Posted by alexandra_k on April 27, 2005, at 21:46:38
In reply to Re: one final appeal » TofuEmmy, posted by Minnie-Haha on April 27, 2005, at 14:39:35
Hi there. I haven't been keeping up with this thread or the issue that you were raising though I think (I think) I've read enough to get the general gist...
(That was just a lead in for me to say please ignore whichever parts of the following don't apply because they are solely the result of my misunderstanding.)
I think the issue is about frequent requests for determination on the acceptability of posts / phrases with respect to the civility guidelines.
Whether such requests are themselves civil.
Similar issues have come up fairly frequently. Not with respect to the civility of such requests (to the best of my knowledge) but with respect to other people wishing such frequent requests were not made.
I remember joining in such a thread. Reading about how people felt when their posts (or aspects of their posts) were brought to moderators attention for determination. People seemed upset with their posts being the subject of such scrutiny and they wished that they were not brought to the moderators specific attention. I agreed at the time - seeing how upset people were with their posts being singled out.
Over time I have changed my views on that. I think that it is nice that it is okay for frequent requests for determination because I think I have come to understand a little about the INTENTION behind such requests for determination.
- The intent isn't to single out a particular poster. To get them in trouble.
- The intent isn't to upset the poster.
- The intent seems to have a lot more to do with an attempt to understand the civility rules. Both with respect to the poster who is requesting determination and with respect to the forum as a whole. So that we can all come to understand the civility rules better by coming to understand WHY some aspects of posts are deemed acceptable while others are not. (Whether this strategy actually helps with that is another question and I am not so sure on the answer to that...)
- The intent seems to have a lot more to do with coming to understand that so that the poster who requests determinations is able to understand the civility rules because there is stuff that they want to say and they aren't sure how to say what they want to say within the civility guidelines.And so the intent isn't to hurt or accuse or anything like that. And that is why (IMO) it would be a shame to curb that anymore than has already been done with the introduction of the three post rule.
So. Some people are upset with their posts being singled out for specific attention. That fact remains. But does seeing the intention in that way help with that upset?
I guess there has to be a tradeoff between freedom of expression (or requests for determination in this case) and other people feeling offended or hurt.
But how much to limit freedom of expression?
And how much to take it as an opportunity to learn to better manage the hurt?
Hmm.If this is all way off and irrelevant I apologise.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:487910
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20050417/msgs/490604.html