@Aminah here are some thoughts in rough form for language for the political discussion guidelines. For comments and critique.
If posting to the Watercooler category please take particular care to make sure your post belongs there. As noted above, this forum is about Early Buddhist Texts. We do, nevertheless, have a Watercooler category for more informal, relaxed, light-hearted Dhamma exchange. Whether posts to this category are directly on the EBTs or not, there is an emphasis on the “cooler” part of “Watercooler”. It’s a place to support each other and make connections, not to prove a point or for heated debate so if a thread strays too far from this category’s purpose it will be moved or closed.
One nuance to the general Watercooler guidelines is the subject of political themes. Few subjects engender more heat and potential for incivility as political subjects,and many religious forums ban political themes and discussions outright. However, there is a recognition that the Buddha did not isolate himself from Dhammic discussions with kings, and it seems appropriate that some discussion of social, cultural and political themes have resonance within the Buddha’s focus on ethics, wisdom, and compassion . As Buddhists, it may be, within the confines of Right Speech, most appropriate and even necessary to weigh in on matters such as war and conflict, injustice, climate change, poverty, human rights, animal rights, and any number of subjects that involve the wellbeing of people and the planet. Bhante Sujato himself has said “if Buddhists do not speak up with voices of compassion and wisdom, that vacuum will be filled by voices of delusion and violence.” So, with these words in mind, the Watercooler can be a place for cool, balanced and thoughtful discussions of Dhamma as the Dhamma intersects with issues that may be viewed as political.