Let's try an experiment in the politics forum

[googe]

Is anyone else sick of the level of conversation we keep getting reduced to in the political threads?

I'm thinking we could try to not be assholes who just sling personal attacks back and forth in every thread. They all go to shit and end up looking the same after 3 posts. I know, it's really hard to read someone being idiotic and not call them out, but maybe we can stop short of insulting them personally.

It's not that we need to censor things or protect people's feelings, it's just that it makes for pretty boring predictable content. Once in a while, someone with first hand knowledge on a complex topic who actually has a clue posts an interesting comment and it just gets buried in bickering.

Maybe if this urge is too difficult to suppress we can just have one long running circlejerk thread in ask leo where the 5 lefties on the forum and the 99999999 righties on the forum just insult each other's moms in perpetuity, and try to have adult conversations in the main forum :dunno:

[SKR]

No, I think we're right on the edge of settling the debate over left vs. right and I think we're very close on religion as well. A few more pages of hammering and I think we'll have it all sorted out. The sooner we can turn opinion into fact the better, I say.

[max_boost]

Hitler. GG.

[SKR]

Googe is Hitler because he's trying to suppress free speech. He doesn't want the truth to come out.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Good luck getting people to temper their opinions on politics and religion haha. Not going to happen - especially on the internet where they can so easily say things they probably never would in person.

Just don't click on the political threads :dunno: If I see a thread with tons of replies on a sensitive news topic I don't even bother because I already know what's inside.

[Xtrema]

They way I see it, terrorism has already won because we changed.

No amount of statistic will help since humans (as in a large group) are reactive and stupid. If one 17 year old got raped in Calgary and make it to the news, we interpret it as every 17 year olds in Calgary is getting raped.

It's sad really.

[suntan]

Eventually it'll become the new normal. IRA, Basques, Algerians... The last few years of quiet are the exception.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Xtrema
They way I see it, terrorism has already won because we changed.

No amount of statistic will help since humans (as in a large group) are reactive and stupid. If one 17 year old got raped in Calgary and make it to the news, we interpret it as every 17 year olds in Calgary is getting raped.

It's sad really.

Sad but true.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[max_boost]

It's like telling 4chan to chill.

[googe]

Nah, wasn't trying to temper or change opinions at all. Unless those opinions are purely how much of an dumbass/idiot/bitch/douchebag another member is. I just don't think attaching excessive personal attacks to those opinions makes for good conversation. Sounds like I'm the only one though?

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by googe
Nah, wasn't trying to temper or change opinions at all. Unless those opinions are purely how much of an dumbass/idiot/bitch/douchebag another member is. I just don't think attaching excessive personal attacks to those opinions makes for good conversation. Sounds like I'm the only one though?

I completely agree, however, most on Beyond can't debate to save their lives, opting for personal attacks instead or trying to undermine a person's idea/opinion without presenting their own thoughts :dunno:

It's kind of like debating a wall that only answers by calling you a nazi, or pulls up a google searched "research document" on the issue, rather than actually using their own brain to put together a cohesive thought on a subject. As with any paper, you are supposed to source ideas and support from sources, but they aren't your main argument.

A790 and I have made a bit of a truce lately :rofl:

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by googe
Nah, wasn't trying to temper or change opinions at all. Unless those opinions are purely how much of an dumbass/idiot/bitch/douchebag another member is. I just don't think attaching excessive personal attacks to those opinions makes for good conversation. Sounds like I'm the only one though?


I don't feel like you're the only one.

I am all for attempting to change the tides, I just feel like others may not pipe up in saying they would want change for fear of being made fun of...

[suntan]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1


I completely agree, however, most on Beyond can't debate to save their lives, opting for personal attacks instead or trying to undermine a person's idea/opinion without presenting their own thoughts :dunno:

It's kind of like debating a wall that only answers by calling you a nazi, or pulls up a google searched "research document" on the issue, rather than actually using their own brain to put together a cohesive thought on a subject. As with any paper, you are supposed to source ideas and support from sources, but they aren't your main argument.

A790 and I have made a bit of a truce lately :rofl: Oh the irony it burns.

You don't make personal attacks but dude, you can't make a cohesive argument to save your life.

[googe]

Originally posted by suntan
Oh the irony it burns.

You don't make personal attacks but dude, you can't make a cohesive argument to save your life.

Ah, timely example :devil:

I think this is an example of not a good post. He's now likely to defend himself, as anyone would, and the thread is completely derailed with bickering. It's also likely to escalate in both directions, and a few people will probably get their own jabs in and pile on.

You're basically just venting hate/contempt from previous threads right?

Either that or trolling. I'm a fan of trolling, but only if it's clever/funny.

[suntan]

No one's going to change their political views from posts on a forum.

Hitempguy1 thinks that having high inflation is good.

Do you realize the amount of economic ignorance required to have that view?

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by googe

I think this is an example of not a good post. He's now likely to defend himself, as anyone would, and the thread is completely derailed with bickering. It's also likely to escalate in both directions, and a few people will probably get their own jabs in and pile on.

Naw, not in this thread. There is literally nothing to be gained, I know when to cut my losses.

It's too bad, that is the kind of attitude that kills forums. You see it everywhere, people getting tired of individuals attacking people.

[Feruk]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1
It's kind of like debating a wall that only answers by calling you a Nazi
It's time for less drug use if you debate walls about whether you're a Nazi or not. :rofl:

[03ozwhip]

if people can't take getting razzed about playing Pokémon without getting personal, doing it in politics and religion is a lost cause.

[rx7_turbo2]

Originally posted by SKR
A few more pages of hammering and I think we'll have it all sorted out.

I agree, I think we were right on the cusp of finding a consensus on a number of topics over the past few days. :rofl:

I'll be honest though, the more of these attacks that happen, the more a small part of me starts to side with InRich. :eek:

[A790]

Careful googe, sounds like someone needs a wedgie. :poosie:

[g-m]

Or a band-aid

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by rx7_turbo2
I'll be honest though, the more of these attacks that happen, the more a small part of me starts to side with InRich. :eek:

Again proving that terrorism works.

The world is not short of mental people. When a dangerous ideology claims them, what we are seeing is a result.

[zhao]

Originally posted by suntan
No one's going to change their political views from posts on a forum.

Hitempguy1 thinks that having high inflation is good.

Do you realize the amount of economic ignorance required to have that view?

The above could happen. People change their views all the time with education as long as they are not brain dead. If someone has zero chance of changing their views from reading/debating on a forum, I would say that person isn't very intelligent because they are not listening or trying to understand anything anyone says.


inflation is both awesome, and terrible, and it depends on your view point and where you sit in the economy, as well as how much the inflation is. 2000% inflation could be awesome for some people, just like 10% could be, or 2% or -1% for others.

For the nation as a whole, crazy inflation is pretty shit for the economy though.... but there can be some side effects that work out well in the end. Germany and Japan for example both benefited from it and became economic powerhouses (thx to evil meddling western whitey countries fucking with their countries afterwards trying to make them better).

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Good luck getting people to temper their opinions on politics and religion haha.

Off the top of my head, there are two main tenants that I've learned to be invaluable. No, nothing so wrong and cliche as, "Never give up", or, "If you try hard enough, you can be anything you want".

1) Never assume.

2) Don't state a political or religious position with anyone, as emotions run high on those topics. If such topics are inevitable, then ask benign questions on the regard to gauge their position.

[BigMass]

the difference with this forum is that a lot of people know each other in RL. We have dealt with each other in car meets, marketplace trades, and other real life activities. We are a local forum. When I post anything I pretty much always try to avoid personal attacks. This election feels different because there are certain things like racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination that 5 years ago would be unthinkable. Now it seems people feel emboldened to voice these hateful ideas. These people are few and far between and better people are being tossed into the mix. Yesterday I lashed out against a local member which I immediately regretted and tried to correct (not about racism but climate change). And to my pleasant surprise they replied in a similar manner. These times are different. NDP in charge of Alberta, Liberals in power, and huge drama in US politics. We have reached a point of massive division in societal thinking because I feel we are hitting a milestone in science and technology that is impacting society. Everything is connected. I just read a great article by Stephen Hawking today that some of you might find interesting.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/29/stephen-hawking-brexit-wealth-resources

And I have to say, there are some members here that I respect and no matter their political or religious views I still feel that we are apart of the same family in some way.

[Seth1968]

Originally posted by BigMass
the difference

snip.

Can you define your point without suggesting some sort of inhibition on free speech?