Started by Amanda Murphy26 · · 👁 8 views · 72 replies
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rustydrifter10 said:If you don't mind being played for a fool, I honestly can't understand why the rest of us are making such a fuss. 😬
Lisa Hernandez3 said:Personally, I find this whole thing a bit unnecessary—almost childish, if I'm being honest. It might fly on a dating app, but for an online forum? It feels out of place. Everything we can see right now—the avatar, location, signature—that all makes sense because it helps a user craft their persona. But making gender a primary identifier next to every post... it just feels like a categorization that has nothing to do with the actual discussions. Any confusion that arises is rare and, frankly, pretty irrelevant. In my experience, people occasionally misgender me, and I don't even bother reacting—it actually appeals to my more masculine side, I guess. When I'm talking to someone whose gender I'm unsure of (which doesn't happen much since I've been reading most of you long enough to know), I either use gender-neutral language or just check their profile. Highlighting gender so explicitly sends the message that it's a defining trait, implying that our writing somehow carries a specific gendered dimension—which isn't necessarily true. If they actually implement this, I'll probably be the first one to strip the gender from my own profile or just switch it to male. 😍
Nicholas King said:Does this forum even serve any other purpose whatsoever? I mean, seriously—is there actually any other point to being here? 😲😲😲
Off-topic: I honestly think that’s all quite unnecessary—in fact, if we were living in some sort of "idealized forum," even the usernames wouldn't matter at all. It should only be about the substance of what was said, rather than who exactly uttered it—though, I suppose, that would effectively strip away the whole "social networking" aspect of the site... which, as we all know, is the only reason this forum exists in the first place. 😁However, I’m not about to waste my breath playing the "just tell me why it would be a problem" game—because if we’re actually following that line of reasoning, then why wouldn't any other data from the Shakespearean list be an issue either?
Lisa Hernandez3 said:An "ideal" forum isn't actually that far off—some users are already "practicing" their writing and debating styles by adopting different genders or other (imaginary) traits. And it's true that questioning why it might be a problem is somewhat moot, since it really shouldn't matter; there are very few instances where not knowing someone's gender becomes a practical hurdle. Dating, if we're even talking about that, operates on entirely different principles and concepts anyway—it’s built on things much deeper than a quick exchange of posts or a specific gender identity. The only reason I think we should perhaps give this some thought is to account for younger users—if they make up the bulk of the community and feel they need that sense of identification, then maybe it makes sense for them.
boldjackal10 said:Blood type matters too.
Drug testing should be mandatory, just so everyone knows exactly where they stand right from the jump.
mellowraven22 said:Are we seriously starting this too? Especially you mods, just a heads up—you’re gonna be handing out plenty of warnings to yourselves first.
boldjackal10 said:Blood type matters too.
Drug testing should be mandatory, just so everyone knows exactly where they stand right from the jump.
Amanda Murphy26 said:I spend most of my time scrolling through the news sites and the Men's Club, and I’ve noticed there are a ton of posters where you can't tell if they're even male or female just by looking at their handle. It’s kind of a pain, honestly. I’ll be halfway through some massive wall of text, totally invested, and then I realize at the very end that I was actually reading some woman ramble on. Maybe they should just put their gender right under their username or something.
Morgan Rodriguez57 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about that... what actually matters to me is age. I need to know if I'm debating someone who hasn't even finished middle school yet or if I'm talking to an actual adult...
Matthew Anderson4 said:Don't see how that matters once you read what they wrote. 🤷 If they're talking nonsense, don't bother. But if someone actually knows their stuff, I couldn't care less if they're 12 or 52.
Morgan Rodriguez57 said:But it does matter... if we're talking about a kid, they aren't to blame—they just haven't had the chance to get an education yet, or read enough, or really learn how things work...
Samuel Morgan40 said:And what, exactly, do you expect them to provide—their actual birth year? I mean, how many people have claimed to be 30, only for some story to come out later revealing they were actually just 15?
Morgan Rodriguez57 said:The same thing goes for gender... 🙂