Dear Commenters

Dear Commenters,

In an effort to keep people from being unnecessarily alienated by discussions here, please follow a few rules for this blog.

1.) Be considerate of other readers' experiences and add notes to your comments if you're introducing language/themes which may push someone else's panic button. A simple remark ("content note for racism" or "CN: sexual assault") will suffice.

2.) No threats, no unnecessarily violent imagery. Saying that someone should be dragged into the street and shot: not acceptable here. Saying that an unpleasant experience is liked being raped/slapped in the face: not acceptable here. Saying that you wouldn't mind if someone you hate stepped barefoot on Legos: passes inspection.

3.) No obvious slurs. I do understand that you may, in your own life, refer to yourself in these terms for purposes of reclamation. I ask, however, that you avoid using them here, for the sake of other readers and out of respect for their experiences.
    a.) No racist slurs. This list includes "what a maroon."
    b.) No sexist or gendered slurs. This list includes "dick" and "prick" as well as the obvious misogynist terms.
    c.) No homophobic slurs.
    d.) No transphobic slurs.
    e.) No ableist slurs. This list includes "crazy," "idiot," "lame," and "moron," as well as comments on how "blind" or "deaf" someone is in a metaphoric sense.
    f.) No fatphobic slurs. Also no body policing, mockery of thinness, etc.
    g.) Overall, no mockery of people for their appearance, their name, their class, their age, their culture, their religious beliefs, etc. Even if you hate them. Even if they would do/have done the same to you.

4.) No rape apologia. No victim-blaming. No gender policing.  No explaining away a particular instance of misogyny as trivial or a particular instance of racism as "not that bad," etc. This is a progressive feminist space. Understand that the little things are what make the big things possible.

In general, I may delete comments I find harmful to the community or detrimental to the conversation. I may edit comments containing slurs or harmful language. I may ban commenters who break the rules too often and/or too egregiously.

Overall, please be considerate of the other people sharing this space with you, whether they're fellow commenters, lurkers, or me.

All of this assumes, of course, that I have readers and commenters in the first place!  If you're reading, hello!  Welcome!

With love,
Frank Lee