Freedom Of Speech

Sysfling Listserv Norms

Constructed by the ISFLA Executive Committee and approved at the Annual General Meeting in Glasgow on July 102025

1. Commitment to Maintaining a Safe Academic Space

All members are encouraged to foster a welcoming, respectful, and intellectually stimulating environment. ISFLA is committed to maintaining this standard through fair and transparent enforcement of the following Code of Conduct.

2. Code of Conduct

All members of the listserv are expected to uphold a professional and respectful tone. The following behaviours are to be avoided:

● Personal attacks, insults, or harassment of any kind

● Off-topic discussions that derail the academic focus of the listserv

● Hate speech, discriminatory language, or offensive remarks

● Spamming, trolling, misrepresentation, or intentional provocation

● Disrespecting other members' privacy

3. Code of Conduct Enforcement

If someone notices a breach of the Code of Conduct, they can report it to the ISFLA Executive Committee. The committee will treat the issue confidentially and evaluate it from both sides.

● First Infraction: A private warning from the moderator with a reminder of the Code of Conduct.

● Second Infraction: The moderator will notify the ISFLA Chair and Deputy Chair. They will deliberate the matter. They will then present the issue to the full Executive Committee for a vote to determine whether the person should be temporarily suspended from the listserv for a three-month period.

● Repeated infractions: The moderator and Executive Committee will follow the same procedures related to a second infraction. If a person has violated the Code of Conduct again, this person will be suspended permanently.

4. Appeal Process

Members who have received disciplinary action may submit an appeal to the Executive Committee within seven days. Appeals will be reviewed by the Executive Committee and voted on by the full committee within seven days.

Decisions on appeals are final and will be communicated to the person individually in writing.

5. Reporting inappropriate online behaviour

Notification of an inappropriate post can be communicated to any ISFLA executive office holder by describing the behaviour (e.g., date, the post, the nature of the offense). All communication will be kept confidential.

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The Official Code of Normative Correctitude for the Disciplined Conduct of Academic Harmony™

(Ratified by unanimous silence at the Sacred Gathering of the Peer-Virtuous, Glasgow 2025)

1. Commitment to the Illusion of Safety

We solemnly affirm our dedication to maintaining a space that feels safe — not necessarily is safe — for all those who share our unspoken worldview. We aim to cultivate a respectful atmosphere where disagreement is gently discouraged and mild discomfort is mistaken for structural harm. Please be agreeable. Always.

2. Approved Modes of Expression

While all members are theoretically welcome to contribute, the following modes of communication are preferred:

• Praise

• Deference

• Tentative agreement phrased as a question

• Personal anecdotes that support prevailing orthodoxy

The following behaviours will result in stern glances and escalating consequences:

• Intellectual disagreement that sounds too confident

• Any critique that doesn’t begin with three compliments

• Reference to disciplinary debates older than 10 years unless citing a Founding Text™

• Assertions that suggest not all perspectives are equally valid

• Jokes

3. Enforcement and Redemption

If you violate the Code, the following steps will be taken:

First Infraction:

You will receive a confidential scolding from the List Moderator, expressed in the tone of a disappointed aunt. The phrase “We expected better” may be used.

Second Infraction:

The Executive Committee will be summoned from their Academic Sabbaticals to deliberate your case via email, possibly using passive-aggressive subject lines. A 3-month exile will be imposed during which you are encouraged to reflect, retract, and rewrite your tone.

Third Infraction:

Permanent banishment. Your name will be quietly removed from the index of legitimate scholars. At conferences, people will remember your face, but not your work.

4. Appeal Process

Appeals may be submitted within a seven-day grace period, provided they are:

• Excessively polite

• Filled with declarations of remorse

• Conclude by reaffirming your respect for every member of the Executive Committee, individually

Appeals that attempt to clarify or defend your position will be politely ignored for the sake of “moving on.”

5. Reporting Inappropriate Behaviour

If someone has offended you with an idea, phrase, or slightly sharper-than-average tone, you may report them anonymously. No context is needed; we trust your feelings.

Please remember that silence is not complicity unless it’s from someone we already distrust, in which case it is.