Shall we ban politics? Take the poll.

Do you want politcs to be banned from this forum?

  • Yes, ban it.

    Votes: 37 50.0%

  • No, keep it.

    Votes: 37 50.0%
  • Total voters
    74
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
Camper6 said:
That doesn't bother me at all. If someone makes a comment in the political forum and then asks a question about television or needs some help or advice. It doesn't bother me at all because I understand politics and political forums.
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Im sure there are a few people like you but for the most part there is a clique mentality on forums and a whole side that's behind the scenes as in PMs, emails, etc. kind of an undercurrent.

Ive been a part of that here and on other forums and I'm done with that, it's just ugly. I made a public apology on another forum and now I'm the new and improved version of CC. Slightly off topic with this but for most that's where it leads.

Im also not talking about the asking for help threads....if I can help, I will...doesn't matter that you called me a racist and nazi. :)
 

I voted no, keep it.

There are some members here that only post in the political section. If politics were banned, there will be a loss of those members.

IMHO, it's time for this forum to come up with better TOS (terms of service) and have them posted as a sticky where all members can see and read them. Even direct newcomers to that thread, if need be.

Only 2 rules are really needed....

#1 rule should be, "Be civil." If there was just one rule, that would be it. SF is not here to be anyone's personal battleground. This Golden rule should apply. People who embark on personal attacks or are unable to comment on the CONTENT but instead go after the poster are not welcome here. This is a place for friends to gather. If they are unable to cope with a friendly and supportive atmosphere, then leave. Friendliness counts and it will determine whether or not you have an account here.

#2 "No Flaming." Do not post any messages that harass, insult, belittle threaten or flame another member.

Both, direct and to the point and not hard to comprehend at all.

Another thing I have to question Matrix...Why would a moderator over politics have to refrain from posting in that forum? They should have the right to freedom of speech, to be able to express them self and also be able to keep within the TOS doing so, if they are a good moderator.

Just my two cents.
 
Gemma said:
I voted no, keep it.

There are some members here that only post in the political section. If politics were banned, there will be a loss of those members.

IMHO, it's time for this forum to come up with better TOS (terms of service) and have them posted as a sticky where all members can see and read them. Even direct newcomers to that thread, if need be.

Only 2 rules are really needed....

#1 rule should be, "Be civil." If there was just one rule, that would be it. SF is not here to be anyone's personal battleground. This Golden rule should apply. People who embark on personal attacks or are unable to comment on the CONTENT but instead go after the poster are not welcome here. This is a place for friends to gather. If they are unable to cope with a friendly and supportive atmosphere, then leave. Friendliness counts and it will determine whether or not you have an account here.

#2 "No Flaming." Do not post any messages that harass, insult, belittle threaten or flame another member.

Both, direct and to the point and not hard to comprehend at all.

Another thing I have to question Matrix...Why would a moderator over politics have to refrain from posting in that forum? They should have the right to freedom of speech, to be able to express them self and also be able to keep within the TOS doing so, if they are a good moderator.

Just my two cents.
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Those have always been the rules but they're not followed. Both sides are to blame or at fault.
 

Gemma said:
There are some members here that only post in the political section. If politics were banned, there will be a loss of those members.
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If they only post in politics, a dedicated political forum would be a better place for them.

IMHO, it's time for this forum to come up with better TOS (terms of service) and have them posted as a sticky where all members can see and read them. Even direct newcomers to that thread, if need be.

Only 2 rules are really needed....

#1 rule should be, "Be civil." If there was just one rule, that would be it. SF is not here to be anyone's personal battleground. This Golden rule should apply. People who embark on personal attacks or are unable to comment on the CONTENT but instead go after the poster are not welcome here. This is a place for friends to gather. If they are unable to cope with a friendly and supportive atmosphere, then leave. Friendliness counts and it will determine whether or not you have an account here.

#2 "No Flaming." Do not post any messages that harass, insult, belittle threaten or flame another member.

Both, direct and to the point and not hard to comprehend at all.
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You can come up with all perfect rules, it all comes down how to enforce them. Unless you are ready to ban many members, the rules are just some meaningless text.

Another thing I have to question Matrix...Why would a moderator over politics have to refrain from posting in that forum? They should have the right to freedom of speech, to be able to express them self and also be able to keep within the TOS doing so, if they are a good moderator.
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Intensive debate in politics doesn't affect one's judgement? Remember politics is emotional, intense, personal, rude, confrontational, personal attacks, it brings out the worst of a person, you expect someone who is involved to be fair?

If a mod has different views than yours, he can edit/remove your posts or even ban you as he wants, when your post was moderated by him, you still think he is fair?
 
CeeCee said:
I think Matrix has done the best he could, many were banned but that's not a solution either for a forum.
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Exactly ! Banning members can also tear a forum apart. Maybe just banning them from the political forum for a month would work because then they would still be part of the forum and could post in other sections, and then come back and have another chance.
Each person has their own interpretation of what is being civil, and even what is flaming, and once the first arrow is launched, then the whole section of the forum usually gets involved; so then it is hard to single out specific flamers.

Blaming the administrator is not right either. There have ALWAYS been exactly the kinds of rules that you are suggesting, Gemma, and if you look, there are many, many updates where both Matrix and SeaBreeze have once again pointed out the rules and asked people to follow them.
As seniors, we should all be able to comply with the rules of a forum. The admin should not be forced to try and police every single thread, or have to ban people for non-following of rules.
 
Happyflowerlady said:
Exactly ! Banning members can also tear a forum apart. Maybe just banning them from the political forum for a month would work because then they would still be part of the forum and could post in other sections, and then come back and have another chance.
Each person has their own interpretation of what is being civil, and even what is flaming, and once the first arrow is launched, then the whole section of the forum usually gets involved; so then it is hard to single out specific flamers.

Blaming the administrator is not right either. There have ALWAYS been exactly the kinds of rules that you are suggesting, Gemma, and if you look, there are many, many updates where both Matrix and SeaBreeze have once again pointed out the rules and asked people to follow them.
As seniors, we should all be able to comply with the rules of a forum. The admin should not be forced to try and police every single thread, or have to ban people for non-following of rules.
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Well said HFL, my thoughts exactly but you word them much better. :)
 
Case in point. Could your statement regarding the administrator be considered "belittling"? He does the best he can but somehow you believe he is not doing his job. Is that placing the blame on him for what a wayward poster might be writing?

Here's the thing: In this case you might have insulted someone over something trivial to you, but not so to him. The problem is that whether or not something is meant harshly or just a passing comment, political boards always bring out those types of comments.
 
The advice to just "walk on by" or "ignore the Politics Forum" is something I took for a long time. I came to resent having to do so when I wanted to learn, simply because some elderly people behave as if they were in the school yard.

It's not fair for others to miss out on one of our Forums because the bullies and their rudeness can't be controlled. It's amazing; the insulting manner, the sarcasm and the childish behavior seen here at times.

It's amazing how far off topic they go.

Always having to have the last word, phrases like "What's it to you" and outright admissions of wanting a place to argue tell me that sequestering to another area won't stop the bad behavior. Bottom line is the same. Others are afraid to venture or even speak, for fear of verbal abuse.

If those members love arguing so much or cannot behave like adults, let them go to another political forum but stay here for other topics .

More moderation would definitely help and may just be the answer. Perhaps just two people are not enough, especially regarding politics and government. I don't think it's fair to expect just 2 people to handle it all, as long as people are incapable of monitoring themselves.
 
I had voted to keep it, though I have it blocked. But once I read more, especially about your moderation dilemma, maybe a good idea to let it go. Though there would then be the issue of people bringing the political discussions to the main forum. So it would be a Catch-22. I used to be a forum moderator many years ago, so I can understand how hard it could be to keep the peace.
 
Marie5656 said:
I had voted to keep it, though I have it blocked. But once I read more, especially about your moderation dilemma, maybe a good idea to let it go. Though there would then be the issue of people bringing the political discussions to the main forum. So it would be a Catch-22. I used to be a forum moderator many years ago, so I can understand how hard it could be to keep the peace.
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I've admin'd a couple forums in the past, making spammers disappear was a sport for me ;) ;) ;), but disciplining regular members for conduct was rare, but then those forums did not have a Political section, and any politicized talk was strictly forbidden.

Result: a nice, peaceful and respectful community.
 
I have no interest in politics, though I accept that it does to a degree permeate all of life, I don't know enough about American politics to add anything to a discussion, and I couldn't begin to describe the shambolic system that we have in my own country (UK). In saying that I believe the political forum could well be a place for some members to vent their differences, I am aware as CeeCee mentioned that their are cliques and possibly malicious gossip going on behind the scenes. Would these simmering resentments come out in discussions other than politics if that outlet was closed. I guess if that was true the political forum could be looked on as a therapy/anger management area largely unmoderated?
 
I'm new to this forum; in fact, new to forums in general. I've viewed and occasionally commented on other sites but never really spent much time in any other than this one. Although I did read conditions, rules & regs., etc. before joining here, I admit to not having explored it fully and and now realize I know little about things such as Speakers Corner.

Recent changes in my life have severely limited my opportunities for social contact (moved to new location and gave up driving) and being privy to the personal thoughts/opinions of others in my age group concerning things such as politics drives me to explore issues more fully and also helps to keep my own thoughts grounded. When lively conversations in the real world turned ugly, I tuned out or walked away. It's easy to do the same here.

I personally think everyone should keep up with what's going on in the world in general (and their own country in particular) to some extent even if it's only a mild interest but that's just me. Politics IS a major factor in all our lives even if we wish to ignore them. I'm grateful to live in a country where it's OK to do that.

I'd like to see any and all subjects open for discussion and comment but understand if restrictions must be put in place.
 
Lolly said:
Since this thread is an airing of feelings... No Matrix.... you are not viewed as being fair at all... at least not by the more liberal posters... Which is why, when all is said and done... I think you should ban the political forum and let the chips fall where they may. I did vote to keep it... but.. events of the last few days have made me change my mind.
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^^this.

Thanks for the poll, makes it look like we have a say, but at the end of the day, it's strictly the admin's decision...whose desires on this matter are well known.
 
So far I only see that the poll supports banning it. That may still change. Until yesterday I always assumed Matrix was a democrat or liberal so what you both say isn't fair in my opinion.

There is a whole forum of conservatives who thought Matrix and Seabreeze were liberals.
 
I see it's now 33-29 in favor of banning it. How much longer does the poll go? I want to swoop in at the end and get on the side that's going to win.:cool:
 
CeeCee said:
So far I only see that the poll supports banning it. That may still change. Until yesterday I always assumed Matrix was a democrat or liberal so what you both say isn't fair in my opinion.

There is a whole forum of conservatives who thought Matrix and Seabreeze were liberals.
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Your opinion is valid, as is mine.
 
If nothing else this sure has generated a lot of interest.

Replies 120
Views 1,940.

Wait. There is a discrepancy here. 62 votes. Better get Mueller on the case. We need a grand jury and an investigation.
 
Camper6 said:
If nothing else this sure has generated a lot of interest.

Replies 120
Views 1,940.

Wait. There is a discrepancy here. 62 votes. Better get Mueller on the case. We need a grand jury and an investigation.
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I don't see any discrepancy. 33 + 29 = 62.
 

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