Quote from: MadZ on May 01, 2018, 07:29:50 PM

Quote from: suchmoon on May 01, 2018, 06:50:48 PM

Where do you see that equation?

Mainly from the following quotes:

Quote from: Jet Cash on May 01, 2018, 10:13:24 AM

Merit is a proof of brain

Quote from: Jet Cash on May 01, 2018, 10:13:24 AM

Merit is a reflection of the mental ability of the poster

Quote from: Jet Cash on May 01, 2018, 10:13:24 AM

If you don't have the ability or intelligence to construct useful posts

I don't see how those sentences can be construed otherwise?

Yes, there is a certain level of mental ability required to earn merits. That does not equate "command of the English language to mental ability", which is the claim you were making. As Jet Cash already stated - posting incomprehensible English on an English board is stupid, posting incomprehensible French on a French board is stupid, etc, and that's how I interpreted those statements when I read them. I'm not gonna post gibberish on a French board and whine about not getting merits so I'm really struggling to see how the opposite makes sense.

Quote from: MadZ on May 01, 2018, 07:29:50 PM

Quote from: suchmoon on May 01, 2018, 06:50:48 PM

It's not wrong to expect forum posts to be coherent in the target language. The only mental ability needed here is to understand one's limitations and not post Google-translated garbage.

Like I said in my first post, I completely agree that merit is a great addition to the forum. Spammers and Google-translators are a huge problem, and merit does a good job at combating them. That being said, I disagree with the connotation that low merit = lower intelligence, which the OP is pretty explicit about (see examples above).

Merit is essentially predicated on one's command of the English language, since only a small fraction of merit sources are actually active in each foreign language board. Should users not be allowed to rank up just because their native language isn't English? Members like Jet Cash act like the only people who complain about merit are the spammers you mention above, when in reality this isn't the case.

Take for instance this thread, a prime example of your average "the merit system sucks" thread. Notice how the OP actually makes the vast majority of his posts in the French sub-forum, not English boards. Reading through them, they look to be of pretty decent quality, however, he has only received 20 merits for the 400 posts he has made since the system was added (all from the French sub-forum).

I feel like a lot of the more prominent members are ingrained in the mindset that low merit = third world shitposter. As the example above shows, this isn't necessarily the case. All I'm trying to point out is that there are numerous reasons why a positively contributing member of this community might have low merit, and it is understandable that such a person would feel frustrated by the system.

You're bringing up some good points but that's a whole different issue. Local board users can apply to become merit sources. Theymos has mentioned that he's open to having more local sources. I don't have numbers to support or oppose your claim that "only a small fraction of merit sources are actually active in each foreign language board". If you have the numbers - please share. Keeping in mind the number of posters/posts in each board.