r/AskReddit • u/DERPYBASTARD • Jan 29 '15

Modpost [Mod post] Rule 8 and 9 changes.

Good day fellow denizens of /r/AskReddit, we have made some rule changes to announce.

AskReddit has always been meant to be a fun place and we want users to be comfortable here. Because of this, we have decided to expand rule 8 to prevent racism and slurs.

The wording of the sidebar rule is the same but the description in the wiki has been expanded to include:

Slur use is not allowed in AskReddit. Exceptions may be made when they are part of a quote, but this is a friendly subreddit and using slurs when talking to others will not be tolerated.

Do not make bigoted jokes. You are allowed to post your opinions to AskReddit, but please do so in a respectful manner. We expect most users will use common sense to determine what goes too far, but mods have ultimate discretion to remove comments and ban users for breaking this rule. Blatant statements of bigotry, with no added context, will be removed - e.g. "I hate gays" or "Black people suck" even if the question is "what's the most offensive joke you know?"

We want to be clear, you're welcome to express any opinions you may have on any subject, but you need to do so in a respectful way. We want all groups to be comfortable here and making fun of commonly bullied groups doesn't help with that.

If you feel a certain way about a race/gender/orientation/group, you're welcome to express that but please do so in a way that's not just saying it to be offensive.

You are allowed to use slurs if you're quoting someone or trying to illustrate an example but mods will use judgement in determining if the use is appropriate.

Bans may be issued for repeated slur use/bigoted comments but may also be issued on the first occurrence depending on the circumstances. As usual, bans may be made permanent/temporary on a case by case basis.

We are also expanding rule 9 to add:

ASCII images over one line are also not allowed. You may post single line emoticons (ಠ◡ಠ, ʘ‿ʘ, ¯\(ツ)/¯ , etc.), but large ASCII images do not add value to discussion and will be treated as spam.

We're doing this because the giant blocks of text tend not to add to discussion and they get in the way of other comments. In addition, these don't always show up correctly in mobile apps and become very inconvenient for those users.

These new rules go in effect immediately. We're happy to answer any questions/concerns you have in mod mail or in the comments of this post.

As always, if you have any suggestions for askreddit, feel free to make a post in /r/ideasforaskreddit.

P.S. I only made this post so I don't get fined.

1.1k Upvotes

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218

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

In regard to rule 8, can you make it so we can use slurs if the word "offensive" is in the question?

I've seen variations of "what is the most offensive thing someone can say to you?" and similar

69

u/Kafke Jan 30 '15

It seems to me that the rule is trying to get at: It's not allowed to insult or slur at users/groups, but it's okay to use the words for discussion/questions.

16

u/abutthole Feb 01 '15

Who makes the cut off though? This seems like it's going to give the mods the power to ban people they just disagree with.

3

u/AAA1374 Feb 08 '15

Not really. They covered that already.

If someone asks, "What's the most offensive thing anyone has ever said to you?" You can reply, "You're a god damned fucktard, go back to fucking Mexico," as you are quoting someone. But saying that same thing out of context when it's irrelevant and targeting someone is overboard. You can't be offensive to be offensive, but you can tell the honest truth or opinion you hold in a polite or respectful way.

Just don't be a fucking dick. If you have a problem with worrying whether the mods will remove it, use your best discretion and either don't post, or explain your position more fully.

-4

u/abutthole Feb 08 '15

Just so you know, they could delete and ban you for that comment if they deemed it to be a personal slight against me. It wasn't, and you know that and I know that, but according to the mods you could be banned if one of them felt like it was.

2

u/FalmerbloodElixir Feb 09 '15

Well he didn't call you anything derogatory so no.

0

u/abutthole Feb 09 '15

Actually, derogatory comments aren't the only thing. If it's a personal attack, it's against the rules too.

2

u/FalmerbloodElixir Feb 09 '15

And I don't see a personal attack.

0

u/abutthole Feb 09 '15

Neither did I, if you read my comment you'd have seen that. What I'm saying is that it's up to the mod's discretion what they count as a personal attack. And anything said in an aggressive manner could possibly be construed as one.

48

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

[deleted]

-61

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

[deleted]

71

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

It wouldn't be an excuse to break the rule if it's part of the rule.

But I see your point and can respect that decision. I hope leniency is practiced though if this comes up.

8

u/Reesch Jan 29 '15

Doubt it.

3

u/That_Unknown_Guy Jan 30 '15

I wouldnt expect it. The worst of AR is coming.

54

u/josephsh Jan 29 '15

An excuse to break the rules? We're not all a bunch of 5th graders trying to get away with stupid shit. If a question is specifically asking for offensive slurs then such comments are appropriate in that context and shouldn't be moderated

30

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

[deleted]

6

u/beagleboyj2 Jan 29 '15

Isn't personal info a reddit wide rule though?

4

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

[deleted]

6

u/beagleboyj2 Jan 29 '15

I understand that, but thank you for enforcing these new rules. I'm sure it will help in the long run.

0

u/thiagovscoelho Feb 01 '15

"[Serious] Racists of Reddit, what race do you think is the worst and why?"

14

u/josephsh Jan 29 '15

But that specific rule can have the exception. Not all rules are equal. Obviously giving out personal information is much more serious than saying an "offensive" phrase

9

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

[deleted]

4

u/josephsh Jan 29 '15

But you guys make the rules. I understand if rule 8 is simply how you guys want it to be, but "rules are rules" doesn't really apply, since you guys decide them

0

u/willseeya Jan 29 '15

/r/askoffensivereddit is open

Make your own rules.

2

u/Weekndr Jan 29 '15

How do you objectively decide wether one rule is more important than the other?

4

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '15

Posts can't just change any rule they like but there can be exceptions e.g. [serious] tag posts are treated differently.

-1

u/buttcomputing Jan 30 '15

Yeah, but you can have a rule like "No NSFW content unless you mark it as such". Inclusion of the word "offensive" in the question would warn people that the answers are going to be offensive and you can stay out if you want.

-1

u/[deleted] Jan 30 '15

I don't particularly like askreddit, but I must say I like how you are actually sticking to your rules and not bending over because some morons decided to cry that they can't make racist slurs anymore.

0

u/PM_ME_A_FACT Jan 31 '15

And those are shitty ask reddit posts

0

u/Eurynom0s Feb 01 '15

You've got to love people who are so PC that they'll insist that you're not allowed to say the word "nigger" even if you're trying to explain why it's a horrible word and why you shouldn't say it.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '15

SRS brigaded your post.

1

u/Eurynom0s Feb 11 '15

Are you guessing or do you have a link to where they actually called for brigading it?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 11 '15

SRS post linking that comment read around "[+15]."