A while back I announced I was working on a system to provide mailing
lists for Minneapolis, and area neighborhoods. My work is almost complete.
>From what I've learned from Minneapolis Issues and other lists like it,
I've drafted the following for the Minneapolis and Minneapolis
Neighborhood Lists. All comments are welcomed off-list.
---
Diversity Encouraged
We welcome and encourage a diversity of opinions, backgrounds, and
differences in language expressions. Our goal is to build better
communities through the open exchange of ideas, discussion, and actions.
At times ideologies will clash. Instead of proving which ideology is
better, let's work together on the issues. Only through better
understanding of the issues and different views we can move forward as a
group.
�It's not always what you say, but how you say it.�
It's sometimes hard to see the expressions or gestures people want to
convey online. Before jumping on someone's literal wordings, try to "see"
their message as a whole and not in parts. If you need clarification on
certain particular points in a person's message, ask questions before
labeling the author for what you THINK he or she is doing.
There are many different ways of communicating our ideas. Sometimes an
author use slangs, or he/she just can't type in proper English because
it's not his/her native language. In reference to a posting which
contained Ebonics, David Brauer, list admin for Minneapolis Issues, once
said:
"The important thing is that the use of uneducated slang is, quite
simply, offensive, as it would be to any group so characterized."
It's hard to determine what "uneducated slang" is. Various forms of the
English dialect have been used throughout history in poetries, art, and
music. We can't just censor what we deem to be "uneducated slang." We
welcome true diversity: the educated, the "uneducated," the poor, the
wealthy, etc. Even cats are allowed to "meow" once in a while. Dogs can
bark "woof, woof" too.
�Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and
goes to work.�
--Carl Sandburg
There will always be a gray line between what some consider offensive. As
long as you aren't personally attacking someone or a group of people, or
intentionally cause harm by your posting, feel free to express yourself.
If you happen to cross that gray line, you will be given a chance to
explain your posting before any judgement, by an elected committee, is
imposed on you.
�History proves that all dictatorships, all authoritarian forms of
government are transient. Only democratic systems are not transient.
Whatever the shortcomings, mankind has not devised anything superior.�
--Vladimir Putin
These lists are nothing without user contributions. It's you who make a
difference. Therefore, the people who administrate the lists should be
made up of an elected or volunteered group of your fellow members. A
totalitarian system of one list creator, who's also the administrator,
judge, juror, and executioner for disciplinary actions is flawed. We need
better representation.
As long as we try to communicate and try to understand each other, we'll
end up knowing more about each other -- though the road their may be
filled with misunderstandings. We can overcome those misunderstandings if
we work together, instead of quickly labeling each other and cutting off
the line of communication.
Lists rules can be discussed. You will not be put on warnings or banned
because you have a difference in opinion with our list rules. Discussions
about list rules should be taken to list-rules lists. For instance, if you
want to discuss the list rules for Minneapolis, subscribe to
Minneapolis-Rules and discuss it there. This will help keep the list
Minneapolis focused on relevant topics.
Complaints
If you find a posting to be offensive, then bring it up for discussion.
The key word there being discussion. If you file a complaint, the the
accused should have the right to see your full complaint and who is filing
the complaint. Just because two vocal people complained about someone and
one list admin agree with those two people, doesn't mean their complaints
are valid. The accused has the right to defend himself or herself and know
the full extent of the complaint. It's rightfully democratic.
Solutions to complaints will be drawn from discussions and decisions
rendered by elected group made up of other members. No one person should
have the power to decide what is right and wrong for the group.
Mandatory
All posts must be include a person's e-mail address and be signed at the
bottom with their real full name and neighborhood/city.
Credits
Minneapolis Issues, created by David Brauer, for showing that people can
collaborate by email to make a difference.
---
Thomas T. Thai // Whittier
"Two paths to a destination is often better than one."
TEMPORARY REMINDER:
1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.
2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject
(Mpls-specific, of course.)
________________________________
Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy
Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
