Platinum Rule

The Platinum Rule far predates the How I Met Your Mother episode of the same name. It is similar to the Golden Rule, but more considerate.

It states "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them, not as you would have them do unto you."

The Golden Rule is to treat others as you want to be treated, but the Platinum Rule understands and accommodates for the fact that not everyone wants to be treated the same way. It says that we should treat people how they want to be treated, regardless of how we might personally want to be treated in similar situations.

The Platinum Rule is a much more empathetic, sensitive moral guideline than its predecessor, the Golden Rule, which ignores the wishes and preferences of the recipients of the behaviour in favor of imposing the giver's preferences onto others in a misguided attempt at kindness.
I like having doors held open for me, but Jane prefers to open her own doors. Instead of insisting that she shut up and let me open her doors, I abide by the Platinum Rule, and I let her open her own doors when she wants to.
by Joreth November 01, 2011
Get the Platinum Rule mug.

Prescript

V.

Prescripted comes from Prescribe: Latin, praescribere =

1. to write at the beginning, dictate, order;

2. to lay down a rule : DICTATE;

3. to lay down as a guide, direction, or rule of action : ORDAIN;

4. to specify with authority.

To prescript a relationship, then, is to create a set of rules governing the relationship before the people involved ever get into said relationship. These rules are often set up to define a relationship involving someone who is not even in existence yet and therefore cannot give his or her input into the relationship agreements, such as a married couple deciding the rules for a future extramarital partner before even finding one.

By contrast, a descriptive relationship describes the relationship as it is at the time with input from all involved.
John and Mary prefer to prescript their relationships. Even though John and Mary haven't met anyone they're interested in yet, they have decided beforehand that anyone they date will be female, in love with them both equally, single, will live no more than 10 miles away, will not call John by the nickname "bunnylips", will not eat with them at their favorite restaurant, and cannot ever listen to

the song John and Mary danced to at their wedding while John and/or Mary are in the room with her. When they meet her, these rules are non-negotiable and she has no say in them.
by Joreth April 10, 2010
Get the Prescript mug.