Ahoy Newcomers! Read This First (FAQ 2008/1/2)

So … what’s Feminist Critics all about?

This blog is for discussing feminism. We tend to focus on its flaws (particularly its inaccurate portrayal of how gender affects males), but we also look at its positive aspects and at the flaws of its critics as well. We try to avoid becoming an echo chamber for any one point of view, and to make sure that all participants are treated respectfully. The About section has a more complete explanation.

[ETA 2013/7/4:] Also, this post has a good discussion of the kinds of questions that are appropriate for discussion, and why.

So you’re OK with a feminist chiming in with her or his comments?

Absolutely. Feminist participation is encouraged.

Great. I notice that some posts are duplicated, with one of the copies having an “RP” in their titles. Then I see references to “No Hostility” or “NoH” threads. WTF?

As you might expect, a number of the regular commenters here are critical of feminism. A few are quite strident in expressing their critiques. Those few don’t represent the views of the bloggers, but the nature and frequency of their comments often creates a hostile tone in the threads and has alienated some valued commenters.

We’ve generally tried to take a very easy going approach to moderating, but we don’t want to lose people either. So now we’re trying something different and creating two different comment threads for many posts: a “No Hostility” (NoH) thread where there are some additional rules and tighter moderation to keep people (particularly newcomers and feminists) from feeling overwhelmed or disrespected, and a second “Regular Parallel” (RP) thread where the normal rules apply. Some of the more negative commenters aren’t allowed to post in the NoH threads at all.

OK. So, “anything goes” in the RP threads?

No. The rules for the RP threads are here. Participants are expected to be courteous and respectful in all their comments.

It’s more of a question of emphasis in the way we moderate. In the NoH threads, we’ll err on the side of keeping things civil (that is, we’re more likely to strike, delete, or thread-ban commenters who violate the NoH rules). In the RP threads, we err on the side of letting people speak. There are also a couple of specific rules designed to keep newcomers from feeling overwhelmed that only apply to the NoH threads.

What are the NoH rules?

There are a number of rules here, but they can be summarized as simply, “Don’t be obnoxious,” and “Don’t pile on.”

Here are the specifics:

  1. Comments in NoH threads must respect the character of the people with whom you disagree. A comment in a NoH thread is subject to being struck, edited in place, or deleted if it:
    • Uses an ad hominem attack (focuses on another person’s character instead of their behavior or argument);
    • Expresses hatred or bigotry towards a group, i.e. implies that they are innately defective somehow;
    • Is overwhelmingly negative and sneering;
    • Implies that the vast majority of feminists, feminist critics (including MRAs), social justice activists, women, or men, are acting in bad faith (i.e. that they are ‘evil’ instead of ‘mistaken’);
    • Implies there is something sinister about feminists, feminist critics (including MRAs), social justice activists, women, or men, when they do things or adopt attitudes that are actually routine among any advocacy group (i.e. “they think they’re SMARTER than you” etc.);
    • Includes bad faith questions, i.e. questions that are structured so that a direct, good faith answer is not possible (in the “Have you stopped beating your wife?” vein);
    • Casually uses racist or sexist terminology in a potentially offensive manner.
  2. We ENCOURAGE comments that:
    • Have a clear and tangible relationship to the original post;
    • Are specific; have details and/or citations;
    • Focus on one or two points (instead of trying to address a lot of things in a single comment).
  3. Consecutive comments by the same person are discouraged, unless there’s been a substantial amount of time (12 hours) elapsed between the comments or the second comment is brief.
  4. No more than two consecutive responses (by different people) to a previous comment. A third response should not be posted unless the original commenter has posted a counter-response, or at least 12 hours have passed. In other words, if Alan makes a comment, then Betty responds to Alan, then Cathy responds to Alan, everyone else should refrain from responding to Alan until either Alan counter-responds or time has passed. Commenters may comment on other aspects of the original post, though. (The purpose of this rule is to eliminate the ‘gang tackling’ effect.)
  5. Commenters who have been placed on the watch list may not participate in the NoH threads, but should use the RP threads instead.
  6. Enforcement of these rules will be as fair and consistent as possible given limited blogger resources. It is likely that we bloggers will generally comply as well but may exempt ourselves as we see fit. General discussion of policy or enforcement is not appropriate for the NoH threads.

So which kind of thread should I participate in?

If you’re a newcomer and/or a feminist, I encourage you to participate in the NoH threads. On the other hand, if you want to join a more free-wheeling discussion and can tune out sarcasm or a hostile tone when you need to, you may prefer the RP threads.