Civility: It's definitely a matter of how you say it

E-Democracy's Rule 2.4 Be Civil prohibits name calling, insults, personal one-on-one arguments, or strongly inflamed speech, but where do you draw the line?

With respect to name calling, it's really pretty simple. Imagine you're at an elementary playground where there's a common sense test: If someone or a group can say "He called me a dumby" - that's not okay. On the other hand, "He said I did something dumb" - while not nice, isn't name calling.

Our rules don't require you to be nice, but we view plain old name calling as something we, as a voluntary association, don't host. Calling politicians who are not guilty of a crime "crooks" crosses the line even though the term is commonly used in everyday speech. Calling the system corrupt is an opinion and well within the rules.

You can call their actions foolish, but calling someone a name like "fool" crosses the line. In our view it's a shortcut that adds heat and distracts from the substance of your message.

Note: Determining which name calling incidents generate official rule violation warnings or informal advisories from volunteer Forum Managers is subjective. These volunteers are empowered to make the call such that a forum meets its civic purpose. The name and a way to contact your volunteer Forum Manager is posted to each group's home page.