Thema Extrarius House Rules

I am Eric Pettifor, your host, moderator, and first person pronoun in this document.

The overall guide for conduct on this board was probably best expressed by Kurt Vonnegut when he wrote "a little less love, a little more common decency." This is not necessarily a fuzzy wuzzy place where everyone is required to love everyone else, but some common decency can go a long way.

The most important practice in pursuit of this is not making ad hominem attacks, that is to say, responding to a post not by addressing its content, but by attacking the character of the poster. This is what can push a heated debate across the line into a flame war, and flame wars are simply a waste of space.

Related and also important is to avoid directives such as "blow it out your ear", "get a life", or worse. Basically, interactions should be human in the highest and best sense of the word, as opposed to like chimpanzees who throw sticks and hoot and holler whenever someone shakes a rattle. Not that there's anything wrong with chimpanzees. I especially like the bonobos. But they aren't the greatest role models for participation on a human message board. If you find yourself tempted to react to a post in a chimpanzee-esque way, leave the board and return when you're feeling more human.

I should say that by 'human' I don't mean 'Vulcan'. People have feelings. But when angered rather than saying "You are an asshole", it would be better to simply say, "That makes me really angry, and here's why.", followed by points addressing whatever content led to the anger (NOT "That makes me really angry, and here's why: You are an asshole.").

Basically what I'm talking about could probably also be summarized as 'maturity'. We all think we're very mature, but trust me, if you're new to the board you will sooner or later come across content which will seriously test any assumptions you may have about your own level-headedness and maturity. If you are not new to the board, then you probably already have been tested by such. If you find yourself looking for a stick to throw, or feel a distinctly chimpanzee-like holler rising in your throat, you will know to at very, very, very least, count to ten, preferably starting from -100.

Another thing to remember is that you also have the option NOT to respond at all.

If you make it a rule of thumb to respond to ideas expressed in posts, you'll also have no trouble appreciating the seriously tangential nature of criticizing someone's spelling. We all have bad spelling days, and the internet, being international in scope, has a lot of people on it for whom English is a second (or maybe third, fourth, etc) language. We want to encourage participation, not phobias about spelling.

Regarding 'bad' words, 'common decency' isn't concerned so much with vocabulary, but with intentions. There aren't really any bad words per se. However, there are people with sensitivities to certain words, and if your intention is to communicate something, say about a scene in a novel where mammoths copulate, if you aren't careful you can have people totally ignoring what it was you were trying to say and focussing instead on your word choice, which probably wasn't your intention.

Things not to discuss at the dinner table, but which can make for some great threads on message boards: sex, politics, and religion - First of all it would be good to note that you don't have to read or participate in any discussion which makes you uncomfortable. Beyond that, the above principals followed, anything is really fair game. Religion can be thorny, though, since it can get into the territory of deeply felt beliefs, and any discussions around it should incorporate respect for the beliefs of others. 'Preaching' is seriously discouraged and can generally be identified by a quality of "This is THE truth", as opposed to "This is MY truth". There are a lot of people out there with a lot of interesting individual truths, and there is room on the board for all of them.

That brings up the difference between discussions involving opinion, and arguments of fact. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and consequently standards of proof are a lot less rigorous than for statements of fact or discussion of how things might actually be beyond the level of simple belief or opinion. Some very interesting debate can emerge with regard to the latter, but if you get into it, don't be surprised if others expect you to be able to support your position, perhaps even asking for references! There is room on the board for discussions of how you would cast the EC series if you were making a movie, as well as such things as when in our evolution spoken language emerged. "I just like the idea of Lucy being able to talk" might not be regarded as compelling in a debate about the origin of language!

Please also bear in mind that no matter how cozy this environment may feel, it is a publically accessable message board available to everyone on the internet without even the requirement of registration. It is about as safe as as Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park (probably ok, but watch your wallet), so think carefully before posting personal information. While board regulars can be very supportive in times of personal trial, those in need of psychological help or counseling might wish to seek resources more directly related to that need. Please note that this is an advisory, not a rule. As long as postings don't violate any of the minimal house rules, the content is up to you. But do take care, not only here, but anywhere on the open web.

Finally I should note that I'm a board participant as well as the board's rule enforcer. Consequently, I try very hard to make assessments about whether or not to delete a post based on the principals outlined herein, NOT on whether or not I agree with your position. You are, of course, free to disagree with my decisions and post any objections. I will typically refer back to some point here when explaining why a particular post was unacceptable.

There aren't actually a lot of rules, and while there are prohibitions, they derive from an aspiration, namely "a little more common decency".