Be Nice - A Simple Reminder

Question

At times there are a series of incidents where people have started being quite confrontational and generally unpleasant to other users. I don't want to call anyone out or mention any specifics but can everyone read and understand the SE community "Be nice" policy:

Be nice.

Whether you've come to ask questions, or to generously share what you know, remember that we’re all here to learn, together. Be welcoming and patient, especially with those who may not know everything you do. Oh, and bring your sense of humor. Just in case.

That basically covers it. But these three guidelines may help:

1. Rudeness and belittling language are not okay. Your tone should match the way you'd talk in person with someone you respect and whom you want to respect you. If you don't have time to say something politely, just leave it for someone who does.
2. Be welcoming, be patient, and assume good intentions. Don't expect new users to know all the rules — they don't. And be patient while they learn. If you're here for help, make it as easy as possible for others to help you. Everyone here is volunteering, and no one responds well to demands for help.
3. Don't be a jerk. These are just a few examples. If you see them, flag them:

• Name-calling. Focus on the post, not the person. That includes terms that feel personal even when they're applied to posts (like "lazy", "ignorant", or "whiny").
• Bigotry of any kind. Language likely to offend or alienate individuals or groups based on race, gender, sexual orientation,
  religion, etc. will not be tolerated. At all. (Those are just a few
  examples; when in doubt, just don't.)
• Inappropriate language or attention. Avoid vulgar terms and anything sexually suggestive. Also, this is not a dating site.
• Harassment and bullying. If you see a hostile interaction, flag it. If it keeps up, disengage — we'll handle it. If something needs staff attention, you can use the contact us link at the bottom of every page.

We're proud to be a large, user-driven space on the internet where name-calling, harassment, and other online nastiness are almost non-existent. It's up to all of us to keep it that way.

In summary, be Christian, and be of good cheer to each other.

Generally I think we are an incredibly open and helpful community (much more so than other communities on the SE network ^{_{cough...Stackoverflow....cough}}). So I don't think we have a big problem but there seems to be a slight trend with some individuals towards not being as nice as we should be. So I wanted to prompt a quick reminder for some of the newer members.

Source

Answer 1

What you say is true though, thankfully, episodes of unpleasant statements are quite rare (unless you know something that I don't?!?) What I've noticed is that the 'Comments' section seems most likely to lead into not being nice, especially if there's a plethora of comments, some that seem to be hoping to goad another person into retaliating.

I just mention this in order to support Moderators who eventually clamp down on Comment 'threads'. So often, those threads delve into issues not directly related to the actual question asked. And it's usually in Comment boxes that a participant will express offense they have taken at someone holding to a different view, or of being thumbed-down, when, really, that's just par for the course.

While I would not go so far as to invoke the saying, "If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen", I would say that when some individuals get a bit heated, others should respond in a kindly way, or just ignore their hot remarks. (I've learned that the hard way, through experience!) And, it's always good to know that the Moderators are standing by, fire-extinguishers in hand!