Forum Decorum

I just finished an article I've been working on for quite some time on the subject of male blowhardery, political and religious rancor, and the various other items, from the sublime to the trivial, that so often provoke fits of moral outrage and antler cracking in our boneheaded gender. Not that women do not also indulge themselves here. But we guys, I think, are particularly vulnerable to being sucked into the bonfires of righteous rage. All of this, I should add, preceded the recent "Troubles" (to borrow the Irish term) on our beloved forums. I have heard whispers here and there that there may be some high ranking members in the powers that be who are openly urging the abolishment of these very forums so many of us enjoy so dearly! Please, do not get me wrong here: I am not trying to stoke yet another conflagration of righteous rage, and I doubt seriously that our forums are truly imperiled. However, I also think that it might make sense to consider, at least, some options for enhancing civility in what is already a generally quite civil forum (especially when compared with some of the other snark tanks out there.) Two modest proposal for your consideration: 1. Encourage as many of us here as possible to use their real names as user names, and perhaps even enable these to be hyperlinked to the swimmer's "swimmer info page." Not only would this reduce the anonymity that provides cover to snarky comments (caution: this classic cartoon may offend some of you so click the link advisedly: www.penny-arcade.com/.../ ), but it would also allow us to actually get to know each other better. 2. I recall when various off-topic threads became enough of a problem that we instituted the NSR section of these forums. This has proven to be a pretty effective way to keep the main forum focus on swimming. People who want to discuss other topics now have a way to do so that doesn't bother swimming purists more interested in, say, the latest repairs for SLAP lesions or breathing patterns for distance events. Both the swimming and NSR forums, to be sure, are still expected to be civil and avoid the kinds of topics that so frequently lead to flame wars. With the demise of the technical suits, I fear we have lost the last and best source of swimming-related flame material out there. Naturally, those of us in the species Homo capitis iratus will almost always find new sources to go off on. Hence my second proposal--a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" solution. Add one more discussion area, tentative title The Wild West (unless, that is, our California brethren find this offensive), in which anything goes. This third forum should prominently post an "enter at your own risk" warning, along with the standard boilerplate about tolerating nothing criminal, etc. But other than such bare bones proscriptions, posters in The Wild West would be free to post anything they want about anything they want. I suspect that after an initial flurry of rubbernecking, boredom would set in (spittle-dappled blather gets old quickly), and the audience for The Wild West would start to drop. At the risk of re-offending anybody with this cartoon-- take a second look if you dare! www.penny-arcade.com/.../ -- you will notice that having an audience, under the catalysis of anonymity, is critical in the conversion of an average normal guy into, well, I think I shall let the cartoon speak for what this conversion leads to. So, what say ye all? Real name postings? The Wild West? Both? Neither?