Can We Cut It Out With The Racy Avatars?

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Originally posted by fishface5

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool liberal (although some of my lefty friends might disagree) BUT the idea that others should be forced to change their behavior, rather than me exerting a little personal responsibility for my own circumstances by disabling the avatars - I find that to be fundamentally philosophically objectionable. :rolleyes:
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Damn Fishface5, that's exactly what I meant to say, only I got caught up with rambling and playing the devil's advocate :D
 
I think avatars are a reflection of a person's intelligence and maturity level!:D
 
Originally posted by RWS
I think avatars are a reflection of a person's intelligence and maturity level!:D
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Well, I guess we know were you stand!! lol :D
 
Furthermore I will not be suggesting this forum to much of anyone anymore. I am not in a habit of handing out used copies of Playboy or Hustler to schoolchildren, and I have to apply the same standard to this forum's visual appearance with current trends. I can change the visual appearance of the forum on my computer, at least until someone erases my cookies again, but have no control over anyone elses computer, nor do I desire to have that control
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That's pretty ridiculous, frankly. I'm 14. Most 14 year olds checking out knife forums would take your used Playboy and test the blade of a freshly sharpened SAK Explorer on it. The others would type some incoherent "XXX"-related search into a Google toolbar. I don't really think that ruining the schoolage demographic is so threatening to Spark that he's going to rule in your favor.

Sorry if I sound disrespectful, but you have an ultimatum:

1) Turn off your avatar option.
2) Leave your avatar options on and hope those "awful" pictures don't turn your kids into a bunch of sex-crazed, scarred children.
3) Leave the forum.

It's of no consequence to us, who care more about Becker's, SAK's, Gerbers, Spydies, and Sebbies than cleavage.

It's that simple.
 
1) Turn off your avatar option.
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Hello? Is nobody listening? I'll say it again: Turning avatars off only works for registered members. Therefore, it DOES NOT address a significant portion of the objection to these avatars. Turning avatars off IS NOT a viable solution. Stop offering it as such.
 
3) Leave the forum.
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This is a knife-discussion forum. People who want to discuss knives shouldn't have to leave or restrict their participation just because of a totally-non-knife-related issue.


Allow me to suggest option #4: take the scantily-clad women avatars to a more appropriate forum.
 
Okay. Here's how I see it. I have not see any full nudity so I don't know what the big deal is. Those who have a problem with the current avatars need to open up their eyes. Ever see a giant half naked woman in her underwear on a giant bill board when you're driving down the road? I HAVE!! Especially in NYC, there are half naked women posted up everywhere for every child to see! The same thing is on my TV! Like Victoria Secret ads! OMG! They are worse than what I see here with all that jiggling!

Then there's the mall, anyone ban their kids from the mall because they might see a half naked model on a giant poster in the window of every clothing store?!?!

GET REAL PEOPLE!
 
Let me suggest option #5:

Remove avatars of balding, pony-tailed Music Directors. I find them offensive.

:p :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by Gollnick
Hello? Is nobody listening? I'll say it again: Turning avatars off only works for registered members. Therefore, it DOES NOT address a significant portion of the objection to these avatars. Turning avatars off IS NOT a viable solution. Stop offering it as such.
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Simple fix. Have Spark set the system settings so that Basic members DO NOT see avatars. I think that's within the bounds of the vBulletin software.
Originally posted by Gollnick This is a knife-discussion forum. People who want to discuss knives shouldn't have to leave or restrict their participation just because of a totally-non-knife-related issue.
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It's only an issue if you refuse to turn off the view avatar feature. Since the racy avatars are within the bounds of proper conduct for the forum, the owness is on you to be more acceptable to the extreme displays of someone's personality.
Originally posted by Gollnick
Allow me to suggest option #4: take the scantily-clad women avatars to a more appropriate forum.
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That's a more drastic restriction of liberties. By what measure do you define "appropriate"? How would you enforce it?

Allow me to suggest Option #5: Create a Family Discussion Forum within Bladeforums. Anyone that posts in there with a racy avatar would be guilty of gross disrespect, and I would have no issues with coming down on the guilty party.
 
Originally posted by Gollnick
Hello? Is nobody listening? I'll say it again: Turning avatars off only works for registered members. Therefore, it DOES NOT address a significant portion of the objection to these avatars. Turning avatars off IS NOT a viable solution. Stop offering it as such.
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It is viable, dadgummit!! All of the non-registered viewers of this forum that you want to placate need to register and then they can DISABLE the avatars for themselves! They get a double whammy benefit out of registering!

I feel like I'm taking a crazy pill here!
 
Hey, if you look at the forums enough to worry about the avatars, register.

Also, this is a medium of conversation. People have freedom of speech, and if you don't like it you can leave. This is non-knife related, and I hate having this thing go on. This is a knife forum, people shouldn't have to endure these heinous threads. If you don't want to register, put up with a few members with avatars that you don't like.

Why did this have to become so important? It's so, so incredibly trivial.

I wish people could mature and accept that people can have whatever avatars that they want within forum rules, and that if you don't like it, you have alternatives. And by that, I don't mean starting a thread about this. I hate to think that the creation of this caused a real thread to be pushed off the last page and out into nothingness.

Rest in Peace, whatever thread was murdered today. :(
 
It's only an issue if you refuse to turn off the view avatar feature.
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Again...

and again and again and again and again and again and and again and again:

Turning avatars off only works for registered members. Therefore, it DOES NOT address a significant portion of the objection to these avatars. Turning avatars off IS NOT a viable solution. Please stop offering it as such.


The objection is that seeing these avatars will discourage people who might otherwise register and contribute to our discussions.

The objection is that people who come here with pre-conceived stereotypes about knife knuts and the knife community will only have those stereotypes quickly reinforced by seeing such avatars. There's an old saying, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression."
 
Originally posted by Gollnick
Again...

and again and again and again and again and again and and again and again:

Turning avatars off only works for registered members. Therefore, it DOES NOT address a significant portion of the objection to these avatars. Turning avatars off IS NOT a viable solution. Please stop offering it as such.
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See my edited/corrected post above, and RWS very logical argument for doing so.
Originally posted by Gollnick
The objection is that seeing these avatars will discourage people who might otherwise register and contribute to our discussions.
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Which is resolved by turning avatars off for all but registered members. Then they can have the choice of keeping it on, or not.
Originally posted by Gollnick
The objection is that people who come here with pre-conceived stereotypes about knife knuts and the knife community will only have those stereotypes quickly reinforced by seeing such avatars. There's an old saying, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression."
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And once we remove the avatar to those people, they can never make the mistake of being influenced by something that's not there.

Besides, anyone that judges me on what avatar I use (which can be changed at whim and gets carried across to all my previous posts), and not judge me by what I contribute in terms of my postings is not someone who's judgement I would respect anyway.
 
Simple fix. Have Spark set the system settings so that Basic members DO NOT see avatars. I think that's within the bounds of the vBulletin software.
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Ah! Enter stage right: a constructive suggestion! (We haven't had one of those in this thread in a long time.)

IF Spark could do that, it certainly would elliminate this objection, wouldn't it?
 
Posted by Gollnick:

Hello? Is nobody listening? I'll say it again:
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Hellooooooooooooo. . .I wasn't listening. I was reading it. ;)



Posted by Gollnick:

Turning avatars off only works for registered members.
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Then the un-registered members need to register. It's fairly simple. . .once registered. . .they can hit the off button.




Posted by Gollnick:

Turning avatars off only works for registered members. Therefore, it DOES NOT address a significant portion of the objection to these avatars.
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I would be very curious as to the number count. . .of un-registered members. . .who have made complaints about the avatars.


And I'm not from the "Show Me" State of Missouri.

But show me anyway. :)
 
I'd rather have Spark eliminate this thread. I'd also like to eliminate a few people right now.

Get over it.

Egh. Can we talk about knives again, like the old days? Before the censors?
 
Originally posted by NeedleRemorse
Why did this have to become so important? It's so, so incredibly trivial.
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The reason this thread lives on in misery is that the central issue is not really about the avatars. It's about those supporting freedom of expression vs. those who feel the need to censure.

That my friend, will give a thread life in any forum. I belong to a few political boards and threads like this one are common. They reflect people's philosophies and attitudes on freedoms which are under attack from many sides.
 
Murnax had the idea first, and I like it:

"I don't know much about the software, but is it possible to reverse the avatar default from where it is now. This way, avatars would default off, and unregistered users would not see them. All of us registered members who like avatars could then turn them on and it would appear just as it does now. Can this be done? Is this a satisfactory solution if it can?"

Then TonyCCW echoed it.

I like it. Can it be done?


Anyways...

WHERE'S MY ARMED ROSIE AVATAR?

Make her scantily clad and holding a POS knockoff! Please? :)

Chuck could go for a scantily clad Hillary Clinton avatar.

Together we could make others see things our way! :p

Karl
 
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