Let's Get Rid of the Politics Forum
 

Because it is a breeding ground for douchebaggery and team hatred.

It makes people I like look like dicks. It spills over into the rest of the house, and sucks in general. Nothing you politics thread posting dickholes says is going to change the mind of the other dickhole you're arguing with's mind in any way....so Shut The Fuck Up and Hug. We are smart enough to know we shouldn't argue about religion......why do you argue about Politics?

This is NOT(or at least didn't used to be) a politics forum. Go scratch that itch somewhere else! This is a coffee shop with no coffee and no shop! It is a Forum about nothing. It's a Pub where your friends hang out......

You might say that I have no right to attempt to limit discussion. you might say that I have no right to tell you what you should discuss. you might say that i have no right to kill a hobo...... but I say unto thee.....

you're all being intolerably irritating.


don't make me post a poll.

No.

shut up. this is serious business

lol
That was so oratorical.

Yeah, you should run for office or something. I'd vote for ya!

Politically Correct Makeover
 

Let's change the forum name and forum title from:

Politics
How humans control the powers that control them

To:

Town Hall Meeting
A friendly little forum, with no town and no hall to get run out of

I've never been in the politics forum because I fear it would irritate me. Seems like I'm doing the right thing (for me). It's true that sometimes the politics seeps through into other forums but I can usually see which threads are heading that way and I stop reading them, too ...

If we don't have the Politics forum then every forum becomes political:P

Truth. No-one is learning anything in politics right now, everyone is so convinced that they are right.

One thing I love about this place is that people in the Cellar have sometimes changed my long held political beliefs with their thoughtful posts. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened in about 3 years or so. The politics forum is a big pile of shit now, and it's because the handful of the most prolific posters there have no apparent desire to learn. Who knows? Maybe I'm looking at the past with rose colored glasses. All I know is that I mostly scroll past the posts of the regulars in the politics forums, looking for anything anyone else has to say.

I don't want to be Hubris Boy, and I apologize if I come off that way.

If you want to improve the Politics forum, post there.

Yeah, I know. I've given the same advice to others.

I don't want to improve the politics forum.

I don't read it because it's full of crackpot posts, and therefore I avoid most of the assholery over it. This is what I prefer, but some people revel in the assholery and debate, and that's their privilege.

It's a vehicle for the hateful.

The politics forum is what originally brought me to the cellar. While I was usually the only conservative in most of the discussions it was at least fun. The politics threads are generally just annoying anymore.

I wager it'll come around. Things change.

quite right.

I read the politics forum when I am looking to get good and annoyed.

I am sorry - I know that I am part of the problem. It has become a clusterfuck and an attack on each others posts, cites, sources and overwhelming personal attacks. I'm trying to take a break so others can hopefully enjoy posting there.

I'm gonna try to keep out.

Maybe there should be a polite and considerate political discussion forum for jsut that. Let the vitriol spewing continue in the politics forum and have another place where people are polite and respectful. And monkeys will fly out of my ass and if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle...

The politics forum is rather nasty at the moment, but no worse than on any other board. I post there from time to time without the expectation of changing the minds of other posters. It helps me define for myself where I sit on the issues. If you got rid of politics, people who are dying for a fight will just find one on other forums instead.

could we just put an airlock on it? Or a one-way valve of some sort? Or maybe just a decontamination chamber on exit so no-one can bring the shit with them?

I'd be ok with having all political posts limited to video taped youtube orations. that way we could see the veins in their foreheads bulging at least.

I stopped going to the political threads when I got sick of having my principles insulted. Having said that, even the most benign threads have political one-liners woven in them.
If, however, you can't discuss politics or religion, you've limited yourself to mediocrity. Remember the advice, "don't sweat the small shit. P.S. It's all small shit." That's what happens when you limit speech, small shit.

maybe I'll just wade into the politics threads and wreck them with my evil shenanigans

Let me know when you do Jim. It'll be fun to watch.

You'll know because Chuck Norris will be ass raped by Jesus in there

Obviously Jinx will be doing the heavy lifting then.

@ lumberjim (the first Dwellar to greet me in the Cellar way back when).

If you're just venting, disregard the following:

WE don't need no stinkin' Politics forum: we have the capability to start a non-stinkin' Politics social group. Follow UT's modus operandi and start a moderator nomination thread for the person Dwellars would like to see create and moderate the Politics social group. After an ample time period, start a voting thread for Dwellars to choose from among those who have accepted the nomination. Announce the communities choice and let us create our own modus vivendi.

The social group would be able to initiate its own topics for discussion; or, rip off threads from the Politics forum that have turned sour. The additional moderation will keep out the riff raff. Show them how it's done. It's about time someone used the social groups feature for constructive purposes.

Administrator's and Moderators' input welcome.

Isn't this just a microcosm of american culture in the internet age? We can get the news that agrees with our held opinions, so actual research or honest inquiry tends to get short-circuited into some more superficial emotional satisfaction. And anyone can find a semi-credible source to back up just about anything, so all things boil down to a mixture of personal values (what do you think is most important, and what's the best way to get there?) and some debate of whose sources are more credible (which any honest look at requires you to first admit that your sources are not necessarily credible, which takes a fairly serious amount of chutzpah.)

I guess my point is that what we're seeing in Politics here is kind of what we're seeing in culture nation-wide, and, apparently, the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to grow -- there's talk of the coming "left-right populist revolution" or something to that effect.

So if it is just a microcosm, it's only fair to see it play out: indeed, to try to accelerate it, to find a solution to it here. Because what is the cellar if not sort of a weird petri-dish-kind-of-thing that we can poke and prod, and sometimes get poked and prodded by?

This thread has got political ... yet insightful. Reasonable even. Cept that bit about Chuck Norris.

I'm thinking that right now we have a cluster of folks who cannot be talked to. They are better off left alone. After some period of zero participation thoughtful people can work their way back in. For now I'll focus on goats and goat-based products.

The politics thread is as subject to fashions and fads as any of the others. It'll swing back again.


I don't really look at it as 'going into the politics forum'. half the time i don't even notice which forum a thread is in; it's just all in the New Posts category. I do know there are some threads which, though I occasionally skim through to see what they're up to, have become more or less unreadable. But there are usually some interesting little sections of the discussion in amongst the tedium and destruction.

I think LJ was disappointed to find out that Chuck Norris is a vocal Christian.

I don't avoid political threads; but there are certain dwellars and/or subjects I tend to avoid engaging with at a political, or at a serious level. From time to time I forget I'm avoiding them and get drawn in by my own curiosity. But...at that point I'm often just throwing in the odd double entendre.

I don't really have much of a heart for political discussions here, of late. There's only so much searing anger I can handle at any one time. And the landscape is strewn with boobytraps and populated by wolves, ready to ascend on the unwary who has dared to write their post whilst sitting at the computer, in their pants, eating cereal; thereby falling short of the astounding peer-review quality, properly and exhaustively researched, fully spellchecked political argument we apparently see as a minimum standard.

If I sit round a pub table talking politics with mates, we're not correcting each other's grammar; or demanding we present our findings fully supported and properly referenced. But this seems to characterise much of the political discussion here at the moment. Some of it is justified, some of it is funny, but some of it is petty and not much fun to watch, or get involved in. It's like there's some hidden rule which states that, the second a topic becomes political, people start sharpening their weapons.

It's like, in the big online games, there's often a separate arena area where players can take their avatars and beat the shit out of each other with gay abandon. Normal game rules are suspended. The politics forum seems to have morphed into a free for all arena. Which occasionally then spills into the rest of the forums. Some of the stuff people say to each other once a thread has become political in nature, just bypasses anything approaching civility.

Appreciate all through history, you post demonstrates why extremists are so successful. By making things nasty, those who learn from intelligent thought zone out. And those inspired mostly by the hype of the attack are empowered.

Limbaugh taking constant cheap shots at Hilary only inspired his disciples. Others zoned out leaving the field dominated by those disciples. And made so many others emotionally dislike Hilary. How to above the nastiness? Avoid Hilary. Emotionally associate Hilary with the nastiness. Cheap shots and insults (unfortunately) tend to get many or most to believe the attacker.

For example, why did Saddam have WMDs? Because cheap shots, lies, and emotional diatribes *proved* he was evil. Fact that Saddam was desperately trying to restore his “American ally” standing somehow got completely buried in hype, hate, and overt lies. Therefore Saddam must have attacked the WTC. Even when numbers said Saddam’s WMDs should not exist, still, 70% believed the myth anyway. Because hype and hate combined with overt lies work when others (ie you) do not challenge that 'hate agenda' with rational thought and damning questions.

Why did the KKK have so much sympathy in the old South? Hate, emotion, and popular myths were enough, even among otherwise intelligent people, to sympathize with the KKK.

A perfect example of how easy emotions can inspire lies: surge protectors. Did you assume that protector on your computer power cord does any protection? Why? Or did you ask those damning questions? Did you ask for ‘whys’? No facts say so. No numbers say so. Well proven science says otherwise. And yet an overwhelming majority will buy that protector only because they were told what to believe. Entertained their emotions rather than think logically. Blindly empower liars by simply not learning the difference between emotional hype and logical thought.

Emotion can easily subvert logical thought – especially when one does not always demand/learn fundamental facts. Especially when feeling rather than analyze numbers. Especially when one does not ask and demand answers to damning questions. Especially when conclusions are in black and white rather than based in perspectives.

so, what are you trying to say?

not disappointed that he is Christian.... That's assumed in the US. Disappointed that he seems rather zealous about his Religion. That's one of my turn offs.

Yes. I know.

It doesn't seem as big a deal to me. He hasn't tried to twist my arm yet, so I'm happy he's got something to be passionate about. :D

Not gonna read on the politics forum, in no particular order:
tw, radar, merc, ug, redux & classic.

Now, if I could only get an 'ignore' feature that was politics-specific, all would be fine.

Isn't that like...most all that post there?

I make a point of ignoring everything lumberjim posts in the politics forum.

Except for me, font of wisdom that Iam. :eek:

And he wears a toupee. :right:

Wolf summed it up well;

It's endemic to the forum, regardless of the team.

Naw...Wolf threw out a sophomoric taunt aimed at people who were complaining about someone she agrees (or sides) with. We weren't complaining because we are afraid of him or his position (although, I have to admit people who think like merc does in his posts are dangerous). We were complaining about his incivility.

I disagree. :)

*shrug*

;)

I think Jinx was handing you a straight-line.

What? I meant exactly what I posted.

Eventually all of you will despise Obama as much as we do, and we'll all love one another again.

Common enemies do that to a people.

It was not sophomoric. I have a Master's Degree!!

And it was a general, not specific comment. Jinx is correct.

Then Pico missed an excellent opportunity to rebut with a little humor.

"I am very sorry you guys are scared of people with whom you don't agree."

"Actually we're not afraid. We don't like his incivility"

"I disagree"

"And I ain't skeered".


And.... I've just killed the frog.

Hopkin?!

And that is exactly the problem. You don't just disagree with his philosophy or his proposed legislation, you despise HIM, and by extension everyone who voted for him. Nothing but hate coming from the disloyal opposition.

I used to enjoy participating in some of those intense political debates. I liked learning more about what I was arguing about, while searching for back-up material.

But then a few of the folks would just lose their minds and start flinging too much poo for my taste.

It really wasn't that much fun anymore once the "you're stupid!" or "you're an idiot!" or "shut up you fucking hippie!" or "you are obviously ignorant and let filthy communists fuck you up the ass!' (paraphrased) comments would come into play.

Same here. There's just too much heavy lifting separating the wheat from the chaff. 1 or 2 informative posts on either side of a position mixed in with a dozen 'nyah nyah' posts.

BTW, I've been keeping it a secret until now and it's still in the development stage, but I am working on the world's first triple entendre. Prepare to be amazed.;)

And that was my point when I announced I had had enough and was going nasty. The problem was so many (ie you) condoned the nastiness by remaining quiet. Hitler discovered nastiness works. As long as he made German politics nasty, the majority went silent. Left politics (and government) to be controlled only by extremists.

That is also the political agenda of Limbaugh and Beck. Make things nasty so that centrist and moderate politician lose their primary supporters (due to disgust as being expressed by you).

Because so many (ie a large number of posters in this thread) choose to go quiet (ie leave), then they encouraged nasty extremists to be even nastier.

But then I am only repeating what I posted previously. Do not consider yourself innocent. Silence is how you condone the nastiness.