Member Survey: The Balance Between Free Speech and Maintaining a Civil, Respectful Forum Environment

[Debater Slayer]

Hi, all,

This survey is to gauge member opinions regarding the balance between free speech and maintaining a civil, respectful forum environment for debate and discussion.

Please answer the poll based on your forum experience and observation of content on the forums, including both content that aligns with your own views and content that disagrees with them.

Per Rule 2, if you have any feedback regarding specific instances of moderation, please post it in the Site Feedback forum.

Thank you.

 

[Secret Chief]

All things considered I think a good balance is maintained.

 

[an anarchist]

I feel like this election season could have been smoother on this site. Several threads were just pages of insults from one side right back to the other. Then those threads fill up the front page.

I think some civility and respectfulness could/should have been encouraged or even enforced via swatting down the insult threads. And the insults be charged as heck!

I think we need more civility here. Perhaps everyones emotions will die down as the presidency kicks in, but we shouldn’t have our fingers crossed that this will be the case.

I’m sure seeing nothing but hostile political threads is a huge turn off to many readers, guest and members alike. This is a privately owned forum, so I would think you guys can do more in keeping the atmosphere pleasant and civil.

 

[Eddi]

I think the moderation of RF is perfect as it is and should neither become more or less strict

 

[an anarchist]

I mean, people be arguing for months or I reckon even years! Is the point of this site to beat on each other? To trade insults for months on end? Or is it to have informative discussion/debate? In my opinion, if we lose more civility, religiousforums will just be a laughingstock I fear.

Decorum is important. I think this site is losing it’s decorum it still has.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Decorum is important. I think this site is losing it’s decorum it still has.

Are you kidding? This site has class coming out its ***.

 

[Revoltingest]

<reasonable>

 

[VoidCat]

I think when it comes to lgbt issues there'd been times I think there was blatant homophobia or transphobia. I've seen for example people outright misgender folk and a few use the slur shemale on here. That's a term from porn and is actually really harmful to transwomen it fetishize them.

I would report it but I don't because I lack the faith sometimes that these things break the rules. I feel due to how political lgbt stuff has gotten any offense a transperson feels may just get taken as oh the other person just has a different political opinion when in reality some stuff just really stings. So I just don't report.


Otherwise it's been reasonable

(I voted other)

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I think it is reasonable in how it treats it.

 

[ChristineM]

The balance seems to me to be about right. Moderation is fair. (And that is coming from one who knows what she's talking about ;-)​

 

[Debater Slayer]

I've seen for example people outright misgender folk and a few use the slur shemale on here. That's a term from porn and is actually really harmful to transwomen it fetishize them.

Just to clarify: Deliberately misgendering another forum member, whether they're trans or cis, is considered a personal attack and is therefore subject to moderation. Using slurs to insult others or denigrate people based on religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc., is also against the forum rules.

 

[VoidCat]

Just to clarify: Deliberately misgendering another forum member, whether they're trans or cis, is considered a personal attack and is therefore subject to moderation. Using slurs to insult others or denigrate people based on religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc., is also against the forum rules.

I didnt say I saw them do that ti another member. Just I've seen people misgender folk and use slurs but I haven't seem them do that to another forum member.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

It works , it shows a good balance.
We see a good balance of people's loves and hates on numerous subjects.
I would not like the forum to take sides, and restrict or ban contentious subject matter.
Editing personal attacks and hate material seems a reasonable way to continue.

On the political front things are bound to get more contentious for the next few years, as the democrats will have fewer official outlets for their dissatisfaction.
I would predict an increasing cost of living and fewer jobs in the USA as tariffs get more extreme.
So tempers will probably flair with the blame game. The fallout will perhaps show first with those living in the grain belt, as prices plummet due to China ceasing buying American corn and soya as of now.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Overall, I think the moderation is reasonable. That being said, there is one issue I have with certain members's posts that bothers me. I consider it a real problem that has yet to be resolved. Of course, this is only my opinion, and I could be mistaken because I don't know what goes on behind the scenes.

 

[VoidCat]

@Debater Slayer
The problem I keep seeing with trans threads is it's constant I see things on here or did before i started ignoring certain members debating the validity of trans peoples existence. I get it. It's a contentious issue. Some folk made a marginalized community that just wants to live into a political issue. It gets tiring being part of that community trying to exist. But after constantly seeing one user for example keep hiding behind the idea of women's right issues and basically insinuating transwomen aren't real women and a couple of people in threads like that misgender transwomen as men...

Stuff like that does end up with real consequences. There are a lot of trans people in the US alone that are murdered because they are trans and transfolk have high suicide rates because of hate.

It just gets tiring. There's a fine line between hate speech and just having a different opinion. I'm not sure what that line should be. Sometimes I wonder if some threads cross it on occasion. Sometimes tho it could just be me being tired of being bombarded all the time with anittrans stuff both online and offline. So I don't report that kind of stuff. I just ignore users and avoid trans stuff unless I'm in a good headspace.

Edit: I don't have a solution for the mods there. It just is something I notice.

Edit again: it's like people online debating stuff like this forget that trans people are real people. Even if you think their identity is silly at the end of the day things stick. Constantly debating a person's existence wears on you. Seeing it get heated does for sure. Because of this I can't report it. I'm too emotionally involved and sometimes can't tell if the problem is I'm tired of constant hate in my life regarding trans issues if its just a difference of opinion that struck a nerve or if someone is actually being hateful on RF.

 

[Revoltingest]

Just to clarify: Deliberately misgendering another forum member, whether they're trans or cis, is considered a personal attack and is therefore subject to moderation. Using slurs to insult others or denigrate people based on religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc., is also against the forum rules.

Verify it's deliberate, & not accidental before
unleashing the dogs of war upon the offender.
Some of us have memory & competence issues.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Verify it's deliberate, & not accidental before
unleashing the dogs of war upon the offender.
Some of us have memory & competence issues.

That's why I said "Deliberately"; knowing that it's deliberate is a requirement before it could be considered a personal attack. When unsure about the meaning of a potentially rule-breaking post in general—not just when it comes to misgendering—the staff typically asks a poster what the poster meant via PM or, more often, by copying/moving the post to Site Feedback to ask.

 

[Revoltingest]

That's why I said "Deliberately"; knowing that it's deliberate is a requirement before it could be considered a personal attack. When unsure about the meaning of a potentially rule-breaking post in general—not just when it comes to misgendering—the staff typically asks a poster what the poster meant via PM or, more often, by copying/moving the post to Site Feedback to ask.

Vast experience in the world
suggested my caution is useful.
Sometimes questions aren't asked.

 

[osgart]

I think proselytizing can be done in a civil manner with respect for people's rights to reject those kinds of efforts.

I've recently made a statement that Christianity is a false religion. I got my post shut down here. I still feel it was appropriate. I think it is a factually falsifiable religion.

I'd like to see people be able to state their certain knowledge as facts, even when disputed, or not commonly accepted.

People proselytize science here often and there's little complaints about it.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

I think proselytizing can be done in a civil manner with respect for people's rights to reject those kinds of efforts.

I've recently made a statement that Christianity is a false religion. I got my post shut down here. I still feel it was appropriate. I think it is a factually falsifiable religion.

I'd like to see people be able to state their certain knowledge as facts, even when disputed, or not commonly accepted.

People proselytize science here often and there's little complaints about it.

I am actually relieved that there is a specific rule prohibiting proselytizing, preaching, and stating one's personal opinions as a definitive matter of fact.