Inappropriate topics

[Starrgurl]

Ok, when I first joined this forum I didn't quite understand the rules, but now I think I'm starting to catch on to what's appropriate and what's not. From what I understand so far, no swearing, no bashing, no references to illegal activity, and nothing sexual or suggestive. But I also saw a bulletin that said sexual preferences were inappropriate. Does this mean sexual references? Because that I've gotten down. But so far discussing my orientation seems to be ok with everybody and I don't see why it would be prohibited.
And is there anything else I shouldn't talk about? Just trying to comprehend exactly what the rules are... no offense but the rules listed in Forum Decorum were a bit hard to understand.

[flags]

Just be nice.

[OldFatGuy]

Ok, when I first joined this forum I didn't quite understand the rules, but now I think I'm starting to catch on to what's appropriate and what's not. From what I understand so far, no swearing, no bashing, no references to illegal activity, and nothing sexual or suggestive. But I also saw a bulletin that said sexual preferences were inappropriate. Does this mean sexual references? Because that I've gotten down. But so far discussing my orientation seems to be ok with everybody and I don't see why it would be prohibited.
And is there anything else I shouldn't talk about? Just trying to comprehend exactly what the rules are... no offense but the rules listed in Forum Decorum were a bit hard to understand.

You’ve asked a good, honest question in an honorable manner, and I’m going to show you the respect you deserve and answer it honestly, to the best of my ability.  But it’s not going to be short, so hang in there.

You know what I love about this forum environment?  I love the fact that we’re all blind and completely equal here.  I’ve spent my entire adult life hoping to see the day when we could stop using labels to define people.  As a society, I think we’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have a long road ahead of us.  This forum is one place where nobody is black or white, rich or poor, Jew or gentile, attractive or homely, fat or thin.  (Okay, at least one of us is Fat - with a capital F.  It’s part of my image.)  We’re on equal ground here, and we’re all here for the same good reason.  We share a mutual love and respect for the world of Celtic Woman.  We have them to thank for bringing together a diverse group of fans, without regard for race, religious background, or any other “defining” characteristics.  Does your sexual orientation matter here?  Not one bit.  Am I going to complain if you say a particular woman is very pretty and you’re very attracted to her?  Nope.  Most of the guys here have posted (or, at least, thought about posting) similar sentiments.  Am I going to complain if you post about dreaming of walking into a room and seeing one of the CW ladies lying nude on a waterbed?  You bet I am, and I honestly don’t care whether you’re male of female, gay or straight.  I would not allow anyone to put up such a post.

Starrgurl, I am delighted that you found this forum, and I hope you stick around for a very long time.  I find your posts to be interesting, insightful and fun to read.  And you’re right; I don’t believe your orientation matters to anyone here.  Once or twice you’ve gone a little overboard defining yourself as gay.  But people who are “different” in any way often become defensive in our society.  They sometimes get so accustomed to being ridiculed for their differences that they become aggressively different, as though they were challenging someone to make a discriminatory comment.  I can assure you that isn’t going to happen here.  You’re one of the gang.  Relax and enjoy it.

[Trouble]

I agree Rich!

xx Trouble

[MrPeabody]

Good answer, Rich.  And well said.

[Moscapoet]

No matter what I may or may not believe you're entitled to be the being that you are. This is about Celtic Woman and I for one share your love and that of everybody else here. Sialante!

[epicwolf]

I am kinda new here also so I always have to watch what i say and post. Its a lot harder for a guy coming from car scenes and sports scenes to adjust but so far its been easy for me  . Im used to AOL chat rooms and my car forum, and sports forums that Im a part of and this is not anything like those forums where you can say whatever you feel like besides cussing. This is a place where everybody is friendly and certious and helpful. I can never get mad here LOL. Besides, if you are out of line, there will be people telling you you're out of line on this forum. Its extremely protective. I almost got banned my first day because I asked how old a female was LOL.

[Sassy]

Well said Rich!  I also like the fact that we're not *defined* in here, we're all on equal footing. *S*

[Cash]

I have been censored a few times and thought "oh come on now, whats wrong with that?" because the posts didnt use bad language, didnt offend anyone, etc. Seems sometimes a hair trigger is used. But thats ok because:

1. Its tough to be a moderator. They have to use their discretion and someone will always think they should allow this or not allow that. But we should give them some slack, because someone has to make those decissions and be in charge. As in real life, we need an organizational chart, chain of command, whatever you wish to call it and someone has to maintain the objectives of the forum and prevent problems.

2. The objective of the forum is an important thing to consider. This is not really a debate / deep discussion forum, although certainly any forum has some degree of that. (yes maybe I am guilty of pushing the envelope here  )

3. I have seen little things end up becoming BIG trouble in forums or chat rooms. The mods seem to be aggressive at stopping such things. After all, the Celtic Woman concept is more about peace / relaxation etc. not getting people fired up , like college fight songs would. Although Mairead does tend to energize things a little bit.

[flags]

I have been censored a few times also but do understand why. This is not myspace or youtube but rather a soft place to land and spend some time.

[Kimberly AJ]

As I tried and I tried, I think I made up a list of the ages of the Celtic Woman ladies, but, that day on, it has been taken away for no reason. Is it good or bad?

[Moscapoet]

Why is somebody's age so protected? What is the big deal? I understand social security numbers, phone numbers, addresses, even sexual preferences, But age? Explain.

[OldFatGuy]

Why is somebody's age so protected? What is the big deal? I understand social security numbers, phone numbers, addresses, even sexual preferences, But age? Explain.

We remove those topics because several of the CW ladies have expressed their feeling that their age is a private matter.  Mairead, in fact, is quite outspoken about it.  She won't even discuss her age.  Since the ladies (and others from CW) do visit this forum, we choose to respect their privacy.

I can't understand why their ages are so important.  And I strongly suspect that the question would rarely come up if they were a group of men.  I used to watch the Irish Tenors on PBS when Ronan Tynan was still with them, and nobody ever inquired about their ages.

[Maggie]

Absolutely, Rich......I agree 100%.

It's a matter of respect.

[Méav_4EVER]

I agree that it is out of respect..  The only reason I ask the "age" question is because I am a vocal performance major who is still fairly young (22) and my voice has not "settled".  Meaning my higher range is fine but, middle and lower range are not as full as Méav's for example and as I get older my voice will settle and those parts of my voice will fill out.  I know a lot of singers in my situation tend to ask the age question because we hear a voice similar to ours that has settled and are curious as to how old the person is...it's kinda like the light at the end of a frustrating tunnel when we hear they are relatively close to our age.  For me it is more of an educational question than anything else... I hope this makes sense to some people.