on 1/30/07 12:18 PM, Andrew Gray at shimgray@gmail.com wrote:
The (conceptual) reasoning for a civility rule translates to:
"This is a collaborative project. Civility is needed in order to work collaboratively with others. Not being civil rules out effective collaboration; ruling out effective collaboration means you're not working for the good of the project"
Basically, if someone doesn't play nice, they're not helping the project - indeed, there's a good chance they're harming it, as a combative and offensive attitude drives off contributors faster than anything. And if they're not helping the project, well, please tell them to bugger off. (in as many words...)
WP and its various interaction pages is my first exposure to this type of dialogue between and among persons. The whole of my past experience has been, in person, face-to-face communication.
Yes, it¹s all about context. I can see being in a meeting about a particular issue, when two of the participants stray from the subject, and begin hurling personal attacks at each other that has nothing to do with the subject at hand. Their physical and verbal behavior is making it impossible for anyone else to be heard, and is, in fact, very much getting in the way of things. I can see turning to them and saying: ³If you¹re going to insist on that bullshit take it outside; it has no place here.²
But, in the context of WP, how does this apply? How does what two people say to each other on their personal Talk Pages disrupt the Project? For that matter, in that two-way conversation, if it is one person flailing at the other, can¹t that other person simply not respond? How does what one person writes in this Mailing List disrupt the progress of an issue being discussed? Simply ignore it or, as computer challenged as I am, even I know where the DELETE button is :-).
The only reason words are ever banned is out of fear of the consequence of their use.
Marc