From: Hermit (virus@hermit.net)
Date: Mon Oct 06 2003 - 10:20:43 MDT
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[Jonathan 4] I agree that intervention is a sound but I have observed that disorder in this forum almost always involves more than one individual, usually locked in a dispute and contributing to the problem in different ways. Rather than focusing on individual "offenders", I think we might look at ways of breaking unhelpful cycles of communication.
[Hermit 5] Notice that the reconciliation comittee are empowered to deal with problems. Not just "accused" individuals. Their task is to evaluate and act. First for the good of the CoV, then for the good of the individuals. And that scope includes the "society", the "complainant" and the "accused". As you note, problems, when they do exist are seldom individual. But instead of dasdhing off a reply which points fingers, the process encourages some thought, and if you really have a problem, a quiet letter either to the the individual or to the council. Either way, there us no "locked in dispute" nor is there, "contributing to the problem." And it is not just the parties involved who are encouraged to react like this. When somebody is watching a silly, ugly dispute from the sidelines and slowly becoming annoyed, they no longer have an incentive to "butt in", instead there is a simple well understood mechanism to "butt out" - and if needed ask for the dispute to be damped.
[Jonathan 4] "Offenders" are born of situations which can be prevented or stopped fairly easily.
[Hermit 5] And usually, the earlier the simpler. Yes?
[Jonathan 4] Post facto "sanctions" may be useful for cases where spite or malice are involved and the community simply wants to boot an obviously deleterious offender, but they are less effective where the wrongdoing is not agreed on or based on provocation. In such cases - in my experience the majority - the situation giving rise to offensive behaviour needs to be disrupted.
[Hermit 5] Agreed. Why the process looks the way it does. Spite and malice are not involved because - so far as possible, the reconciliation committees are uninvolved and their motivation is reconciliation where possible, damping of the situation when reconciliation is not possible.
[Jonathan 4] It is only if those efforts are ignored or violated that the more serious personal sanctioning procedures ought to be activated.
[Hermit 5] Sanctions can involve simply putting somebody on notice that a process is available. Silly to do it in public perhaps.
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