yeah, I wouldn't want to get into a debate here. Don't want this thread to be locked by the mods, as I like this thread.
