Unity is Strength Code of Conduct: An Experiment in a More Constructive Internet
The Israel-Palestine topic is one of the dirtiest imaginable, at least on social media. It touches anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism of many stripes, and general-purpose political tribalism. As a result, people writing about Israel-Palestine are on the front lines of developing new social mores for the Internet era.
When I started my Israel-Palestine peaceful discussion Space on Quora.com, Unity is Strength, I thought about what social codes would be helpful. Which types of dialogue and framing were constructive, and which were not? After several months of praise and criticism from both sides, and with input from the community, I learned a lot and wrote the below. If you’re curious, here’s the story of how I started the Space.
Rules last updated: September 19, 2021
Because of the nature of the topic, this Space enforces civility and transparency standards above and beyond Quora’s sitewide standards. Our guidelines:
- This Space is committed to factual responsibility. We demand a good-faith effort to consistently share and contribute factually reliable content. However, we understand that even reputable sources contain errors. Writers must respectfully accept or cogently challenge corrections, at minimum in the comments, and must not persist with sharing false information or unreliable sources.
- Administrative team or admin team is defined as including all Space Admins and Moderators.
- Space participants include commenters and Followers through Admins.
- A passing submission is one which is accepted and passes administrative team veto. A failing submission is one which does not pass this process.
- This Space’s focus is on education about Israel-Palestine issues, with a view to promoting peace. Occasional off-topic posts are accepted, but an excessive number as defined by plurality consensus of the admin team is grounds for a demotion or a block. Shares, questions, and answers are considered posts on this Code of Conduct.
- This Space is committed to publishing clear, well-written posts. Please do not submit an excessive number of low-quality posts. It is recommended to keep submissions under 12 per week, to enable other people’s posts to be visible. At their discretion, the Admin team may use warnings, demotions, and blocks to enforce this.
- Space participants are from many countries within and outside the Middle East, and we don’t have additional language proficiency requirements beyond the Quora-wide standards. Since this is English-language Quora, content should be in English or in other languages with English translation.
- No rhetoric challenging the existence of the other side or the distinctness of their culture, e.g. “European colonizers,” “Fakestinian,” or “a made-up people.” This includes accepting the existence of internationally recognized groups or entities such as the State of Israel, without putting their names in quotes or with a qualifier. Criticizing Israel’s Zionist philosophy and power arrangement is different.
- No rhetoric promoting that one side needs to just move outside the current borders of ’67 Israel, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, simply to accommodate the other.
- Do not use theology to justify your religion or cultural group as superior to others, or having more right to the land than others.
- No hate speech. This includes shares and other content uncritically including tropes which, in all probability, are ethnically or religiously biased. We understand many of you may not be knowledgeable or conscious of these. If you don’t understand one side’s sensibilities and sensitivities, we recommend you err toward being constructively critical of any group you know and avoiding rhetoric that would encourage one side to attack or retaliate against the other. Sharing rhetoric with a discussion of its possible inciting or bigoted nature is different.
- No challenges to cultures’ or ethnic groups’ stated claims of longstanding ties to the land.
- When discussing people in the context of whether they are “white” or “nonwhite,” or Arab vs. non-Arab, no negative or divisive stereotyping. Citing externally supported, verifiable statistics about demographic groups is allowed.
- No labeling of rhetoric by party line, such as Zionist or anti-Zionist, without a clear explanation of why you agree or disagree.
- No assumptions that individuals’ association with one side implies agreement with a particular aspect of rhetoric or policy from that side.
- Except for arguing intent in cases of Space policy violation or the specific Space rules that apply outside the Space, conduct off the Space is not grounds for criticizing conduct on the Space.
- No posts anywhere on Quora which are disparaging/adversarial to individual Contributors or to the Admin team as a group. No challenges to the intent, mission, or approach of the Space or to Israeli or Palestinian intent without facts used in support.
- Space participants are encouraged to suggest or challenge Action Items, which are determined by Admins based on extended discussion and general consensus from the Israeli and Palestinian sides.
- Moderators and Admins are neither omniscient nor infallible, so all Space participants may cite Space policies to challenge any posts and comments. Space participants may also cite factual evidence to raise issues of double standards in policy enforcement.
- Admin team’s composition is intended to include highly active Quorans engaged in this Space and representing a balance of moderates from the Israeli and Palestinian sides, with the majority being actual Israelis and Palestinians. Space participants may cite this policy and any others to nominate new Moderators, which are approved by three-quarters plurality consensus of the administrative team.
- Moderators may be promoted to Admins by unanimous Admin approval.
- All Admins and Moderators have individual veto power to remove any posts and comments, citing any reason. However, if they remove posts, they must send the original poster a message about the reason, sharing the reason with the rest of the admin team.
- When submitted posts are declined, Admins and Moderators must click “Give a reason for passing” and clearly explain the rationale for why.
- Admins and Moderators have individual power to invite contributors.
- Ten submissions to the Space which all pass is grounds for promotion to Contributor.
- Contributors may be demoted to Follower after failing to heed clearly communicated demotion warnings, by plurality consensus of the administrative team. The policy rationales for warning must be given to the participant. The policy rationales for demotion must be given to the participant and communicated with all members of the administrative team. Demotions may be appealed by any Space participant and overturned by plurality consensus of the administrative team.
- Contributors and Followers may be blocked for repeated violations of existing Space or site policies, after a clearly communicated block warning. The policy rationales for warning must be given to the participant. Blocks and their reasons must be given to the participant and communicated with all members of the administrative team. They may be appealed by any Space participant and overturned by plurality consensus of the administrative team.
- Moderators and Admins may be demoted by three-quarters plurality consensus of the administrative team, for failing to adhere to Moderator responsibilities as outlined by this code of conduct. They must first receive a demotion warning, with a policy rationale. Reasons for demotion must be clearly communicated to them and the full administrative team.
- Admin team members must not use their special administrative privileges to change participants’ Space status, unless allowed elsewhere in the Code of Conduct.
- We belong to the less traditionally iconic, more coalitionary, and equally fierce side of Israel-Palestine. We use persistent, coordinated teamwork to clean up. Posts should reflect this. Plus, we clearly take that side in another conflict. No glorification of lions (Panthera leo) or vilification of hyenas (Crocuta crocuta, Hyaena hyaena, Parahyaena brunnea).
- Code of Conduct may be amended by three-quarters plurality consensus of the administrative team.