Mission Statement/FAQ…The Latest Iteration

Man, this is hard!

I think I am putting way too much importance on it after all the legal wrangling and Troll Wars at Daily Kos. ugh

I also feel very self conscious about being , the Man…even though I am very convinced that there does need to a The Man…..so Help Me, my friends

PLEASE give me feedback! (let me know if I am being too egocentric, etc)

PLEASE let me know what I am leaving out! (It feels VERY incomplete.)

Please point out my errors in Spelling and Grammah (I suck at that shit!)

This is posted as a starting point, it is a Wiki, add what you wish, it will be integrated. I want it to be, hahaha, an evolving document…and I very much mean it about all suggestions being listened to….so here it is….3, 2, 1, ….dissect!

Mission Statement
Passion, politics, poetry, prose and ponies. Silliness, snark and a serious effort to frame the future. A river of words, thought, philosophy and action that nourishes and transforms the political cultural and social landscape through which it passes. That is the spirit behind this “place”
In practice….write whatever the hell you want! There are no rigid restrictions here, it is a salon and a laboratory and a place to create a new reality. A reality based on compassion, empathy and caring for the people and the planet, while acknowledging the harsh realities of the world we live in and the difficulty of the tasks ahead. The complexities of greed, corruption and the petty politics of ‘human nature’ in the face of climate crisis and seven billion souls …will not be overcome by black and white solutions or electoral processes, but by becoming the change we wish to see and helping others to do the same. Not through top down enforcement, but through people working together, a model of cooperation, not competition. 
In other words….Hey Kids! Let’s put on an evolution! This is a place for each of us to do our 1/seven billionth of that together, and hopefully speed the process of change along through a synergy of our ideas, intentions and actions. Now let’s get out there and change the world!

FAQ
Docudharma is about discussing and debating ideas. All ideas. We are not about being respected by other media or electing …anyone. That gives us the opportunity to discuss politics and everything else, freely. Our nominal focus is on finding a way to create a better future, but that is mainly because we needed a nominal focus! Other than the usual parameters of relatively civilized behavior, there is nothing out of bounds. Vigorous debate is encouraged, not shunned, and if you cross the legendary ‘line,’ folks will call you on it. Vigorously.

There are some things that are not allowed here, but they are just the basics. Threatening or calling for or planning violence, spamming, fundraising or publishing pedophilia. These things will get you warned and if you persist…quickly banned. As will excessive and prolonged Assholery. Assholery is of course subjective, but basically consists of NOT debating ideas, but attacking or stalking other posters. Attacks on other posters WHILE discussing ideas is discouraged, but since it happens on every blog everywhere inevitably, we have to some extent surrendered to it here at Docudharma. After all, Armando posts here!

One thing we do NOT do here is pre-emptively ban. You will be warned, in public if you are getting close to being banned. You have the right to argue that, you have a right to appeal it. But unlike other blogs we will not pretend that it is not subjective. If enough people don’t like the way you post…you will hear about it! Only one person makes the final decision to ban…..me, buhdydharma. To get banned here, you have to offend me.

It is very hard to offend me…but this is my site and what I say goes. I will ban people, if necessary, but….WITH an explanation of why. And with a three comment argument policy. In other words, I will listen to your argument for three comments as to why a post shouldn’t be pulled, or why you shouldn’t be banned. If you fail to convince me in three comments, I will most likely stop arguing with you.

Conspiracy theories are allowed, Dirty Fucking Hippies are welcomed with open arms, and Republicans who are not overly dogmatic are tolerated. To reiterate, this is NOT a site to elect Democrats. NEITHER IS IT A DAILY KOS BASHING SITE. There are plenty of other places to do that.

All of the ‘rules’ are subject to …..MY subjectivity. All of these rules are changeable. And challengable! But….I am The Decider.  The Zen Dictator of Docudharma……meaning, I will have a hands off policy and position as much as is possible, but if it comes to me having to make a decision, I will do so as quickly as possible and take full responsibility for it. If the site is successful and we get too big for me to pay attention to every case, the rules will be changed. Which should lead to some interesting discussions!

Hiding Offensive Comments : We have a three ‘stage’ rating system: Unacceptable (hide), Marginal (pie), and Excellent (pony). This will work just like at Daily Kos, two ratings of unacceptable and the comment is hidden. Comments are hidden by Responsible Users, the equivalent of Trusted Users at Daily Kos.  Becoming a Responsible User is more difficult at Docudharma, than at Daily Kos.  If you wish to become a Responsible User you have to have been posting here for a while have a good track record of debating honestly and of respecting the community. And…you have to ask! While we are still small, this is possible, I am willing to do the work to answer your request and take the time to review your record. There will also be an algorithm that kicks in and qualifies you to become a Responsible User. When this happens you will be notified and asked if you wish to have this responsibility. As much as is possible, cliques and packs and gangs formed for rating purposes will not be allowed. If you have a problem, or think you are being treated unfairly, talk to me. We will work it out.

Hopefully……none of this bullshit will be necessary! If we approach and communicate with each other with a modicum of respect and honesty in debate, VERY little moderation will be needed. In other words….Be Excellent To Each Other. Don’t Start No Shit, And There Won’t Be No Shit. Live And Let Live. There Is no Crying In CalvinBall.

I believe in transparency, so as much as possible….well let’s be honest….as much as is convenient….the process of running and moderating this forum will be transparent. We are looking to TRULY be a community site. All suggestions for how to make the site better will be listened to and considered. We want every user here to feel as if it is their site, while keeping just enough control to keep from descending into total anarchy So, please, take your shoes off, settle in and make yourself at home!

Questions: If you have a question on how to use the site….or on more existential matters, post them in an Open Thread and they will most likely be answered, if not e-mail us at [email protected]

Ponies People often ask about the origin and use of Ponies. There are no easy answers. Some things are best left as mysteries! However if you make a comment and a Pony suddenly appears after it, rest assured it is a compliment and  a ‘reward’ for being funny, smart or insightful. If for some reason you have not received a Pony and you are experiencing Pony Envy….just ask!

Guidelines for Essays  Since we are starting out as a small site and are not AS worried about diaries scrolling off the page, there is no Three Paragraph Rule. Your thoughts are welcome even if they do not fill up a page. Out of respect for other essayists we would LIKE you to consider the fact that every essay does move another essay down the list and as in all things here, we ask that you post essays with care and consideration.

While we allow Conspiracy theories and speculation…do NOT be surprised if ANYTHING you state as fact is challenged.
Just as you have the right to express yourself in an essay or comment, everyone else here has the right to challenge what you say….and they will. Be prepared, this is NOT a tea party! We enjoy vigorous debate here.  Though we will make an effort to not allow debate to become to ‘personal’…..The official policy of Docudharma is, that if engaged in as honestly as possible, if we can eschew as much as possible attacking the PERSON behind the argument, and if we can shake hands afterwards… Flame Wars Are FUN!

Last Word: This is a blog, not life or death, we are on the Internet, not a battlefield. We are all just fellow posters…..The Enemy is not here,  treating someone on this blog as an enemy is a pretty good definition of Assholery. Please keep this in perspective, people….we are here to debate each other, not destroy each other.

It is only a blog.