This seems to be a contentious topic, so I’ve turned on slow mode which means waiting 30 minutes between your replies.
And a reminder of some of our forum guidelines:
Things that contribute to constructive discussions
Try to do these as much as possible!
- Share your thoughts, and really listen to those of others.
- Criticize ideas and opinions, not people.
- Unless there’s evidence to the contrary, assume someone’s making a good faith effort to express their thoughts.
- Keep in mind that everyone here is a real, complex person behind their username and avatar - just like you.
- Give everyone a chance to speak.
- Stay on topic.
- Be respectful, even if you strongly disagree.
- Make sure your posts help move the discussion forward.
- Accept that the discussion may need to end.
- Flag inappropriate content, don’t respond to it.
Things that damage constructive discussions
Moderators and staff may hide or remove posts that include these actions, and silence or suspend the accounts that posted them. Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list.
- Attacking others - this includes name-calling, labeling, insults, threats, doxing, harassment, and any other negative text aimed at others on the forum.
- Bad faith arguments - this includes dredging up old arguments and not adding anything new, sealioning, dishonesty, and general trolling.
- Complaining - each post in a constructive discussion should further the goal of the discussion and help us better understand each other. Don’t make a complaint without offering some ideas on how to move forward on the topic.
- Going off topic - short tangents emerging from the discussion are fine, but introducing or feeding into a discussion that takes the thread off track is not. If you want to talk about something different, start a new topic or find a suitable existing one.
- Rudeness - such as shouting (all caps), continually posting the same argument, extremely vulgar language, or calling out specific users or obsevations in a negative fashion.
- Arguments between a small group of people - these make others feel as though they can’t participate. Discuss via private message rather than publicly.