With the closing of the Hubble thread :mad:. I decided a poll is needed for the creation of a political forum. Not that this is a democracy or anything. Hell this thread/poll will probably be closed by the People's Republic of Rx8.com because it is about politics. But here goes...

Don't we already have a spot for that?

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=43921

The single Political discussion thread ends up wandering all over the place, trying to address too many topics at once. I think a separate forum for political discussions on a variety of subjects would be great, but I really can't see the admins justifying the bandwidth on what is really a car forum.

But I voted YES anyway. ;)

I'm against it because I don't want the site to get bogged down in American politics. Granted the majority of users are American but it still is an international forum. I also feel that if you slide the scale a bit for politics then you need to for religion. Both topics get peoples blood boiling at times.

Hate to be a prick, but the poll is "who wants a political forum?" and the responses are yes, no and don't care. :p I voted yes.

www.usmessageboard.com/forums :)

www.usmessageboard.com/forums :)

Yeah, but the people who are fun to argue with here aren't over there, too :)

By the way, I voted yes because I feel that the closing of the Hubble thread was out of line... The most interesting part of that thread was the discussion of the uses of NASA's budget and it's productivity or lack thereof. And it was getting less political as the thread went on. But if it can't be in the lounge, it should be somewhere besides a massive single thread that I don't even want to venture catching up on.

Some politics filters over to religion so this could be banned eventually.

Don't we already have a spot for that?

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=43921


The political discussion thread is a pathetic joke. It is 433 pages long and covers just about as many separate topics. There really is no way to have an open debate in it.

I vote that the political discussion thread gets closed and a new lounge sub forum titled "Differences of Opinions" is created to encourage debate without overwhelming the lounge.

Who is with me?

I don't even care about politics that much. But I'm getting sick and tired of threads that do interest me getting closed because they happen to contain some politics.

The political discussion thread is one of the smartest, most consistently lively, and longest-lived threads in the lounge, and it seems to draw a pretty interesting and diverse bunch. I have to say I'm getting a little annoyed at the ongoing ghettoization of political topics; it doesn't seem to happen to other posts. (I don't see flatso's threads being herded into a monolithic "references to bodily functions and sexual double-entendres" mega-thread, for instance.) So yeah, I'm for it. I'd even volunteer to be a mod. (Rubs hands together in gleeful anticipation.)

I don't even care about politics that much. But I'm getting sick and tired of threads that do interest me getting closed because they happen to contain some politics.

I completely agree, and would like to also add that I am getting tired of threds that have interest to me getting lumped into the Plitical Discusion Thread without any consideration to structure or idea development.

The political discussion thread is one of the smartest, most consistently lively, and longest-lived threads in the lounge, and it seems to draw a pretty interesting and diverse bunch. I have to sayI'm getting a little annoyed at the ongoing ghettoization of political topics; it doesn't seem to happen to other posts. (I don't see flatso's threads being herded into a monolithic "references to bodily functions and sexual double-entendres" mega-thread, for instance.) So yeah, I'm for it. I'd even volunteer to be a mod. (Rubs hands together in gleeful anticipation.)

A mod of political debate section could not have ANY political pursuation or bias, there for, Claudius, both you and myself should never and will never be moderators of such a section.

I nominate Elara, she is fair, relatively impartial, and helps out people who she doesn't even like, myself included, becasue it's the right thing to do.

A mod of political debate section could not have ANY political pursuation or bias, there for, Claudius, both you and myself should never and will never be moderators of such a section.

I nominate Elara, she is fair, relatively impartial, and helps out people who she doesn't even like, myself included, becasue it's the right thing to do.

Doesn't she hate the political discussions...hence all the segregation. That's the impression I got anyway.

Doesn't she hate the political discussions...hence all the segregation. That's the impression I got anyway.


No, I just hate policing them. Because they tend to get out of hand and wind up with everyone yelling at everyone else. No one cares who's right or wrong, or who has a valid viewpoint- it's all about who can yell and insult the other person the most. So we've been tossing everything into Political Discussion, and then let people go at it. It's at the point where I don't even read anything in that thread anymore. And while I agree a Political Discussion Forum might make it all better, this is a CAR forum- and like religion, there are places to go specifically dedicated to discussing that.

And no, I wouldn't want to mod it- like everyone else, I have my own viewpoints, and I tend to get unreasonably angry with things people write on this board too. I've had to start completely staying out of coversations that upset me because I can't stay impartial. I couldn't mod it because my feelings would eventually leak through, and that wouldn't be fair to anyone. Though, if you can convince Admin to create one, and find someone willing to police it (and it WOULD have to be policed, and pretty strictly) it could work. Maybe as a sub-forum in the lounge.

Maybe the Political Discussion thread & lounge should be closed? While I have participated in some of them I did not join this site for fart jokes, religion or politics. There are tons of sites for all of that. I for one would not miss the non RX-8 / Automotive threads.

...So we've been tossing everything into Political Discussion, and then let people go at it. It's at the point where I don't even read anything in that thread anymore.
Well, that explains Homer's longevity! :D

With the closing of the Hubble thread :mad:. I decided a poll is needed for the creation of a political forum. Not that this is a democracy or anything. Hell this thread/poll will probably be closed by the People's Republic of Rx8.com because it is about politics. But here goes...

You can go to my first Bush kills Hubble here:http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=18812&highlight=hubble

Vince

A mod of political debate section could not have ANY political pursuation or bias, there for, Claudius, both you and myself should never and will never be moderators of such a section.

I nominate Elara, she is fair, relatively impartial, and helps out people who she doesn't even like, myself included, becasue it's the right thing to do. I wasn't serious about being a political forum mod. I'd probably be a lousy one, as I wouldn't ban or censure anybody - even Gigolo Jason. So people get angry. So people indulge in a little name-calling. Big deal. I can't speak to other threads on this board, but the political discussions seem to be to be more or less self-moderating. We snarl and bite occasionally, but for the most part we all get along. If someone says something deeply stupid or outrageous, other people will call him or her on it.

And while I agree a Political Discussion Forum might make it all better, this is a CAR forum- and like religion, there are places to go specifically dedicated to discussing that.

Well on this CAR forum, The Lounge has the most posts. I consider this a forum where people who happen to share interest in the same vehicle can get together and talk about whatever. If the only thing talked about was the Rx-8, it would be a pretty boring place.

There's another car forum where I'm way too active. A couple years ago our "Off Topic" forum spawned a subforum as an experiment which eventually came to be called "Political Science." It's basically for politics, religion and everything else that is highly controversial in nature that doesn't have anything to do with the other sections of the forum (noting that some people take their automotive beliefs as seriously as their religious beliefs).

While there have been flame war/personal attack issues on that forum, it really hasn't been any worse than any of the other forums there. And, for the most part, the troublemakers are limited to a handful of people that are pretty easy to keep an eye on (and being stuck moderating it for a while, I was way more familiar with it all than I really cared to be).

One of the big benefits of having that Political Science forum is that it gives people an outlet for subjects that they want to talk about while keeping it somewhat out of sight of those that don't want to be bothered by it (using "View New Posts" makes that a little difficult, but it is possible to block forums from showing with the "New Posts" option).

Watching how that forum has evolved, it's okay if whoever moderates it has strong beliefs about the subjects, so long as they can be objective about what is healthy debate, what is name calling and can handle each fairly in accordance with the board's policies and is willing to enforce them when needed.

Ultimately, any online community is a product of the members of the community. The mods and admins can set a tone and direction to some extent, but the members are the ones that make it what it is, whether it's for good or bad. A mature membership can handle mature topics with minimal supervision and intervention. An immature membership needs to have their hands held, and sent to bed without dinner when they act up.

Maybe the Political Discussion thread & lounge should be closed? While I have participated in some of them I did not join this site for fart jokes, religion or politics. There are tons of sites for all of that. I for one would not miss the non RX-8 / Automotive threads.

But how do they take away from your RX-8 / Automotive threads' experience? They don't take away bandwidth that you personally could be using better - if anything, they bring people more often to the board, and those people end up participating in RX-8 / Automotive threads as well.

Well on this CAR forum, The Lounge has the most posts. I consider this a forum where people who happen to share interest in the same vehicle can get together and talk about whatever. If the only thing talked about was the Rx-8, it would be a pretty boring place.


Sorry, not a good reason. That's how it is on every forum out there. The lounge is where everyone posts the " Me too!" and random stuff they use to try and impress other people with their cleverness- which adds up to a lot of posts. In the end, this is a forum dedicated the the RX-8. Not people talking about random junk. That's just a side benefit.

Well like I said at the beginning, I don't actually expect anything to change....

16 Y, 2 N, 3 DC
what about if it becomes 160Y, 20N, 30DC; or 1600Y, 200N, 300DC. Still don't expect any change. It's sad really. This is one of the most mature automotive forums out there, but we can't even talk about politics or religion because someone may get offended.

How about combining all the cat threads into one. And all the dog threads. And all the threads about getting a ticket. And all the threads about accidents. And all the natural disasters. And.........

Sorry, not a good reason. That's how it is on every forum out there. The lounge is where everyone posts the " Me too!" and random stuff they use to try and impress other people with their cleverness- which adds up to a lot of posts. In the end, this is a forum dedicated the the RX-8. Not people talking about random junk. That's just a side benefit.
Why not make the political forum a subforum of the lounge, where posts still don't count?
Edit, I skimmed the page and didn't realize someone already mentioned this. Me = teh st00pid

Well, that explains Homer's longevity! :D
Hahaha, I was very surprised that stayed there, but now I guess I know why lol.

Sorry, not a good reason. That's how it is on every forum out there. The lounge is where everyone posts the " Me too!" and random stuff they use to try and impress other people with their cleverness- which adds up to a lot of posts. In the end, this is a forum dedicated the the RX-8. Not people talking about random junk. That's just a side benefit.
What's wrong with impressing other people? Or couldn't it just be that some people are bored at work? Can't you feel some simpathy for all these woeful souls that don't get satisfaction at work and therefore need to escape to this forum?

Well like I said at the beginning, I don't actually expect anything to change....

16 Y, 2 N, 3 DC
what about if it becomes 160Y, 20N, 30DC; or 1600Y, 200N, 300DC. Still don't expect any change. It's sad really. This is one of the most mature automotive forums out there, but we can't even talk about politics or religion because someone may get offended.

How about combining all the cat threads into one. And all the dog threads. And all the threads about getting a ticket. And all the threads about accidents. And all the natural disasters. And.........


You have completely misunderstood. This forum has proven several times that it cannot discuss religion politely. You have been a member here long enough you should remember some of those. Politics came very close to this during the election as well. The mods do not have the time, or the inclination(at least most of us), to police screaming matches between those who insist on causing problems. We tried and tried with religion, but over and over, people yelled and screamed and insulted each other. Politics is rapidly heading the same way. Almost EVERY post is about how "those bastard conservatives fucked up again" or "those liberal pussies should go whine to their mommies" or along those lines. If you want someone to blame, blame your fellow forum members who cannot control their typing fingers.

What's wrong with impressing other people? Or couldn't it just be that some people are bored at work? Can't you feel some simpathy for all these woeful souls that don't get satisfaction at work and therefore need to escape to this forum?


Did I say there was anything wrong with it? :D heck, it keeps me entertained a good deal of the day. But the fact remains this is a car forum, in the end.

Against.

This is not a US political forum, or anybody else's political forum, or religion forum (God forbid), or let's choose one of a million other controversial flame-bait forums... it's about RX-8's. If you want to talk religion or politics or capital punishment or right-to-life/choice or gun control, etc etc etc, there are other media in which to do that. It doesn't have to be here.

So we've been tossing everything into Political Discussion, and then let people go at it..

The problem is because lately, discussions that have absolutely no connection what so ever are being thrown together into that thread. The entire point of a forum is to discuss topics, and the purpose of a lounge in a car forum is to discuss non car related topics.

Yesterday two threads that have no connection what so ever were put on the same page in the political discussion forum. One was on a tire slashing conviction; the other was an educational issue. They were shoved together with no regard for the topic or the discussion at hand. They were completely separate issues.

This is why we need to diversify the board, if you don't like people not agreeing with one another, then put it into another forum entirely and let people discus it.

And I only sugested you beacsue I know that you dislike me but you have been fair to me in the past, and I respect that.

I think an off-topic to discuss anything but cars is fine but yes several folks have gotten rather rude on certian threads. I don't mind discussing religion either or politics. I don't get too worried about the comments unless it hits me a certain way and then I either respond to the comment or just go look at another thread to comment on. I can discuss most issues without getting bent out of shape while others seem to have a nack for causing hateful discussions and its like it takes a Mod to stop the shouting. I don't have a lot to discuss about the RX cause I don't drive mine much since its winter and its not my daily driver. My old 92 Toy 4WD faded paint truck is my daily mover. The RX only had one Cel so far and I don't have much complaints with the car and I certainly can not afford to put lots of race goodies on mine because I don't want to race it or have louder exhaust and such and so there's not much to talk about other than to try to assist others with their car issues. I also post on another car forum that seems to be mostly kids (I am just an old guy) and they post and start stupid threads but sometimes it gets interesting. One has developed into a religious discussion thread but its mainly with just about 3 or 4 of the same people but its grown to over 6,000 posts so far. I certainly have no intention to impress anyone with any of my comments. Most of my comments will come from my own experience with certain issues or something I recently read.

But how do they take away from your RX-8 / Automotive threads' experience? They don't take away bandwidth that you personally could be using better - if anything, they bring people more often to the board, and those people end up participating in RX-8 / Automotive threads as well.

Well they way I use this board is I bookedmark the New Threads link and refresh that link during the day. I do that so as not to miss a possible RX-8 post that might interest me but is located in a lesser-viewed forum. But going to that links brings up many lounge posts and some have funny / interesting titles that I end up clicking and get involved in a thread I otherwise would have not read and waste time.
It’s been brought up before but if the lounge must stay separate it from the main board and don’t waste storage space for searches on old lounge posts and do not include the lounge in the new posts links. To make the moderation of it simple place a disclaimer that anything goes except sex & race and let the people flame each other to their hearts content.

The problem is because lately, discussions that have absolutely no connection what so ever are being thrown together into that thread. The entire point of a forum is to discuss topics, and the purpose of a lounge in a car forum is to discuss non car related topics.

Yesterday two threads that have no connection what so ever were put on the same page in the political discussion forum. One was on a tire slashing conviction; the other was an educational issue. They were shoved together with no regard for the topic or the discussion at hand. They were completely separate issues.

... On political matters Jason and I are worlds apart. But I agree with him that it really doesn't making much sense to lump together so many disparate comments in the political sphere into a a single thread when people really are discussing different issues.

As has been pointed out, there's plenty of bandwith devoted to bathroom humor, obervations about flatulence, and prison "bitch" postings which, to my mind, could as easily have been relegated to a single thread entitled "Sophomoric, Tasteless, and Often Offensive Ruminations."

But I don't recommend that.

Rather, I wish that the postings were left as individual postings that reflect people's preferences and priorities. It's true that this is a car forum but it's clear that car folk are interested in things other than cars, especially in these troubled times. Why not let people post according to their interests and preferences?

If we can't let individual postings stay as they are, I suppose that a Political Forum is a second best option. But, as I say, I can't see why political postings are any different, as a category, than flatulence or sports.

I say, this, by the way, with great appreciation for the fine and often thankless job that the moderators do.

Against.

This is not a US political forum, or anybody else's political forum, or religion forum (God forbid), or let's choose one of a million other controversial flame-bait forums... it's about RX-8's. If you want to talk religion or politics or capital punishment or right-to-life/choice or gun control, etc etc etc, there are other media in which to do that. It doesn't have to be here.

Have to disagree. Frankly, in the months I've been on this board I've found the political discussions to be sufficiently interesting to take part. That's because, by coincidence, I find some of the folks on this board to have interesting points of view and, in general, to be sufficiently mature to discuss volatile issues in a polite fashion.

Can't account for that. I wouldn't have guessed that bringing people together who share a taste in a specific automobile would also have led to a group whose opinions about other matters I enjoy reading. Still, it is what it is.

If I thought a political forum were likely to discourage folks from reading and contributing to the RX-8 related forums, I'd have a different view. As it is, I can't see any harm in allowing those of us who enjoy a bit of skewering on political issues to indulge ourselves.

As has been pointed out, there's plenty of bandwith devoted to bathroom humor, obervations about flatulence, and prison "bitch" postings which, to my mind, could as easily have been relegated to a single thread entitled "Sophomoric, Tasteless, and Often Offensive Ruminations."
So you didn't like my thread, "man-hole?" :rolleyes:

I wonder if a thread that includes a poll can be merged?

93rd's thread about legalizatiion of cannabis is kndof political, but has not been merged to the political thread.
http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=26095

Just a thought although I don't really care as it's mostly American politics that is discussed.