Connie, there is no filter. If there were, probably we wouldn't be having this talk.

And I think the issue isn't quotation marks, but being rude when queried about them (and the query was so polite, it was phrased two different ways to ask what she meant).

This is sort of a broad question for me: at what point do we stop tolerating rudeness? And more to this circumstance, at what point do cumulative annoyances, never explained or apologized for, constitute a cumulatively intolerable situation? I'd like to hear others' thoughts about this, both in general and specific.

I'm going to differ a bit, here, because I keep seeing the same pattern over and over again.

1.) Zoe posts something more-or-less nonsensical.

2.) People cut her down, usually quite rudely.

3.) Zoe bites back, quite rudely.

4.) People then pile up on her, and screaming about her attitude.

You know what? If she annoys you, ignore her. But I think more than one person on this board has hit harder than she's given. Personally, I can't stand her ramblings. Hell, half the time I can't understand them. But people need to stop baiting her into fights that they KNOW will happen, because really, she's usually NOT the one starting the fights.

And that's all I've got to say. Hoping that MARCIE filter emerges someday.

This is sort of a broad question for me: at what point do we stop tolerating rudeness?

And that's the problem, honestly, because it's pretty difficult to pick a number.

Personally, I feel like the line was crossed a long time ago when she expressed the "gay/bi sex is ICKY!" opinion in Angel.

Connie, there is no filter. If there were, probably we wouldn't be having this talk.

I think she meant over at PeoplesForum.

Connie, it's not the quotation marks (or misspellings, because heaven knows I can't spell things). It's the repeated snotty tone whenever anyone asks her to clarify things and her refusal to give explanations or clarifications. I think that she's doing it deliberately, which is rude.

I agree that Zoe's snotty when challenged, and only semi-coherent much of the rest of the time. But I don't like the idea of warning her officially because I think it sets a bad precedent -- she's not, as far as I can tell, specifically outside board rules.

Also, I doubt she'd pay any more attention to a post with the "official" labels than she has to the 879 times an individual poster has called her on this. I think it's more a MARCIE question, frankly.

EDIT:

Also, this:

If she annoys you, ignore her. But I think more than one person on this board has hit harder than she's given. Personally, I can't stand her ramblings. Hell, half the time I can't understand them. But people need to stop baiting her into fights that they KNOW will happen, because really, she's usually NOT the one starting the fights.

There was a filter at People's Forum, and glancing through a couple of LJs of friends, it was clear it was being used and why. When we came back over here, I noticed a few people bemoaning not having the filter.

Yes, all backchannel, but illustrative of the feeling. Zoe has never struck me as anything but harmlessly clueless. She doesn't bother me at all, and if she gets a bit obscure I shrug and move on. I have never understood the depths of dislike she inspires. Yes, I read all the boards.

I don't think asking about punctuation is any more out of line than asking posters not to use "2 c001 4 sp3111ng" conventions for posting, which I have also seen people do.

I see Victor's pattern, except that I don't think step 2 is usually people cutting Zoe down quite rudely; I think it is usually people cutting her down with at least surface politeness. Sometimes this seems to me to be real politeness, and sometimes ... not.

[Edited because a sentence didn't make sense there. Sorry.]

I see Victor's pattern, except that I think people don't think step 2 is usually people cutting Zoe down quite rudely; I think it is usually people cutting her down with at least surface politeness. Sometimes this seems to me to be real politeness, and sometimes ... not.

I think it started as genuine politeness, but where we are running into problems is that, as many times as one may state DNFTEC, well, sometimes, even the sanest and most rational people fail to abide by that rule of thumb. So people are getting less and less polite about it, which is usually a sign that you are dealing with something that's An Issue.

This is sort of a broad question for me: at what point do we stop tolerating rudeness?

Yeah, and I don't know. I mean, when a person is called on stuff that really isn't that big a deal, but they continue to do it? I don't know.

You know what? If she annoys you, ignore her. But I think more than one person on this board has hit harder than she's given.

I totally agree with this. Frankly, I don't understand why Zoe is even still here, because a number of people have been really rude to her since day one. But, she apparently wants to stay. I have seen posts from her that seemed Warning-worthy, but never til later, I just don't necessarily think this latest thing is.

I think it is usually people cutting her down with at least surface politeness. Sometimes this seems to me to be real politeness, and sometimes ... not.

To put it bluntly, the word that occurred to me was not "politeness" but "set-up".

Yes, I'm annoyed. But this didn't have to become something officially recognized, it could have stayed backchannel. Now that it's open for comment, though, I'm gonna comment.