I have been a bit inconsistent in the way I deal with civility in this blog, and I want it to stop. In an comment this morning on one of CAPT Midnight's comments to the Obama and Racism post below, I chided him for insulting me and my readers. In several other posts this morning, CAPT Midnight made comments I considered insulting, and I had decided to ignore his posts...except that he made what I thought was a quality post worthy of responding to.
This got me thinking that there have been plenty of instances recently where I have not responded when folks have said things here that were uncivil or insulting, probably because the targets were generally folks whose views I do not hold.
That needs to stop. I will be much more careful about policing the rhetoric here, making liberal use of the trash button if the rhetoric deviates from discussions of policy/opinion. Insults, whether aimed at individuals or at groups of individuals, will not be tolerated, no matter the target.
For example, I consider charges that Barack Obama is somehow aligned with Osama bin Laden or any other Islamic terrorist, to be insulting and uncivil. I do not consider questions about his acknowledged relationship with an acknowledged terrorist (Bill Ayers) to be insulting or uncivil. I consider my raising the question of the impropriety of the use of the word "homophobic" to describe the distaste I feel for the ACTS that distinguish homosexuality legitimate. I consider broad insults designed to undercut the humanity of people who ARE homosexual to be insulting and uncivil. I consider MSNBC to be blatantly left of center; I do not think people who watch MSNBC are any less intelligent than those who watch Fox or CNN.
Ok, so let's try and all stay on the up and up here.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
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1 comment:
Good thing Winston Churchill is too deceased to participate under these rules. Civility is generally a preferred way to engage in meaningful discourse, and you've laid out your guidelines clearly. Knowing you, I believe you'll enforce them in such a way that you preserve civility without hobbling vigorous, passionate debate. I for one will try to adhere to your admonition in future posts...even if I'm writing about people from New Jersey. Perhaps especially then.
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