Mac Callum said:
However, EN Worlders don't get many opportunities to show how respectful and mature they are do they? The respectful and mature posters are rarely given the chance to show others how to post "the right way."
...People fear and are intolerant of what they don't understand. People learn to understand by exposure and talking with those who do. Without speaking and exposure; without polite and mature conversation, understanding and tolerance will find no sustenance. The only result of that is the continuance of fear.
...If we're surprised, it's only because you were never allowed to admit it. We posted in ignorance because that was the policy.
The policy against discussion of real-world politics and religion, as well as the prohibitions against certain profanities, has an important effect: To eliminate those highly contentious subjects so as to prevent them from being barriers to communication. The goal of the forums is the discussion of hobbies, and D&D in particular. Too many forums on the internet devolve into inflammatory name-calling starting with these simple issues, and drown out the discussion of what we love to play and do.
Also, to be clear, the policy is against discussion of the subjects of real-world Religion and Politics, not against all mention of such. I could mention I am a Christian, but I'm not discussing my beliefs for or against, nor am I responding to same.
I think ENWorlders have LOTS of opportunities to show their respectfulness and maturity outside of those subjects, even if only in the way we interact with one another jsut talking about our hobby. To me, it shouldn't matter if the person posting their opinion on the latest game is Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Pagan, or Taoist -- it can sometimes color one's perceptions of another person you don't know if you automatically label them as such. Once you come to know a poster through regular interaction (the longer you're here, as you may know, you come to recognize the same posters frequently), you get to know them -- and if they want you to know they are Pagan/Latter-Day Saints/Seventh-Day Adventist/Sunni Muslim, they will let you know it. But it colors your perceptions in a different way - it adds to the background of the person you know, instead of everything you know about them being put under a label. First impressions count for a LOT - it's why the "Christian Hates D&D" stereotype exists, after all, as well as the "D&D are all antisocial mouth-breathers", as well.
We want everybody's opinion to be valued here -- and these rules have the effect of promoting that, in my opinion.
Or in other words what we are really playing is Advanced Let's Pretend. (And in that sense I have been roleplaying since the early '60s.) Familiarity breeding contempt is not always a bad thing.
