Finding no political thread to my liking I dedicate this thread to polite political discussion. This may or may not be possible. I don't know. You may talk about ANY topic, but you may not call any group names. You may not call political figures names. You may not call other SIers names, and you may not modify their screen names in any way when you post back to them, and use a screen name- so if someone's screen name is "Stockpicker 66", you cannot change it to "Nosepicker 69"- I don't even want to see diminuitives- "John" will NOT become "Johnny" on this thread. So, for example, you may critique the democratic party, but you may not say they have a "disease" or a mental deficiency, or call any democrats names. For the other side, you may criticize the administration policies, but you may not call Mr. Bush names, or imply republicans have some kind of "disease" or mental deficiency. You may not make any "jokes" that use derogatory names for any group. Putting a few "ggg"s after something offensive is not a substitute for wit.
If someone on this thread asks you not to post to them, and agrees not to post to you, you must honor that request.
Please try to depersonalize your ideas. When the argument gets heated remember that things like "What have you been drinking?" and "Did you forget to take your meds?" are insults, even if YOU think they are accurate. It's probably best if you ask other posters no personal questions and say very little that is personal, especially in the heat of a discussion. That's just a hint, since I'd like to ban as few people as possible.
On this thread deal in specifics and stick to facts- do NOT say "Liberals all believe...", or "All conservatives believe..."; do not insult gays, racial minorities, disabled people, religious people (of any religion), nonreligious people- basically don't insult anyone. Say what you have to say about the facts of something, and leave the insults out.
You may NOT post articles here which insult or threaten any political group or figure, or are about people who threaten any political group or figure. I suppose it you find a balanced article, holding up BOTH sides to opprobrium for outrageous talk you can post that, but be careful- you know what I want here. I don't want insults sneaking in under the cover of articles. Don't play games with me- the intent of this thread is clear, and if you or your article isn't polite I'm not going to let it slide.
Well so much for the hope that I wouldn't need to ban anyone. PLEASE do not post to, or talk about, the people who may wander by to get banned, and do not discuss their posts. Let us just let them drift quietly in to the deeps of SI oblivion. Thanks in advance. |
