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Notes -
It's kind of common courtesy to mention NSFW when you're dropping a NSFW link. Don't make us make it a rule.
If you're threatening to make it a rule if it is not followed, it is already a rule.
Do you have a particular reason why you think it's bad to politely request that people warn about NSFW links, or are you just in a mood again?
The rules are organic and it's probably not an official rule because none of us felt like we have to warn everyone who might post a not-entirely-SFW link and we don't want to argue with Nybblers about whether or not something is NSFW and if we only decided something was NSFW because we are personally and egregiously converged and biased, but I do think it would be courteous to warn if you're gonna drop a link to AI-generated hentai.
Why wait for a wave of people to link NSFW without warning before making it a rule? If one person did it and its objectionable, isn't that enough to just make it a rule?
I suppose that "having a rule for NSFW warnings in the sidebar" contributes to a mood or culture that TheMotte doesn't want (i.e. is a bad look), which is why it seems your ideal world is where no such rule is listed on the sidebar, but also people somehow know not to post NSFW content without warning.
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