A Plea for Sanity

Given the vast number of posts in the lilspeak debate over the past day, I decided I might as well review community policy as it pertains to debates like this one. While our in-system children do have a definite take on it, I'm trying not to show partiality, unless anyone thinks their input would be particularly important.

However, I've seen people threatening to quit or leave the community, saying they feel they or their children aren't safe any more, etc. As regards community policy, and safety, there are a few things I should clear up.

1. The original 'just say no to lilspeak' post and its followups did not violate any community standards, though the 'morons on crack' remark, which was quoted from a post in another community with different rules, was admittedly pushing the envelope. Therefore, controversial or no, it was allowed to stay.

This community is not a safe place, in the traditional sense. What it is is an open place. Like the old DP list, it's a place where one can freely discuss any aspect of multiplicity, within reason and without censorship, and everyone is responsible for their own safety and well-being. "Within reason," in this case, means that the mods, some of whom remember the endless flamewars that DP often turned into, instituted rules against direct attacking and flaming of other posters. You can criticise an idea without criticising the person who came up with it.

If your in-system kids, children, littles, whatever, will get upset if someone disagrees with them or doesn't want them to write in lilspeak, then no, this is not a 'safe place' for them if you're defining it that way. The mods will crack down on people if they flame or openly attack, but not if they disagree. Children are as welcome to post as anyone else, but they don't get special treatment.

2. If you feel that you have been personally flamed/attacked/insulted, let the mods know (email is preferred) and we will review the post in question to see if it violates community standards. We don't always read every comment, and sometimes things get out of hand when we're not looking.

[identity profile] elenbarathi.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
"the 'morons on crack' remark, which was quoted from a post in another community with different rules, was admittedly pushing the envelope."

Yes, it was, and I apologize for that; it was unnecessarily harsh, and also unneccessary to drag [livejournal.com profile] nonstupidplural into the fray. If you wish, I will edit the post to take that part out and put in a retraction.

[identity profile] elenbarathi.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 08:05 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, that sentence is gone now... thank you as well. :)
pthalo: a photo of Jelena Tomašević in autumn colours (Default)

[personal profile] pthalo 2005-07-01 06:58 am (UTC)(link)
raise your hand if you're not offended, just thoroughly bored of the discussion (because at this point any viewpoints added will just be a rehash of viewpoints already expressed).

*Pthalo raises hand*

[identity profile] elenbarathi.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 08:42 am (UTC)(link)
*Jess raises hand*

Yeah... unless someone's got some new and fascinating neuro-linguistic data to present, along with the obligatory speculation beyond that data, I'd say this lode is 'bout mined out.

Nice to actually get a lively discussion going around here, though, and people brought up some very good points. The "fad" aspect of Lilspeak, for instance, and the way some kids have felt pressured to use it because they wouldn't be accepted by the other kids if they didn't - I hadn't ever thought about that, not being a part of the 'littles subculture'. Some interesting perspectives on language acquisition too.

All in all, it's been fun, and reasonably civil for the most part too. I'm ready to be done with it though; I've got other matters on which to spend my limited online time.

[identity profile] chezames.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 03:52 pm (UTC)(link)
*raises hands*

[identity profile] szczur-system.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 04:09 pm (UTC)(link)
*raises hand*

Not really

[identity profile] spookshow-girl.livejournal.com 2005-07-02 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd be bored with a rehash, but I do think, as [livejournal.com profile] elenbarathi indicated, there is potential for new ground to be tread. Nevertheless, I'm not sure the conversation has enough steam for it.

--Me

Query

[identity profile] hellmutt.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Before the 'just say no' post and all that, I remember seeing a well-researched-sounding post about 'lilspeak', written by someone who seemed to have worked in/studied neurolinguistic development. I would've liked to read that one again, but it seems to have disappeared - could you tell me if a mod removed it? (Or am I blind/not looking far back enough in the archives?)

Re: Query

[identity profile] ksol1460.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't remove posts except those written by flaming trolls. Some users have removed their own posts by their own choice. How long ago was this, about?

So many things have been discussed in the last five years, and as you point out, discussed intelligently and in a well-researched manner, if there is one thing I do while I'm running this community it's catalog those posts and make a list.

Keep looking, and I will, too.

[identity profile] hellmutt.livejournal.com 2005-07-01 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Literally a day or two... or three? I guess the author must've taken it down, then. Thanks for replying.

If you mean mine

[identity profile] shandra.livejournal.com 2005-07-02 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
If you mean mine, it wasn't deleted; it's right below. But I'm not an expert. :)

http://www.livejournal.com/community/multiplicity/288351.html (http://www.livejournal.com/community/multiplicity/288351.html)

Re: If you mean mine

[identity profile] elenbarathi.livejournal.com 2005-07-02 09:21 am (UTC)(link)
Wow, that's excellent; I hadn't seen that before. Very well-said!

Re: If you mean mine

[identity profile] spookshow-girl.livejournal.com 2005-07-02 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Seconded. It is an excellent post on the topic.

--Me

Re: If you mean mine

[identity profile] hellmutt.livejournal.com 2005-07-04 01:45 pm (UTC)(link)
So I'm just blind then! That is the one I meant. Thanks.