name calling policy and keeping things civil guidelines?

[John F]

It seems to me that name calling is now allowed, except for the specific case of calling or inferring that someone is a troll.

From the guide lines:

... Name calling is not permitted, even in the form of a question, e.g. "X's posts make me wonder how much he believes what he's saying, or if he's just a troll." ...

I've seen the troll rule enforced.

From the political guidelines:

...Joining this usergroup means you wish to access our new Politics and Religion forum section and that you agree that you can handle the discussions that take place there in a mature and respectable manner. It goes without saying that our guidelines in terms of discussing things politely still apply. ...

And a post from the Politics and religion forum that has me questioning the policy:

[deleted a (redacted) copy of apost from P&R forum.]
To me this doesn't appear to be polite and is name calling.

So what is the rule on name calling? Am I allowed to say someone is "stupid"? "too stupid"? "too stupid like someone who is not a member of MR"?

I am not looking for opinions from members; I would like a ruling from the mods please so I know what is acceptable behavior.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by John F

I am not looking for opinions from members; I would like a ruling from the mods please so I know what is acceptable behavior.

Thread locked.

[pdurrant]

The official MobileRead position is as follows:

1. Discuss Things Politely

Our members have developed a strong, constructive online community. To help maintain this friendly, supportive atmosphere, we ask that you follow these standards of politeness.

MobileRead is intended to be a family-safe and work-safe website. Please post accordingly.

Do attempt to state your point of view in a way that avoids misunderstanding. Remember that we are an international community and not all members are posting in their first language.

When things get controversial please disagree with the opinion, not the person.

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Name calling is not permitted, even in the form of a question, e.g. "X's posts make me wonder how much he believes what he's saying, or if he's just a troll."

MobileRead reserves the right to limit discussion that is outside the realm of good taste, or uses foul or hateful language. We won't tolerate any form of hate-speech.

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[pdurrant]

In short, if you think one member is being rude about another member, report it to a moderator.