"We are all adults. Capable of having adult discussions."
How I wish this was true, but it's not. That's why we have code of conducts: because creepers don't realize that it's not okay to hit on every women they see, because bros don't realize gay isn't a synonym for bad, because gamergaters don't realize women can video games and so on. The sad truth is, there is a portion of our society that does not act in a mature and adult way, and they hurt others as a result.
As someone who plays life on easy mode[1] like I imagine most commenters here, it's hard to remember that most people play life on hard mode. Code of conducts are aimed at making hard mode a little better: hopefully by reminding people where the boundaries are, and for correcting problems when those boundaries are crossed. Are codes of conduct a perfect solution? No. But the response to lack of perfection shouldn't be to give up: it should be to try harder. Centuries of civilization has show us that ignoring problems don't make things better. We have to fight the good fight and force the world to be a better place.
>because gamergaters don't realize women can video games and so on
I'm going to try and not be vindictive, but I assume you think #NotYourShield is nothing but sockpuppet accounts and doesn't have any support from GG supporters and that Liz, a prominent female supporter of GG who was doxxed and threatened by anti-GGers, was not supported by GG? I spent 2-3 months browsing the tag and found it to be a far more diverse group of people than the primarily white, upper-middle class, SanFran group of SJW people who oppose the Twitter movement.
>because bros don't realize gay isn't a synonym for bad
Linguistics says you're wrong. You can dislike that the word has multiple meanings and that one refers to a demographic of people, but I know of nobody who makes the connection between the two definitions. Hell - most of my homosexual friends of mine have absolutely no issue with the usage of the word in the contexts people tend to use it negatively in, and I've asked them. Only the extremely PC-types give a shit.
>because creepers don't realize that it's not okay to hit on every women they see
I like how a flirtatious/promiscuous woman is a "slut" and the chosen term for a flirtatious/promiscuous man is "creeper". It makes defending the "creeper" put one in some sort of negative moral standing. Which is a way to pull emotional/political biases into the argument.
Humans enjoy sex. Society tends to shame people with multiple partners. Single people, therefore, tend to flirt with other single people. Maybe one of them wants to join them for sex. The more you flirt with other single people - the more likely you are to receive a positive response from one of them. Therefore, if your goal is sex, you flirt with as many single people as possible.
Congratulations - you've just discovered human motives backed by human nature. Do you share these vindications against sluts? Or does it only apply to creepers?
Lastly - members of these same minority groups are sick of people like you being offended on their behalf [0] [1] [2]. This isn't an uncommon sentiment either. Being offended on their behalf is treating them as less than you. As if they cannot make up their own minds to be offended or not. As if they are too weak to speak up and need you to do it for them. Sometimes they just don't care [3].
How I wish this was true, but it's not. That's why we have code of conducts: because creepers don't realize that it's not okay to hit on every women they see, because bros don't realize gay isn't a synonym for bad, because gamergaters don't realize women can video games and so on. The sad truth is, there is a portion of our society that does not act in a mature and adult way, and they hurt others as a result.
As someone who plays life on easy mode[1] like I imagine most commenters here, it's hard to remember that most people play life on hard mode. Code of conducts are aimed at making hard mode a little better: hopefully by reminding people where the boundaries are, and for correcting problems when those boundaries are crossed. Are codes of conduct a perfect solution? No. But the response to lack of perfection shouldn't be to give up: it should be to try harder. Centuries of civilization has show us that ignoring problems don't make things better. We have to fight the good fight and force the world to be a better place.
[1] http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/05/15/straight-white-male-th...