Can we ban religion/politics discussions?

[demik]

they never lead to anything good. and we are a keyboard forum, not a political/religious forum.

i can only block so many people.

[Sifo]

this pls

[Tarzan]

Is racism politics?  If so, then I'm in agreement.

(Religion?  Really?  What threads have had a religious theme lately?)

[Tym]

Please

[CPTBadAss]

I would support this.

[demik]

Is racism politics?  If so, then I'm in agreement.

(Religion?  Really?  What threads have had a religious theme lately?)

racism will lead back to both most of the time.

and did you not see endzone's idiotic god rambling?

[smknjoe]

+1

[MOZ]

+1

[Tarzan]

Is racism politics?  If so, then I'm in agreement.

(Religion?  Really?  What threads have had a religious theme lately?)

racism will lead back to both most of the time.

and did you not see endzone's idiotic god rambling?

Probably happened after I added him to my blocked list.   

Anyway, disregard my previous comment.  I'm getting pretty burned out on the forum, after I pay for the group buys I'm in at the moment I think I'm taking a break. 

Ciao.

[keymaster]

Yes, please. The last thing I want to look at when I do my daily browse of GH is religious/political arguments. I much rather see you guys argue about whether or not switch stickers do anything at all.

[CommunistWitchDr]

I would say ban it in the main forums, but allow it in off topic posts made specifically for it. I don't care if you want to make an ass of yourself in a "Talk about politics" thread, but if you're doing it on a thread about anything else it's a problem. Don't wanna see it? Don't click it.

[Techno Trousers]

It does show up in tapatalk timeline though. The thread, I mean.

Generally I'm in agreement that if they are in off topic they should be okay. I started to get sucked into one until I came to my senses. Not gonna go there any more.

[esoomenona]

they never lead to anything good. and we are a keyboard forum, not a political/religious forum.

i can only block so many people.

Without these topics, iri wouldn't have such an awesome signature.

[eth0s]

they never lead to anything good. and we are a keyboard forum, not a political/religious forum.

i can only block so many people.

Well, I don't think we should ban political/ religious debate, as such debate is not without merit.  However, if you have come to a point where you have to block people, then we have a different problem:  abuse and harassment, which should never be tolerated.  If you have been harassed via PM, that is a serious matter, and should be dealt with by the mods.  But maybe everybody should tone it down a bit, and be more respectful of people we disagree with.  demik should not have to block people.

[Photoelectric]

Signed.  Unless it's random asides in unrelated posts--fine.  But dedicated political / religious threads should not be created on a Keyboard forum.  There have been a few of those lately.  Like a whole discussion on media and racism...

[funkymeeba]

Yeah, I'm fine with this. I get way too frustrated with the idiocy people bring in to these discussions.

[PointyFox]

+1

[Thimplum]

+++++++++++++++++

[Thimplum]

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36895.0

This is the epitome of veering into this "stuff"...

[Photoelectric]

Yeah, that thread... 

[SpAmRaY]

So it's not a good idea to tell people how wrong they are and how right I am?

[Tym]

So it's not a good idea to tell people how wrong they are and how right I am?

You're on this internet. This is always allowed.

Infact its usally better if you are wrong.

[SpAmRaY]

So it's not a good idea to tell people how wrong they are and how right I am?

You're on this internet. This is always allowed.

Infact its usally better if you are wrong.

Are you telling me I'm wrong!! WHAT!!! I bet you belong to the CHURCH of AWESOMEFACE because you people are always smiling and its getting really old. And I bet your an INDEPENDENT to.

[Krogenar]

I would say ban it in the main forums, but allow it in off topic posts made specifically for it. I don't care if you want to make an ass of yourself in a "Talk about politics" thread, but if you're doing it on a thread about anything else it's a problem. Don't wanna see it? Don't click it.

This.

[Thimplum]

I would say ban it in the main forums, but allow it in off topic posts made specifically for it. I don't care if you want to make an ass of yourself in a "Talk about politics" thread, but if you're doing it on a thread about anything else it's a problem. Don't wanna see it? Don't click it.

True. But it's irritating when it starts to show up in other threads.

[PointyFox]

I would say ban it in the main forums, but allow it in off topic posts made specifically for it. I don't care if you want to make an ass of yourself in a "Talk about politics" thread, but if you're doing it on a thread about anything else it's a problem. Don't wanna see it? Don't click it.

This.

Would be easier to implement this than to stop it entirely.

[Tarzan]

I would say ban it in the main forums, but allow it in off topic posts made specifically for it. I don't care if you want to make an ass of yourself in a "Talk about politics" thread, but if you're doing it on a thread about anything else it's a problem. Don't wanna see it? Don't click it.

This.

Would be easier to implement this than to stop it entirely.

If this was a rule, there could be some major thread-crapping where someone gets into a racist rant on a thread, and the whole thread gets moved to Off Topic.  Can admins just delete individual posts, with a reminder to take it to the right forum?

[CPTBadAss]

They stopped deleting posts after rootw0rm.

[SpAmRaY]

They stopped deleting posts after rootw0rm.

I do believe they have a non-viewable are where some posts get 'moved' to however.

[Grim Fandango]

I would support this. Not because these are things that should never be discussed, but because they can not be discussed in a civilized way in an anonymous forum such as this. The discussions I have seen irritate me to the point that I am almost tempted to leave the site.

[SpAmRaY]

So things like this are offensive then?

More

And for the record this image came from a 'christian' blog.

[Krogenar]

I figure let people discuss what they like within certain limits, politely, in on-topic areas. If people don't want to see any political or philosophical or religious content, if it so upsetting to them they can protect themselves by staying out of the off-topic areas. Also, mods might want to find some way of enforcing the ToS for infractions that have nothing to do with the topic at all -- like outright insults. The ToS apply to all topics.

[SpAmRaY]

What do you guys think about this

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/279666/2/Tenn-pastor-goes-undercover-as-homeless-man-for-week

[Krogenar]

What do you guys think about this

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/279666/2/Tenn-pastor-goes-undercover-as-homeless-man-for-week

LOL, is this off- or on-topic?

[Tarzan]

What do you guys think about this

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/279666/2/Tenn-pastor-goes-undercover-as-homeless-man-for-week

Interesting, but definitely off topic.  Am I missing something?

[SpAmRaY]

What do you guys think about this

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/279666/2/Tenn-pastor-goes-undercover-as-homeless-man-for-week

LOL, is this off- or on-topic?

Would that topic be worthwhile to discuss or not?

If we 'ban' religion/political type discussion?

[Tarzan]

What do you guys think about this

http://www.wbir.com/news/article/279666/2/Tenn-pastor-goes-undercover-as-homeless-man-for-week

LOL, is this off- or on-topic?

Would that topic be worthwhile to discuss or not?

If we 'ban' religion/political type discussion?

I guess it's as relevant as TV shows, or new car choices - to name other threads I've seen recently.  But I can also see the discussion of this article veering pretty easily into racism, or politics.  And these categories of threads engender a lot of strife.  So, move it to Off Topic, but enable the admins to delete threads that get a lot of negative feedback?

I dunno. 

[TheSoulhunter]

Humm... While I don't see much sense in arguring about religion and politics (as they are a matter of POV and believe for the most part) I'm also strongly against censorship and absolute regulations of free speech. But, restricting such discussions to the off-topic forum sounds ok (after all they are not on topic, eh?) and should such discussions arise outside the off-topic forum they should be moved there (not deleted or locked). Just my 2 Euro Cents!

[Krogenar]

I don't think we should be restricting political discussions just because they may sometimes get heated, or just because some people want cry "racism" at any discussion they would prefer to silence. I mean, there's plenty of heat generated in the keyboard threads. Start a "Topre/MX Red/Buckling Spring: Now Defend It" thread and watch what happens sometimes. We don't ban those discussions, and shouldn't -- let's continue doing what the ToS call for: ban personal insults and factless denunciations. Attack ideas, not people.

And keep political discussions in the Off-Topic area, where they belong.

[Halvar]

Yes, please. The last thing I want to look at when I do my daily browse of GH is religious/political arguments. I much rather see you guys argue about whether or not switch stickers do anything at all.

How is that not a religious argument? 

[alaricljs]

Yes, please. The last thing I want to look at when I do my daily browse of GH is religious/political arguments. I much rather see you guys argue about whether or not switch stickers do anything at all.

How is that not a religious argument? 

Faith isn't necessarily religious

[rowdy]

A constructive religious or political discussion can be instructive.

It is when people try to force their opinions or beliefs on others, and become aggressive and/or offensive when people do not agree, is when things get ugly.

[Input Nirvana]

Not quoting 3-4 peoples posts but just recapping and making a point:

By the nature of politics and religion, the opinions are inherently forced onto others, which is in itself a large part of the problem. And also correctly stated, nothing good ever seems to come out of it, and almost always the results are VERY negative. Any polarizing topics will do that. I consider religion a personal topic, just like the brand of tampons some of you *****es use...we all know you stuff your hole, but we don't want to see/hear about it. Most religions advocate prostituting themselves onto others...to get recruits. Just like politics.

I personally find it very annoying and would choose not to see it in the forum, but I "let it go" for a variety of reasons, and am content with how the forum is handled. I'm not a fan of purely banning topics (yes it can be stimulating, fun, informative, but must be tightly controlled or it takes a life of it's own), and I absolutely abhor deletions (with some extreme exceptions or clearly and prominently displayed and easily understood rules of engagement).

Let peeps spew some crap, <perhaps> but absolutely keep it out of the main forums.

And yes Iri "The Pimp" has a good sig.

[Krogenar]

It is when people try to force their opinions or beliefs on others, and become aggressive and/or offensive when people do not agree, is when things get ugly.

Is a recitation of a known fact 'aggressive'? What if someone is (or claims to be) 'offended' by a fact, or the presentation of something as a fact? The 'fact' can be examined, declared to not be a 'fact', etc. -- but is the submission of the 'fact' already meet the definition of 'aggression'? How do you 'force' someone via the Internet to believe what you believe? Is merely expressing an opinion 'aggressive', too?

By the nature of politics and religion, the opinions are inherently forced onto others

With respect to you Input Nirvana, I think it is perfectly possible to have a stimulating, intelligent discussion about religion and/or politics without 'forcing' your opinion on someone else. The problem here is that people who have very weak arguments, or no stomach to defend their position would rather see the discussion end, period. And this talk of being 'forced' to witness a political discussion. It feels like someone walking into the Adult Section of a videostore and being horrified by the porno covers and titles but staying behind the beaded curtain to gawp and screech and complain. Stay out of that section and your likelihood of seeing midget porn is much lower.

My theory is that some of these topics start well, and then get trolled by users who don't like seeing particular opinions expressed, so they join the thread, drop some insults into the discussion, and then remain to display their rustled jimmies. The way I see it, these people are threadcrapping -- the political discussion was getting somewhere and then they arrived to make sure it devolved into name-calling.

[Thimplum]

I think that they should just be banned PERIOD. If you need help finding politics/religion forums, let me help you:

Politics

Religion

[Photoelectric]

I think that they should just be banned PERIOD. If you need help finding politics/religion forums, let me help you:

Politics

Religion

Completely agreed.  You are very optimistic if you think you can have a friendly and constructive conversation about controversial topics on an online forum, simply because there is a high probability of people being the opposite of those things when posting online.  And because of the polarizing nature of those topics. 

[SpAmRaY]

We can't have 'friendly and constructive conversations' about anything around here

[Thimplum]

I think that they should just be banned PERIOD. If you need help finding politics/religion forums, let me help you:

Politics

Religion

Completely agreed.  You are very optimistic if you think you can have a friendly and constructive conversation about controversial topics on an online forum, simply because there is a high probability of people being the opposite of those things when posting online.  And because of the polarizing nature of those topics.

Yip. This is a keyboard forum.

[Thimplum]

We can't have 'friendly and constructive conversations' about anything around here

We can have a good conversation about how bad the BWU is! That's something that we all agree with.

[CPTBadAss]

We can't have 'friendly and constructive conversations' about anything around here

They seem to turn into conversations about how playing video games invite demons into your soul and drives out God. How are you supposed to have a constructive consersation with that...

[SpAmRaY]

We can't have 'friendly and constructive conversations' about anything around here

They seem to turn into conversations about how playing video games invite demons into your soul and drives out God. How are you supposed to have a constructive consersation with that...

Between that and all the insults, pitchfork mob hate sessions and jimmie rustling it's really hard to sometimes.

Maybe we are all just too sensitive

[Krogenar]

We can't have 'friendly and constructive conversations' about anything around here

They seem to turn into conversations about how playing video games invite demons into your soul and drives out God. How are you supposed to have a constructive consersation with that...

Well, it was constructive for a while, then turned into that -- and it entertained Moose, so there's always that. When faced with someone who believes that much of what troubles society can be attributed to demons, you could just say, "Sorry, but I don't believe in demons. Got anything else to offer in defense of your position?" I mean, the guy lobbed a rainbow softball pitch, just swing for the fences. No need to call him a moron -- let his own statements speak for him.

I don't think some of the comments in those two threads were anything other than flame-bombing. It's not really a discussion if all the participants just type out their opinions. If you can say why you believe something, that's a better post. Some people quite literally popped into the thread and said, "You're all racists. kthanxbye" -- just break the ToS and then bail out. That's the sort of behavior that make those threads difficult to enjoy.

Here's a suggestion: age verification for the forum, or age-restricted areas of the forum. If adults want to have an adult conversation about politics, they should be allowed to do so. Or selective banning from sub-forums; you only want to discuss keyboards, but somehow cannot manage to stay out of well-labeled threads about non-keyboard topics? -- banned from Off Topic forum.

For some people it isn't enough to just stay out of a conversation, they have to make sure no one else is allowed to have the conversation. And that, to me, is just pointless censorship. If you want to live in a free and open society prepare yourselves to sometimes hear opinions you don't like.

[SpAmRaY]

I think the age restriction thing  'might' work but people could just lie, unless we throw in some sort of actual verification (like porn sites do)

But it might also be worthwhile to restrict brand new members etc to certain sub-forums, this would keep down the 'shill' accounts used only for inciting the flames.


And for as much as I 'post' I don't think I've ever shared my 'true' beliefs/feelings about anything that would incite the masses, because I'm pretty sure if I did you all would just hate me

[Thimplum]

How about this.

Pressing CTRL-SPACE-F-A-I-L...

Will take you to a hidden subforum...

Where you can talk about whatever.

[funkymeeba]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't have political discussions with people I _agree_ with without wanting to punch someone over it. It's frustrating.

Religion is not a thing I have too much trouble discussing, as long as it is far removed from political talk.

[Krogenar]

I think the age restriction thing  'might' work but people could just lie, unless we throw in some sort of actual verification (like porn sites do)

But it might also be worthwhile to restrict brand new members etc to certain sub-forums, this would keep down the 'shill' accounts used only for inciting the flames.

Nah, my idea stinks. Besides, it's not children we don't want in the forum, it's childlike posts. The ToS already covers that sort of behavior. And some of the largest threadcraps were torqued out by longtime members, so a minimum post count is no protection either.

And for as much as I 'post' I don't think I've ever shared my 'true' beliefs/feelings about anything that would incite the masses, because I'm pretty sure if I did you all would just hate me

I wouldn't hate you, Spammy, just your ideas -- maybe.

[Krogenar]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't have political discussions with people I _agree_ with without wanting to punch someone over it. It's frustrating.

I prefer to talk to people who have differing opinions. What's the point of talking to people with whom I agree on 99% of everything? Where's the fun in hearing no new ideas? My IT guy (comes in only as often as we need him) is a very, very smart guy and a bigtime fan of all things Obama. So we talk politics and no one ever gets punched. I try to rationally trick him into agreeing with my position (socialism doesn't work) and he tries to do the same to me. Talking about ideas is what I enjoy -- but if it makes you want to hit someone, don't do it.

[Thimplum]

I think that the off topic subforum is not the right place for these kind of arguments.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45599.0

Bad bad bad bad

There are some forum members who enjoy posting in these kinds of threads.

This isn't the right website for that.

[SpAmRaY]

I think that the off topic subforum is not the right place for these kind of arguments.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45599.0

Bad bad bad bad

There are some forum members who enjoy posting in these kinds of threads.

This isn't the right website for that.

Perhaps we need an off-topic in off-topic that could have a warning on entry and be a free for all, but how to keep it from spilling out is the question?

[Thimplum]

I think that the off topic subforum is not the right place for these kind of arguments.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45599.0

Bad bad bad bad

There are some forum members who enjoy posting in these kinds of threads.

This isn't the right website for that.

Perhaps we need an off-topic in off-topic that could have a warning on entry and be a free for all, but how to keep it from spilling out is the question?

Use the report button.

[SpAmRaY]

I think that the off topic subforum is not the right place for these kind of arguments.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45599.0

Bad bad bad bad

There are some forum members who enjoy posting in these kinds of threads.

This isn't the right website for that.

Perhaps we need an off-topic in off-topic that could have a warning on entry and be a free for all, but how to keep it from spilling out is the question?

Use the report button.

Nah you get in trouble if you do that too much.

[Krogenar]

I think that the off topic subforum is not the right place for these kind of arguments.

http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=45599.0

Bad bad bad bad

There are some forum members who enjoy posting in these kinds of threads.

This isn't the right website for that.

What was objectionable in the thread? Was it that people were discussing racism in America at all, or specific posts?

[Tym]

@Spam, what porn sites require age verification other than "Are you old enough?" you can even get onto
NSFW

More

TrueGore

without verification, and that site really shouldn't exist.

[SpAmRaY]

@Spam, what porn sites require age verification other than "Are you old enough?" you can even get onto
NSFW

More

TrueGore

without verification, and that site really shouldn't exist.

BAH! Obviously I was making things up again.....apparently I don't actually go to those sites but was making an educated guess.

[TheSoulhunter]

If one doesn't like this kind of discussions he should simply ignore the off-topic forum, eh?
I'd rather live in a world of flames than in a one where I have to be afraid of talking freely :3

[Thimplum]

If one doesn't like this kind of discussions he should simply ignore the off-topic forum, eh?
I'd rather live in a world of flames than in a one where I have to be afraid of talking freely :3

If you ignore the entire off topic sub, then you miss a lot of good stuff too, like bunny's giveaways, and a bunch of random other cool stuff.

[Krogenar]

If one doesn't like this kind of discussions he should simply ignore the off-topic forum, eh?
I'd rather live in a world of flames than in a one where I have to be afraid of talking freely :3

If you ignore the entire off topic sub, then you miss a lot of good stuff too, like bunny's giveaways, and a bunch of random other cool stuff.

Right, so read the thread title and get some indication of what might be a topic of discussion, or gird your jimmy for potential rustling. Or (if you're especially tough-minded) the moment you notice that the discussion is not something you would like to talk about -- leave the thread. If you're not interested in a political discussion, or cannot engage in the discussion without wanting to kill someone -- leave the thread. If you've got nothing to add except a rant -- leave the thread?

pre-emptive meme goes... here:

[jdcarpe]

If we ban religious and political discussion, can we get Topre classified as a religion, please? Jesus told me that's what Obama would do.

[Thimplum]

If one doesn't like this kind of discussions he should simply ignore the off-topic forum, eh?
I'd rather live in a world of flames than in a one where I have to be afraid of talking freely :3

If you ignore the entire off topic sub, then you miss a lot of good stuff too, like bunny's giveaways, and a bunch of random other cool stuff.

Right, so read the thread title and get some indication of what might be a topic of discussion, or gird your jimmy for potential rustling. Or (if you're especially tough-minded) the moment you notice that the discussion is not something you would like to talk about -- leave the thread. If you're not interested in a political discussion, or cannot engage in the discussion without wanting to kill someone -- leave the thread. If you've got nothing to add except a rant -- leave the thread?

pre-emptive meme goes... here:

(Attachment Link)

Right. The issue comes when there is a thread that gets hijacked by this stuff.

I don't understand why one needs to talk about this stuff on a KEYBOARD forum.

There are plenty of other forums.

[Thimplum]

If we ban religious and political discussion, can we get Topre classified as a religion, please? Jesus told me that's what Obama would do.

I see what you did there...

[Krogenar]

Right. The issue comes when there is a thread that gets hijacked by this stuff.

The thread that you referenced was talking about the overt racism being pimped on a reality television show. So the discussion of race was related. I don't think the thread was hijacked.

I don't understand why one needs to talk about this stuff on a KEYBOARD forum.
There are plenty of other forums.

People (on GH) are talking about food, television, mousepads, cars, etc. Don't these people realize they shouldn't talk about food on a KEYBOARD forum? There are plenty of other forums about food, cars and television shows? The only thing that makes political discussions different is that people react very emotionally to politics. Take this talk of banning free and open discussion to some other forum.

I propose a ban on talk of banning speech!

Or, ban people who don't know how to read thread titles!

[Thimplum]

Guys...

This is getting out of hand.

I didn't know that this would turn into a flamewar.

The problem with this stuff, is that it makes everyone mad.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" doesn't make people type in all caps.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" doesn't make people angry.

Politics does.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" makes people laugh.

Politics doesn't.

Nothing good has ever come out of those threads.

I doubt that will change.

It's a very inflammatory topic by nature.

Politics makes GeekHack a worse place, not a better one.

[hoggy]

Perhaps we could encourage religious and political discussions to remain just in threads that have titles that are obviously religious or political.
That way we could just let them fight it out amongst themselves.

[Thimplum]

It would be nice if it didn't clutter everything up.

[diqkiq]

they never lead to anything good. and we are a keyboard forum, not a political/religious forum.

i can only block so many people.

I think we should pray about it. Or maybe elect people to decide for us

[SpAmRaY]

Guys...

This is getting out of hand.

I didn't know that this would turn into a flamewar.

The problem with this stuff, is that it makes everyone mad.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" doesn't make people type in all caps.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" doesn't make people angry.

Politics does.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" makes people laugh.

Politics doesn't.

Nothing good has ever come out of those threads.

I doubt that will change.

It's a very inflammatory topic by nature.

Politics makes GeekHack a worse place, not a better one.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc"

"I hate Mexican Food and the people who make it they steal our jobs, Oprah is BLACK, My mousepad was made in China and we need to stop shipping jobs over there and I HATE people who drive TOYOTA it's unamerican."

^^Not a real response but ANYTHING can go to crap depending on the response.

And we all know what happens when you put a clack in the microwave.

[jdcarpe]

And we all know what happens when you put a clack in the microwave.

It gets warm.

[Thimplum]

Guys...

This is getting out of hand.

I didn't know that this would turn into a flamewar.

The problem with this stuff, is that it makes everyone mad.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" doesn't make people type in all caps.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" doesn't make people angry.

Politics does.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc" makes people laugh.

Politics doesn't.

Nothing good has ever come out of those threads.

I doubt that will change.

It's a very inflammatory topic by nature.

Politics makes GeekHack a worse place, not a better one.

"Food, television, mousepads, cars, etc"

"I hate Mexican Food and the people who make it they steal our jobs, Oprah is BLACK, My mousepad was made in China and we need to stop shipping jobs over there and I HATE people who drive TOYOTA it's unamerican."

^^Not a real response but ANYTHING can go to crap depending on the response.

And we all know what happens when you put a clack in the microwave.

I LOL'd

Obviously, "I love tacos" shouldn't get this stuff, but it does anyways.

[Thimplum]

And we all know what happens when you put a clack in the microwave.

It gets warm.

It get heated, just like the disCUSSion that follows.

[Malphas]

With the exception of Endzone, who was an obvious troll, there's nothing bad even happening in that racism thread. It's just people talking calmly. Still don't like it? No need to read it. Banning entire topics of conversation because some people are upset by it or can't control themselves is massively juvenile.

[demik]

If we ban religious and political discussion, can we get Topre classified as a religion, please? Jesus told me that's what Obama would do.

i've never told you such a thing, liar.

[jdcarpe]

If we ban religious and political discussion, can we get Topre classified as a religion, please? Jesus told me that's what Obama would do.

i've never told you such a thing, liar.

[Techno Trousers]

What if there were two specific endless threads, one for religion and one for politics? Kind of like the "mail" threads? Then if you don't want to participate, you stay out, and new posts that fall into those categories could be merged into them to keep it contained?

[Thimplum]

What if there were two specific endless threads, one for religion and one for politics? Kind of like the "mail" threads? Then if you don't want to participate, you stay out, and new posts that fall into those categories could be merged into them to keep it contained?

Good idea.

[Input Nirvana]

It is when people try to force their opinions or beliefs on others, and become aggressive and/or offensive when people do not agree, is when things get ugly.

Is a recitation of a known fact 'aggressive'? What if someone is (or claims to be) 'offended' by a fact, or the presentation of something as a fact? The 'fact' can be examined, declared to not be a 'fact', etc. -- but is the submission of the 'fact' already meet the definition of 'aggression'? How do you 'force' someone via the Internet to believe what you believe? Is merely expressing an opinion 'aggressive', too?

By the nature of politics and religion, the opinions are inherently forced onto others

With respect to you Input Nirvana, I think it is perfectly possible to have a stimulating, intelligent discussion about religion and/or politics without 'forcing' your opinion on someone else. The problem here is that people who have very weak arguments, or no stomach to defend their position would rather see the discussion end, period. And this talk of being 'forced' to witness a political discussion. It feels like someone walking into the Adult Section of a videostore and being horrified by the porno covers and titles but staying behind the beaded curtain to gawp and screech and complain. Stay out of that section and your likelihood of seeing midget porn is much lower.

My theory is that some of these topics start well, and then get trolled by users who don't like seeing particular opinions expressed, so they join the thread, drop some insults into the discussion, and then remain to display their rustled jimmies. The way I see it, these people are threadcrapping -- the political discussion was getting somewhere and then they arrived to make sure it devolved into name-calling.

Don't tread lightly because of me

Yes you are correct about positives, but I say again, these are such strong polarizing topics that it just invites abuse/rudeness by a larger percentage than other topics. And easier to troll (which people should ignore, but never do). This is why this thread exists.

Also, I did not see the threads that are being referenced and why I assume this thread exists.

I say keep a special "off-off-topic" area...of course we had this before....

[mkawa]

off-topic is a unary nullifying operation. off-topic of off-topic is still just off-topic. just try to stay respectful of other people's human rights and it's all good. that's my view at least, but of course i'm not a mod, so it has nothing to do with what we actually end up enforcing. hah!

[hashbaz]

I don't like the idea of banning discussion of this stuff, as long as it's kept in OT of course.  I would probably be cool with tighter moderation standards in such threads however, given that they tend to get pretty heated and name-calley.

[divito]

Discussion that isn't defamatory, or subjectively unreasonable, shouldn't be banned based on topic. While political or religious discussion can incite heated debate, this can occur in almost every topic. And as such, respectable and calm debate can also occur with those topics.

The idea of censorship among a forum doesn't really sit right. Plus, GH seems like a pretty mature, and open community that can do fairly well to avoid most issues.

[jabar]

if this is a problem for some, don't read the off topic subforum.

we don't need more censorship / more moderation.

[Krogenar]

Censorship isn't the answer.

[Thimplum]

Censorship isn't the answer.

You're right.

The answer is not having people post this stuff in the first place.


I'm done with this discussion. It is leading nowhere.

[Malphas]

Self-censorship in other words? Also I think the discussion is going somewhere, it's just going in the opposite direction of where you intended, with most people agreeing that your proposal is an undesirable idea.

[Krogenar]

Self-censorship in other words? Also I think the discussion is going somewhere, it's just going in the opposite direction of where you intended, with most people agreeing that your proposal is an undesirable idea.

I agree. I'll go one further -- not only is the discussion going somewhere, it got there and they served waffles.

[microsoft windows]

I do not support banning the discussion of religion or politics. If you don't like to read about that stuff, just don't go onto the Off Topic board. There, problem solved.

[The_Ed]

Can we ban microsoft windows's new seizure inducing flashing windows signature?

[microsoft windows]

You know...it wouldn't cause you siezures if you were using Internet Explorer 6.

[The_Ed]

**** internet explorer, I use Chrome!

[microsoft windows]

**** internet explorer, I use Chrome!

Well there's your problem!

[TheSoulhunter]

Right-Click on Image -> AdblockEdge -> Block Image...

[The_Ed]

Right-Click on Image -> AdblockEdge -> Block Image...

Done. Sooo much better. Though if he renames the image it'll just come back...