I want comment on the updated rules and guidelines, and hopefully get some input and some conversation going...



I think I understand personal attacks and name-calling, but I'm not sure how to nail down "belittling". I certainly can recognize some things as clearly belittling, but I think there is a big gray area here.

Consider the following exchange:

P1: The minimum wage is needed to help poor people...

P2: What you fail to recognize is that the minimum wage actually hurts poor people...

Has P2 belittled P1 by saying that he "fails to recognize" something? Where is the line, and can anyone offer some input on how to avoid belittling?

The reason I'm asking is that I fear some have felt belittled by things I've written that I did not intend to be belittling. I think sometimes people feel belittled when their arguments are agressively challenged. But I think that this can have more to do with people taking things too personally.

A related question deals with the following:



I have this sneaking suspicion that I've been guilty of "preaching" here, but I feel a little helpless about it. When I feel strongly about a view, I state it confidently, and try to make it as clear as possible why I think it is a correct view. That's a lot like what a preacher does.

Can someone differentiate between debating confidently and "preaching" for me?
Is the difference whether you pepper your statements with IMO's and 's?

Several times on this site, I have felt that I have tried to make straight-forward, impersonal arguments, and yet it is clear from responses that some have taken something offensive from what I've written. I've noticed this happen to others as well.

I would love to get some input, maybe with some made-up examples (not real ones that might make someone uncomfortable) that might help define the concepts of "preaching" and "belittling".

Hi Paul.

In your first example, it would not be considered "belittling" another member.

Here are a few examples of what would be considered belittling:

P1: The minimum wage is needed to help poor people...

P2: What gives you the authority to speak about minimum wages? I don't see how you're qualified. You should keep your mouth shut.

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P1: The minimum wage is needed to help poor people...

P2: You don't know anything about minimum wage. You should just stick to subjects you know.

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P1: The minimum wage is needed to help poor people...

P2: Yeah, I guess people like you are dependant on the minimum wage. Order up!

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Sure, it's not set in stone, but as you said, there is definitely a lot of gray areas there.

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Regarding "Please do not preach. Nobody is here for that":

The verbiage will be changed to say, "Please do not proselytize. Nobody is here for a religious lesson, and rarely is spiritual evidence provable or disprovable."

Verbosity is not something we discourage. Religious zealousness is.

Does that help?

Mike

Yes, it helps a great deal.

I really had no idea that the "don't preach" guideline was a reference to religious content. As you could see, I was taking it in a completely different way.

That means I'm free to keep "preaching" free markets, limited government, and individual responsibility, as long as I keep God out of it? Cool!

The Survival Guide has been modified to reflect the above concerns.

As these questions have been answered, I will go ahead and close this topic.

If anyone has any more concerns regarding the Rules, please open another topic.

Thanks,

Mike