Time for a Politics Forum Section?

[Subby]

My one supporting point would be that I remember this place and the way it was two or three years ago - when there were a lot less in the way of politics and religion.

And it was much better (more civil, etc.).

And we even had a quote of the moment! And more Fritz!

[Klinglerware]

Yeah, I don't think a separate forum is really necessary. If people don't want to go into political threads, they won't go in to the obvious ones and will back away quickly if they do unintentionally enter one.

Perhaps we should bring the FOF/TCY strategy section back to the general discussion? Strategy siphons off some FOF/TCY-related talk on the general discussion section, yet it isn't big enough to be a consistent forum on it's own. There is some overlap between the general FOFC and strategy discussion anyway, so perhaps returning strategy back to the general section will spark more sports text-sim related discussion.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

If you don't like it, ignore it. This "ban the people we don't like" crap is stupid.

No, it's "ban the bitchtrolls who contribute nothing useful and have no purpose here but to stir things up" crap. Ignoring is virtually impossible when their stupid crap is quoted in the next post, and the post after that, etc.

One of my main measuring sticks was always "do they have an interest in FOF (the product)?" If they don't, they were on a much shorter leash than those who were customers of Solecismic. That was one of my personal litimus tests and not one Solecismic ever endorsed or suggested, but it does weed out a few of those who really shouldn't be here.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

Perhaps we should bring the FOF/TCY strategy section back to the general discussion? Strategy siphons off some FOF/TCY-related talk on the general discussion section, yet it isn't big enough to be a consistent forum on it's own. There is some overlap between the general FOFC and strategy discussion anyway, so perhaps returning strategy back to the general section will spark more sports text-sim related discussion.

I completely agree that this needs to be done...

[stevew]

I wish the ignore feature worked better.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

If you don't like it, ignore it. This "ban the people we don't like" crap is stupid.

You're just bitter because your wife can't stay out of the box.

And no, that wasn't meant as a double-entendre.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

If you don't like it, ignore it. This "ban the people we don't like" crap is stupid.

Frankie, I'm usually on the 'ignore it and it will go away' side of things...

However.. you are oversimplifying the solution ... it is pretty difficult to just 'ignore it' when it pervades through a large number of the posts, on a consistent basis... This seems to be happening here (and unlike others i am not pointing only at your wife) on a regular basis, even on seemingly innocent threads...

While I don't know how I feel with the idea put out in the original thread here, I think to say at this point 'ignore it' is a major oversimplification.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

No, it's "ban the bitchtrolls who contribute nothing useful and have no purpose here but to stir things up" crap. Ignoring is virtually impossible when their stupid crap is quoted in the next post, and the post after that, etc.

One of my main measuring sticks was always "do they have an interest in FOF (the product)?" If they don't, they were on a much shorter leash than those who were customers of Solecismic. That was one of my personal litimus tests and not one Solecismic ever endorsed or suggested, but it does weed out a few of those who really shouldn't be here.

Whatever you say asswipe. Talk to me like that in person, and I'll knock your teeth out. You wanna ban the opinions you don't like that come from the people that haven't been here forever. You liberal crybabies love freedom of speech until it's something you don't wanna hear.

Use the ignore button if you don't want to read it. Otherwise knock of the pompous self-righteous crap. This is a bloody internet message board - not a freaking sanctuary of liberal political correctness.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

I considered this waaaay back when and rejected it. I still think it's unnecessary.

This is an idea that floats back up to the surface every once in a while and then sinks again. It almost always floats at the start of the football season, when there's enough on-topic (sports, new game by Solecismic) subjects to justify moving it. It's when things get dull where you find you need it so the forums continue to have a hearbeat.

I think that was probably true 4 or 5 years ago, but with the introduction of all the other text sims and independent games that seem to be popular with those who come here, I don't think it's necessarily the case anymore.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by Subby

You're just bitter because your wife can't stay out of the box.

And no, that wasn't meant as a double-entendre.

What pisses me off is that others here are just as politically driven, and stir up just as much shit, and aren't treated likewise. The excuse is "you're new, and you haven't contributed anything else." Which is elitist bullshit.

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by Subby

I completely agree that this needs to be done...

Didn't we initially do that because it was too hard for newbies to find that info? Certain irony there. That said, I think it supports the idea of a politics forum. That's not what the site should be about. It's great if that becomes a sidelight, but if it becomes the focus then it's no different from any other howl-at-the-wind blog or forum that are a dime a dozen online. I think this site is a lot more valuable when it's a FOF and other sports sim discussion site than an online version of Crossfire. They cancelled Crossfire for a reason.

I think it would be mind-blowing irony for a discussion of whether or not there should be a separate politics forum eventually declines into a partisan muckfest.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

If that's the definition of "political," then my vote is for no. However, I suspect your definition is way too broad. Current events should definitely be posted here, and I don't see a problem with comments about his passing, or discussion about possible successors, for example. But, if people want to argue over what this means for the country and such, then it becomes a politically-charged discussion and potentially not appropriate for this forum.

I'm really opposed to this idea because it will completely gut the General Forums.

I'll use the Renquist thread as an example for the dividing line where a political thread becomes crap in my mind. It is not when there are people debating the possiblity of, say, Roe v Wade being overturned or the political ramifications as to shifting some portion of the country more red or blue. But, it's when someone starts calling someone else a fascist or a baby killer or says one point of view is mindless or says all red staters or blue staters or conservatives or liberals are morons. The problem is that it's a crazy fine line- it's the difference between being able to say President Bush came off as looking dumb answering a question versus he's always an effing moron.

But if anything with any sort of political slant is sent into this other forum, general is just going to suffer greatly for content, and, by extension, I think a lot more people will just eventually leave from boredom than if SD just started banning everyone who started escalating political threads (not that this is a good option, either).

SI

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

Perhaps we should bring the FOF/TCY strategy section back to the general discussion? Strategy siphons off some FOF/TCY-related talk on the general discussion section, yet it isn't big enough to be a consistent forum on it's own. There is some overlap between the general FOFC and strategy discussion anyway, so perhaps returning strategy back to the general section will spark more sports text-sim related discussion.

I agree with this as well. You could also do the same with the game review discussion which seems to get about 1-2 posts a month.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Whatever you say asswipe. Talk to me like that in person, and I'll knock your teeth out. You wanna ban the opinions you don't like that come from the people that haven't been here forever. You liberal crybabies love freedom of speech until it's something you don't wanna hear.

If your wife had made a single post that wasn't either:

a) laced with ad hominem attacks or thinly veiled attacks towards people here

or

b) apologizing/defending posts made under category a)

I'd be entirely on your side. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case. capsicum is the textbook definition of a message board troll and I'm shocked she hasn't been banned yet. Many people have approached her very nicely and suggested that she could find ways to share her opinions without rubbing 95% of the members of the board the wrong way, she has chosen to ignore those suggestions.

[HomerJSimpson]

Originally Posted by Senator

That entry, by its very length, defends itself against the risk of being read.

He's got nothing on CR.

[Anthony]

i like how Blackadar will try to give extra importance to his posts by starting off "when i was the mod". fact is, he hasn't been a mod for like how long now, so him saying what he *would* do to people he doesn't like has as much weight as Shorty saying the same thing. just cuz someone *used* to be the top dog don't mean people still wanna hear their bark.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Bah, keep them all together. It makes the community more fun.

Though if we really need to get rid of some, a "Politics Penalty Box" as revrew stated may be the answer.

This isn't too bad of an idea. Tho I think some people would just send it down that path just to get it out of the General and into their personal sandbox.

SI

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Radii

If your wife had made a single post that wasn't either:

a) laced with ad hominem attacks or thinly veiled attacks towards people here

or

b) apologizing/defending posts made under category a)

I'd be entirely on your side. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case. capsicum is the textbook definition of a message board troll and I'm shocked she hasn't been banned yet. Many people have approached her very nicely and suggested that she could find ways to share her opinions without rubbing 95% of the members of the board the wrong way, she has chosen to ignore those suggestions.

Bingo

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by Radii

If your wife had made a single post that wasn't either:

a) laced with ad hominem attacks or thinly veiled attacks towards people here

or

b) apologizing/defending posts made under category a)

I'd be entirely on your side. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case. capsicum is the textbook definition of a message board troll and I'm shocked she hasn't been banned yet. Many people have approached her very nicely and suggested that she could find ways to share her opinions without rubbing 95% of the members of the board the wrong way, she has chosen to ignore those suggestions.

Why don't you read her entire post history before you crack off with that. She's made a lot of perfectly innocuous posts here - it's just the political ones that draw attention.

[stevew]

We need a "FOOTBALL/SPORTS GAMING ONLY" forum, instead of a "politics" one.

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

What pisses me off is that others here are just as politically driven, and stir up just as much shit, and aren't treated likewise. The excuse is "you're new, and you haven't contributed anything else." Which is elitist bullshit.

If someone registers on this board and immediately starts pissing people off, that person is normally treated as a troll (see happy29, et al) Just because the topic is politics rather than the normal incoherant bs is no reason to make a distinction between the two.

If we're not going to have a separate forum, could we at least have a thread rating system like there is in the dynasty forum? That way when I see a thread rated crap, I'll know to avoid it completely.

[HomerJSimpson]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Whatever you say asswipe. Talk to me like that in person, and I'll knock your teeth out. You wanna ban the opinions you don't like that come from the people that haven't been here forever. You liberal crybabies love freedom of speech until it's something you don't wanna hear.

Use the ignore button if you don't want to read it. Otherwise knock of the pompous self-righteous crap. This is a bloody internet message board - not a freaking sanctuary of liberal political correctness.

What a great example of the love of Christ. God bless you, too!

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Whatever you say asswipe. Talk to me like that in person, and I'll knock your teeth out.

Lol.

"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

If you don't like it, ignore it. This "ban the people we don't like" crap is stupid.

I don't know if this comment is in general or you were responding to my post, but I would like to say that I didn't think this required a banning. I was just asking where do you draw a line.

You seemed to have drawn that line when Skydog simply pointed out a post, made by druez, on another message board. But you seemed to think that line dissolved when someone posts some very rascist comments made by an alleged worker at the Astrodome. I just find that interesting.

[sabotai]

This was predictable...

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Why don't you read her entire post history before you crack off with that. She's made a lot of perfectly innocuous posts here - it's just the political ones that draw attention.

I did read her post history earlier today. The fact that she has also made innocuous posts seems kind of irrelevant, IMO. Nearly every political post she has made has been troll-like because it insults people, has little to do with the thread overall, and/or seeks to intentionally inflame the discussion. Several people, myself included, have suggested that she might try a different approach, but she has come back with more crap (ie messing up NoMyth's poem thread for no reason I can discern).

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Why don't you read her entire post history before you crack off with that. She's made a lot of perfectly innocuous posts here - it's just the political ones that draw attention.

1. I encourage anyone to read her entire post history and not come to the same conclusion as Radii.

2. Of course, part of the problem is that she's deleted/edited many of the very worst posts in question....

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by HomerJSimpson

What a great example of the love of Christ. God bless you, too!

Even Jesus busted open a can of whoop ass on occassion... and it was when someone blatently offended the Father. I think it's alright if I get pissed off at people making personal comments about my wife.

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Radii

If your wife had made a single post that wasn't either:

a) laced with ad hominem attacks or thinly veiled attacks towards people here

or

b) apologizing/defending posts made under category a)

I'd be entirely on your side. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case. capsicum is the textbook definition of a message board troll and I'm shocked she hasn't been banned yet. Many people have approached her very nicely and suggested that she could find ways to share her opinions without rubbing 95% of the members of the board the wrong way, she has chosen to ignore those suggestions.

Yep. Unfortunatly he can't see how bad she is so don't bother with him or he will "punch your teeth out".

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I don't buy the argument that we lose "valuable info" in pointless threads. I think we lose more "valuable info" when good discussions descend into chaos because a handful of people can't control themselves.

A lot of people seem to have this view of how things happen here. Which makes me wonder, why not just ban these handful of people rather than screw up the board? Tho I suppose it would result in such a messy upheaval as it stands to reason that it would be some of the more high profile people that would be kicked out and that would lead to a bunch of others to pitch a fit because one side had more people kicked out or vice versa.

SI

[QuikSand]

Honestly, the number of people who have resisted this idea out of concern for the General Discussion forum is heartening to me.

[stevew]

In before the lock.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by panerd

Yep. Unfortunatly he can't see how bad she is so don't bother with him or he will "punch your teeth out".

No, it's the rest of you who can't see how hypocritical you're being on the subject.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by HomerJSimpson

What a great example of the love of Christ. God bless you, too!

At least now we know where the term "holier than thou" came from.

[Antmeister]

Originally Posted by sabotai

This was predictable...

LOL....this is why a seperate section won't work. There is drama just talking about having a different section.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I think it would be mind-blowing irony for a discussion of whether or not there should be a separate politics forum eventually declines into a partisan muckfest.

I agree, it was inevitable.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Honestly, the number of people who have resisted this idea out of concern for the General Discussion forum is heartening to me.

Since I helped contribute to the downfall of this thread, I should comment on the acutal topic...


I would totally support a politlcal forum and the suspension/banning of anyone who can't keep that shit out of general discussion. But then again, if things stay the way they are, I'm not going to leave the board or anything, I don't mind wading through a bunch of stuff I don't care about to find the NFL Pick'em games and such, whether it be werewolf of political threads.

[Subby]

Jesus only beat up the gays, silly.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I agree, it was inevitable.

So, what you're saying is you knew ahead of time that you were going to be contributing to the exact "problem" you're bemoaning.

Nicely done. How about we all shut up and stop playing "internet censor?"

[John Galt]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

A lot of people seem to have this view of how things happen here. Which makes me wonder, why not just ban these handful of people rather than screw up the board? Tho I suppose it would result in such a messy upheaval as it stands to reason that it would be some of the more high profile people that would be kicked out and that would lead to a bunch of others to pitch a fit because one side had more people kicked out or vice versa.

SI

I do not think the idea of banning or punishing certain contributors is a per se bad idea. However, like you, I believe it is probably unworkable. I have little doubt some here would think I should be banned although (with a brief period of exception where I stupidly tried something different) I have generally been polite and respectful with people. Nonetheless, I surely piss people off.

And I know if I were to start naming people who I think should be nixed, Arles would be at the top of the list of people who ruin political threads. Yet, he is one of the important game developers that this community is about, so it makes NO sense to ban him.

So, although I think things would be much better with a few choice posters (possibly including myself) being booted, it is not a real solution.

[Klinglerware]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

Didn't we initially do that because it was too hard for newbies to find that info?

That's a good reason for splitting it out--but that strategy section really isn't self-perpetuating and seems rarely visited. People ask questions about TCY/FOF strategy in the general discussion section anyway (I would probably do the same, since it would get more exposure from the forum membership), so I think it might be a good idea to think about reconsolidating the two sections...

[panerd]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

No, it's the rest of you who can't see how hypocritical you're being on the subject.

Let's see I have been here 4 years and posted about TCY, FOF, and other text sim startagies. Your wife has been here, what 2 weeks? Maybe two people on the board know who I am. How many know who your wife is? Just innocent posts, eh?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Honestly, the number of people who have resisted this idea out of concern for not getting all of the attention you need from your mudslinging is disheartening to me.

Fixed it for you.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Whatever you say asswipe. Talk to me like that in person, and I'll knock your teeth out. You wanna ban the opinions you don't like that come from the people that haven't been here forever. You liberal crybabies love freedom of speech until it's something you don't wanna hear.

Use the ignore button if you don't want to read it. Otherwise knock of the pompous self-righteous crap. This is a bloody internet message board - not a freaking sanctuary of liberal political correctness.

See, I didn't name names, but I guess you can identify your own wife's shortcomings without her even being named. I guess it's a "if the shoe fits" scenario for you...

It has nothing to do with "ban the opinions you don't like that come from the people that haven't been here forever". That's laughable. It's largely maintaining this message board by users of FOF for users of FOF. And those who don't buy the product aren't afforded the same leeway. There are 1000s of message boards dedicated to politics. There's one dedicated to FOF. If someone is going to come on here and purposely stir the pot and they don't really have any purpose for doing it HERE vs. those 1000s of other message boards, they really don't belong. And they should be shown the door.

As I said, the ignore button doesn't work since Bitchtroll's (TM Blackadar 2005) posts are quoted repeatedly by other outraged users. Having someone like that around is the political equivalent like someone coming in and posting Tubgirl in every political thread. She leaves a trail of shit wherever she goes.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Radii

If your wife had made a single post that wasn't either:

a) laced with ad hominem attacks or thinly veiled attacks towards people here

or

b) apologizing/defending posts made under category a)

I'd be entirely on your side. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case. capsicum is the textbook definition of a message board troll and I'm shocked she hasn't been banned yet. Many people have approached her very nicely and suggested that she could find ways to share her opinions without rubbing 95% of the members of the board the wrong way, she has chosen to ignore those suggestions.

Your troll = one of the 10 most interesting & worthwhile posters I think are left on the board in total, regardless of post count. Hell Radii, in, what, less than 100 posts(?) she's already managed to contribute more of any value than a lot of people with thousands of posts.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Radii

If your wife had made a single post that wasn't either:

a) laced with ad hominem attacks or thinly veiled attacks towards people here

or

b) apologizing/defending posts made under category a)

I'd be entirely on your side. But I'm pretty sure that's not the case. capsicum is the textbook definition of a message board troll and I'm shocked she hasn't been banned yet. Many people have approached her very nicely and suggested that she could find ways to share her opinions without rubbing 95% of the members of the board the wrong way, she has chosen to ignore those suggestions.

Yup.

[VPI97]

Ideally, you'd want a posting system on the board that would require a thread starter to select a thread type from a dropdown box (like 'General', 'News', 'Football', 'Baseball', 'Religion', 'Politics', etc). And then we could add a thread filter at the top of the forum index that would allow a user to only display those threads that fall into the categories that they want to see.

I don't know anyone who is good at modding a php based board though.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Even Jesus busted open a can of whoop ass on occassion... and it was when someone blatently offended the Father. I think it's alright if I get pissed off at people making personal comments about my wife.

As I said, I didn't name your wife. You did.

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

Even Jesus busted open a can of whoop ass on occassion... and it was when someone blatently offended the Father. I think it's alright if I get pissed off at people making personal comments about my wife.

Blessed are the asshats, for they shall posteth crap.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

So, what you're saying is you knew ahead of time that you were going to be contributing to the exact "problem" you're bemoaning.

Okay, now you've lost me.