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I don't really care if you ban the word scum but it's not going to make the game nicer

I was against the ban on MU and I am against the ban here. It is a racially charged word in America and nowhere else. The word is short and brutal and has the exact feel it's intended to have: a somewhat unhinged mob engaging in what is essentially a witch hunt. The word scum is also exactly what it sounds like. You think the person might be part of the Mafia. Even this can be a charged term if its intention is not understood in the context of the game. Merriam Webster defines it as a low, vile or worthless person or group of people. It would definitely lend itself to being used in a discrimatory way by some of its users, probably more so than lynch. Lynch is just an action, the same as hang, beheading, execution, etc. And anyone can be hanged, lynched, beheaded, executed, not just people of colour. Banning one word really does call into question a lot of the common vocabulary used in a mafia game. I'm against it in principle, because again, these bans are often reactionary to an Amero-centric worldview.

I understand the point you're making but I would argue this is a unique situation. I don't want to go into the history, so I won't, but there is a historical context that makes this particular word unique. I would look at it the same way I would if, instead of 'Lynch', we were using 'Gassed' instead. There is a unique historical context that makes it insensitive to use. The word itself may be neutral, in a vacuum, but there is a context that should be taken into account.

And I just want to state that it's not part of an Amero Centric world view to ban a word that is directly tied to racism in one country. I get that the KKK and lynch mobs were a decidedly US thing. But they happened and people of color from the US or anywhere else should not have to see us using a word that is directly attached to racism no matter how many countries don't connect it to racism. 

The question now is,  is Abbi to lazy to change the rules in her game now that the word is banned in totality.

Because I made a rule banning it in my Game with a bunch of other stuff that doesn't matter anymore

And the answer is... maybe lol

Based on Wikipedia at least, lynchings are still tied to racially-motivated violence across much of the world. And the term also probably originated in the US and is thus inextricably tied to how lynchings were done in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching

I get the impetus to ban the use of lynch in Werewolf games, but I definitely don't think that a total ban is the way to go, because as Lau says, it is quite US-centric to tie it to the particular racial tensions in this country.  We have to keep in mind that we're a global community and, while we're plurality US people, not everyone is.

But regardless, I'm against any "ban" of language in any form in all circumstances.  I think it's fair to discourage use and the like, but I really don't think we need an all-out ban on it. 

I'll personally try to avoid it, but I think, especially considering the context of a witch hunt and the general verbiage associated with that, going over every word with a fine tooth comb would be a fool's errand at best and actively counterproductive at worst. Groupthink and the weird results of that are inexorably linked to Werewolf dynamics, and by definition historical language associated with mobs and mobthink in history is obviously less than stellar.  I don't think such historical connotations distract from the game, nor do I think that our usage of any words related has any negative effect on society at large significant enough to warrant such a serious curtailment of freedoms, however well-intentioned they are. 

I hope this position makes sense?

Based on Wikipedia at least, lynchings are still tied to racially-motivated violence across much of the world. And the term also probably originated in the US and is thus inextricably tied to how lynchings were done in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynching

Most of the things they list as "lynching" aren't even racially tied.

That said, the comparison to gassing, although not perfect, because that was used specifically in the context of Nazis killing Jews as part of a widespread genocide, is nevertheless a good one, because I can see how it evokes a similar feeling as the word lynch.

Fine. But I want a similarly brutal word to replace it. 😂 

Still, there do seem to be examples of its usage across the world as racially-motivated. And I think more importantly, the term itself originates from the US, and does seem to still be used far more there than anywhere else (and mob killings in other countries often take other names locally), which makes the term itself far more tied to the US's history of racial violence than anywhere else.

I actually am surprised there's pushback on the banning of a word tied to some of the most horrific murders

In fact almost every use of the word in that Wikipedia article outside the US still involves the murder of someone

Palestinians suspected of helping Isreal check.

Religious. Check.

Race on race. Check.

Women. Check.

Government sponsored murder. Check.

Trans people specifically but the lgbt community at large generally are also often the victims of lynch mobs especially outside the US

A word tied so inextricably to incredible hatred of entire groups of people I'm such a way has absolutely no purpose in a community that is welcoming of people from all over of every background every identity. This is not a US centric word. Lynchings world wide are almost always entangled in hate and violence against a minor peoples. The word was created in the US it was most prominent in KKK Era US. This word is tied and deeply rooted in racism and hate there is no other way to slice it ever.

A word tied so inextricably to incredible hatred of entire groups of people I'm such a way has absolutely no purpose in a community that is welcoming of people from all over of every background every identity. This is not a US centric word. Lynchings world wide are almost always entangled in hate and violence against a minor peoples. The word was created in the US it was most prominent in KKK Era US. This word is tied and deeply rooted in racism and hate there is no other way to slice it ever.

True, it's never used in anything but a hateful context. It's a shitty death reserved for people the mob absolutely despises, but it is not only minority groups it was used against. As you'll see in the part they mention about SA, it was a political tool that some black extremists used to punish traitors to the liberation movement too, or sometimes even against people their leader just didn't like.

Which is exactly the point. The vanilla version of this game is a medieval village being terrorised by a shape-shifting monster who eats them. A scenario like that would bring out the worst mob-mentality imaginable.

But yeah, after doing some actual research, it's origins had nothing to do with racism but, similarly to how the swastika became co-opted by the most hateful ideogy imaginable, so too was lynching co-opted by the deep south in racial killings. Source 

So yeah, upon reflection, the ban is justified. And as I said, I want a similarly brutal word to replace it.

A word tied so inextricably to incredible hatred of entire groups of people I'm such a way has absolutely no purpose in a community that is welcoming of people from all over of every background every identity. This is not a US centric word. Lynchings world wide are almost always entangled in hate and violence against a minor peoples. The word was created in the US it was most prominent in KKK Era US. This word is tied and deeply rooted in racism and hate there is no other way to slice it ever.

True, it's never used in anything but a hateful context. It's a shitty death reserved for people the mob absolutely despises, but it is not only minority groups it was used against. As you'll see in the part they mention about SA, it was a political tool that some black extremists used to punish traitors to the liberation movement too, or sometimes even against people their leader just didn't like.

Which is exactly the point. The vanilla version of this game is a medieval village being terrorised by a shape-shifting monster who eats them. A scenario like that would bring out the worst mob-mentality imaginable.

But yeah, after doing some actual research, it's origins had nothing to do with racism but, similarly to how the swastika became co-opted by the most hateful ideogy imaginable, so too was lynching co-opted by the deep south in racial killings. Source

So yeah, upon reflection, the ban is justified. And as I said, I want a similarly brutal word to replace it.

I'm cool with anything else being used. Just not that.