LurkerDan

I am very disappointed in this change. Otter has worked fine for years as a place to discuss current events, hell as a place to find out news, and now all of those threads are moved to the politics forum. What is the point? Where was the need?

I suspect part of the need was that the politics forum mostly sucks, and only a few people seem to enjoy it. So, make other people go into that forum just because they want news? That's absurd, people wanted to AVOID political discussions, that was part of the reason people wanted that forum in the first place. Sure, having politics and news together alleviates some gray areas, like the Rosa Parks thread, but now the grey area is just moved, it's now a question of what is "news". What's going to be left in Otter? Let's come up with some more great ideas to have Other subforums...

I suspect many of us found out about many news events first in Otter, before we heard about them elsewhere. Sadly, I suspect that will change.

wildcatlh

Agreed.

If you want to break News/Current events out of Other, then make a News/Current events forum. But having it in the politics forum is going to cause all sorts of problems in those threads that seem to be unique to the politics forum (I shouldn't have to say what those are).

Groucho

I imagine this arose from the few individuals who feel the need to put a political spin on every single news story (usually in the form of a pot shot against the other side). Almost every news discussion lately gets derailed into a political discussion because of this.

Bandoman

Clearly the neo-cons want complete control over all discourse on this forum, just like they want to control all discourse in the Senate, as we saw with their completely irrational reaction to Sen. Reid's call for a closed session last week.


Now that this thread involves a political issue and current events, does it have to be moved to the Politics, News and Current events forum?

I'm not trying to be glib just for the fun of it - as Groucho said, any subject can be made into a political/news/current events subject. Other is becoming so diluted, the only appropriate threads there will be devoid of any substance whatsoever. Like LurkerDan, I get a lot of information from Other - I learned about what was happening on 9/11 there - and I don't go into the politics forum nearly as often because of the repetitive and downright meanspirited bickering.

NotThatGuy

I agree.

I have gone into the Political Forum maybe 2-3 times since its creation, and *I'm* the one who actually suggested it! (War / Political Forum) I wandered in there a day or two ago and found all sorts of news articles that I would have thought would be in Otter. I think news stories should either have their own section, or be in Otter. If a couple members make pot shots in the thread, their comments should just be deleted and they should be warned. I don't think we should let a small minority dictate where the thread should go by letting them turn a benign (sp?) thread into a political one.

-p

GeoffK

OK. I'll take it under advisement. And consider what to do next.

Th0r S1mpson

I like it better now that it's "World Events" instead of current events.

Last night I noticed there were only about 8 threads in the politics forum that were started in the past week.

The recent influx of far-right and far-left extremists kinda sucks, but what are ya gonna do? I didn't mind a few on each side, but it seems like that will really dominate discussion there now.

I'm wondering if people found out about it through another type of forum or something.

HistoryProf

Huzzah!!!

nemein

I was one of the people who advocated it not from some "neocon" agenda standpoint but more from a moderator standpoint. There were constant complaints about things in Other "why isn't this is the political forum" and complaints in the Political forum "this doesn't belong here" so by combining them all those issues are automatically resolved. Since this change went into effect I've only moved about 1/2 dozen posts from Other to the revamped forum so it's not like there was a plethora of them in the Other to begin w/.


Personally I think this change will help temper that myself.

Th0r S1mpson

Give it a week. No change seems good at first around here.

Josh H

I like it better like that, or into a seperate news/current events forum.

That way I actually see the news threads, as I haven't bothered reading other for years. Too much crap to skim through to find the occasional decent threat with decent discussion IMO.

BDB

I rarely go into politics, its pretty scary for a non-politico like me, the unwashed masses are not welcome there. There are some pretty high horses up in there, and I don't think its a good place.

Its good in that it keeps the nuts in the asylum in one place, but I like others go to Other for news of the world and the bizarre.

so will anything that is somewhat news related get dumped into that now? How about the crocodile eating the snake? News or Other, maybe we need a weekly world news thread.

Th0r S1mpson

Perhaps an "animals, pirates, financial advice, and things that smell like pooh" forum would distinguish the world news from the daily banter.

nemein

IMHO any of the "news of the weird" or "odd news" as Yahoo calls it, will remain in Other.

GeoffK

I don't think there's a real fundamental change here for Politics. I think general interest news should still go to Other. But Iraq/War/Senate/Supreme Court/Etc of course go into Politics and World Events.

I'm of the 'if it aint broke, don't break it' school of thought, and I think this name change was made to accomidate the fact that some threads which discuss heated issues outside of direct politics were making their way into that forum.

BDB

maybe we need a poll in other and politics to see what each thinks of it

Josh H

Seems reasonable to both forums. The politics-related news stories go in politics, and the general interest/weird ones stay in other.

Not sure there's much need for a poll.

wendersfan

I frequent politics probably about as much as the rest of the fora combined, but lately it's been distasteful in there. Most of the newer threads and posts seem to be little more than people poking fun or ridiculing those with whom the poster disagrees. No real exchange of information, just "So and so's a liar/hypocrite/war criminal/traitor." I don't know if this change will help things or not, but certainly some change is needed.

NotThatGuy

There wouldn't be, but the Thunderdome is booked solid!

G- Thanks for taking a look at this issue.

-p

dick_grayson

I agree. It sucks.

It's the same people saying the same things over and over. Any attempt at discussion comes down to the same tired answers and jackassery. I come here for the dvd discussion, but it seems like there are too many peeps just in the politics forum since they like to piss people off. That shouldn't be......or at least shouldn't be so damn obvious.

LurkerDan

I know this isn't what you are saying, but my issue is I don't want a negative change in Otter just because the politics forum needs some help.

To be quite honest, I don't want those people now commenting on every news thread, it's their comments that I try to avoid.

Spicollidriver1

I think Geoff thoughts make the most sense (by the way I could be one of those far right whackos refered to earlier, but I am not that way in the forum) I really dont seem to much of a problem arising, and also I think most changes that have risen in the 6 years I have been here have not been overwhelmingly popular at first (except Video game talk). So how about we do something about the many many Panther Chearleader threads I was gonna post this story but it was brought up in the week 9 thread, but obviously no one else felt the same.

Groucho

An example for what passes as "discourse" on the political forum:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444372

Should just rename it the "cheap shots and jabs forum" and get it over with.

wendersfan

I agree. It seems to have the reverse affect, by bringing in more ill-informed and histrionic posters, rather than drowning out the ones who are already there.

nemein

It's been 2 days... hardly enough time to make a judgement IMHO.