Member pledge to tone down the rhetoric

ITA with that statement. It's great when a discussion goes on for several pages with no trolls. Doesn't happen very often -- esp on hot topics. But it's what keeps most of us coming back for more.

 

I'll take that pledge... and raise you a raid!

 

And I'll raise you a gallon of this - and call.

 

It's respect the rank, not the man.

 

My mother AND my wife are both hard core liberals!

But they're still alive! Wait, that didn't sound good did it?

 

You are absolutely right. There wont be a way around it.

I don't envy the job of a moderator on this board at that time so watch out for yourselves. If you see a good guy or gal going over the top shoot them a PM. Sometimes you don't even know you're doing it because you are so wrapped up in the moment.

 

TexMaster

Yep , a rep or two helps , just because you may not agree with a post , you can maybe understand the viewpoint . and respect a well written courteous post ... Flounder always said that , and I guess that's about the best way to be .

by the way , Flounder will be back in a few days , back trouble

and , there have been times when i've repped people for making such a dumb post that I could reply to.

but I'll try and be nicer , especially on Subby's watch , cause if he gets on the warpath , he will spank somebody , and prolly enjoys it ...

but mainly I'll do it because I respect Subby as a Mod and PF as a forum / home.

 

If ya want to read some good posts to rep , ya might try reading mine . but I'll always love ya , smarty , yes I will ...

 

a 'panty' raid ...

 

Panty Raid

 

I guess I appreciate, on some level, the conservative passion but it doesn't make for very compelling discussion. If posters present anything remotely anti conservative or that can be twisted into same, the circle jerking begins pretty fast.

Its boring for some of us to watch that kind of thing.

If the only slant that works around here is 100% conservative, all the time, and everything else is crap approach, well, what can I say? The insults, the name calling, etc. is childish bull(*)(*)(*)(*) and sends a lot of people away.

A board so far to the right and intolerant of anything else is as boring to me as a board that far to the left with the same intolerance of anything else.

 

No, a PANTRY raid. LOL-

 

I agree that members either left and right (politically and socially speaking) are equal in the eyes of moderators, at least as much as humanly possible*.

* I doubt that any moderator can be completely objective when making subjective decisions i.e. deciding border line flame bait or what is trolling. The mods ‘personal make up‘, his environment, his or her life experience etc will effect his decisions somewhat.


I think the problem is that the left enjoys on average a majority voice on the webs general interest forums. A majority voice means that most general interest sites (GIS) are moderated by mostly liberal moderators and therefore that tends to pull in more left leaning members. I know that is a highly subjective opinion. I have been posting in these sites for over five years and don’t think I am too far off base. So what happens is the left leaning members join political forum and find that its not like the other left leaning GIS’s in that the moderation is more 50/50 than the often lopsidedly moderated typical forums out there in binary land. It’s just a thought and I being right leaning type** may be way off base. I do wish there was a way to test for how conservative vs. liberal a site is, but there are so many variables I would guess that is impossible.

** I do lean conservative primarily because of religious issues. However, ultimately I vote the issues never the party, so I usually say I am independent and that is what I am registered as.

With all due respect I doubt if a precise trolling definition could be created. At least not with the current standard structure and appeal process that is common to nearly every GIS (general interest site) on the web I am sure that one could improve on the current definition but trolling is a kind of vague position.

I do not think all ‘attacks’ are out of line, unless you mean personal attacks which are always a no-no. Most attacks could be toned down by the author but in the heat of an argument invariably someone is going to include emotional soundbytes despite their best intentions. If that happens, who can judge what is good emotion and what is bad emotion, or the exact moment when the words become an attack vs. discussion ? I am afraid subjectivity will always be with us, and the best we can hope for is to trust the integrity and judgment of our moderators*.

*Without revamping the entire infractions ‘structure’ i.e. rules and how decisions are handed out etc, including the appeals process etc.


Rev A

 

This is exactly what I was referencing in my last reply. Go to any general interest site and began posting. There is an anti conservative atmosphere on the web. It has been that way for some time. The left leaning usually liberal users have become conditioned to expect all boards to be left/liberal friendly and are especially sensitized to expect ‘special treatment‘ in moderated disagreements. That is why liberal or left leaning (politically speaking) users say a message board with fair 50/50 moderation such as Political Forum is very un-favorably biased against liberal left leaning comment and views, when in fact and all things considered, it’s actually fair and balanced.

If a liberal or even a conservative disagrees with my claim that most general interest sites are heavily pro left pro liberal I have an experiment that should prove me correct. Pick out five general interest message boards and in your intro disclose that you are pro tea party, pro life, and a Christian. That should be enough to make my point. I would guess that about 75% of the replies would not be favorable.

Rev A