Reformation of Chat Filtration

[TechyUniverse]

(Note: Unfiltered profanities marked with "*"; Research was done. P.S. This took days to write, so if any staff members are reading this, please take time to go over everything I wrote after this. Thanks!)
-TechyUniverse
Before I get to any details, I understand the essential aspect of the filtration system. It's to prevent vulgar words from being used in chat in discriminatory and/or generally offensive ways. However, I find some hypocrisy within this system. I see moderators warning and muting others for using such a word that typically isn't used in an offensive manner. This word is the "f word". In chat, words like "*ass" and "*shit" are allowed, which in many other people's eyes are seen as very similar words behind the category of profanity. The "f word" falls in this same category. Subsequent to consulting a moderator on the matter, I was told that the "f word" is looked at as more of an offensive word, or a slur, than a word that may be used as a simple exclamation to express anger, disbelief, shock, etc. I asked others around the server and my most common answer was that the f word is used mostly as an exclamation. To further back up this claim, I did some research and found a more descriptive way to explain how the f word is used. Quote, "The f-word can be a very hurtful, offensive, mean, and/or vulgar word. However, in adults' conversations and certain situations, it can serve as comic relief, a colorful method of expressing frustration, surprise, astonishment, and friendly exclamation amongst many other things." (source: en.wikipedia.org) The phrase "can be" is very strong in the first sentence of this quote. Apply it to any other profanity word that isn't filtered in chat, such as *shit, *ass, etc. They CAN BE offensive. Staff in chat moderate these words being used, making sure they are not being used in a harmful manner. I don't see why moderators can't do the same for the f word. If it is being used in a mean way then that person would be told to be appropriate or would receive a warning. If the word is being used accordingly, merely being used as an exclamation or to put emphasis on a word, then it is being used appropriately. Also, in this quote, it exclusively described the word being used in "adult conversations". This implies that if the f word is ONLY used in a mature fashion, then it shouldn't be remotely offensive. This all boils down to it being moderated in chat by active moderators, just as any other curse word is treated. I did some more research and found another response to the chat filtration system made by a staff member. SrMod Hallowqueen states, "If you’re swearing to attack someone, that’s not okay, but if you’re swearing just for the sake of it, and aren’t meaning any harm or breaking any rules, that’s fine. If you don’t wish to see someone swearing, even if they’re doing it within the rules, you can /ignore them to prevent any altercations." (source: https://manacube.com/threads/new-word-filter.46241/#post-140907) With this, I can confidently conclude this debate. There shouldn't be any reason why moderators across Manacube cannot restraint players from using the f word in a derogatory style. This word should be allowed to be used by everyone across the platform as long as they are following Manacubes guidelines. If you are a staff member reading this right now, I request that you respond to this message thoroughly as I would very much appreciate an answer! Thank you for your time.

 

[ibes1508]

is it rly that hard to type "ah crap" instead of "ah f-word", it just adds to the list of stuff mods have to worry about. Also having to look at each situation deciding wether it was meant in a hurtful manner or as a "simple exclamation to express anger, disbelief, shock, etc." would add to the chaos.

This is now more based on personal experience on Manacube but I mainly see the f-word being used to cuss someone out. Since "shit", "crap" or even "wtf/tf" are allowed to express above stated emotions, people tend to automatically resort to those. (At the very last after being warned by players or staff to not use the f-word)

And yes, the f-word is also a swear word that can be put into the same catagory as "shit" "ass" etc. however since this server is mainly PG 13 the same rules as in movies, music etc. were applied and by todays standard the f-word holds a more aggresive and hurtful role - therefore is not considered a "light" or "mild" swear word.
>"hard" swear word: "that F-word-er killed me" is forbidden,
>"light" swear word: "that ass killed me" is allowed
theres a different weight to these words.

Going into this quote:
- Yes, it is and can be used in alot of very hurtful offensive etc. ways AND
- Yes, it can be used in a friendly manner to express said emotions.

The deciding point for me is the "In adults' conversations"
- Manacubes playerbase ranges across LITERALLY all ages therefore chat is home to many different topics and conversations.
- To make this a safe place for everyone we have to keep all conversations withing the server rules -> even light swearing can be punished if used to attack someone or a certain group. (Keeping it PG 13, not 100% family friendly) -context matters, like u stated below!
- The public chat of this server is mostly not home to "adult conversations" since there is always a younger playerbase reading and writing with us.

Completely agree, all swear words are already being moderated, why not the f-word. Do have to point some things out tho:

1. : Some players literally dont read the server rules. I cannot keep count how often someone would write the f-word (gets filtered), retype it to filter evade and then say "why is it filtered" just to be told that its against the rules and that filter evading also will be punished.

- Having it filtered just helps auto-moderating the server to keep it PG 13 in case someone types it not knowing the rules. That only works if they realise and dont filter evade afterwards ofc.

2. : For the f-word to be used accordingly there would have to be a new rule-set and it would definitely bring more confusion to where exactly the "line" of whats allowed and whats forbidden lays.

-Example:
> "that was f-word-ing awesome" would be allowed, "u are f-word-ing stupid" would be forbidden.
Both cases emphasize a word. One is positive, one negative.
However, even the positive one is currently being filtered simply cause of the PG 13 state of the server.

> "I lost my SVA, F-word", currently auto-filtered. Why not use "I lost my SVA, crap". Yes "crap" does not have the same impact as the f-word, but it still brings ur frustration across while maybe also limiting ur own rage and stopping u from going on a swear word rampage. (yes this does RARELY happen ingame, apart from new players just joining to spam the n-word and stuff - we´ve all seen it)

It all comes down to how mature the person behind the pc is which is completely out of Manas control, therefore they limit the amount of "damage" u can cause by auto-moderating certain swear words since its impossible for mods to be on 24/7 instantly muting anyone who abuses an allowed swear word.
While /ignore keeps those messages away from you it still disturbs the general flow of chat. (this is mainly for the argument against people just spamming hateful stuff, not against a regulated swear word being used according to rules but to ur dismay)

Unless Manacube goes PG 16 a certain amount of automated moderation and filtering is needed to keep it a safe place for everyone. Maybe we can one day get a regulated use of the f-word, just like "shit" and "crap" but untill then people will just have to not say it.

Loved ur text, very well written. My 4am brain cannot compete.
~Ibes

 

[sophiaaah <3]

mad cause bad

 

[TechyUniverse]

I completely agree with your statement that "crap" is a more "PG-13" friendly version of the f word. However, here in America, we have fairly different rating systems compared to other countries, and vice versa. In America, the f word is categorized as PG-13 as well.

So if what you're saying implies that Manacube's filtration system is commonly based on what is and isn't allowed under the PG-13 category is true, then it doesn't apply to all countries across the board.
Considering that ManaCube as a server is hosted in the USA, it would be safe to say that the chat filtration system would be, in this case, based on the American rating system.
Concerning what you mentioned earlier in your message about adding a new word to moderate in chat would add to the stress that moderators already endure... I agree that it may cause more stress in certain situations. But as I said, it all boils down to chat moderation. One word adding onto the MULTIPLE words they already moderate on a daily basis wouldn't cause much of a change. Each profanity word in chat can and is used in offensive means. These matters are handled very often, and there is no changing that problem unless Manacube decides to go completely PG. However, I highly doubt they will do that. Furthermore, I do think that removing the filtration of the f-word would cause problems, but it would cause fewer problems as are caused now with it being filtered. People bypass the f-word EXTREMELY frequently, and moderators have to deal with it regardless. Having it unfiltered would allow for less stress of people bypassing, but just like everything else, it would come with some issues. Nothing is perfect, so the occurrence of problems is bound to happen regardless of the situation or what circumstances are in place.
Also, using the f-word to put emphasis on a word that would result in being offensive would completely violate Manacube's rules. I included in my message that if the word is being used in a way that remotely violated Manacube's guidelines, then they should be punished accordingly.
Moreover, I am aware of the large age range of players on Manacube. There are younglings and oldlings all across Manacube. However, looping back to what I said previously, all age groups use swear words appropriately and inappropriately. There are young and older people who come on Manacube just to spam slurs and cause pandemonium in chat. On the contrary, there are young and older people who come on to be respectful of Manacube's rules, speak appropriately to others and mods, et cetera. I don't really see a middle ground.

I appreciate your feedback and response!
-TechyUniverse

 

[mister_fawkes]

"One word adding onto the MULTIPLE words they already moderate on a daily basis wouldn't cause much of a change. Each profanity word in chat can and is used in offensive means".

Brother i think you miss the whole point of chat moderation. I can say something offensive without using any profanity and I'll still get muted. It's the content of what you say that matters.

Side note: manacube is hosted in Canada

 

[sophiaaah <3]

Manacube has been around for several years and the filter has changed several times to accommodate the player base. If they thought the word was okay to be used, it wouldn't have been filtered out. As said by Ex SrMod. " Its about making it a safe space for players of all ages. The chat filters are made more to help the community than hurt the community, its not about a power trip or restricting freedom of speech, its just about making it better for players in the community. yeah. and also no one wants to play on a super hostile server where people are swearing back and forth at eachother. Its not just about player appeal, it is also about making staff jobs easier without being overwhelmed" As others have said aswell, you dont just get muted for saying bad words, you can also get muted for the context of what you're saying. Previously before you got muted for bypassing the F word, you made a rather uncomfortable comment towards a staff and that resulted in a warning, after several warnings you got a mute for bypassing, eitherway if you're breaking the rules you're going to get warnings and eventually get muted regardless of the offense. "at the end of the day its minecraft and its not that deep" as said by same Ex SrMod

 

[Lofi]

cope seethe and mald

 

[trashthetic]

I completely agree with your statement that "crap" is a more "PG-13" friendly version of the f word. However, here in America, we have fairly different rating systems compared to other countries, and vice versa. In America, the f word is categorized as PG-13 as well.

got anything else?

 

[Lofi]

got anything else?

god bless the united states of America I love it here look at our lovely national flag

 

[sophiaaah <3]

>"light" swear word: "that ass killed me" is allowed

uhhh well i think if you said that, you'd get a warning or mute because typically if you're saying that, its in a gross context.

 

[sophiaaah <3]

(Note: Unfiltered profanities marked with "*"; Research was done. P.S. This took days to write, so if any staff members are reading this, please take time to go over everything I wrote after this. Thanks!)
-TechyUniverse
Before I get to any details, I understand the essential aspect of the filtration system. It's to prevent vulgar words from being used in chat in discriminatory and/or generally offensive ways. However, I find some hypocrisy within this system. I see moderators warning and muting others for using such a word that typically isn't used in an offensive manner. This word is the "f word". In chat, words like "*ass" and "*shit" are allowed, which in many other people's eyes are seen as very similar words behind the category of profanity. The "f word" falls in this same category. Subsequent to consulting a moderator on the matter, I was told that the "f word" is looked at as more of an offensive word, or a slur, than a word that may be used as a simple exclamation to express anger, disbelief, shock, etc. I asked others around the server and my most common answer was that the f word is used mostly as an exclamation. To further back up this claim, I did some research and found a more descriptive way to explain how the f word is used. Quote, "The f-word can be a very hurtful, offensive, mean, and/or vulgar word. However, in adults' conversations and certain situations, it can serve as comic relief, a colorful method of expressing frustration, surprise, astonishment, and friendly exclamation amongst many other things." (source: en.wikipedia.org) The phrase "can be" is very strong in the first sentence of this quote. Apply it to any other profanity word that isn't filtered in chat, such as *shit, *ass, etc. They CAN BE offensive. Staff in chat moderate these words being used, making sure they are not being used in a harmful manner. I don't see why moderators can't do the same for the f word. If it is being used in a mean way then that person would be told to be appropriate or would receive a warning. If the word is being used accordingly, merely being used as an exclamation or to put emphasis on a word, then it is being used appropriately. Also, in this quote, it exclusively described the word being used in "adult conversations". This implies that if the f word is ONLY used in a mature fashion, then it shouldn't be remotely offensive. This all boils down to it being moderated in chat by active moderators, just as any other curse word is treated. I did some more research and found another response to the chat filtration system made by a staff member. SrMod Hallowqueen states, "If you’re swearing to attack someone, that’s not okay, but if you’re swearing just for the sake of it, and aren’t meaning any harm or breaking any rules, that’s fine. If you don’t wish to see someone swearing, even if they’re doing it within the rules, you can /ignore them to prevent any altercations." (source: https://manacube.com/threads/new-word-filter.46241/#post-140907) With this, I can confidently conclude this debate. There shouldn't be any reason why moderators across Manacube cannot restraint players from using the f word in a derogatory style. This word should be allowed to be used by everyone across the platform as long as they are following Manacubes guidelines. If you are a staff member reading this right now, I request that you respond to this message thoroughly as I would very much appreciate an answer! Thank you for your time.

i also beg of you, please indent if you're gonna write long paragraphs like this, its hard to follow if its one big pile of words. reading it gave me a headache

 

[sophiaaah <3]

View attachment 61124

got anything else?

bro this is america, speak american

 

[BelenusHorror]

I don't think it should be unfiltered perse, but I don't know if they ever mentioned working on like a uncensor command where you can choose if you want words to be censored or not for your end only. Especially since the filter is a lil buggy at times, you'll be saying an entirely non-swear word then it'll completely censor it. Which is hilarious, but also kinda annoying lol.

 

[iAmBungee]

Filter needs to be reworked definitely to fix words/word strings that register as swear words.

For example you cannot say "as soon as" because the filter will detect it as filter bypassing and automatically censor it.

 

[BelenusHorror]

Filter needs to be reworked definitely to fix words/word strings that register as swear words.

For example you cannot say "as soon as" because the filter will detect it as filter bypassing and automatically censor it.

yes!!! This is the issue that needs fixed. Like i think I said something that was far from a swear word and it censored it and I spent the whole time tryna figure out what was censored

 

[Deleted member 147690]

(Note: Unfiltered profanities marked with "*"; Research was done. P.S. This took days to write, so if any staff members are reading this, please take time to go over everything I wrote after this. Thanks!)
-TechyUniverse
Before I get to any details, I understand the essential aspect of the filtration system. It's to prevent vulgar words from being used in chat in discriminatory and/or generally offensive ways. However, I find some hypocrisy within this system. I see moderators warning and muting others for using such a word that typically isn't used in an offensive manner. This word is the "f word". In chat, words like "*ass" and "*shit" are allowed, which in many other people's eyes are seen as very similar words behind the category of profanity. The "f word" falls in this same category. Subsequent to consulting a moderator on the matter, I was told that the "f word" is looked at as more of an offensive word, or a slur, than a word that may be used as a simple exclamation to express anger, disbelief, shock, etc. I asked others around the server and my most common answer was that the f word is used mostly as an exclamation. To further back up this claim, I did some research and found a more descriptive way to explain how the f word is used. Quote, "The f-word can be a very hurtful, offensive, mean, and/or vulgar word. However, in adults' conversations and certain situations, it can serve as comic relief, a colorful method of expressing frustration, surprise, astonishment, and friendly exclamation amongst many other things." (source: en.wikipedia.org) The phrase "can be" is very strong in the first sentence of this quote. Apply it to any other profanity word that isn't filtered in chat, such as *shit, *ass, etc. They CAN BE offensive. Staff in chat moderate these words being used, making sure they are not being used in a harmful manner. I don't see why moderators can't do the same for the f word. If it is being used in a mean way then that person would be told to be appropriate or would receive a warning. If the word is being used accordingly, merely being used as an exclamation or to put emphasis on a word, then it is being used appropriately. Also, in this quote, it exclusively described the word being used in "adult conversations". This implies that if the f word is ONLY used in a mature fashion, then it shouldn't be remotely offensive. This all boils down to it being moderated in chat by active moderators, just as any other curse word is treated. I did some more research and found another response to the chat filtration system made by a staff member. SrMod Hallowqueen states, "If you’re swearing to attack someone, that’s not okay, but if you’re swearing just for the sake of it, and aren’t meaning any harm or breaking any rules, that’s fine. If you don’t wish to see someone swearing, even if they’re doing it within the rules, you can /ignore them to prevent any altercations." (source: https://manacube.com/threads/new-word-filter.46241/#post-140907) With this, I can confidently conclude this debate. There shouldn't be any reason why moderators across Manacube cannot restraint players from using the f word in a derogatory style. This word should be allowed to be used by everyone across the platform as long as they are following Manacubes guidelines. If you are a staff member reading this right now, I request that you respond to this message thoroughly as I would very much appreciate an answer! Thank you for your time.

It was nice reading your perspective on this. In my opinion whatever the context, I don't think the "f-word" should be unfiltered and then moderated. As mentioned above by ibes1508, the ManaCube player-base has a pretty diverse age range. That being said, I don't think it would be healthy to see the younger proportion of players on ManaCube be given the affirmation that it is ok for them to incorporate the "f-word" in their vocabulary, just because adults are using it in chat in a mature manner. The chat needs to be moderated/filtered to a balanced degree so that all ages can safely play on mana; the "f-word" being unfiltered would break that balance. Although I doubt the filter will ever be perfect, I do strongly agree with iAmBungee that the filter needs to be looked at and tweaked as it does seem to be odd at times.

 

[sophiaaah <3]

Filter needs to be reworked definitely to fix words/word strings that register as swear words.

I mean, staff cant think of every single string of words possible with a hidden swear word so it'd take some effort and time to work on that which obviously means it wont be done as there are several other things that need to be fixed

 

[BelenusHorror]

That's why I suggested adding like a /swearblock or /sb command so you can disable it so at least to you yourself it's not censored

 

[sophiaaah <3]

That's why I suggested adding like a /swearblock or /sb command so you can disable it so at least to you yourself it's not censored

i mean, that wouldnt make sense to add that, the filter is there so people dont get aggresive or so it can appeal to all ages so you dont have a 10 year old seeing swear words. I've seen several younge players on the server and they aren't as good at figuring out commands and picking up on common sense which is pretty expected, i doubt they'd be asking how to turn off cuss words, i doubt their parents would try to figure it out too.

 

[BelenusHorror]

But see, it’d be there so people can choose to disable it. I’ve played on other servers where they’ve had it and there was never any issues, anyone who has issues doesn’t have to disable censor but those who want to have the option and anyone who still bypasses will still get in trouble