Death markets now banned

With my email I was merely pointing out the rule as I understand it; I wasn't necessarily speaking for the entire site. Having said that, I'll say this:

My first knee-jerk reaction to the ban was one of dismay; after all, as the editor of the World category, I may encounter more death-related questions than any other editor. I mean, my category deals with wars, genocide, ethnic cleansings, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, violent protests, assassinations, and so on. "What will happen?", I wondered. "We can't just simply deny that death takes place, can we? Isn't that whitewashing? Isn't that censorship?!"

But then I started thinking. First and foremost, Nigel is right: without happy external partners, there'll be no money, and without money, there'll be no Hubdub. Period. How difficult is that to understand?

Now, I know a lot of folks will say, "Oh, Jim, it looks like you've taken a big drink of the Kool-Aid," which, interestingly enough, leads into the point I'd like to make. We've all heard the derogatory phrase "To drink the Kool-Aid", or various inflected forms of it, almost always referring to someone who's began blindly following some authority even if doing so will lead to serious harm or death. The saying, of course, arises from the 1978 Jonestown massacre in Guyana in which 909 perished, mostly due to the self-inflicted downing of cyanide-laced Kool-Aid*.

So: imagine, if you will, were that unfortunate and wholly avoidable tragedy to be repeated now. Does anyone truly believe Hubdub wouldn't allow markets on the event? Of course not! We'd doubtless allow as many questions as our users care to submit. For instance, the following would most likely be fine: "Will there be a congressional investigation into the shooting of Congressman Ryan and his party?" or "Will it turn out that any Peoples Temple members escaped the massacre by hiding in the jungle?" or "Will it turn out that any of the Jonestown deaths were not voluntary?" All those--and many more--would be okay, it seems to me, as they deal with newsworthy facts surrounding the event.

However...I think there'd be nothing to gain--and a whole lot to lose--were we to allow questions such as, "How many Jonestown children died a violent death not related to poisoning?" or "Will autopsies reveal that everyone involved died an excruciatingly painful death full of vomiting and muscular spasms?" or "Will authorities count the fetuses of unborn Jonestown babies killed in utero toward the final death toll?" Such questions would only offend, I think, and make Hubdubbers look like a bunch of blood-lusting, insensitive loons hungering for someone to die so we can cash in, which we're not. (Well, most of us, anyway.)

I hope and trust that everyone understands this is far less a "selling out" than a necessary growing pain. To survive and thrive, Hubdub needs to appeal to a wider global audience, and if that means we have somewhat less appeal to a certain small and prurient group, so be it.

Again, these thoughts are my own, not necessarily those of Hubdub. Just thought you should know that...

--Jim

* - Actually, it was grape Flavor-Aid, a competing brand, but that doesn't make for quite so pithy a saying, as one would most likely first have to explain what Flavor-Aid is, and that just won't do. :)

About friggin' time.

oh yeah, thanks jersjusttrolling and the other members of the original Anti Death Pool Brigade.

This ban is more than ridiciluous. Its absurd and impossibble to maintain.

Death and suffering are all around us, 24/7 in this worst of possible worlds.

I learned about this world a bit more than I already knew.
Thanks to the good and brilliant Q makers eg.

We, I suppose,, as Q makers, are not thrilled by death and suffering as some if not all religions are thriving on.

Its not wise to avoid questions about death and suffering.because we are all suffering and we are all going to die.

The sooner or later is not an every day question, but growing older we become careful, AND want to know sometime if our family and friends are still OK.

My family and friends are all around in this world.

News can sometimes give me peace and reassurement, or upset me...
Predicting the news, how horrible it may be, and immoral also, is very difficult.

The future is clouded with doubt,

And banning doubt equals banning reflection.

And that is the begiinning of the end.

Wow, sqlman. That was beautifully said. I, myself am still somewhat conflicted on the new rule but I think you offered a very nice perspective. Thanks!

And banning the great doubt in our life equals banning our sincere trying to reflect our life, postion in the world and how to deal with it and oriented in it.

I've posted my thoughts on the subject previously so I wont rehash them again. Just wanted to say I've enjoyed my time here but while I respect the Admin's right to run the site as they see fit and in the best interest of the company as they see it, In this I disagree and will bid you all adieu.

My thanks to so many of you for some really great questions over the past year. I have both had some fun and managed to learn quite a number of things. Not to mention unlearning one or two others... 8:]

Life is a bitch.

Predicting on bitches can become near to death.

Um, against a 'ban' - perhaps a 'tasteless' question category could be set up with an 'Are you sure?' popup. There are of course many 'tasteless' sites which have a more active market on who's going to die and when, which I do not frequent. If category editors are going to actively edit questions, then there is no question which could not rephrased to make them 'acceptable'. EG instead of 'When will Celebrity X die', 'Will Celebrity X survive until?' would have the same meaning.

As for the 'company' angle, I don't care about the success or failure of Hubdub. Perhaps I should. In any case, any publicity is said to be good publicity - I don't think that Hubdub has lost many players because of 'tasteless' questions. Take away the premise - that in principle anything in the news can form the basis of a question - and I think you'll lose Hubdub.

Hubdub's strength is that 'ordinary' users of the site can create the questions as they wish. I have nothing against having an editorial process in place to ensure questions make sense, use grammar correctly, are phrased inoffensively (particularly to individuals), and which might incorporate some idea of quality in line with a corporate or other brand or editorial policy - but if it becomes impossible to post a question like 'how many US Soldiers will die in Iraq in 2009' in any form?

It is not death in the abstract which is tasteless... though I'm not sure if it is the 'Death Pool' (who will die first) questions or the body count type which has attracted this discussion.

Personally I find the questions involving named individuals can be tasteless, even tho I may bet on them - how is Will 13 yr. old Alfie turn out to be the real father? any better publicity for the site than When will Jade die?

Anyway, once you start banning question types, where will it stop? Companies going bankrupt make lots of folk unhappy (investors, creditors, employees, maybe even customers...) - how about a no-bankruptcy pool rule?

@Krujis -- what is news is not a matter of opinion or taste you moron. When you die, as when I die, there will be an obituary in a newspaper, if in fact newspapers still exist. If you decide to jump from a building, you'll make headlines. You can argue, sophomorically, that "news" has something to do with your typical Anglo fear of death. But it doesn't. When someone dies, it's news. Period. Find me an exception if you care to argue this further and get off your god damned high horse about respect and deference.

Some recent headlines dealing with death:

Pilot's actions scrutinized in Flight 3407 crash (death)

Suspected U.S. missile strike kills 26 in Pakistan (death)

Roadside bombs kill 8 Iraqi Shiite pilgrims (death)

NATO soldier among 27 killed in Afghanistan (death)

Man arrested after 4 killed at N.Y. hospital, home (death)

Brother of Harry Potter star tells court of moments before killing (duh)

Pedestrian killed in lorry crash

One killed, two injured in Washington shooting

The point is, if this is a news-oriented game, you can't simply erase "death" as if it didn't exist and impact every single one of us, in thought, act or perception, every single day of our short, measured lives.

@Krujis

Besides all of which, you're a hypocrit.

Are these questions, all of which were authored by YOU, examples of taste and deference?

Divorce kidney, where will it end?

When will Kim Jong-Il have died?

What will the Wii-Brator be sold for?

Mystery Illness - How many passangers will be killed?

Will Kurt Cobain be smoked in a spliff?

Don't be a douchebag, ok?