Should the Politics section be split into Right and Left sections?

[I D Shukhov]

See other thread for discussion.

[Aussie]

There once was a musical troupe
A pickin' singin' folk group
They sang the mountain ballads
And the folk songs of our land

They were long on musical ability
Folks thought they would go far
But political incompatibility led to their downfall

Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear was a Methodist

This musical aggregation toured the entire nation
Singing the traditional ballads
And the folk songs of our land
They performed with great virtuosity
And soon they were the rage
But political animosity prevailed upon the stage

Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear burned his driver's license

Well the curtain had ascended
A hush fell on the crowd
As thousands there were gathered to hear The folk songs of our land
But they took their politics seriously
And that night at the concert hall
As the audience watched deliriously
They had a free-for-all

Well, the one on the right was on the bottom
And the one in the middle was on the top
And the one on the left got a broken arm
And the guy in the rear, said, "Oh dear"

Now this should be a lesson if you plan to start a folk group
Don't go mixin' politics with the folk songs of our land
Just work on harmony and diction
Play your banjo well
And if you have political convictions keep them to yourself

Now, the one on the left works in a bank
And the one in the middle drives a truck
The one on the right's an all-night deejay
And the guy in the rear got drafted

[Origisaurus]

[Aussie]

Comrade General Secretary Gorbachev: You accuse hero USSR of factionalism, but what about runnink capitalist dog IT Open Forum ?  They have factions comink out their arses.

Comrade Andropov :  Huh?  IT Open Forum?  But this is Soviet Russia.

Comrade General Secretary Gorbachev: Ha!  You just believink Relarates propaganda !

[John Masterson]

I would like a place to discuss political issues seriously, without denigration from people on the "other side" jeering and catcalling.

That stuff should stay in a "common area" where anything goes, the one we have today.

I'd like to see a section added for liberal serious discussions, and another added for conservative serious discussions.  And in these sections you are not allowed to yell things like: "you are simply a non-thinker who has drank the Kool-Aid", or "You are in tinfoil hat territory"...since these are not serious debate points. They are "bar room slurs", an opinion, a catcall that does nothing to advance the discussion.

[The Gorn]

I don't think I want to do anything about this section. I want to leave it as is.

Rather than two new sections, how about one new section named "Birds of a Feather." The ground rule is that when a thread is started in BoaF, dissing of the central premise of a thread isn't excused. In other words, leave the environment the same in the current politics forum but add a forum where either side can start a thread that by agreement won't be crashed by people who want to tear down or mock the premise of the thread.

This is getting complicated to think about!

[The Gorn]

Like the Politics it is also an "invisible to the world" section.

A posting count of 20 will open it up to users (which should be just about everyone who uses the political forum by now.)

Also I changed the label of the Politics section as recommended - Religion ==> Values (which I think is a good reflection of the types of discussions here already.)

[Origisaurus]

"Dissing the premise" probably makes it unlikely that opposing views can be expressed, since most posts start with an assumption that opposers don't buy.

We'll see.

[John Masterson]

"Dissing the premise" probably makes it unlikely that opposing views can be expressed, since most posts start with an assumption that opposers   don't buy.  
 
  We'll see.

Dino,

Presenting opposing views are for the main section.

Left wing topics in the Birds of a Feather section are the ones you'll want to ignore.

Just as I would end to ignore Rightwing topics in the Birds of a Feather section.

[codger]

This sounds like a circle-jerk to me.

[John Masterson]

This sounds like a circle-jerk to me.

Pretty much.

The main section remains available for sarcasm and jeering.

[Aussie]

......are making a rod for your own back.  But as you will.

Reckon you better come packing the jawbone of an ass.

BTW, if it had have been me, I would have called it the 'Preaching to the Choir' Forum.

[Origisaurus]

I would have called it "Everyone's entitled to my opinion".  Or "Opposing Viewpoints not Allowed".

That's why I deleted my first, last and only post from there.

[The Gorn]

I wanted to keep the vibe as positive as possible. That was why I made the label "Birds of a Feather".

Here was really my intention with the new board: to lower social friction. Most of you guys want and practically demand political discussion on this board. But it often tends to place people who otherwise are peers in direct confrontation.

If anyone doesn't like the board or considers it (as so eloquently put) a circle-jerk, feel free to ignore it.

I'll say two other things:

1) BoaF is not limited to liberal leaning threads. The charter of that section is such that you can post your own thread on, say, military service, or your take on the administration, or whatever, and not have someone who fundamentally disagrees with you crash it or call you names. I expect to enforce the "no sniping" rule as stringently as possible for anyone's thread.

2) Anyone is perfectly free to start their own rebuttal thread to an existing thread, either in BoaF or in the normal political section. If you want to say that X is full of shit, you can quote away and rebut it in your own thread. (Just be civil toward board members is all I ask.)

Lastly, it's just about providing new choices for interaction. Not to limit anyone. I think many interesting threads aren't posted because the author knows that it will start a brawl. Well, this is a solution for now.

[The Gorn]

I think you're saying this is a shitty idea and that I am making things harder for myself.

Just read my response at the end of this thread @21:34:33.

Mainly I want people to stop bitching at each other. (Particularly the ones who never contribute to useful business or career related discussions. )