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Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

Hello all,

There was a thread that happened in the OT a while ago that was breaking news, relevant to our hobby, everyone was polite, and it was a potentially productive discussion. It wound up being locked.

The circumstances surrounding that were objectively stupid to pretty much everyone involved, including the moderator who locked the thread. To be clear, I'm not at all saying it was a bad moderator call - not at all. It was like me asking my wife to bake a cake for 12 hours: it's not her fault she did the thing I asked her for even as she told me it was a dumb idea. Ingtaer was 100% correct as things lay now.

I would like to suggest we revisit the "things as they lay now".

Right now even a whiff of politics is enough for a poster to request a thread be locked, and I think mods are going to be inclined to do so because you don't want to get the camel's nose in the tent.

I'm not saying we should lift the politics ban. Beyond the fact that I doubt we can calmly discuss whatever Donald Trump's latest beshatting into the twitterbowl is (with an election coming up, no less!), it's clear the admins do not want to do that. I respect that, no shortage of forums to do that on. That's like half of social media at any given time and I think a visit to the Wasteland shows you what you eventually get.

However, right now it's actually hurting the forum as it's commonly interpreted. I bet Ingtaer agrees!

I'd like to see the way it's interpreted as a ban on topics that are primarily political in nature (or that get there), not any thread that touches into political elements at all. IE, A thread dedicated to discussing the merits and lack thereof of China's system of government would be forbidden, but a ban discussing the difficulties of producing wargaming stuff in countries with different degrees of censorship would not be.

Maybe that was how it was meant to be, but that doesn't seem to be the community expectation. If that's how it was meant to be, that should be clear, and if that's not how it was meant to me... perhaps we could consider it.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/04/15 10:28:57


 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
Made in us
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos






Toledo, OH

That thread never had a chance.

It quickly became a thread about what is, and isn't, political discussion, and while genteel, it was clear that nobody was going to just be cool and discuss the topic at hand. Instead, it was an autopsy of the OP about where it veered into politics.

sometimes groups of people simply cannot be trusted with certain things, and the Dakka OT and politics appears to be one of those times.

   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

There's at least one semi-political themed thread still going I think - talking about the aspect of Brexit as it related to the hobby and prices. So clearly the mods are already wiling to let discussions continue where they prove that they can remain focused on the hobby/geek side without it falling out into a full political chat/fight/brawl.

Thing is that thread very much fell into politics very quickly and likely it would have been very hard to leave them out as the whole original situation was clearly caused by a political move. One might have managed to keep it going by highlighting other companies that print ismilar material without issue and then looking into other instances of such actions being taken - but it fell apart fast and was heading downhill.

A Blog in Miniature

3D Printing, hobbying and model fun! 
   
Made in gb
Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller





Watch Fortress Excalibris

There's also the Amazon thread, in which discussion has covered the issue of whether governments should break up large corporations, and whether monopolies are the fault of unregulated capitalism or of government interference in the free market. But the mods apparently have decided that none of that is political...

A little bit of righteous anger now and then is good, actually. Don't trust a person who never gets angry. 
   
Made in ch
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





Just the average double standards, a mod started even a Clearly political thread which then another had to close down.

Mind you i am not against the discussion off the topic, but frankly it is absurd to have a ban off politics but then have this clearly political discussion.

Also to my knowledge the main reason why the political discussion got closed down was due to the USA subpart.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/04/15 12:17:01


https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/766717.page
A Mostly Renegades and Heretics blog.
GW:"Space marines got too many options to balance, therefore we decided to legends HH units."
Players: "why?!? Now we finally got decent plastic kits and you cut them?"
Chaos marines players: "Since when are Daemonengines 30k models and why do i have NO droppods now?"
GW" MONEY.... erm i meant TOO MANY OPTIONS (to resell your army to you again by disalowing former units)! Do you want specific tyranid fighiting Primaris? Even a new sabotage lieutnant!"
Chaos players: Guess i stop playing or go to HH.  
   
Made in us
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





Fort Worth, TX

 Polonius wrote:
That thread never had a chance.

It quickly became a thread about what is, and isn't, political discussion, and while genteel, it was clear that nobody was going to just be cool and discuss the topic at hand. Instead, it was an autopsy of the OP about where it veered into politics.

sometimes groups of people simply cannot be trusted with certain things, and the Dakka OT and politics appears to be one of those times.



Pretty much this. There are too many people who simply can't "keep it in their pants", so to speak. And too many of them think they're perfectly innocent while doing it.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/04/15 13:01:40


"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me."
- Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks 
   
Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

Not Online!!! wrote:
Just the average double standards, a mod started even a Clearly political thread which then another had to close down.


Did it, though?

Not Online!!! wrote:
Mind you i am not against the discussion off the topic, but frankly it is absurd to have a ban off politics but then have this clearly political discussion.


I addressed this very thing in my post. It actually was the entire point of me creating the thread.

Not Online!!! wrote:
Also to my knowledge the main reason why the political discussion got closed down was due to the USA subpart.


Yes, I agree - but not relevant to what we are discussing ITT. I don't want to get this thread prematurely locked by re-litigating the politics ban in general, which is pretty well settled at this point, I think.

 Duskweaver wrote:
There's also the Amazon thread, in which discussion has covered the issue of whether governments should break up large corporations, and whether monopolies are the fault of unregulated capitalism or of government interference in the free market. But the mods apparently have decided that none of that is political...


Yeah, and that thread is going more or less OK, which is one of the reasons that thought it might be warranted to discuss this. It might get heated enough that it gets locked for that aspect, but that's a different unfixable problem.

I'm not arguing that there is a third rail, or that there shouldn't be, so much as we should be allowed to at least buy a hot dog near the station.

... that was a weird analogy and not my best work

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/04/15 13:14:08


 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
Made in ch
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





 Ouze wrote:
Not Online!!! wrote:
Just the average double standards, a mod started even a Clearly political thread which then another had to close down.


Did it, though?

Not Online!!! wrote:
Mind you i am not against the discussion off the topic, but frankly it is absurd to have a ban off politics but then have this clearly political discussion.


I addressed this very thing in my post. It actually was the entire point of me creating the thread.

Not Online!!! wrote:
Also to my knowledge the main reason why the political discussion got closed down was due to the USA subpart.


Yes, I agree - but not relevant to what we are discussing ITT. I don't want to get this thread prematurely locked by re-litigating the politics ban in general, which is pretty well settled at this point, I think.

 Duskweaver wrote:
There's also the Amazon thread, in which discussion has covered the issue of whether governments should break up large corporations, and whether monopolies are the fault of unregulated capitalism or of government interference in the free market. But the mods apparently have decided that none of that is political...


Yeah, and that thread is going more or less OK, which is one of the reasons that thought it might be warranted to discuss this. It might get heated enough that it gets locked for that aspect, but that's a different unfixable problem.

I'm not arguing that there is a third rail, or that there shouldn't be, so much as we should be allowed to at least buy a hot dog near the station.

... that was a weird analogy and not my best work


So complaining about Censorship, an act comitted by a state and therefor inherently political is not politics?

Common, stop it.

My complaint is that either politics get allowed or they are banned but this discussion you highlighted is the exact problem.

Either this is a ban or not, standards should apply to all rules and this is my gripe.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/766717.page
A Mostly Renegades and Heretics blog.
GW:"Space marines got too many options to balance, therefore we decided to legends HH units."
Players: "why?!? Now we finally got decent plastic kits and you cut them?"
Chaos marines players: "Since when are Daemonengines 30k models and why do i have NO droppods now?"
GW" MONEY.... erm i meant TOO MANY OPTIONS (to resell your army to you again by disalowing former units)! Do you want specific tyranid fighiting Primaris? Even a new sabotage lieutnant!"
Chaos players: Guess i stop playing or go to HH.  
   
Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

Not Online!!! wrote:
So complaining about Censorship, an act comitted by a state and therefor inherently political is not politics?

Common, stop it.

My complaint is that either politics get allowed or they are banned but this discussion you highlighted is the exact problem.

Either this is a ban or not, standards should apply to all rules and this is my gripe.


I really wish you would actually read my first post.

I didn't say that that thread didn't have political elements. I mean, I thought I spelled this out pretty well.

My point is this kind of black-and-white, baby-with-the-bathwater thinking is hurting the forum. The topic that was killed is one that is going to have a huge impact on our hobby, whether it be on production of gaming systems to fulfilment of kickstarters. That's only one example - forget it about it for now. It's not important.

There will be more discussions like this that die in the cradle because one dude says "hey, isn't this politics" and there it goes. And politics is so nebulous! It's such a big, vague umbrella. Should we shut down the electric vehicle thread because government subsidies got mentioned? The concept of unlawful use of a monopoly is a determination made by governments, should the Amazon thread get locked? Should we should down the firearm thread because the bump stock ban got mentioned?

Because these kind of fleeting references, even when they're just tangential, are now enough to apparently spike an entire thread.

That's an objectively stupid way of doing things.

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2019/04/15 13:59:56


 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
Made in ca
Ancient Venerable Black Templar Dreadnought





Canada

Well, some things that have an element of politics but a direct impact on the hobby:

- Free trade, Canada with the USA in particular has become a hot button that completely decides how say GW product costs since it appears our main distribution site is in the USA.

- Britain exiting the EU will have a direct impact on how they handle tariffs and again another big company: GW happens to reside in that country.

- Quite a few hobby items come out of China and with Canada not cooperating with returning a certain Meng Wanzhou is causing all kinds of customs clearance "issues" which the USA may see since they want her extradited to them as a bargaining chip no-less (Trump said it not me...).

Those are the main hot buttons I can see cropping up on occasion.
Outside of that, I would have difficulty justifying further discussion unless it shifts to law and again: tariff / taxation issues.

I assume the main focus of this board is to be inclusive considering so many countries are terribly divided in their politics, it is nice to have a space that is non-partisan.

We are occasionally called a "hive of scum and villainy", no sense in giving good evidence to that allegation.

A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
Napoleon Bonaparte 
   
Made in us
5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)




The Great State of Texas

Lets not. Frankly the Dakka OT appears to be a much happier place with the current policy in place.

-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
 
   
Made in ch
The Dread Evil Lord Varlak





 Ouze wrote:
Not Online!!! wrote:
So complaining about Censorship, an act comitted by a state and therefor inherently political is not politics?

Common, stop it.

My complaint is that either politics get allowed or they are banned but this discussion you highlighted is the exact problem.

Either this is a ban or not, standards should apply to all rules and this is my gripe.


I really wish you would actually read my first post.

I didn't say that that thread didn't have political elements. I mean, I thought I spelled this out pretty well.

My point is this kind of black-and-white, baby-with-the-bathwater thinking is hurting the forum. The topic that was killed is one that is going to have a huge impact on our hobby, whether it be on production of gaming systems to fulfilment of kickstarters. That's only one example - forget it about it for now. It's not important.

There will be more discussions like this that die in the cradle because one dude says "hey, isn't this politics" and there it goes. And politics is so nebulous! It's such a big, vague umbrella. Should we shut down the electric vehicle thread because government subsidies got mentioned? The concept of unlawful use of a monopoly is a determination made by governments, should the Amazon thread get locked? Should we should down the firearm thread because the bump stock ban got mentioned?

Because these kind of fleeting references, even when they're just tangential, are now enough to apparently spike an entire thread.

That's an objectively stupid way of doing things.


No, sorry just because you don't agree with does not make you objectively right. Take f.e. Tempo limits, etc. They are also rules and there are no (or few very specific) exemptions.

The rule is no politics, therefore in the logic off this all of the above would have to be banned.

Right now we have double standards that actively make the rules look bad due to existing. Debattes that should get locked are not and or not even warned.
Basically all that right now decides is the mod that looks at the thread, and their application of common sense, which means virtually nothing due to each of them beeing an individual with other standards. This are the double standards i am talking about.
Also you stated in your first little start of the thread, that this wasn't necessarily a mod call, i disagree, one mod deemed it to be fit for discussion another closed the thread to it beeing virtually politics.

So again either A allow it or B don't allow it but then clamp down.

Is the situation we are in now stupid? Absolutely but frankly brought upon themselves by not specifying the rules.

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/766717.page
A Mostly Renegades and Heretics blog.
GW:"Space marines got too many options to balance, therefore we decided to legends HH units."
Players: "why?!? Now we finally got decent plastic kits and you cut them?"
Chaos marines players: "Since when are Daemonengines 30k models and why do i have NO droppods now?"
GW" MONEY.... erm i meant TOO MANY OPTIONS (to resell your army to you again by disalowing former units)! Do you want specific tyranid fighiting Primaris? Even a new sabotage lieutnant!"
Chaos players: Guess i stop playing or go to HH.  
   
Made in gb
Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller





Watch Fortress Excalibris

It just seems nuts to me that pointing out the uncontroversial fact that the Chinese government is authoritarian and censorship-happy, and that it is therefore maybe not the best place to outsource publishing to, is considered a lockable politics thread...

...While discussing one of the issues that most fundamentally divides Right and Left in modern Western partisan politics (free market capitalism vs. government regulation) is considered perfectly fine.

When the politics ban was enacted, the mods indicated that the primary goal was to stop discussion of those specific topics that divided the community along (principally American) partisan lines. We were assured that other issues that didn't necessarily split along partisan lines could still be discussed (carefully!) and would not automatically be locked just because someone could theoretically categorise them as 'political' (because literally any topic could be seen as political by someone).

If that is indeed the point of the ban, then the Amazon thread should be locked and the Chinese censorship thread should arguably be re-opened.

Instead, a pretty non-controversial (outside of China, anyway) thread got locked because someone loudly and repeatedly posted in that thread that it was a political issue, while a thread that might as well be titled "Ayn Rand vs. Bernie Sanders" is going to be left open until the inevitable happens.

A little bit of righteous anger now and then is good, actually. Don't trust a person who never gets angry. 
   
Made in ca
Ancient Venerable Black Templar Dreadnought





Canada

With:

"Godwin's law
"Skitt’s law"
and
"Danth’s law"

With those at work within the forums we have little need for politics or religion to enter the fray.

Ah well, anything we feel strongly about tends to get touched-on, hence the rule of "stay on topic" so I would say there is no "revisiting the politics ban" and it has a rather tenuous relation "to the hobby".

A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
Napoleon Bonaparte 
   
Made in ca
Fireknife Shas'el






 Talizvar wrote:
Well, some things that have an element of politics but a direct impact on the hobby:

- Free trade, Canada with the USA in particular has become a hot button that completely decides how say GW product costs since it appears our main distribution site is in the USA.

- Britain exiting the EU will have a direct impact on how they handle tariffs and again another big company: GW happens to reside in that country.

- Quite a few hobby items come out of China and with Canada not cooperating with returning a certain Meng Wanzhou is causing all kinds of customs clearance "issues" which the USA may see since they want her extradited to them as a bargaining chip no-less (Trump said it not me...).



And therein lies the distinction. Discussing whether or not Brexit should happen or what NAFTA/USCMTA should look like is politics. The effects these EVENTS will have on the hobby is not politics - though admittedly the discussion can veer into politics very easily. The point is that not everything that politics touches on is actually politics until the board members start making it political and therefore polarizing.


   
Made in us
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





Fort Worth, TX

 John Prins wrote:
 Talizvar wrote:
Well, some things that have an element of politics but a direct impact on the hobby:

- Free trade, Canada with the USA in particular has become a hot button that completely decides how say GW product costs since it appears our main distribution site is in the USA.

- Britain exiting the EU will have a direct impact on how they handle tariffs and again another big company: GW happens to reside in that country.

- Quite a few hobby items come out of China and with Canada not cooperating with returning a certain Meng Wanzhou is causing all kinds of customs clearance "issues" which the USA may see since they want her extradited to them as a bargaining chip no-less (Trump said it not me...).



And therein lies the distinction. Discussing whether or not Brexit should happen or what NAFTA/USCMTA should look like is politics. The effects these EVENTS will have on the hobby is not politics - though admittedly the discussion can veer into politics very easily. The point is that not everything that politics touches on is actually politics until the board members start making it political and therefore polarizing.



The problem is that some people just can't help themselves and will run with it. And by the time a mod gets to the thread after it's derailed, the mod is stuck spending 15+ minutes of their life deciding which posts to keep, which to edit, and which to delete...or to just lock the thread altogether and be done with it.

Edit: So do the mods either ban/block the people who can't keep it in their pants, or just ban the discussions altogether? If you're a member of the Future Crimes Unit, do you arrest everyone who might commit a crime given the chance, or just ban the activities that create the opportunity for the crime?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2019/04/15 15:43:07


"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me."
- Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks 
   
Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

I think a culture could be developed (stop laughing) where if you think a thread is political you just report it and move on (no, seriously, stop laughing).

To an extent this already exists: if someone thinks rule 1 is broken, and then there is half a page of arguing if it is or it isn't, that's all off topic and would likely be deleted.

We already do know, generally speaking, what politics as a central thread theme is or isn't - look at how few obviously, 100% locked political threads get started - it pretty much doesn't happen. And as a rule it seems like most threads don't veer there anymore, either.

The purpose of the OT was that people who played wargames could have a place to talk about other stuff when they quit, or because they were interested. There was originally no political ban, and that was fine, for a while. Then it started to not be fun, and the ban happened. That was fine, for a while. Now it's become so nuance-free that you can't talk about actual hobby developments, which is a yo-yo swing too far in the other direction, I think.

Once it starts eating into the core mission of the site, I think you have a problem.

Anyway all I'd like really is for, as Reds8n said in a different thread, "we'll bear all this in mind as/when." Just food for thought.

This message was edited 7 times. Last update was at 2019/04/15 16:07:22


 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
Made in ca
Ancient Venerable Black Templar Dreadnought





Canada

Not Online!!! wrote:
So again either A allow it or B don't allow it but then clamp down.
Is the situation we are in now stupid? Absolutely but frankly brought upon themselves by not specifying the rules.
Human systems will and shall have variation and interpretation of rules.
We talk about rules all the time about gaming and how some things sit in "the grey zone".
Here are the rules for this particular topic:
Spoiler:
However else we are different, what brings us together on Dakka Dakka is our shared interest in miniatures gaming. Logically, this forum is meant to be enjoyed in the good natured spirit of a fun hobby. Whenever people are passionate about something, the conversation can get heated. That's where it is crucial to keep perspective. It's only toy soldiers, after all!

When the discussion turns to more serious matters, such as what's going on away from our table tops and work benches in the "real world," what divides us can all too easily overwhelm the hobby we share in common. Drawing lines in the sand, calling each other out, failing to see an issue from another perspective, rejecting the notion that doing so is even desirable - this spirit of hostility is directly contrary to what Dakka Dakka is really about. Conventional wisdom holds, and experience confirms, that politics and religion are topics often best avoided outside of a venue specifically designed, usually with very strict rules, to accomodate sober, formal discussion. As a site devoted to playing games with toy soldiers, Dakka Dakka is not meant to be, has never been, and will never be such a forum.

Originally, we attempted to cordon off political and religious debate away from the main content of the site, relegating it to the Off-Topic forum. However, as the years passed, it became increasingly apparent that these types of discussions, even limited to just a single forum, were a huge time sink for our volunteer moderators to have to deal with. More recently, we tried to further contain the acrimony by limiting this type of discussion into to just a handful of threads. But the arguments are so entrenched and vitriolic as to spill over, most often in the form of resentment between posters, that they are poisoning even on-topic discussions. So going forward, we have decided that political and religious debates will no longer allowed at all on Dakka Dakka.

Of course, people who happen to share a hobby still like to chat about other common interests unrelated to that hobby. And of course there are many topics, far too many to attempt listing them, that inevitably touch on politics without necessarily being political in themselves. The Off-Topic forum is therefore not going away nor is any thread that could have some political implication going to be immediately locked on sight. There is not a simple black and white distinction to be drawn here but common sense will suffice in almost all cases. Consider what most people would find appropriate to discuss in a game store open to the public, where you are likely to be around people you don't know very well. People go there to relax and have fun. If saying something about politics or religion in that situation would make it awkward and uncomfortable for others (for example, causing a heated argument likely to get personal) then don't post it on Dakka Dakka.

And if you are not sure about whether posting a certain thread or comment violates this policy, please keep in mind that it always OK to send a private message to a moderator asking for guidance.
So looking harder at this, there is no confusion the rules are very specific: no conversation, none, nadda.
They were kind enough to give their reasoning.

The only way I could see this being "abused" is people intentionally bringing up the topic to get the thread locked, hence threats of "time outs".

Anyway, this appears to be a fact of life here and there are plenty of more suitable locations to discuss non-hobby topics.

A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
Napoleon Bonaparte 
   
Made in us
Rogue Daemonhunter fueled by Chaos






Toledo, OH

At times like this, it's important to remember that many people are concrete thinkers, and prefer simple, "brightline" rules with no ambiguity. Most people, of course, appreciate a more common sense approach to nearly any rule making and/or enforcement, but that doesn't make the literalists wrong.

All of this is a roundabout way of telling people not to argue when you don't share basic axioms with the other person.

   
Made in gb
Veteran Inquisitorial Tyranid Xenokiller





Watch Fortress Excalibris

 Ouze wrote:
if you think a thread is political you just report it and move on

Tried this. Doesn't work.

What works is posting loudly and repeatedly in the offending thread that it is a politics thread and needs to be locked.

At least judging by the mods' differing responses to the Amazon and China/Censorship threads.

I think this is unfortunate in terms of the behaviours it is cultivating here.

A little bit of righteous anger now and then is good, actually. Don't trust a person who never gets angry. 
   
Made in au
[MOD]
Making Stuff






Under the couch

 Duskweaver wrote:
 Ouze wrote:
if you think a thread is political you just report it and move on

Tried this. Doesn't work.

What works is posting loudly and repeatedly in the offending thread that it is a politics thread and needs to be locked.

That would depend on what you class as 'working'...


If you report the thread, we'll deal with it as we deem appropriate. Reporting a thread doesn't automatically mean that it will be locked.

If you crap all over the thread in an effort to get it shut down for going off the rails... well, yes, that may well result in the thread being locked, and is likely to also result in you receiving a warning or suspension for crap posting.


If you think a thread doesn't belong, the correct response is to report it and move on. There is no need to post in the thread to point out that it shouldn't exist. There is no need to go on some sort of crusade to get the thread locked. Just report it, and let the people who are actually responsible for determining what is and isn't appropriate to the site do just that.

 
   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

So the new meta is posters winning threads by declaring them politics as quickly and often as they can?

   
Made in us
Douglas Bader






 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
So the new meta is posters winning threads by declaring them politics as quickly and often as they can?


It sure seems to be working well so far.

There is no such thing as a hobby without politics. "Leave politics at the door" is itself a political statement, an endorsement of the status quo and an attempt to silence dissenting voices. 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

That that topic started, and instantly became a litmus test on what is and isn't political, kind of says a lot I think.

Mostly, that there really wasn't anything to discuss. I think everyone gathered "well this is bad/odd and might have big waves on the industry" from post one and... then what? We all post "yes I agree" and... then what?

There's a similar thread in Video Games right now about the new Jedi game, where there's frankly not that much about the actual game to talk about, and instead people are talking about what is and isn't a bland video game protagonist and is that good/bad. I've seen it in other threads too.

If an OP posts a thread on a forum and no one really has much to say about the actual topic, then they'll talk about whatever comes next which in that thread's case was "does this count as politics." I don't even think that's very weird given the current political tone on China in the US right now. Such threads always either get locked for going OT, or just have no one respond to them. Whatever comes first.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2019/04/15 23:46:55


   
Made in us
Last Remaining Whole C'Tan






Pleasant Valley, Iowa

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
So the new meta is posters winning threads by declaring them politics as quickly and often as they can?


Well, regardless of what happens with this thread, the concept of "the Dakka forum as a wargame" has made this one of the best threads ever in my mind.

"Kid Kyoto moves 12 threads. He has LOS to that unit of garbageposters in Geek Media. He casts "lock thread" - roll for saves"
"Wait, no - he's a gallery mod, he can't buy that equipment. And he can't move that far!"
*45 minute period of consulting tables, charts, FAQs, and errata ensues"

 lord_blackfang wrote:
Respect to the guy who subscribed just to post a massive ASCII dong in the chat and immediately get banned.

 Flinty wrote:
The benefit of slate is that its.actually a.rock with rock like properties. The downside is that it's a rock
 
   
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Thane of Dol Guldur





Bodt

 insaniak wrote:
 Duskweaver wrote:
 Ouze wrote:
if you think a thread is political you just report it and move on

Tried this. Doesn't work.

What works is posting loudly and repeatedly in the offending thread that it is a politics thread and needs to be locked.

That would depend on what you class as 'working'...


If you report the thread, we'll deal with it as we deem appropriate. Reporting a thread doesn't automatically mean that it will be locked.

If you crap all over the thread in an effort to get it shut down for going off the rails... well, yes, that may well result in the thread being locked, and is likely to also result in you receiving a warning or suspension for crap posting.


If you think a thread doesn't belong, the correct response is to report it and move on. There is no need to post in the thread to point out that it shouldn't exist. There is no need to go on some sort of crusade to get the thread locked. Just report it, and let the people who are actually responsible for determining what is and isn't appropriate to the site do just that.


Thats millenial thinking right there. if I cry about the nasty thing i disagree with it someone will make it go away (and I say that as a millenial)

Heresy World Eaters/Emperors Children

Instagram: nagrakali_love_songs 
   
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Beautiful and Deadly Keeper of Secrets





Don't allow politics. Even just the barest hint is going to get the crowd riled.
   
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Thane of Dol Guldur





Bodt

I dont remember the old rules as I have only recently started frequenting the OT, however, as someone with a libertarian outlook on life, I personally would welcome free political and religious discussion. I know this isn't going to happen here but I think its a sad state of affairs when people with differing views can't still talk to each other with civility. Although that does seem to be a reflection on modern reality. I've had associates remove me from social media after disagreeing over some political issue, which I wouldn't dream of doing (is it really that big a deal?) Its just undignified. All the advancements and progression we've made as humans, yet we seem to be going backward.

Heresy World Eaters/Emperors Children

Instagram: nagrakali_love_songs 
   
Made in us
Douglas Bader






 queen_annes_revenge wrote:
(is it really that big a deal?)


Depends on the politics. Disagreement over a 1% difference in tax rate? Not a big deal even if some people overreact. But if your political position is "LGBT people shouldn't have rights, and forced conversion is great" or "ban all Muslims" or similar then yeah, you're a terrible person and cutting someone off is 100% appropriate. And one of the nice things about allowing political discussion is that people with appalling beliefs will often eagerly reveal themselves.

There is no such thing as a hobby without politics. "Leave politics at the door" is itself a political statement, an endorsement of the status quo and an attempt to silence dissenting voices. 
   
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Painlord Titan Princeps of Slaanesh





Hamilton, ON

Please stop making me agree with you.

The Fall of Kronstaat IV
Война Народная | Voyna Narodnaya | The People's War - 2,765pts painted (updated 06/05/20)
Волшебная Сказка | Volshebnaya Skazka | A Fairy Tale (updated 29/12/19, ep10 - And All That Could Have Been)
Kabal of The Violet Heart (updated 02/02/2020)

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