I Propose a separate "Politics" forum. (with Poll)

[spirc]

Long time listener, first time caller here.

Reading through the general forum, I notice a large proportion of political posts. Here are some from the front page of 'general':

• A member of what party wants to ban salt?
• Republicans are stupid thieves.
• Is Capitalism Evil?
• It's Mine, I'm entitled to it
• Electoral Map
• Tax The Rich, Kill Your Paycheck
• As You Know, Some Of You Are Not Coming Back
• Green energy and Government.
• Obama lays it all out
• Why Obama was disbarred.
• File under Democrats ARE evil, stupid, or uneducated...
• Dems, media, sex.

I realise that political discussions are important to issues such as research funding, energy policies, etc., but the political posts in the general forum are so many, that other topics are harder to see.

Also, international readers (such as myself) generally don't find the U.S. political topics as interesting as locals might.

I believe there should be a separate politics (or politics/economy) forum, at same level as general, below 'community'.

That way, people not interested in seeing a lot of politics (especially in an election year, when it becomes ubiquitous), can come to 'General' for something other than political topics.

[MSimon]

Actually we need a bunch of politicals.

Left Wing. Right Wing. Communist. Libertarian. Anarcho-Communist. Conservative. Theocratic.

Or you could just accept:

Discuss life, the universe, and everything with other members of this site. Get to know your fellow polywell enthusiasts.

Or you could just follow the internet dictum:

If there is something you don't want to read don't read it.

The topics discussed are rather plainly marked. Your lack of self control is your problem.

[MSimon]

Let me add that the board has been this way for a very long time. Long before you arrived on the scene.

May I also add that Joe S. (the board owner) tends to the left and I tend to the libertarian right. We are both satisfied with the way things are.

Political discussions used to leak into other forums. Through self policing we have managed to curb most of that. I believe that is the best you can hope for.

[BenTC]

I raised this recently viewtopic.php?t=1771
No doubt this will continue to come up from time to time, but I've come to accept its not likely to change. I now operate by skipping those posts with heavy use of the "Mark All As Read" link on the right of screen.

I'll abstain from voting here.

Edit: spelling.

[BenTC]

btw spirc, Welcome and hope to hear from you some more.

[Skipjack]

I am fine with having general stuff in general. General does include politics for me...
Oh and I am (in contrast to what some here think) neither right nor left. I refuse to put myself into a drawer and I would switch vote too, depending on the candidates and the matters at hand. I do like a nice discussion on politics. As long as the tone stays friendly and people respect other opinions, I dont think there is a problem with that.

[KitemanSA]

I used to have a problem with the politics in that forum until I realized that the folks on this site just can't spell. They spell politics "gee ee en ee..."

[chrismb]

I am an across-the-spectrum extremist and I see everything as politics.

Doesn't the word 'politics' not come from 'polis' meaning 'community'? Seems to me that if you wrote 'community forum' and 'political forum' in ancient greek(?) then you'd write the same thing?

[chrismb]

I choose to abstain in such votes whose theses I do not agree with.

Applies to general electrions as well (well, particularly in UK this next one). Do you choose the least worst or the second best?

If I wrote a constitution then it'd have the right to vote for 'none of the above', and if 'none of the above' won, then you'd have to re-run the election with fresh candidates. That'd help stop these political-carrer-ist types who end up in a kind of permanent tenure.

[MSimon]

Permanent tenure is more the result of "we can live with this guy and the next one might be worse".

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

[chrismb]

"we can live with this guy and the next one might be worse"

....and after coming to that conclusion, the Germans settled down to enjoy the first televised olympics...

[MSimon]

"we can live with this guy and the next one might be worse"

....and after coming to that conclusion, the Germans settled down to enjoy the first televised olympics...

You might find this of interest:

viewtopic.php?p=36919#36919

[Diogenes]

Long time listener, first time caller here.

Reading through the general forum, I notice a large proportion of political posts. Here are some from the front page of 'general':

• A member of what party wants to ban salt?
• Republicans are stupid thieves.
• Is Capitalism Evil?
• It's Mine, I'm entitled to it
• Electoral Map
• Tax The Rich, Kill Your Paycheck
• As You Know, Some Of You Are Not Coming Back
• Green energy and Government.
• Obama lays it all out
• Why Obama was disbarred.
• File under Democrats ARE evil, stupid, or uneducated...
• Dems, media, sex.

I realise that political discussions are important to issues such as research funding, energy policies, etc., but the political posts in the general forum are so many, that other topics are harder to see.

Happy to hear from you spirc. I am one of the small group of offenders that "wave the bloody shirt." (a reference to a post civil war era tactic by Republicans reminding everyone that the Democrat party supported slavery and caused the war which killed 600,000 people.)

I personally liked it better when the site didn't involve political discussions, but you can't put that genie back in the bottle. Even so, the problem with politics is that it effects everyone. It's all tied together. As Terrence said:

I am a man, and whatever concerns humanity is of interest to me.

Those of us who promote politics believe that it is important to inform and educate others about what we are facing, because everyone shall fare better if we can avoid doing foolish things as a nation and a world.

[Josh Cryer]

Don't need a separate forum, it just creates silly arguments about what is on topic or not. You either ban politics or you don't. Either way I couldn't care less.

[KitemanSA]

I am an across-the-spectrum extremist and I see everything as politics.

Some people call that being skatterbrained! Just kidding dude!


Anyone know of a nudge emoticon so I can do a wink, wink, nudge, nudge?