Upon another suggestion regarding hockey-politics balance, we're announcing a new measure, starting now, that will apply exclusively to the Politics, Religion, Philosophy & News sub-forum — the Card Punch Rule.
All of our prior rules still stand.
We still ask that you take debates/discussions seriously, argue earnestly, avoid hyper-partisanship, and do your best to always engage in good faith.
We still ask that you properly source/link information, especially in an OP, or when asked to for verification by another user.
We still ask that you avoid hyper-partisan media outlets and try only linking to mainstream/trustworthy organizations with minimal biases.
Trolling, snide remarks, and divisive partisanship will still result in immediate infractions and/or thread bans.
In the event that a user is determined to have repeatedly violate these terms, we're reserving the right punch your card — to remove your ability to view or reply in this sub-forum at all as both a punitive measure and one to spare the rest of the forum's compliant users from having to deal with disrespectful users.
This feature would, ideally, rarely need to be enacted, but in specific cases in which the Staff comes to a majority consensus, users can and will have their permissions to view and participate in this sub-forum permanently revoked. There is no mathematical formula we will be using to determine when the line is crossed. We'll know it when we see it, but suffice it to say, if you're racking up infractions and disciplinary warnings for your conduct in that sub-forum, you're on thin ice and at risk of having your wings clipped.
Further to this, the list of users who've had their cards punched will not be made public or announced. Again, take heed of Staff warnings. If you don't, and your card is eventually punched as a result, do not cause a massive fuss. Especially publicly. Any attempt to martyr yourself won't be silenced, but granted, and you will be infracted for doing so or banned entirely depending on the severity of your outburst. This will be at the Staff's discretion.
The good news is, this new feature will allow for a user who's political card gets punched to still be able to participate in any other forums, maintaining their account for what should be their primary purpose here to begin with — hockey. I am also willing to accept "opt out" requests for anyone who wishes not to see political topics at all. This would be a one-time offer, however, not a revolving door, so if you "opt out" consider the request permanent once applied.
If you have an earnest question about this, please ask it here. For anyone who wishes to opt out, you may also request so in this thread. Myself or Phil in Absentia will quote your request and notify you once it's been applied.
Thanks,
Staff