The Last Moderation Discussion thread of 2023

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In the context of MMO's a Twink is a low level character whose player also has a high level character with so much shit saved that they can outfit the Twink always in the best gear available.

If someone calls gay men Twinks that's the first I've heard about it.
I've heard it used in a tabletop gaming context too, referring to optimizers/powergamers, and also to metagaming. Also MUSH/MUD communities use it to refer to people who worry about being OP.

But in gay culture it refers to a trim young dude mostly without body hair. As opposed to a bear, which is a big burly dude with lots of body hair. Simple as.

It's much older than mmo gaming in the gay culture, I first heard it around the start of the 1980's. I've also been a big online multiplayer gamer since the start of the 1990's. The term as used by mmorpg players I didn't to run across until the early 00's and made me seriously laugh every time someone used it at the time. I still internally chuckle when I'm playing an mmorpg and someone uses it. Google the term along with gay slang and you can read the definition. I'm on my tablet and don't feel like doing that much more finger typing. Lol
I'm pretty sure the term rose in the gay community and in the gaming community within a few years of each other. It's got a lot of meanings.
 
Eh, while twink is a pretty neutral term with in the gay community, it is sometimes used as a slur outside of it, usually to imply that a guy isn't very manly or macho.



It reminds me somewhat of metalheads adopting the biker aesthetic while being hilariously unaware of why Rob Halford was rocking that look.
lol, yeah that one always tickled me.
 
Eh, while twink is a pretty neutral term with in the gay community, it is sometimes used as a slur outside of it, usually to imply that a guy isn't very manly or macho.
The entire reclaiming thing and who gets to use particular words and for whom is really fucking complex. Maybe queer folk do come down a bit too hard on cis folk deliberately using a queer term as a slur against other people, but that's nothing compared to how badly queer folk come down on other queer folk for making an innocent mistake when using a given word for themselves.
 
The entire reclaiming thing and who gets to use particular words and for whom is really fucking complex. Maybe queer folk do come down a bit too hard on cis folk deliberately using a queer term as a slur against other people, but that's nothing compared to how badly queer folk come down on other queer folk for making an innocent mistake when using a given word for themselves.

I just keep euphemisms between me and my friends these days, where I know they know that even if I get something wrong, it's not done out of any sort of maliciousness.
 
The entire reclaiming thing and who gets to use particular words and for whom is really fucking complex. Maybe queer folk do come down a bit too hard on cis folk deliberately using a queer term as a slur against other people, but that's nothing compared to how badly queer folk come down on other queer folk for making an innocent mistake when using a given word for themselves.
International boards make things even more complex.

Even when we're not talking about slurs, I instinctively know the difference between "mate" as a sign of friendliness and "mate" as a warning to shut the fuck up or get punched, but I couldn't explain the details.
 
I just keep euphemisms between me and my friends these days, where I know they know that even if I get something wrong, it's not done out of any sort of maliciousness.
This. Everything feels so fluid anymore that I dread the stumble to the point of being what feels like mentally frozen. This is coming from someone whose been very outgoing, friendly and social most of his life. Now a days just the thought of being the person I used to be tends to makes me mentally fatigued. I've always thought of myself as empathic and always trying to understand and communicate well with others, it just feels so fraught with issues anymore that I'd rather watch a movie or read a book.
 
As a former extrovert, I admit that increased awareness has made me far more anxious and even paranoid about social interaction.

Hell, I never even used some of the outdated terms that have gotten red flags, but now I’m acutely aware of their presence, like land mines, and I’m ludicrously worried that I’ll slip up.

With friends it’s one thing. In a workplace, however… That’s why I avoid social events at work. Too stressful.
 
I find living by the rule 'don't be a dick' helps mitigate a lot of the confusion about what words are acceptable. If you're not a dick, most people will cut you some slack off should you make a faux pas.

Of course whether or not it's ok to call people a dick is a bit of a grey area.
 
International boards make things even more complex.

Even when we're not talking about slurs, I instinctively know the difference between "mate" as a sign of friendliness and "mate" as a warning to shut the fuck up or get punched, but I couldn't explain the details.

'Buddy' or 'pal' plays a similar role in old-fashioned American English, though 'buddy' has been hijacked as a term adults of a certain age use to address children. I'm not really clear on what that certain age is, only that I'm older than it.
 
'Buddy' or 'pal' plays a similar role in old-fashioned American English, though 'buddy' has been hijacked as a term adults of a certain age use to address children. I'm not really clear on what that certain age is, only that I'm older than it.
The C word can fufill a similiar role in Scotland, although I'd advise leaving that one to trained professionals.
 
I find living by the rule 'don't be a dick' helps mitigate a lot of the confusion about what words are acceptable. If you're not a dick, most people will cut you some slack off should you make a faux pas
I recently used the word “lame” in a discussion then immediately froze up and started to feel anxiety because I remembered that this was considered a very ableist and rude term (in our workplace DEI training). I wasn’t being a dick, I was commiserating with another person’s anecdote (“ah man, sorry to hear that! Bureaucratic process X is so lame!”).

So it isn’t always about being a dick.
 
I recently used the word “lame” in a discussion then immediately froze up and started to feel anxiety because I remembered that this was considered a very ableist and rude term (in our workplace DEI training). I wasn’t being a dick, I was commiserating with another person’s anecdote (“ah man, sorry to hear that! Bureaucratic process X is so lame!”).

So it isn’t always about being a dick.
But you aren't (or weren't) a dick - you considered your actions in context and were reflective.
 
Was there a chatbot posting on the forum earlier? A new member was posting coherent yet oddly… robotic content and then they vanished. Was that AI?
 
I recently used the word “lame” in a discussion then immediately froze up and started to feel anxiety because I remembered that this was considered a very ableist and rude term (in our workplace DEI training). I wasn’t being a dick, I was commiserating with another person’s anecdote (“ah man, sorry to hear that! Bureaucratic process X is so lame!”).

So it isn’t always about being a dick.
It’s a common use term, a definition in the O.E.D. and you used it correctly.
 
Eh, while twink is a pretty neutral term with in the gay community, it is sometimes used as a slur outside of it, usually to imply that a guy isn't very manly or macho.



It reminds me somewhat of metalheads adopting the biker aesthetic while being hilariously unaware of why Rob Halford was rocking that look.
I remember that! Apparently the whole post-apocalyptic=biker equation (which is enough of a trope it shows up in a Spongebob movie) came from Norma Moriceau's costume design for Mad Max 2--she wanted to make the bad guys look imposing and dangerous.

It is weird how these crossovers between subcultures emerge--was it a gay gamer who brought 'twink' into gaming? Does anyone know? It's funny to see the rise of the X-card, which is obviously a safeword...Kult even has a version of the stoplight system...
 
It is weird how these crossovers between subcultures emerge--was it a gay gamer who brought 'twink' into gaming? Does anyone know? It's funny to see the rise of the X-card, which is obviously a safeword...Kult even has a version of the stoplight system...
They're genuinely good tools for expressing discomfort in social situations, and it bugs me when people rubbish or try to discard them simply due to their origins.
 
They're genuinely good tools for expressing discomfort in social situations, and it bugs me when people rubbish or try to discard them simply due to their origins.
Oh, I wasn't picking on them, they're a useful innovation!

It's just that the thought of someone going 'red' when something gross happens in an RPG makes me chuckle for...ah...personal reasons I really shouldn't share as a newbie.

But that doesn't mean it's not a good tool for people dealing with 'edgy' situations in RPGs, particularly in horror games which are supposed to push people's buttons to some degree.
 
They're genuinely good tools for expressing discomfort in social situations, and it bugs me when people rubbish or try to discard them simply due to their origins.
Agreed, I can think of a few situations from my past when such tools would have been helpful.
 
It's just that the thought of someone going 'red' when something gross happens in an RPG makes me chuckle for...ah...personal reasons I really shouldn't share as a newbie.
I suspect a number of folks would get the reference :smile:
 
They're genuinely good tools for expressing discomfort in social situations, and it bugs me when people rubbish or try to discard them simply due to their origins.
They’re not rubbish because of their origins… :hehe:
 
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