A Rule of Thumb for the Rules of the Road

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Monday February 15, 2021 · 2:40 PM PST

2021/02/15 · 14:40

Montage of Google thumbnails of confusing signs

I was noticing this morning, and have been for more than a few others, lately, that people seem to see a conflict between the following two rules:

DO NOT #12 Use profanity in the title of a story, which makes the site run afoul of Internet filters. Adult language is otherwise acceptable, provided it does not abuse other users or break site rules against hate speech.

and

DO NOT #2 Use bigoted language in stories or comments. This includes but is not limited to slurs and stereotypes regarding race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, religion, age, class, locality, country or culture of origin, and physical or mental ability. Discriminatory speech of any kind is subject to administrative action, including banning. We respect everyone.

Rules of the Road

This morning, though, someone asked for a list of words that were okay to use, to avoid “censorship.” It was in a Hidden comment, so they may not see my answer. That’s okay; this is for everybody:

It’s simple. If you can’t distinguish between profanity and bigotry, don’t use either one.

I may do more of these if I can think of sufficiently pithy ways to state the ought-to-be obvious. Watch this space.

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