• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

Don't be a jerk (and what "being a jerk" means)

Fig

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2002
Messages
12,782
Reaction score
1,046
When you post as a member here, you are expected to act with civility ; that is to say, to respect your fellow users.

Contrary to what many internet sites would have you believe, "respect" is not just "No insult and no calling out". These aren't even the most important part of respect. In many ways, calling someone out for their bullshit is more respectful (and certainly more honest) than pretending you're fine with the way they treat you. They're still not allowed here, but they're far from the worst behavior imaginable.

Respect means treating the other as a worthy equal, whose post represent his or her honest and legitimate opinions. Among other things that are NOT respectful:

-Acting like your opinion is the only valid, legitimate opinion and an established fact.
-Pretending to speak for a large group of people, or that your post represent the opinion of anyone other than yourself.
-Nitpicking details from another person's post rather than addressing the actual point.
-Treating the other poster as if they were acting in bad faith (acting like you know their motivations better than they do, or like they are lying about them).
-Using old posts from other threads in an attempt to find contradictions in a person's view (or to dismiss their views).
-Gloating when a person concede a point (including drawing attention to the concession), or drop a topic.
-Deliberately misrepresenting their views or posts (or misrepresenting their views in a way that make it clear you are treating them in bad faith).
-Using hyperbole, insults and bashing (of the thing you don't like) when expressing how much you dislike (or, to a lesser degree, like) something.

Of course, we don't expect people to be *perfect* in that regard. Discussions get heated, words get exchanged - because we all care about what we believe. But what we expect is people to make an effort. Withdraw from discussions that get heated, take breaks, and *try*. While we won't punish people for occasional slip, we will ask people who routinely act like that to tone it down (whether to one specific user, or all of them). If they don't, we will treat that as baiting other users.

NOTE: Staff member, as part of enforcing the rules, moderating discussions, and carrying out their other staff duties, will sometime have to break one or more of those (much like the police get to break the rules against using violence in the process of arresting people or preventing crime). They can only do so in those circumstances.
 
Back
Top Bottom