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Blog Post by Robert J. Schwalb
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<blockquote data-quote="dd.stevenson" data-source="post: 6329922" data-attributes="member: 6683099"><p>Saying that "they're edition warring" is a silencing tactic, with a semantic value usually equivalent to "they should shut up about this and each talk about games they like instead". Does this silencing serve a useful purpose? Yes, obviously, it was developed out of necessity to curb large scale antisocial behavior within the D&D internet comment sub-subculture. This was essential, because the anti-social behavior was rendering certain venues unfit for any other purpose.</p><p></p><p>But what does it mean when we take this term out of our sub-subculture and apply it (say) to a blogger who's comparing his design work on 4E to his work on 5E? In this context the term is stripped of all the uses it has in keeping messageboards and comment sections usable. It isn't telling him to stop acting antisocially. As far as I can tell, it's just another, messageboard-slangy way of saying he should shut up.</p><p></p><p>And maybe "shut up, if this is all you have to say about 4E" is exactly the message some people would like to deliver to Schwalb, or whomever. That's not really my lookout.</p><p></p><p>But consider. Does the broader D&D subculture need a slangy synonym for "shut up about games you don't like"? Do we need a meme that allows us to silence each other?</p><p></p><p>My answer is: absolutely freaking not. Unless there's some reason why it cannot be tolerated, I believe strongly in people giving their opinion exactly as they please. That's why I support people remembering why the term "edition war" was coined, and not stretching it to tell people to shut up who aren't behaving antisocially or making online discussion venues less usable.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Calling the 4E campaign out for edition warring is a bit like calling out Sony's PS4 pre-launch marketing for console warring. It's not wrong, per se; just semi-literate, because we've taken the term outside of its usual context and put it in a place where, depending on how we split hairs, it's liable to be either tautologically true or tautologically false. To a less exaggerated degree, it's as if we were to accuse a motorist of jaywalking, or porpoises of racism.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="dd.stevenson, post: 6329922, member: 6683099"] Saying that "they're edition warring" is a silencing tactic, with a semantic value usually equivalent to "they should shut up about this and each talk about games they like instead". Does this silencing serve a useful purpose? Yes, obviously, it was developed out of necessity to curb large scale antisocial behavior within the D&D internet comment sub-subculture. This was essential, because the anti-social behavior was rendering certain venues unfit for any other purpose. But what does it mean when we take this term out of our sub-subculture and apply it (say) to a blogger who's comparing his design work on 4E to his work on 5E? In this context the term is stripped of all the uses it has in keeping messageboards and comment sections usable. It isn't telling him to stop acting antisocially. As far as I can tell, it's just another, messageboard-slangy way of saying he should shut up. And maybe "shut up, if this is all you have to say about 4E" is exactly the message some people would like to deliver to Schwalb, or whomever. That's not really my lookout. But consider. Does the broader D&D subculture need a slangy synonym for "shut up about games you don't like"? Do we need a meme that allows us to silence each other? My answer is: absolutely freaking not. Unless there's some reason why it cannot be tolerated, I believe strongly in people giving their opinion exactly as they please. That's why I support people remembering why the term "edition war" was coined, and not stretching it to tell people to shut up who aren't behaving antisocially or making online discussion venues less usable. Calling the 4E campaign out for edition warring is a bit like calling out Sony's PS4 pre-launch marketing for console warring. It's not wrong, per se; just semi-literate, because we've taken the term outside of its usual context and put it in a place where, depending on how we split hairs, it's liable to be either tautologically true or tautologically false. To a less exaggerated degree, it's as if we were to accuse a motorist of jaywalking, or porpoises of racism. [/QUOTE]
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