What would you do if you THINK you see inappropriate name?

[Yves]

I should also probably put a note here that you can trace the CI down to a bare-bones concept which is what this comes down to, depending on how you view the topic. The sad reality is that topics like this actually center around what people determine to be appropriate by their own standards, thus negating most established norms. In that event, the CI would function as such:

1. People ought to follow and abide by my personal sense of right and wrong
2. ...therefore, everyone ought to follow and abide the rules of what everyone desires
3. ...therefore, no sense of right and wrong would be devised
4. ...therefore, since such an act is self-defeating, it ought not to be followed

The CI Kant (wordplay!) answer every dilemma, nor should be taken as an end-all-be-all method - but it does a great job of explaining why such an approach should not be taken. Would you be willing to follow my sense of right and wrong? No? Then you ought not to ask that I do the same.

You can drill the topic down every path of ethics humanly possible, but, in the end, you will consistently arrive at the conclusion that, provided the name not be inherently offensive in a direct manner, you ought to let it slide.

Not too shabby for a guy who named his character after a children's cartoon, eh?

[Yves]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-bullying
http://www.stopcyberbullying.org
http://www.cyberbullying.us
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Megan_Meier
http://www.meganmeierfoundation.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Ryan_Halligan
http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.com

I think these people would disagree with you.

There needs to be a definitive stop to this sensationalized concept. Before anyone decides to start making wild accusations, "cyber bullying" needs to be addressed accurately. For starters, bullying has always existed and always will - it is part of human nature and how we build our societies. Is it fair? Hell no! But that is how we function and nobody seems to mind it when they are the beneficiary. For example, any person reading this in the USA that condemns bullying should enjoy a nice big glass of "smug cola" since the only reason our country exists is because of economic bullying. Ironically, it is also how we came to be - we stood up to a bully. Which is my point: it exists and is cyclical and sensationalizing it and trying to empower people who are NOT being bullied is a horrible idea. You see, sensationalizing it empowers the masses to do something on behalf of those being bullied - meaning that their sense of action is to rely on others when threatened. Again, we're back to human nature - these people won't survive in society or nature. And in the case that they do, they actually create an atmosphere in which such activity flourishes. After all, if we breed an entire generation of people who fail to stand up against intolerance and injustice then who will stand up against the few who are corrupt enough to leverage it?

And I constantly hear about one-offs where children or victims kill themselves but there is always more at play there. Take the incident in New Jersey where two students are being tried for murder because of bullying. The victim killed themselves as a result of an incident that served as the tipping point for already present deep-rooted emotional and family issues, i.e. - his parents lack of acceptance of his sexual preference. The same suicidal reaction likely occurs if his parents were to walk in on him during a sexual act. Regardless, the example demonstrates that there was already existing issues and bullying was a convenient scapegoat. If you chose to argue that bullying is the root of the action you would also have to accept the argument that the root of the action is actually far beyond bullying and exists in either chemical imbalance, emotional/physical abuse, or a combination of similar factors. Bullying is just the easiest finger to point.

You can even go a step further and say that if one believes in evolution and Darwin then these people had no place in society due to natural selection. I'm not saying that this statement is right, but it has some merit on a logical and emotionless basis. If your only answer to conflict is to cease existing then your contribution to society (on a utilitarian scale) is negative. By those grounds, this is literally natural selection and you don't deserve to be here. Again, I'm not saying this is right...but it has some merit in that train of thought.

So please don't bring bullying into this argument (or any, for that matter).

[Aleczan]

Wow so many more replies. I've read through all, but there are still several responses that I want to reread again and give myself a lot of time to reflect on them. There's also a very interesting issue that Crica, ispano, Kailea, Rowyne, and Dreadnaught brought up, which I would like to talk about too.

oh dont even start that crap, I do on the Internet what I would do in real life, I see kids vandalizing something, I call the cops, I see someone snooping around where they should not, I call the cops, you try and rob the store I am working at, you better hope you dont miss me...........this is pretty much the same thing.

The problem with people today, is that when they see something, they don't want to get involved, and that is how criminals get away with crap most of the time.

basically.... I don't put up with crap.

I agree with you in that part. I personally think it’s so wrong and unfair that so many people think they could treat people on the internet any way they want, just because the internet is “not real.” For me, no, that’s totally messed up. Some people said it’s just a game. Yep it’s game, but for MMO, it’s a game with other players, which are real human, in it. I don’t mind if someone, or I, would be a total big bully and be extremely mean to an NPC. They’re just NPC, programmed lines of text, yes. But other players have feelings. Thus I try my best to refrain from insulting other people or hurting their feelings.

I've seen so many people with muddbutton in the last name, I don't even care.

What does that refer to? If I guess correctly, it’s yet another variation of “mofo” or something related, right?

Unless it is an actual inappropriate word like F**k in the name, I really wouldn't care. If its something goofy that sounds like genitalia I may chuckle a bit, but I still don't care. I am more offended by people who use the names of popular anime/manga/other pop culture characters, or use the names of two popular characters to form one name. They have the right to do that but I just feel like it shows lack of creativity and I personally wouldn't make that choice. Unless its in the Sims, then I give them all sorts of horrible inappropriate names.

Lack of creativity, I see. Yes, come to think of it, it does seem so. LOL at your Sims’s naming idea.

I would blacklist them and report it without hesitation. I have found that people with names like that usually have personalities to match. Obnoxious and immature.

Unless it's a personal attack, I write the person off as a tool and go on with my gaming.

I've got better things to do than report every other person I see for infractions.

I would feel the same. I wouldn’t want to approach or mingle with people with such names, either. First impression does count A LOT. Amazing, I think.

hmm my thoughts are mind yo business and let people name themselves what they want but obviously there are rules set about curse words so do as you please. but i wouldn't do anything but chuckle ..if was really good name i might spend the next 30mins smiling bout it. guess i'm like immature like that or something. not like this game is made for young kids and your eyes or ears ain't gonna bleed from it. i'm sure your linkshells vent has cursing in it at times too. again my opinion. ty.

Yeah if the name seems funny to me I laugh at my game screen too. I remember walking pass a character named “Rob Anybody” and I burst out laughing, then had to point it out to my LS friends to share a laughter. My favourite back from FFXI was a mule named “Inventorycrisis.” I kept browsing his bazaar to buy stuff just because the name was very funny for me. (Kinda feeling like, hey I feel your pain dude!!! /comfort)

I admit not my eyes nor ears would bleed from people’s vulgar names, but it does create an unpleasant atmosphere. But this is not my problem yet, because currently the person isn’t showing up on my screen on regular basis at all.

My LS has cursings at times, yes. And I swear sometimes too, when in game. I also use bad words (like; jerk, asshole, douche, bastard) to refer to 3rd person (when I gossip about them, which of course, they won't see) on occasions. However, I do not curse in real life, or at least I always try to refrain from swearing. Most importantly, I do not swear in public, just because I feel it’s wrong and rude. Vulgar words directed to a person (in public, real life) is a no-no for me as well.

Morality is dead thanks to capitalism. If he's a paying customer in the coming months and if he offends enough people with his name then maybe they'll look into it. As for me, if he starts heckling me personally then I'll give him a piece of my mind and have him blacklisted or somesuch.

I see. Not messing with people unless they mess with you sounds like a good and convenient middle road. Thanks.

[Aleczan]

This is how I think about it:

If it's against the rules and you find it offensive, report it and continue enjoying your day.
If it's against the rules and you're not bothered by it, leave it for someone else to report if they dislike it, and continue enjoying your day.

There's no need to insult people and call them crybabies for finding something distasteful. No one's crying about anything. lol
I'll never understand the urge some people have to attack/insult others. XD

I think I've come across one or two people with really stupid names, but I wasn't bothered. Every time I enter the market wards though, I see about 10 very offensive names. I wonder, do people ever report those? I don't know if SE even does anything regarding those. They're all over the place. Not bothered by it, but I don't find it funny either. It's just kind of immature.



I'm so glad you said this. I feel the exact same. ^-^ I like to treat people with the same politeness I would in person. We're all people here. We deserve respect and we should give respect.

Thank you for saying that. I agree with you. The world and community would be a much more lovely place if people do not point their fingers and insult people who disagree. We can instead discuss in a civil manner and broaden our view, and might even make a lot of new friends that way. I feel it’s both unfair and impolite to jump in on people, trying to offend them without using friendly approach first. That's unnecessary hostility.

I have no problem with swearing as long as it's not directed at someone. You could say, "I fucked up," or "I messed up," and it means the exact same thing. No one gets hurt.
The example in the OP - If someone wants to name their char something like "dickhead", then well.. they're not making anyone look bad but themselves. XD So, for that kinda thing I'd leave it be.

Names I would report are anything offensive towards a certain person or group of people. I have no tolerance for discrimination.
Anything against skin colour, hair colour, nationality, sexual preference, etc. That's what I can't stand. That's called hate.

Good point. Thank you for sharing. And LOL, you’ve lightened me up from pointing this out. You’re so right.

lack of imagination imo, same for people with names like Tifffaa or Evilone.. meh oh well..

I might start reporting em Post 2.0 but same with bots atm I don't think there is much point unless it is really offensive.
But if it really bothers you report it, at least you have done what you feel is right then i guess.

Thanks for sharing your opinion on reporting.
And yeah, meh. (/pat /pat you) XD

im not sure if this comment was toward me, but since i didnt post on topic i will now.

I wouldn't report someone for an inappropriate name simply cause it isn't worth my time. Im sure if it is that outrageous someone else will report him/her so just let someone else do the work for you. If you have some sort of strong feelings toward this person and see reporting their name as a way to get rid of them then by all means go ahead. (ive reported botters and nothing has been done so that's what i mean by not worth my time)

This sounds great. I’ll keep that in mind for future reference. Would come in handy some days I think LOL.

I have to admit I find a lot of the names peurile. I'm not offended by them but can't help wondering how many party invites they miss out on. Some people wont invite them because they are offended and some wont invite them because they'll think they're probably an idiot.

Can’t help wondering, yes. Me too. And yup it created such a bad first impression when I see one. If nothing else, it usually gives me a biased feeling towards the person and I would try my best to avoid mingling with them.

WoW 11 pages for that oO

If you see a name that you believe is inappropriate, place a GM call, report it and you are done. Nothing more to do. No need to go to a website or whatever.

GM's job to determine if the name is appropriate or not. If not, the offending player may receive a penalty (depending on the name). Things like racism are most likely to be severly punished. Offending player will be forced to pick a new name.

The above applies to retainers, linkshells and chocobos.

Yeah amazing, isn’t it? I didn’t expect my thread to get so many replies. I thought I would just get a few opinions or other examples on the subjects, but instead the discussion went so much in-depth and people shared so many opinions with various perspectives and perceptions.
Thank you for your suggestion as well.

If a name isn't related to abuse of children in anyway or something violating human rights, then I really don't care. My husband had a mule on XI named Mithramuffdiver. So when it comes to names like that I really could careless. It's a game...a video game...not a real life situation where your job depends on you having such and such name or w/e...Games are meant to have fun.

Probably be a dumb question but what’s wrong with muffdiver? Can’t decipher the pun.

And yeah it’s game. But I also prefer my game to have pleasant environment. Having people with vulgar names spoils the atmosphere for me. Now, though, that’s not the problem to me because that person is not in my environment (yet). I was mainly just curious about what other people would think and whether I would be just jumping my gun if I report him (no I haven’t reported him.)

[Aleczan]

Report it. You have to take into account that not only do adults play this game, but some children as well. You can block inappropriate language in shout, say, ls chat etc., but inappropriate names cannot be blocked. A name like that should be reported, no ifs, ands ,or buts about it.

Seems with all the responses you had, you should have came to a reasonable decision by now. I sure hope you reported that player by now because if you didn't then you're just shouldering the burden on someone else by not making a stand. This is a MMO for mature players who want to have fun. There's counter measure for profanity but limited on mature content.

That being said, believe in your principles because a bad word in english(or something sounding like it) means the same anywhere on this planet. It may not be spelled or even written the same but you know what I mean. What sounds bad only translates to bad/offensive.

If it's a child doing this, put that child in their place. If its a adult trying to be funny, pity him and have the last laugh.

Report them, absolutely. Anyone foolish enough to name themselves something that stupid and/or offensive deserves to be reported. The same goes for name rip-offs from other FF games or pop culture in general. Seriously, it's not that hard to come up with an original name or, if it somehow is, use a name generator and tailor the result to better suit you. Ima Welhungman or Klowd Straife or Seymour Bohtts is not what anyone should be seeing in a game like this. Just my opinion, but I report any of those I see.

Thank you for your advice. I wish I had such firm belief as you guys. Hate how I keep thinking back and forth too much… And yeah too much “what if…” is not good.

Oh, I would report it for sure if it matches the real vulgar words. What made me hesitate was that I am not sure if it is (for the last name). For example, there’s a word in my language that sounds like “fuck” (though I would personally transcribe it as “fuk” instead) but it means (1) A noun referring to a type of gourd. (2) A verb referring to the action when a hen is hatching her eggs. So what I was afraid of is maybe there’s some other language out there that has a word or two that looks like my language’s insult word “dickhead.”

The first name, however, was told to me yesterday that it’s exactly how many people would spell the “mofo” insult word when using gangster tone (or accent).

Eh, for me, it really depends on the name. Heck, I usually find names like "Xx-|Sefaroph|-xXLMFAO!!!!11eleven" the most offensive because that just means the person didn't take the time to come up with anything original... especially when they misspell the name "Sephiroth" either due to their own ignorance or because the game forced them to, and then "decorate" it with X's and other random punctuation... Either that, or the horribly bad weeaboo Japanese names (although I admit "Tetsaru Arigashi" isn't much better, lol). But yeah, unless it's just outright racist or something, I usually find it humorous or entertaining to try to look for the craziest and most memorable character names/ID's I can find, and sometimes I even try to come up with some of my own, like "Geezer T. Dudeface," or possibly making a Lalafell mule character named "Tetstaru Lolifail."

Some I've seen from various games:

Baron von Rammerhimen
Bigassmanlydykes
Jesusofgod
Feck Me/Fook Me/Fook Yu
Moron
Hamburgermeat Heartthrob
Strumpet Unfufudu
Imagene Yuss
Me Sofa King We Todd Ed

Or people who make "clone" or RP joke characters and then run around acting just like them. I remember making a Bill Cosby character on PSU just to troll people with phrases like "Here I go! DOOWWWWN the slope...", and later on I found a Lord Ilpalazzo from Excel Saga running around saying "This world... IS CORRUPT!" Crazy stuff like that is hilarious to me.

I mean c'mon guys, who here hasn't played Pokemon and named their rival something like "Dumbass," or their Metapod or Kakuna "Penis" just so it'd say "Penis used Harden!" ? I know people do that stuff all the time on various games just for the lulz... myself included.

I don’t name my character or my pet in game like that XD But I get the point why many people might do it. Hell yeah some of the names are pretty funny. I see nothing wrong in making funny names in one’s offline games (I said offline because when you're offline, there's no chance that other people would run into you and feel offended and then report you). If you can have more fun or more giggle from it, why not! LOL.

Normally i just have a good laugh, Then i laugh again when they get spotted and have to change there name.

LOL! You made me grin.

[Rowyne]

Then it isn't important enough to you. There is nothing wrong with being outspoken provided it be logical and rational. But if you lack the actual fortitude to take action then you are part of the problem. If you follow the logic, inaction is equally as bad as the offensive action since an individual possesses the ability to try to alter the course of a situation they deem harmful, yet for some reason allow to continue.

Please don't confuse a lack of courage with apathy.

If you followed my posts, you would know that I agree. Apathy in the face of something you know that is wrong does contribute to the problem.

That's different than those who are so adverse to confrontation that they lack the courage to speak up or take a stand. I am that timid IRL - I let people walk over me every day.

word can hurt, i grew up in an extremely abusive family which i havent talked to either of my parents in over a decade because they are horrible human beings.

Not to air my own dirty laundry, but I know my timidness also comes from the fact that I came from a dysfunctional family and an abusive parent. I'm 37 years old, and to this day, if I merely hear a man raise his voice, it makes me catatonic. I'm still trying to learn to have the courage and self-esteem to stand up for myself, let alone stand up to others. And I'm approaching middle age. >.<

Before I get too off track... luckily, in this specific situation, there are GMs who can do it for you. No one ever has to know you were the one made the report.

As an aside, I was paying ispano a type of compliment, because my husband shares some of his/her traits - not being afraid to tell it how it is, even if it may not be the popular opinion in the room. I have a sort of respect for that because I'm not that person.

Standing up and taking action isn't always easy for everyone. I suppose that's why I feel it's even more important to do so.

Simply put, if I see an offensive name, I report them.

Well there is a problem here because "silly" is clearly objective. My name is Dookie Poo. Is it a childish and immature name? I've been told so.

Clearly you've taken a lot of flack for choosing this character name, and I'm honestly sorry that you have. I don't see a problem with having a silly name, unless you're on an officially designated RP server (in which case, you better have a wacky character to match). I think I've seen you running around Besaid, and I've just sort of chuckled. But the reality is that you will find those who don't take you seriously. It's the same with any aspect of your character when you're in that creation generator - be careful what you choose, you're going to be stuck with it for a long long time.

That said, that's not the same as an offensive name. And, yes, it is subjective, to a point. But if you're considering naming yourself something you'd think twice about saying in front of most polite company, you should probably choose something else.

[Rowyne]

There needs to be a definitive stop to this sensationalized concept. Before anyone decides to start making wild accusations, "cyber bullying" needs to be addressed accurately.

Okay, let me stop you right there.

I wasn't trying to equate offensive names with cyber bullying.

I was specifically replying to these statements:

And let me re-emphasize the word "harmless" because words on a screen can never harm anyone.

and how exactly are words on a screen going to harm anyone?

I presented specific cases, and organizations that have officially recognized them, where words on a screen can and indeed did harm someone.

Too often, you hear kids say, "It's the interwebz, get over it." Does the written word somehow hurt or offend less than the spoken word? No, it's just that since you're on the other side of a computer, all too often, you're not held accountable for it.

I personally think it’s so wrong and unfair that so many people think they could treat people on the internet any way they want, just because the internet is “not real.” For me, no, that’s totally messed up. Some people said it’s just a game. Yep it’s game, but for MMO, it’s a game with other players, which are real human, in it. I don’t mind if someone, or I, would be a total big bully and be extremely mean to an NPC. They’re just NPC, programmed lines of text, yes. But other players have feelings. Thus I try my best to refrain from insulting other people or hurting their feelings.

I couldn't agree more.

[Rowyne]

Probably be a dumb question but what’s wrong with muffdiver? Can’t decipher the pun.

*Ahem* How to put this politely? It usually means that you're a woman who has oral sex with other women. It's generally considered a derogatory term for lesbian.

[Aleczan]

Oof! Sorry for the discomfort and thanks for the answer! I kept thinking it was a pun because muff sounded like mofo ><

[ispano]

People are only offended by what society tells them to be offended by. Since Final Fantasy is a global game you can't bring in your own view of society and expect everyone to abide by it. So a name that someone picked because it's funny to him/her and the social group he/she belongs to may be offensive to someone else. If you ban every name that offends a person, we won't have names at all.

Which is why you report it. If SE agrees with you that it's offensive, they'll do something. If they do not agree, they'll leave it alone and you have to deal with it. I have no issue with this. I DO have issue with people who have an opinion or side, yet refuse to understand other sides. You don't have to agree with them, but if you refuse to even acknowledge they even exist or are valid, then that's the type of person you seem to be describing as well.