Guidelines for Civil Discourse

[Dan]

Borrowed from MSN, these guidelines should be helpful as a reference source:

• Recognize a person’s right to advocate ideas that are different from your own
• Discuss policies, issues and ideas, not people - and especially not individual PL members
• Disagree without being disagreeable
• Use civil and helpful, not hurtful language (such as name-calling)
• Respectfully respond to differing points of view
• When unsure of what another poster means by what they have written, ask for clarification
• Realize that what you write and what people understand you have written may be different. Be patient and explain yourself again if other posters misinterpret your meaning - particularly here at PL where members have a variety of native languages, yet are doing their best to communicate in the common language of American English
• Recognize that sometimes people can and must agree to disagree
• If you are not sure what you are about to say is civil, find another way to say it or let it go
• Reliance on labels for groups of people is often the first step toward the negative. Whenever possible, avoid them. They rarely add to the quality of any discussion
• Put yourself in the other person's shoes as best as possible, to see things from a different perspective - theirs
• Give an additional benefit of doubt to a person whose first language is not English

Any others you would like to see added to the list?

- Dan

[Dave H]

Hey Dan,

How about:

Give an additional benefit of doubt to a person who has certified brain damage. 

Dave

[Bear]

Yeah Dave but who would decide who was brain damaged?  Democrats or Republicans?

The Bear Family

[Jeff S]

Speaking as a strict libertarian. I vote for Dave as brain damaged. All in favor say aye, those opposed, say nay:

[Dave H]

Yeah Dave but who would decide who was brain damaged?  Democrats or Republicans?

The Bear Family

I think I'd better just submit medical records! 

[Bob_S]

Speaking as a strict libertarian. I vote for Dave as brain damaged. All in favor say aye, those opposed, say nay:

Maybe we should discuss this with Mrs. Dave H. first.  Firsthand knowledge on all his purple g-string wackiness and all that.