Note: I understand that the rule is possible to change.
I showed my teammate this thread and tried to explain it to them and they couldn't really understand what rule you guys were exactly debating so I made crappy cartoon diagram in MS paint that might be useful if you're ever debating with a teammate about this rule for whatever reason.
http://i.imgur.com/SIZCRUt.png
(I don't think the rule is super dumb. I don't think any rules are dumb, rules are rules. I just put that last bit in there for laughs by my team)