So I came across reading a forum post titled '[Must Read] Forum Rules' yesterday.  And as given by the title itself, I took the time out of my busy NF schedual (whatever
that actually means.) to read this apparently 'direly important' post.  What happened next both baffled and infuriated me.

Apparently, someone has found a need to set up a totalarian regime in our forums, controlling everything from a to z about what we say and are able to do on the
forums of the game that we play and many of us 'pay' for extra things in.  Now, I of all people know the importance of keeping order within a system, but my friends, the
order of this forum has been replaced by a totalarian dictatorship that deletes and simply removes anything that they feel is 'offensive'.

Offensive?  No, children dying every day in Africa from starvation and disease is offensive.  This, there is 'nothing' offensive about it.  The internet is anonymous,
and vast, a symbol and beacon of the accomplishments of mankind in its efforts for technological advancement.  People fight, we talk down to each other, we flame each
other, but that is the way of men.  It's how it has always been, since the dawn of time and since the dawn of online gaming. 

Talking trash is a part of online gaming, like having a gun is to a soldier.  Without vocal debate, there would be no progress.  If no one ever challenged the status
quo, we'd still be using stone tools in caves.  The fact that some people may be 'offended' by it?  Tough luck.  You live in a world where it's seen everyday, and the
internet should be any different? 

There are people mature enough to talk trash and not be bothered by it, because after all, it's just the internet.  It has no impact on you or how you live your life.  To say that
people are 'hurt' by things said online... well, just where are you that you feel hurt by streams of 1's and 0's over a vast network of servers?

Sure, there are teens that have committed suicide because of what is called 'cyber bullying'.  I have another theory on that.  These are kids that needed help, but didn't
get the help from their parents that they needed.  It's always easy to point the finger at someone or something else.  Realistically, it's not what is said; it's how you allow
yourself to be affected by it.

If all these groups and companies began to realize that sure, gaming is fun; but there are competitive elements there also that take more aggressiveness; and simply leave
it run its course, it'd be better for everyone involved.  Sure, things may get heated at times, but that is the way things are.  They always have been that way, even in reality.

Yes, we understand the need for some level of control over what is said and done.  Some things are past the line to say, but they have gone beyond just punishing 'past the line'
They are punishing for things that are so far 'before the line', it's ridiculous.  When you slam the door on everything and everyone to truly express concerns and such the
way they themselves interpret them, you shut down the entire process.  People today aren't all 'politically correct'.  We don't all talk in old english with large vocabularies. 

Believe it or not, many people today, even older people, have extremely limited vocabularies when it comes to expressing things.  Swears and such have become a common
occurance, because it shows a 'powerful' emotion of dislike.  It is the simplest way to express how one feels.  People aren't all goody-two-shoes who know how to express
their feelings to a therapist and smell flowers.  Times are tough, people are tough.  You have to learn to communicate, or risk losing the connection to the community altogether.

In short, what I'm attempting to say is:

Relax.  The forum isn't going to sprawl into chaos and destruction just because you let a few geniune expressions of dislike slide.  Sometimes these expressions are even
understandable.  I've known more then a few 'staff' that have gotten very frusterated with something, but weren't permitted to really 'hit back' for it.  There is nothing wrong with
frusteration and anger, it's a natural human emotion.  It's simply the amount of control you show over it.  There shouldn't be posts with a swear in every sentence, but a few in
a genuine place won't hurt the balance and stability of the forum.  If anything, it may encourage more users to use the forum.

Seeing as the forums current status among the majority of players I've asked is: "Overmoderated and Useless"