Revised Rules

[pawtucket]

In an effort to clarify the original rules, we have expanded them with specific items. I will be putting them up on the main site, but wanted you to have a chance to view them.

Welcome to the GreaseSpot Café Forums!

The forums are for the purpose of discussing The Way International (TWI)--and many other topics of interest. While our mission is to tell "the other side of the story" about TWI, we recognize that posters' opinions about their TWI experience range from pro to con to somewhere in between. We welcome them all.

The GSC Forum Rules

Be courteous, and please don't make it personal. Remember, others feel as strongly about their opinions as you do about yours. It's okay to disagree, but when doing so, criticize the message, not the messenger. For example, "I remember that event differently," is appropriate; "you're an idiot" is not. Also, don't assume someone is calling you a liar just because he/she disagrees with you.

Please do not engage in insulting behavior, personal attacks, and inflammatory language. This includes:

• calling fellow posters names
  
• accusing them of "needing a therapist/shrink/meds"
  
• labeling others with terms such as "Wierwille apologist" or "perpetual victim"
  
• distorting another poster's name to insult or ridicule
  
• making disparaging remarks about fellow posters' character, motives, intelligence, religious beliefs (or lack thereof), or life outside these forums.
  
• Implying negatives about fellow posters is also not acceptable.
  
• Be aware that sarcasm toward another poster can quickly turn a discussion into a flame war.
  
• And by the way, "He hit me first" didn't work with your mom, and it won't work here.
  
• We disapprove of comments that stifle discussion or label a particular viewpoint as unwelcome. Such comments hinder thoughtful and open discussions.
  
• Do not accuse fellow posters of being "trolls." If you suspect someone is trolling, PM the moderators; please don't start a thread about it.
  
• Do not "stalk" another poster from thread to thread to perpetuate an earlier disagreement (but don't accuse someone of stalking if he/she just happens to disagree with you often).
  
• Do not talk negatively about a fellow poster in a thread where he or she is not participating or start a new thread to "call out" that person.
  
• Do not challenge a fellow poster's personal recollections of his/her TWI experience. People deserve the freedom to share how TWI affected their lives and should not have to fear interrogation or feel pressured to "prove the unprovable."
  
• Generalizations about how TWI affected everyone who was ever involved in the organization may be challenged, however. If you wish to question those generalizations, start a new thread.
  

Violation of the above rules will result in deletion of the offending posts and/or suspension. Persistent refusal to follow them may result in permanent banning. If you have a specific problem with a poster, settle it outside the forums or use the "ignore" feature. Threads that deteriorate into little more than bickering will be deleted or sent to the Soap Opera Forum, at the moderators' discretion. These rules do not (and cannot) cover every possible eventuality, so please don't try to find loopholes. The moderators will use their best judgment regarding "grey areas."

The Purpose of the Rules

These rules are meant to encourage civil, courteous discussion. They are not meant to stifle your freedom of expression. We want everyone to have a voice here; please use yours wisely and considerately.