‘Stick to the facts, not personal attacks”
Nextdoor allows private groups to operate without much control by their own review process and message-filtering algorithms. ‘Magnolia Residents Only’ is self-policing. A condition of having a private group on Nextdoor is that we maintain standards that are consistent with their Community Guidelines, or risk removal of the entire group.
We’re all human. While acknowledging that we, any one of us, can to tempted from time to time to descend into the ‘personal attack’ mode, there are individuals that view arguments as mere contests where the primary objective is to triumph or exert dominance. In this perspective, personal comprehension holds little significance, and mutual understanding is deemed irrelevant. The deployment of ad hominem (‘to the person’) attacks, targeting individuals rather than the positions they uphold, serves as a tool to control discussions through emotional persuasion. These individuals assert that the unequivocally correct stance is already established, eliminating the need for genuine argumentation and categorizing dissenting voices as mere stubbornness against acknowledged truths.
Some examples:
‘Why don’t you just stop your whining?’
‘You people just want the Association to fail.’
‘Don’t you have anything better to do?
‘If you don’t like it here, why don’t you just move?’
‘We are sick of the negativity. You just demonstrated it.’
‘Oh, here you go again.’
‘They appear to be hiding the history to make people think our board has been inadequate.’
None of these will help to advance any arguments presented on ‘Magnolia Residents Only’. ‘Ad hominem’ attacks in this vein deflect any attempts to question the supposedly unquestionable by dismissing those who dare to inquire. In the worst instances, such behavior can be perceived as trolling, characterized by a refusal to engage in meaningful discussion and a preference for irritating, degrading, and harassing opponents.
So, what if the ‘offense’ doesn’t shout at the top of its lungs? What if no one is directly named but the effect of the post or reply is to malign groups or associations of individuals? The rule for all:
If the reference in the post or reply does not advance the narrative, but attempts to intimidate with a narrowly based appeal grounded in emotion, and not facts, the post and/or reply will be deleted from the thread in which it appears. Any member basing an opinion based on ‘facts’ is welcome to have that messaging challenged by any other member with a request to substantiate the assertion with supporting documentation, be it a study, analysis, investigation, or substantive conclusion by a third party of recognized standing. Failing that, the original opinion may be deleted by the Administrator.
For reference, the policy of ‘Magnolia Residents Only’ is informed by Jürgen Habermas’ Normative reasoning modes, as outlined in the Philosophy Dictionary of Arguments. If our policy is unacceptable, post what you want under ‘Magnolia Residents’ on Nextdoor.
NOTE: ONE THREAD PER AUTHOR, PER TOPIC, IS ALLOWED AT A TIME IN THE GROUP; FURTHER, POSTS THAT APPEAR IN BOTH ‘MAGNOLIA POINT’ AND ‘FOR MAGNOLIA RESIDENTS ONLY’ WILL BE DELETED FROM ‘MAGNOLIA RESIDENTS ONLY’.
We feel our policy has been refined adequately over time, and with input from its members sufficient enough that is speaks for itself. Previously, we had a procedure of escalatory advisements (‘warnings’, if you prefer), which everyone pretty much ignored. The implication was, ‘Go ahead, delete my post.’ In the interest of time and the limited bandwidth of this single administrator, we now take you at your word, and the unheralded and immediate deletion of your contribution will be what we consider warning enough.
We admit that this policy is at best a work in progress and we don’t profess to have all the answers. If you have suggestions to improve this policy, message me at davepetraglia@gmail.com to discuss further, or to report a post or reply you feel is or was in compliance with the rules laid forth, above.
(Revised: 9/17/2024)