Stereotypes & Stigma - Clarification on Some Forum Guidelines
Hello everyone!
We have been noticing a significant amount of content and concerns in the forums about matters related to Stereotypes and Stigma and would like to discuss this.
Expanding on the same,
We do not welcome or tolerate stigma and harmful discrimination of any kind towards people based on their personal/social identities/struggles.
❌ DON'Ts ❌
Dehumanize – reduce a person of a group solely to labels, including diagnostic or medical ones.
Speak for a group of people without them approving of the statements / the statements being factual.
Use derogatory language or slurs to defame, slander or portray an entire segment of the community or a user based on their identity in a negative light, etc.
Promote stereotypes, prejudices, or discriminate upon baseless claims.
Note: This does not mean we ask you to hold compassion towards some person you can't / don't want to, but to not reduce their characteristics as the representative of a whole group (which is often done without a scientific or objective base).
✅ DOs ✅
See people for what they are – people. Use person-first language where identity-first language is harmful according to the DON'Ts.
It's better to speak for and from your own experiences without overgeneralizing.
We can seek support while also being mindful of how posts impact any community and its members. Seeking support and educational content on stigma is welcome too.
Provide and discuss scientific data.
Recognise that everyone is fundamentally similar and different too. Hence, we can respect that and hold space for subjective experiences and realities without perpetuating stigma.
Forum Guidelines pertaining to this post,
Inflammatory, racist, sexist, offensive, homophobic, transphobic, etc. posts are not allowed. Posting about the impacts of abuse, racism, sexism, etc. or seeking support on these topics is allowed.
Unsupportive content including targeting or attacking other users in the community is not allowed. Disagreements may happen, but always maintain a respectful tone and try to move the conversation forward in an on-topic and constructive way. Sometimes this means agreeing to disagree.
Refer to any additional guidelines that may apply to specific subcommunities or subforums. These can be found by clicking "Guidelines" within a given subcommunity.
In order to maintain a therapeutic space, we delete forum posts that take away from a supportive forum environment. If a forum post is not helpful, nor positive, then it will be deleted.
Also these Community Guidelines which apply everywhere on 7 Cups,
Remain professional, kind, and respectful towards one another.
Even if you do not get along with an individual listener, member, or guest it is up to you to act appropriately, step away and not engage. It is up to you to put yourself in situations where you can act in this manner.
Do not engage in hateful behaviors of any kind.
Showing hate towards any gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, racial or cultural background or imposing your view point on any of these items on another user is forbidden.
Finally, from 7 Cups Culture Guide,
We Believe in Equality
At 7 Cups, we believe that every single person is valuable. In the world of 7 Cups, every person is treated with equal respect, enjoys equal freedom, and equal rights irrespective of the gender orientation, race, religion, or any other difference. We embrace diversity and consider it key in bringing varied perspectives and solutions to difficult problems.
and Our Mission posted by @GlenM,
7 Cups is for anyone who wants to live in a world where the human experience is free from stigma and stereotypes and rich with love and support. A world where all 7 billion of us can grow and feel like we truly belong.
We believe that each one of us is inherently valuable. We do not measure people based on where they are from, what they look like, or what position they hold. We recognize that people make sense in the larger story of their lives. We understand that people are complicated and that life is not simple or easy.
We are all on the same path. Some of us are just starting out. Others are further down the road. No matter where we are, being kind, compassionate, and accepting of one another enables us all to grow.
We do not tolerate people being mean, harmful, or rejecting others. We do not judge or look down on people.
Although there are forces that tend to disempower and create division, we stand together as we compassionately care for and champion one another. We see our differences as a strength. We are united in our shared goal of creating a place where all can find acceptance and be welcomed to a home where we all belong.
For the community – In any event that you find the guidelines being violated, please flag the post.
For the forum moderators – If at all possible, the forum moderator should remove the unsupportive content while retaining the post. All edits should generally include the forum moderator's name, date and the reason for editing with a link to the guideline(s). In the event that the post cannot be retained, the forum moderator will delete the whole post. If you believe a forum moderator has edited or deleted your post in error, you can email forum@7cups.com and we will investigate.
Big thanks to everyone who brought this up and worked towards it in the past and also the Personality Disorders Support Community Guidelines we used for reference. Thoughts and Feedbacks are welcome.
Lastly, I am going to include some academic writing in a reply here for anyone who is interested. Thank you!