These rules apply to the entire Meritocracy Now! platform and all of its categories and sub-categories. It is your responsibility to understand and follow these rules. If you disregard these rules you will be warned by a moderator, resulting in removal for repeated offences. Anything breaking the rules will be deleted immediately.
No Interpersonal Squabbles
No interpersonal squabbles. This includes sniping, bickering, insults, personal attacks, passive aggressive allusions, and anything else that is judged to be an interpersonal squabble.
Constructive Criticism Only
No destructive criticism. Constructive criticism is the only valid form of criticism.
Constructive criticism starts with a serious and energetic attempt to sympathize with the author and understand his or her viewpoint. Constructive criticism accepts the goals of the author and attempts to help the author achieve those goals–it does not substitute the critic’s goals for the author’s goals.
Destructive criticism is nitpicking or pedantic, while constructive criticism responds to the major thrust of the work. Constructive criticism amplifies the message of the author, while destructive criticism counter-acts it, negates it, or tries to change it.
Constructive criticism builds up, destructive criticism tears down. Constructive criticism offers actionable alternatives, destructive criticism offers no way forward. Negative comments without solutions are destructive criticism. If you have nothing helpful or positive to add, keep silent.
It does not matter if the author gives you permission to engage in destructive criticism. If you want to indulge in destructive criticism, take it to a private message. Destructive criticism is never allowed because of the negative atmosphere it creates.
Be Proactive
Upset, concerned, or dislike something? If you are unhappy with a policy or feel that an organizational structure is failing in some respect, create a solution. Come up with a full solution that is ready to be implemented, and then post your idea so that it can be checked out by everyone else and implemented. Don’t put the work on someone else–do it yourself!
There are no spectators when it comes to Meritocracy. Everyone is a contributor. When you see something that is less perfect than it could be, that is precisely the time to jump in and improve it.
Meritocracy Now! is a collaborative environment–everything is on-limits, everything is ready to be improved by you.
Show Off Your Work
One of the mandatory rules at Meritocracy Now! is called Show Off Your Work - let us explain: After completing a big project online or offline, the new work you’ve created will probably only be noticed by the people working in the same area/department as you are. Most activists will be unaware of what you’ve accomplished and maybe only stumble on it a week or month later. This denies you the encouragement and constructive feedback that you deserve, and it makes us all poorer because we may miss out on what we could learn from your latest contribution.
This is why one of the mandatory rules for participating at Meritocracy Now! is called Show Off Your Work. After completing a project, make a post telling us how the project went, what you achieved, give us a link to it, and also include a little excerpt from your work (if applicable). This way everyone can get a chance to congratulate you, and we all stay up to date with each other.
You deserve some Likes for your activism. Announce your achievements!
Stay On-Topic
Stay on-topic. Discussion that furthers the goals of Meritocratic Democracy is on-topic. All other discussion is off-topic.
Conspiracy Theories
Conspiracy theories, whether they are about people in the group or outside, are off-topic. Take it outside.
Religious Discussions
Religious discussions, whether or not they are relevant to Meritocracy, are off-topic. Keep your religion to yourself. Religious topics may be included as part of Meritocracy volunteer work, but these religious issues are not an acceptable topic of discussion.
Drama & Gossip
All drama and gossip is off-topic, regardless of who is involved. This includes all comment on hurt feelings, breakups, interpersonal squabbles, or any other happenings that are unrelated to our goals. Discussions that spill over from other forums are considered gossip and are off-topic.
Hate Speech
You may not be both a member of Meritocracy Now! and support supremacist groups or hate speech. Participation in a hate group, hate site, or engagement in hate speech will result in immediate removal. Doing it as a joke is not funny and also unacceptable. Hate speech is communication that vilifies a person or a group on the basis of color, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Supremacism is the belief that a particular race, species, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual orientation, class, belief system or culture is superior to others and entitles those who identify with it to dominate, control or rule those who do not.
Proper analytical criticism of certain groups does not constitute hate speech, there is however a fine line, use reason to determine the difference.
Written by Casper Saul.