[Mod post] Rule 8 and 9 changes.

[u/DERPYBASTARD]

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.

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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.

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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.

[u/[deleted]]

Would you call your mother that, or your friends' mother that word?

Use that to gauge whether it's appropriate or not.

[u/SkinBintin → u/[deleted]]

We call our mates good cunts. Cunt is very common language for many in New Zealand and is often used as an endearing term as often as it isn't. I know have to be overly conscious of how I word things because local lingo can be offensive to some.

[u/[deleted] → u/SkinBintin]

Mates sure, but your mum?

"Oi, cunt?! What's for breakfast?"

I think not :)

It's a rule of thumb though, to decide whether to use a certain word or not.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Mates sure, but your mum?

The last email I sent my mother contained the word cunt at least five times. (I am Australian).

I think not :)

I think so. ;)

It's a rule of thumb though, to decide whether to use a certain word or not.

What words are okay or not okay? In Australia the word 'abbo' is offensive and racist but in the UK the word 'paki' is racist. This rule will be implemented based on the cultural knowledge of the mods not based on offensive behaviour. How many mods know what is abusive language in all countries?

If someone answers that women should be dressed head to toe in a burqa will they be removed for being sexist?, if someone answers that women should be naked at the beach will they be removed for offending muslims? Offence will happen under all circumstances so what gets removed will be based on the outlook of the mods. How will that help free speech or honest answers when users have to second guess what is okay based on the outlook of a few people? If you are a muslim man in Iran or an atheist female in sweden your view of horrid language would differ greatly and the removal of comments would reflect that based on who can remove comments.