Guest1
10th February 2004, 19:47
Alot of people have been asking questions about the board structure recently, so here to make things easier is an FAQ representing our thoughts on how it functions. It will be updated from time to time. Enjoy.
What is the Commie Club?
The Commie Club is a group of progressive, left-wing RevLeft members who participate in open and free discussion on the administration of this board and all its forums. Together, this group selects Moderators and debates bans and restrictions in a reasonably democratic fashion on a daily basis. The Admins and Mods, based on the debates and discussions, then carry out whatever action is called for and log it for all CC members to see.
Why is it here?
The simple answer is that this site groups together a large group of Leftists who believe in participatory worker's self-governance. So, while no one expected, or possibly imagined wanting the structure of the site to reflect that, in hindsight it was inevitable that the site would develop this way.
Eventually, this site needed several new Administrators and Moderators to continue to function properly, as Malte couldn't possibly do it all on his own. So, that necessity also contributed to the delegation of powers, and the world-view of members drove us towards the Commie Club as it is today.
We may not have expected it, but it's here now, and that's the way we like it.
How does it affect this site?
Deeply. This structure is unique to RevLeft, and something we should all be proud of. No other site debates amongst dozens of committed members on bannings, restrictions or the like. What other site votes on the appointment of new Mods? What other site is so committed to paying attention to what the members want?
Can't it be better?
While we do love our decentralization, and we do consider it a reflection upon how we see a future society can be organized along Socialist lines, this is not a country. There will always be a hierarchy here, no matter what we think of hierarchy in the real world. Malte will always own this site, and have the final decision if he chooses to make it.
That's the way it is, and it's neither bad nor good, just the fact.
That being said, the CC continues to evolve, and who knows where this unique experiment may lead us.
What is restriction, and what is the Opposing Ideologies forum?
Restriction is a measure the membership uses to focus the debate on this site. We are a group of progressive Leftists, after all. That is about as much as many of us have in common however. We disagree on how the society we envision will work, how best to emancipate the workers and many other issues. We need to debate these things respectfully, amongst ourselves. So we restrict debate about whether we should emancipate the workers at all to the Opposing Ideologies forum.
This is where all right-wingers are sent. This is where anyone who is too disruptive to proper debate is sent. There are other reasons for being restricted to OI of course, but generally, it requires behaviour that is deemed in conflict with the membership's vision for this site.
This person was restricted/banned, why?
In the daily happenings at the board, members sometimes make comments that are unacceptable at this site. Comments that are racist, sexist or homophobic for example. This usually will result in a restriction, and if the problem is deemed serious enough by the membership, a ban. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this is the case.
This person was booted from the CC, why?
Sometimes the membership may find comments made offensive, but not serious enough to warrant a restriction. In this case, it is not unusual for the member to at least temporarily be ejected from the CC.
Is anyone ever unrestricted or reaccepted into the CC?
Yes, there have been many cases where a person has been forgiven and accepted back into the fold. It isn't easy however, because it usually requires genuine change for the membership to forgive and forget. It's hard for us to believe someone who says they are no longer racist/sexist/homophobic for example. However, as time passes by, and the person's comments continue to reflect a positive change, we become determined to see this member accepted after what then would become a learning experience for him/her.
I heard you restrict or ban Stalinists, is this true?
Yes and no. First off, the majority of the site is anti-authoritarian to some degree. So while we may share a spot with Stalinists on the economic spectrum, we promise no hugs. That being said, we tolerate Stalinists on this board, and they are not restricted or banned for being Stalinists.
There are two cases where we restrict or ban Stalinists. The first is if they are utterly disrespectful and we feel they contribute little to the site. We don't need to hear "trot, hippy, pot-head, feminist extremist" in every debate. Any so-called Stalinist who resorts to this is sent to the Opposing Ideologies forum, where they belong.
The second reason is that even so-called "left-wingers" make comments that are unacceptable here. Comments that are sometimes offensive enough to warrant a ban.
What is the Commie Club?
The Commie Club is a group of progressive, left-wing RevLeft members who participate in open and free discussion on the administration of this board and all its forums. Together, this group selects Moderators and debates bans and restrictions in a reasonably democratic fashion on a daily basis. The Admins and Mods, based on the debates and discussions, then carry out whatever action is called for and log it for all CC members to see.
Why is it here?
The simple answer is that this site groups together a large group of Leftists who believe in participatory worker's self-governance. So, while no one expected, or possibly imagined wanting the structure of the site to reflect that, in hindsight it was inevitable that the site would develop this way.
Eventually, this site needed several new Administrators and Moderators to continue to function properly, as Malte couldn't possibly do it all on his own. So, that necessity also contributed to the delegation of powers, and the world-view of members drove us towards the Commie Club as it is today.
We may not have expected it, but it's here now, and that's the way we like it.
How does it affect this site?
Deeply. This structure is unique to RevLeft, and something we should all be proud of. No other site debates amongst dozens of committed members on bannings, restrictions or the like. What other site votes on the appointment of new Mods? What other site is so committed to paying attention to what the members want?
Can't it be better?
While we do love our decentralization, and we do consider it a reflection upon how we see a future society can be organized along Socialist lines, this is not a country. There will always be a hierarchy here, no matter what we think of hierarchy in the real world. Malte will always own this site, and have the final decision if he chooses to make it.
That's the way it is, and it's neither bad nor good, just the fact.
That being said, the CC continues to evolve, and who knows where this unique experiment may lead us.
What is restriction, and what is the Opposing Ideologies forum?
Restriction is a measure the membership uses to focus the debate on this site. We are a group of progressive Leftists, after all. That is about as much as many of us have in common however. We disagree on how the society we envision will work, how best to emancipate the workers and many other issues. We need to debate these things respectfully, amongst ourselves. So we restrict debate about whether we should emancipate the workers at all to the Opposing Ideologies forum.
This is where all right-wingers are sent. This is where anyone who is too disruptive to proper debate is sent. There are other reasons for being restricted to OI of course, but generally, it requires behaviour that is deemed in conflict with the membership's vision for this site.
This person was restricted/banned, why?
In the daily happenings at the board, members sometimes make comments that are unacceptable at this site. Comments that are racist, sexist or homophobic for example. This usually will result in a restriction, and if the problem is deemed serious enough by the membership, a ban. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this is the case.
This person was booted from the CC, why?
Sometimes the membership may find comments made offensive, but not serious enough to warrant a restriction. In this case, it is not unusual for the member to at least temporarily be ejected from the CC.
Is anyone ever unrestricted or reaccepted into the CC?
Yes, there have been many cases where a person has been forgiven and accepted back into the fold. It isn't easy however, because it usually requires genuine change for the membership to forgive and forget. It's hard for us to believe someone who says they are no longer racist/sexist/homophobic for example. However, as time passes by, and the person's comments continue to reflect a positive change, we become determined to see this member accepted after what then would become a learning experience for him/her.
I heard you restrict or ban Stalinists, is this true?
Yes and no. First off, the majority of the site is anti-authoritarian to some degree. So while we may share a spot with Stalinists on the economic spectrum, we promise no hugs. That being said, we tolerate Stalinists on this board, and they are not restricted or banned for being Stalinists.
There are two cases where we restrict or ban Stalinists. The first is if they are utterly disrespectful and we feel they contribute little to the site. We don't need to hear "trot, hippy, pot-head, feminist extremist" in every debate. Any so-called Stalinist who resorts to this is sent to the Opposing Ideologies forum, where they belong.
The second reason is that even so-called "left-wingers" make comments that are unacceptable here. Comments that are sometimes offensive enough to warrant a ban.