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I really like these new categories! Especially how all the generations are put together into one forum titled "Generations"! How do you like the new categories? Should any of them be changed?
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."
—Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."
—Mark Twain
'98 Millennial
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I'm not sure on this one. Once upon a time in the old boards there was a designated place for flame wars. There is a tendency for discussions about issues to shift into ad-hominem attacks on politicians who have positions on the issues, then shift again to ad-hominem attacks between members of the board. Having a designated area for ad-hominem might or might not be helpful in being able to suggest people take their ego-fights elsewhere and let folks discuss issues in peace.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
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I vote to eliminate flame wars.
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That is unlikely to happen without first turning the forum into an echo chamber. Such is the nature of forums where those of diverse political and social views come to discuss things be it recipes or politics. At best such behavior can be relegated to a location where it is not disruptive.
Bob's idea has merit. On my other forums I've had forums that I've called "the boiler room" or the "mud pit" or other similar names where people who insist on involving themselves in off topic, potentially disruptive, and flame-y threads can go and do their thing while the rest of the forum adheres to whatever standards have been set.
On one forum I manage related to an MMORPG game the mud pit has a thread where two people have been sniping and arguing at each other for two years right next to a word association game (which elsewhere would be spam and deleted).
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(05-06-2016, 07:28 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: I'm not sure on this one. Once upon a time in the old boards there was a designated place for flame wars. There is a tendency for discussions about issues to shift into ad-hominem attacks on politicians who have positions on the issues, then shift again to ad-hominem attacks between members of the board. Having a designated area for ad-hominem might or might not be helpful in being able to suggest people take their ego-fights elsewhere and let folks discuss issues in peace.
(05-06-2016, 04:03 PM)Kinser79 Wrote: That is unlikely to happen without first turning the forum into an echo chamber. Such is the nature of forums where those of diverse political and social views come to discuss things be it recipes or politics. At best such behavior can be relegated to a location where it is not disruptive.
Bob's idea has merit. On my other forums I've had forums that I've called "the boiler room" or the "mud pit" or other similar names where people who insist on involving themselves in off topic, potentially disruptive, and flame-y threads can go and do their thing while the rest of the forum adheres to whatever standards have been set.
On one forum I manage related to an MMORPG game the mud pit has a thread where two people have been sniping and arguing at each other for two years right next to a word association game (which elsewhere would be spam and deleted).
That’s largely what the “General Political Discussion” forum will serve as, if a thread is nothing more than personal attacks it will get deleted, but political discussion will always get heated. I just want to keep general political fights and theory related discussion separate.
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Sounds fine provided moderation understands that in general political discussion, much of the time the content will be about 80% interesting and about 20% insulting (there is variation depending on the poster in question--not naming names). Probably more this election cycle--Trump Derangement Syndrome is particularly strong for some reason, stronger than even Bush Derangement Syndrome or Clinton Derangement Syndrome.
