Whew... took some time to read this whole nuclear waste of a thread! 
I think I understand the idea of the rule and understand the concerns raised...
The way I see it, most rules currently in place apply mainly to single posts - this is a trollish post, this is a spam post, this post has a bad quote etc...
And this new rule would be a sort of "no trolling" rule, but with a horizontal scope, all posts count, even if none is really trollish. It's the overall tone/attitude of the member towards the remaining population.
With that in mind, I'd say that this is a welcome rule/feature.... some of us have felt the effects of such a nasty member within the past few months. And there's always he who shall not be named...
As for the concerns, if the staff were not the uber-awesome* people we've come to know, I'd be equally concerned. But they're not just mindless drones out to impose the rules. They judge things and talk among themselves, before taking any action. That leads to the most balanced decisions possible. The way the rule is worded will require that all those that participate in the decision agree... it is a difficult task to annoy all mods in such a way... one must really be going for it.
But... let's say, in 3 years, all the current staff has gone on with their lives, are no longer staff and only stop by occasionally ... new people will be on staff... possibly people who registered with this rule already in place... they may read it a bit more literally which could lead to trouble, specially given the rarity of its applicability.
I think this is where most concerns stem from. The potential for misuse, due to lack of context - the loss of the spirit of the rule.
Anyway, those are my 2cents.
*butt-kissing, I know! (reserved for Beccs' butt!)
I think I understand the idea of the rule and understand the concerns raised...
The way I see it, most rules currently in place apply mainly to single posts - this is a trollish post, this is a spam post, this post has a bad quote etc...
And this new rule would be a sort of "no trolling" rule, but with a horizontal scope, all posts count, even if none is really trollish. It's the overall tone/attitude of the member towards the remaining population.
With that in mind, I'd say that this is a welcome rule/feature.... some of us have felt the effects of such a nasty member within the past few months. And there's always he who shall not be named...
As for the concerns, if the staff were not the uber-awesome* people we've come to know, I'd be equally concerned. But they're not just mindless drones out to impose the rules. They judge things and talk among themselves, before taking any action. That leads to the most balanced decisions possible. The way the rule is worded will require that all those that participate in the decision agree... it is a difficult task to annoy all mods in such a way... one must really be going for it.
But... let's say, in 3 years, all the current staff has gone on with their lives, are no longer staff and only stop by occasionally ... new people will be on staff... possibly people who registered with this rule already in place... they may read it a bit more literally which could lead to trouble, specially given the rarity of its applicability.
I think this is where most concerns stem from. The potential for misuse, due to lack of context - the loss of the spirit of the rule.
Anyway, those are my 2cents.
*butt-kissing, I know! (reserved for Beccs' butt!)
