Comment Policy

I like comments, including those that disagree with me or challenge me to think further, as such comments encourage me to grow and learn. I don’t like or need comments that undermine my narrative of my own experience or suggest, no matter how subtly, that I or my friends aren’t fully human or shouldn’t be treated equally to others. Abuse doesn’t encourage me to grow and learn. This blog is heavily moderated; if you object to that, please seek out a different forum.

When you comment, I ask that you honor the following requests:

• Refrain from phobic, discriminatory or hateful speech.
• Refrain from comments that have the effect of silencing or derailing (see Derailing for Dummies for additional examples).
• Refrain from questioning the existence of privilege or systematic oppression. There are many resources available online and offline for learning about these issues.
• Provide a name or pseudonym that reflects a consistent online presence (as opposed to so-called “throwaway” or “sockpuppet” identities).

That last one isn’t hard and fast rule. There are good reasons for allowing anonymous comments. However, if you violate rule #1 and/or #2, and do it anonymously, I’m very unlikely to publish your comment.

Also, because this is my blog, I reserve the right to:

• Moderate first-time commenters or commenters unknown to me.
• Edit your comment for spelling, grammar, length or clarity.
• Not publish your comment at all or delete it after it’s been published.
• Close comments for a particular post, or never allow them in the first place.
• Modify these rules at any time.

Also, you should consider any comment you submit to my blog to be public, even if they are not immediately or ever published. If you wish to contact me privately, you may do so through email (christiekoehler AT gmail DOT com).

Portions of this policy are derived from my friend Tim’s comment policy.