pherris's Journal: Has anyone here ever seen a "bitch book"?

A "bitch book" is blank journal style book that is placed in different areas of a ship where people frequently pass during a normal day. People would write whatever they wanted. The rules were simple:

You may not deface the book in any way, shape or form. Ripping pages out was not allowed.

"What read here, what you see here, when you leave here let it stay here." No matter how bad the comment was no one could be held responsible for it. This was total free speech.

Protect the book. Someone takes it, get it back.

Mine was on a WLB in the early '80s. Anyone here ever see or write in one? If so, where? Is there a need for a net version?

Welcome to slashdot

[linzeal]

The biggest bitch book in the world.

Good idea but...

[Elpacoloco]

I think this book is a good idea, but that it won't be accepted "because the children might see it."

In other words, someone's scared that their kids are going to pick up this book and double their knowledge of curses.

Or what if someone writes something illegal? Tear out that page?

Our society can't handle something like this, and that doesn't bode well for our society.

I love the idea of it

[curtisk]

I've never used one myself but I've heard of this before. As far as a net version, I dunno about that....the one book I knew of was used as a means for people to air their gripes in a neutral manner (in your case a ship) so a net version would either be a massive literal "bitch-fest" but the problem is that 95% of the people wouldn't know who the entries would pertain to, as the target audience is too big.

Ships had their own moral codes

[Linus Sixpack]

The problem with a 'bitch book', (Is that the real name btw???), is that the act of speach itself creates complaints that might demand its removal. Minority, child protection and good taste not only limit what might be said they also make the whole concept vulnerable to actions by the hateful and misguided (this is my own bias).

Leaving aside more complicated issues of slander and liable, freedom prompts some people towards departure from 'good taste'. On the internet too many spoil sports would enjoy profa