[quote="Beathan":2fanfdn9]As Justice points out, and Ash responds, we have here a cultural clash -- not just between ideas of free speech, but between the idea of whether these forums are just like other forums such that general rules of netiquette apply, or are these forums "public forums" of the C.D.S., in which free political speech rules apply. I think that we have some hybrid here.[/qu0te]
There are two quite separate questions: (1) whether the rules of netiquette do, in fact, apply; and (2) whether you would like them to apply.
(1) is answered conclusively by the [url=http://forums.neufreistadt.info/viewtop ... 3:2fanfdn9]forum moderation guidelines[/url:2fanfdn9]:
[quote="The forum moderation guidelines":2fanfdn9]
Article 3: NETIQUETTE
The usual guidelines apply for posting to a public discussion forum on the internet. They can be broadly summarised as follows:
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3.5: When disagreeing with another poster make sure that your response takes issue with the arguments rather than with the person behind them. Abuse and personal attacks will not be tolerated.
...
[/quote:2fanfdn9]
[quote:2fanfdn9]First, these posts are a public forum for the C.D.S. -- and are very different from other forums on the web. People get into flame wars on forums elsewhere for reasons entirely confined to the forums. These flame wars are made worse by the virtual certainty that the flamers will never actually have to interact with their targets. This made the flaming particularly brutal and nasty -- and caused rules to ban or discourage flaming to develop.
However, the circumstances that support rules of netiquette do not apply here (at least do not completely apply here). These forums have features that make them different from other forums. First, these forums are used by citizens of the C.D.S. to influence the government of the C.D.S. This is an important concern -- and one that means that these forums are not self-contained, so the discussions in them are not self-contained. [/quote:2fanfdn9]
Despite your proclamations to the contrary, it is quite evident that such a rule is necessary here from the very incivility that has, in fact, arisen on the forums, especially when the guidelines have been ignored. I may note that your track record in predicting cultural phenomena is so far very poor: where is that separate Colonia Nova culture that you predicted two months ago? For that reason, there is good reason to be sceptical of your claims that relate to culture especially when they are unsubstantiated by any evidence for their empirical propositions (the claim, for example, that the fact that there is a possibility that people will have to interact with each other in a virtual world will in fact have the effect of preventing destructive flame wars, is wholly unsubstantiated with any real evidence in practice, and amounts to no more than groundless speculation).
[quote:2fanfdn9]We can interact inworld with the people who post here. For the most part, we do. Further, part of that interaction is through the medium of C.D.S. government. Some posters have positions of inworld importance and power, other don't, and are just citizens. I think this makes a huge difference in the very rule concerning posts about character.[/quote:2fanfdn9]
That an official's character may need to be discussed does not entail that these forums are the appropriate place to do so.
[quote:2fanfdn9]I have refrained from things I consider personal attacks.[/quote:2fanfdn9]
There is evidently a very considerable distance indeed between what you consider to be personal attacks and what really are personal attacks.
[quote:2fanfdn9] If my character descriptions have landed, they have landed because of their analytic thoroughness and, I think, their accuracy -- and not because they resemble anything like traditional flaming. Thus, while I agree that I have, on times, sailed dangerously close to the wind -- I do not think that I have ever sailed into it.[/quote:2fanfdn9]
Resemblance to "traditional flaming" (in so far as there can meaningfully be said to be a traditional method of flaming) is irrelevant: the point in question is that, in a debate on a web forum, it is wholly wrong to criticise a person's character as opposed to the things for which the person is arguing.
And what exactly do you mean by "landed" here? Either what you write is a criticism of character or it is not: whether you believe that your own criticisms are accurate or not is neither here nor there.
Do you take joy in being spiteful to people? Also, do you ever plan to stand for public office of any kind in the CDS?
[quote:2fanfdn9] I will also never forget the personal aspects of policy, and I will not shrink from drawing attention to those personal aspects when discussing the policies they further, warp or impede.[/quote:2fanfdn9][/quote:2fanfdn9]
Even if doing so on a web forum is in breach of forum moderation guidelines?