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Recently, a relatively new member asked a thought-provoking question on DSP.SE. I thought it was a good, if challenging question to ask.

Because it was challenging, the OP was challenged.

And, to my mind, the resulting discussion degenerated into a name-calling spat that was, er, unedifying to say the least.

This prompted me, as moderator, to act and delete some of the name-calling comments. Apparently, I didn't delete all of them and that has upset the OP and probably others.

I'm wondering what the community thinks about being civil? What does it mean for us?

The two posts I'm looking to for inspiration are this one from Middlesex Community College and this one specifically about netiquette from UConn.

Our site has a Code of Conduct, but I'm wondering if there is anything else we should be looking to to encourage civility.

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  • $\begingroup$ Not sure if it's a great idea, but maybe you could link to the question, so people can judge for themselves what was actually going on. I haven't seen the discussion, so I have no idea how bad it was ... $\endgroup$
    – Matt L.
    Commented Nov 17, 2022 at 14:25
  • $\begingroup$ @MattL. To tell the truth, it wasn't particularly bad (at least not the worst I've seen here). However, if said in-person, it would have been indicative of a toxic interaction. I'd prefer not to link to it, and I've deleted all the offending remarks anyhow (though perhaps you might still be able to see them?). $\endgroup$
    – Peter K. Mod
    Commented Nov 17, 2022 at 16:06
  • $\begingroup$ Now that a long time has passed, I would like to see how thought provoking and challenging it was, if the situation has calmed down enough $\endgroup$
    – user13267
    Commented Jul 11, 2023 at 2:36

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Having experience here and in few other academic-ish places, I'll say this network is overly tolerant of questions, and generally tolerant of having its ideas challenged.

That said, the response to this specific Q&A was entirely appropriate, and would be met more harshly elsewhere. I'm one to encourage scrutiny of things, but unprovoked personal attacks is another thing.

anything else we should be looking

Doubt it's worth the effort, just clear threads and hope it won't repeat, or (though I'd wait a while before this one), escalate to suspension.

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    $\begingroup$ Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated. $\endgroup$
    – Peter K. Mod
    Commented Nov 17, 2022 at 21:00
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    $\begingroup$ @PeterK. Thanks for your efforts, you are kind to users. $\endgroup$
    – OverLordGoldDragon
    Commented Nov 17, 2022 at 21:31

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