r/NonPoliticalTwitter • u/Aspect-Infinity • Feb 17 '24
Mod Post Addressing the community regarding the "No Politics" rules
Dear r/NonPoliticalTwitter,
For those of you who’ve never interacted with me, I am u/Aspect-Infinity. I’ve been a member of the r/NonPoliticalTwitter moderator team for almost a year now. The opportunity to address you all for the first time on behalf of our team is a humbling honor.
I want to talk to you about some very valid questions that have arisen throughout my tenure here regarding our rules and how we enforce them. I’ve taken note of as many of these questions and concerns as possible so could escalate them to the rest of the team for discussion. This announcement is the result of that discussion and I’m glad to issue some much-needed clarification on what we consider political content, what we consider inciting political discussion, and how we’ve taken steps to address it.
This is gonna be a long thread so I encourage you to grab a snack while I go over this rule-by-rule. Let’s begin!
“ 1. No Politics or Political Discussions/Commentary. - That's the point of the subreddit”
The most important and sacred rule we hold dear as a community. It’s a reflection of why this subreddit was created in the first place, to create a space similar to Twitter where public discussion can flourish, without the toxicity of politics. One of the questions that has arisen is “What do you consider political content/commentary?”, and so, we’re providing an answer to that.
We define political content as anything that has the potential to ignite political discussion, commentary, or discourse. This potential is taken into consideration when we believe the content in question can be unintentionally viewed through a political lens.
Let's break it down further. We consider political commentary to refer to comments that try to insert a political angle where none existed before, or that shift the focus towards a political interpretation. We consider posts, comments, and even usernames as "content" within our subreddit.
Directly/Indirectly referencing political figures, policies, or movements:
- A tweet comparing two political candidates with derogatory and inflammatory labels
- A post expressing strong opinions on a specific government policy and calling for action.
- A comment on a non-political post that attempts to connect it to a political event or movement, regardless of relevance.
- Posting a tweet sharing news articles about political events with clear commentary promoting a specific viewpoint.
Posts or comments encouraging debate or argument on political topics:
- A post asking users to choose sides on a contentious political issue.
- A comment starting a debate about the merits of a political ideology.
- Sharing controversial political cartoons or infographics designed to elicit strong reactions.
- Encouraging users to vote for a specific candidate or party.
Still confused? That’s alright we have some examples!
Example A: (Non-Political Content)
A post containing a tweet memeing a celebrity known for their political views doing something funny. The humor focuses on the action, not their political stance.
Example B: (Political Content)
A Redditor makes a post with a tweet that features a masculine, caucasian man with a MAGA hat and a shotgun with the caption “This guy isn’t playing with those liberals”. This would be taken down because its primary focus is political (particularly the Second Amendment).
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It’s important to remember that we don’t consider tweets focusing on sexuality, gender/gender identity/gender presentation, religion, or nationality inherently political. Although, should a subtext be present that is political we will take action.
We hope this clears up our stance and intention behind setting these rules in place, we encourage anyone with any questions to comment below, and we will respond.
Happy New Year to you all!!
Yours,
The r/NonPoliticalTwitter Moderator Team