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[DISCUSSION] New rule on deceptive titles

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Cguin wendy
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Founded: May 04, 2018
Ex-Nation

[DISCUSSION] New rule on deceptive titles

Postby Cguin wendy » Fri May 04, 2018 12:19 am

At the moment, there is no rule prohibiting deceptive titles for proposals -- that is, a title that asserts or implies the proposal does something it doesn't actually do.

This is unfortunately, as of today, a real problem. A proposal that does nothing but legalize and encourage funding of embryonic stem cell research should not be called "Promoting Research On Life In Foetuses And Embryos", as it is not "PROLIFE" as that term is conventionally understood (admittedly subjective), does not promote research on life in embryos, and does not have anything to do with fetuses whatsoever.

The only possible motivation for such a title for a submitted (non-joke) proposal is to fool pro-life voters into thinking this proposal does precisely the opposite of what it actually does.

The rationale for this rule would be the same as for the Honest Mistake rule. This game is more fun if proposals rise or fall on their merits, as opposed to lies or deceit.

The following is proposed text for such a rule, based on the existing text of the Honest Mistake rule:
Proposal titles must accurately reflect their contents. While embellishment, exaggeration, and ambiguous language are permitted, factual inaccuracies and misrepresentation are not.

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The New California Republic
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Founded: Jun 06, 2011
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Postby The New California Republic » Fri May 04, 2018 8:37 am

Cguin wendy wrote:Proposal titles must accurately reflect their contents. While embellishment, exaggeration, and ambiguous language are permitted, factual inaccuracies and misrepresentation are not.

I really don't think that this issue is as big as you make it out to be. Proposals normally go through a fairly extensive drafting stage, submitted, vetted for illegalities by the Secretariat, and WA regional delegates can endorse the submitted proposal. The checks and balances that currently exist are very robust, and does a good job of filtering out the chaff from the grain.

While the Secretariat can enforce rules regarding contradictions with previous Resolutions quite easily, the line between embellishment/exaggeration/ambiguous language and factual inaccuracies/misrepresentation is far more nebulous. Differentiating between the two isn't an easy thing to do, and it would likely rely too much on the personal feelings of the Secretariat members to judge where the line is.
Last edited by Sigmund Freud on Sat Sep 23, 1939 2:23 am, edited 999 times in total.

The Irradiated Wasteland of The New California Republic: depicting the expanded NCR, several years after the total victory over Caesar's Legion, and the annexation of New Vegas and its surrounding areas.

White-collared conservatives flashing down the street
Pointing their plastic finger at me
They're hoping soon, my kind will drop and die
But I'm going to wave my freak flag high
Wave on, wave on
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Auralia
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Founded: Dec 15, 2011
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Postby Auralia » Fri May 04, 2018 8:50 am

You probably should have bumped the existing thread rather than simply copying my OP and creating a new thread.
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