Should RF Keep its Political Forums?

[Flame]

I vote to change the forum name.

Political Forums with A Little Religion.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I think British people should start making new threads every single time PM Johnson or Katie Hopkins or Rees-Mogg makes a new twitter post or does an interview, then perhaps the US people will see how unbelievably annoying and inane it is.

It's not annoying if you don't click on it.

 

[Rival]

It's not annoying if you don't click on it.

It takes up new threads, brings in trolls, increases moderation unnecessarily and pushes non-US people away.

 

[shmogie]

Given the amount of animosity, anger, gratuitous anger, and other negative emotions and behavior associated with RF's political forums, do you think RF would be a better place without political forums? What say you?

Politics, especially today, engenders the negative behavior you describe, it is the nature of the beast we have created.

Discussing it here is somewhat more of an outlet, which I think is good, but it also elaborates for all the coarseness and general degraded process it has become. This increases knowledge of the fact, and knowledge is power in hopefully dialing it back.

Knowing the pent up rage out there also creates situational awareness, and political wisdom.

 

[PureX]

Given the amount of animosity, anger, gratuitous anger, and other negative emotions and behavior associated with RF's political forums, do you think RF would be a better place without political forums? What say you?

You won't be able to stop it. So you may as well try and contain it so as to allow for SOME other types of expression/discussion.

 

[Revoltingest]

Politics, especially today, engenders the negative behavior you describe, it is the nature of the beast we have created.

Discussing it here is somewhat more of an outlet, which I think is good, but it also elaborates for all the coarseness and general degraded process it has become. This increases knowledge of the fact, and knowledge is power in hopefully dialing it back.

Knowing the pent up rage out there also creates situational awareness, and political wisdom.

Maybe we need a Rage Only forum for exorcising one's demons & abusing others.
With such an outlet, the rules & spirit of RF could be faithfully observed in the other forums.

 

[Rival]

Maybe we need a Rage Only forum for exorcising one's demons & abusing others.
With such an outlet, the rules & spirit of RF could be faithfully observed in the other forums.

Most forums have a rant forum.

 

[David1967]

Given the amount of animosity, anger, gratuitous anger, and other negative emotions and behavior associated with RF's political forums, do you think RF would be a better place without political forums? What say you?

I voted yes. I'm for the free exchange of ideas both political and religious even if I find some of it annoying. If someone is too rude, I have an ignore button. I say keep them. IMHO the political forums are an important part of RF.

 

[shmogie]

It takes up new threads, brings in trolls, increases moderation unnecessarily and pushes non-US people away.

WE discuss in North American politics what is pertinent to us. Last time I checked, Britain wasn´t in North America.
Many Europeans, and dare I say it, Canadians ( though not American, they are North American) decide to join the fun, so be it.
There are numerous forums where others should feel quite at home.

Just watch that clicker and you will be just fine.,

 

[Revoltingest]

Most forums have a rant forum.

But rage is the problem.
I'm thinking of a forum where people who really
really want to insult, demonize, abuse, & look
down upon others can let off steam.

Note:
I know it's a bad idea.

 

[Rival]

WE discuss in North American politics what is pertinent to us. Last time I checked, Britain wasn´t in North America.
Many Europeans, and dare I say it, Canadians ( though not American, they are North American) decide to join the fun, so be it.
There are numerous forums where others should feel quite at home.

Just watch that clicker and you will be just fine.,

The problem is that most of those discussions are short-lived and tedious and result in moderation. It's the same thing over and over and over again. There are members who come here just to discuss politics. Why can't they go to a political forum? Why can't US people chill out? Brexit is nearly destroying the UK government but we don't see thread after thread about it.

 

[shmogie]

Maybe we need a Rage Only forum for exorcising one's demons & abusing others.
With such an outlet, the rules & spirit of RF could be faithfully observed in the other forums.

Good idea. Instead of boxing and all its rules and referee, a no holds barred street brawl. Then if the brawlers get carried away in the supposedly civil forums, they can be dealt with.

 

[Salvador]

Me being a Trump supporter doesn't mean I can't get along with any Trump haters. I like knowing why somebody could possibly dislike our POTUS.

 

[Curious George]

Given the amount of animosity, anger, gratuitous anger, and other negative emotions and behavior associated with RF's political forums, do you think RF would be a better place without political forums? What say you?

Are you proposing no more discussions of LGBT rights, abortion, immigration, religious freedom? I can think of huge overlaps between religion and politics, and undoubtedly all of our religious, (or irreligious) worldviews intersect with politics as a result of the philosophical underpinnings of those beliefs.

 

[shmogie]

The problem is that most of those discussions are short-lived and tedious and result in moderation. It's the same thing over and over and over again. There are members who come here just to discuss politics. Why can't they go to a political forum? Why can't US people chill out? Brexit is nearly destroying the UK government but we don't see thread after thread about it.

You do not have to observe or take part, just ignore it. The US is in a silly season right now, it is at itś most divided as I have ever seen it in my 70 + years. Emotion is running extremely high. If Trump is re elected it will die down as everyone gears up for the next presidential election. If he is not, there will be relative peace for 2 years before it begins again.

We are in the midst of a cold civil war.

I say again, if you don see it, it isn´t there, just ignore it !

 

[Terry Sampson]

(2) Eliminate separate forums for political discussion - possible.

There ya' go! Piggy-backin' off of Rival's post:

I think British people should start making new threads..

Checking the "North American Politics DIR", I see that there are, at present, "Showing threads 1 to 20 of 7,399 threads". That doesn't count the other threads that get posted in the wrong place and never get moved into the right place. Set up a specific U.S. Politics DIR and require any and every post that mentions a U.S. political action--regardless what else the post mentions--to post under that DIR. And set up additional, specific DIRs under the U.S. Politics DIR for folks like R****s and each of the other top U.S. politics-obsessed posters to post their hearts out in their designated .... DIR cage.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No, I don't think so. They're not fair as it is as far-leftists have two or possibly even four political forums to post on but right-wingers only have one, even though a Nationalist forum was requested multiple times. That along with the animosity issue makes me think they should just be scrapped as the most fair option.

 

[Skwim]

I don't care if we lose membership; the number of trolls and lack of religious discussion in favour of political discussion is bringing the forum down. I'd rather have a smaller forum with good members than a large one with mediocre members and trolls all over the place.

How did you determine that the lack of religious discussions was because people favored political discussions? Threads will sometimes go off their original subject not because some other issue has killed that subject, but because people are no longer interested in discussing it. If people still want to discuss the original subject there's nothing preventing them from doing so. Same goes for religious discussions and political discussions. If people want to discuss religious issues there's nothing preventing them from doing so. There's no "either-or" here. And why does it matter that those who like to discuss politics do so, and, in your opinion, are mediocre members---whatever that may be? If it doesn't matter if these people are members here or not, what is gained by losing them? I find it odd that you feel political discussions are "bringing the forum down." If you truly don't want people discussing anything but religious issues then why not campaign to get rid of everything else, like:

OR, create you own "Religious Topics Only" web site?


.

 

[Rival]

How did you determine that the lack of religious discussions was because people favored political discussions? Threads will sometimes go off their original subject not because some other issue has killed that subject, but because people are no longer interested in discussing it. If people still want to discuss the original subject there's nothing preventing them from doing so. Same goes for religious discussions and political discussions. If people want to discuss religious issues there's nothing preventing them from doing so. There's no "either-or" here. And why does it matter that those who like to discuss politics do so, and, in your opinion, are mediocre members---whatever that may be? If it doesn't matter if these people are members here or not, what is gained by losing them? I find it odd that you feel political discussions are "bringing the forum down." If you truly don't want people discussing anything but religious issues then why not get rid of everything else, like:

View attachment 32695


.

Because those other discussions aren't happening all the time and resulting in needless moderation almost every single day. The RMA thread and LPITW thread aren't resulting in warnings left right and centre. That political discussion is one of the biggest things here, on a forum not dedicated to it, and results in mud-slinging, trolling, thread-locking and warning isn't healthy. And I have already said I'd rather have a smaller forum dedicated to discussing mostly religion than a large one rampant with trolls. The second issue is it's mostly US politics, which isolates anyone not from the US and comes across to us like needless whining when our countries have problems too but we're not making threads and threads about them.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Given the amount of animosity, anger, gratuitous anger, and other negative emotions and behavior associated with RF's political forums, do you think RF would be a better place without political forums? What say you?

I think that political debates would happen here regardless. Might as well have a forum to keep it (mostly) contained.