Slug-Fest Rules: What Should They Be?

Hey I'm all for a good party but seeing as how I've been on the receiving end of one of those overtones I cant help but be against them. But I don't want to be a downer though, you enjoy yourself now.

The Race Is On!

As the evolution of this thread illustrates, I originally had a "Fight Club" concept for the "New Slug-Fest".

But let's face it: who really reads rules anyway?

Where things are now is this: the AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use apply in Slug-Fest, as they do everywhere else. So those are the rules.

What's different about Slug-Fest versus other forums, however, is that I've asked the mods to be a little more "casual" about T&C enforcement, so members can let their hair down a bit.

I mean hey, everywhere else we're pretty darn picky. ATS has a reputation for quality discussion to live up to, and us mods are very serious about upholding it.

That also goes for PTS as a whole. If we can talk politics without devolving into what most political forums devolve into (name-calling, trollery and general mayhem), PTS can be for politics what ATS is for conspiracies, and that's a winning formula.

So let's keep our standards high on PTS.

Ah, but everyone needs a place to blow off steam now and then, and for that, we have Slug-Fest.

Actually, I'm thrilled that we can talk about things like racism and other hot-button issues here. If not here, then where?

I don't want us to be forced to ignore topics just because they're "touchy".

Stuff that matters usually is.

More Like A Guideline Than A Rule

I'm planning to start a new "rules" thread which will basically say something like this:

"Welcome to Slug-Fest. Here all the T&C apply, but enforcement is a little more casual. The idea is to speak your mind and not hold back, but let's try not to get too crazy.

As a rule of thumb, if you go too far, a moderator may edit your post and ask you to calm down, but we're trying not to issue any warnings in this forum unless a member simply refuses to cooperate with the staff after multiple requests.

In other words, say what you have to say, and unless a mod specifically asks you to refrain from doing something, you're probably fine.

That doesn't mean anyone has a license to start posting porn or strings of expletives, but if you get a little hot under the collar, we'll try not to give you a hard time for it.

Have fun, don't take any of this too seriously and please don't hold a grudge for what anyone says here.

If nothing else, we can get to learn more about ourselves and each other in Slug-Fest, and that's never a bad thing."

Let's give this a try.

[edit on 9/2/2006 by Majic]

To be truthful, West Point, they haven't held back on me. Why, you haven't read the infamous "English as a National Language" Thread and "Tony Snow's Tar Baby Comments" thread? Those were two cases in which they aimed below the belt and continued to kick.

Our race-relations thread is child's play compared to what happened there.

But instead of going into it further, I'll be my "meekly kitten-like" self and step aside.




[edit on 2-9-2006 by ceci2006]

Well, Majic, you could say something like, "References to liberals vs neo-cons and right vs left, which are frowned upon in ATS, are allowed here. But personal attacks are not allowed".

Things are getting out of control in certain threads, and people are confused at the lack of direction. On the one hand, they are puzzled about the apparent lack of discipline, and on the other hand, are cautious about responding in like manner because of the fear of getting banned. Frustration results, but worse, the offending parties are encouraged to continue.

I'm just one voice. Bring it out into the open for a discussion of, and examples of, the problems that people are seeing, and you'll get plenty of feedback.

If we are too concerned about being politically correct don't we run the risk of not being able to get our points across? A little gentle rudeness, if that isn't a contridiction in terms, can sometimes get the point across as no amount of polite double talk will. I am not talking about slurs of any nature...just a bit of blunt candor.

We should rely on the ability of the members to step away for a moment of reflection before responding with a full broadside...

Bare knuckle doesn't have to be slur filled...or full of accusations...just honest and candid...we are all adults here supposedly...some more than others, but just the same.

Velvet Punch

I certainly want members to be candid, and think Slug-Fest of all places should encourage that.

But still, we need to make sure we don't go too far down the road of insulting other members instead of being honest about the topic.

In days of yore, we had the Mud Pit, which was a pay-to-enter (500 points) forum where pretty much anything was allowed (except for really bad stuff like porn or death threats).

It was a great idea for giving members a place to blow off steam, but unfortunately, things got to the point where Mud Pit behavior started spreading to all the other forums (people carried grudges into other threads, etc.), and eventually the management shut it down.

So while it may be a difficult thing to achieve, I think there's an element of balance we need to observe, even here. I want Slug-Fest to complement other forums, not undermine them.

If a thread gets moved here, it's because there have been problems with it. I want such threads to get a second chance.

And while I want to encourage respect for the T&C even here, I want to try to avoid the drama that comes from slapping warns on people except as a last resort (i.e., Mod: "Let's try to tone down the personal attacks" Member: "# you!").

I imagine it will take time to get the right feel for how to handle things, but ultimately I want "Slug-fest culture" to reflect the idea of blunt honesty in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

It may not be easy, or even possible, but I think it's worth a shot.



[edit on 9/5/2006 by Majic]

I certainly didn't mean insulting other members...one can have a candid, if not hot and heavy argument, I mean conversation without resorting to petty insults of any sort.

Can one be bluntly polite? Or is those terms too diametrically oppossed? I hope you see the point I'm trying to make here.

Let's Be Frank

Originally posted by seagull
Can one be bluntly polite? Or is those terms too diametrically oppossed? I hope you see the point I'm trying to make here.

I don't think they're diametrically opposed. I think I tend to be "bluntly polite" as a moderator, for example.

It is possible to flat-out disagree with another member -- and say so -- without being rude, but also without using weasel words.

Examples of candid but polite disagreement:

1. "Your assertion that George Washington was the sixteenth President of the United States is wrong. He was the first."

2. "There's no way you'll ever convince me that Bush is an alien. Everyone knows he's a mind-numbed robot."

3. "If what you say actually would have happened, then we would all be speaking Bantu."

Examples of impolite disagreement:

1. "Only a complete and utter moron would believe that."

2. "I would agree with you if you weren't such a racist bigot."

3. "You're ugly and your mother dresses you funny."

In all cases, if you attack the opinion and not the member expressing it, you're on solid ground, whether in Slug-Fest or anywhere else.

Where trouble begins is when members start taking personal shots at other members. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it's less obvious. The clue is always that a comment discusses a member, rather than that member's opinion.

And no one is ever required to be "politically correct" on PTS.

Only a complete and utter moron would believe that.*




*Just teasing, of course.

Of course you were teasing...Perish the thought that I would think otherwise . I am curious as to how you are going to handle this...some of the topics are going to touch sensitive nerves. I would urge perhaps some sort of a temporary timeout? Or something of that nature...as a supermod (oh...how's that cape thing workin' out?) you can certainly do something like that?

Not Borrowing Trouble

I'm of the "let's cross that bridge when we come to it" school of thought on that.

Mods have a lot of tools to choose from, but the tools we use and prefer most are posts and U2Us.

It's amazing what just talking to people can accomplish.

And that's what I'm hoping we can do in Slug-Fest: talk.