View Poll Results: Questions are grouped: 1&2, 3-5, 6-8, 9&10
Leave Politics as it's own sub-forum
103
73.57%
Wrap it back into the Other forum
9
6.43%
Recently... it's getting better here
16
11.43%
... it's about the same
37
26.43%
... it's getting worse
17
12.14%
More rules are needed (such as ________)
8
5.71%
Fewer rules are needed (get rid of ________)
9
6.43%
Better enforcement of the rules is needed
48
34.29%
I've left the Political forum but I would come back if ___________
15
10.71%
I've left and I don't see myself going there again
33
23.57%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 140. You may not vote on this poll
Future of the political forum
03-18-06 | 05:16 PM
#101
DVD Talk Gold Edition
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From: Phoenix AZ - West Side
Originally Posted by Nick Danger
I used to lurk in the Politics Forum, but rarely visit there anymore. However, I would like it to stay around. There's no reason that DVD Talk should want to get rid of loud, aggressive, partisan people. The Politics Forum gives them a playspace of their own where they are less likely to piss off the gentler posters.
It's sort of like having a Chuck E Cheese forum.
It's sort of like having a Chuck E Cheese forum.
Ageed. Keep it separate and leave the partisan posters locked in there so we are free to discuss the important stuff...like hash browns!
03-20-06 | 02:45 AM
#102
DVD Talk Legend
I didn't read the thread, but my vote goes to leaving the forum where it is. If I feel like seeing some arguing, I'll jump in there. Otherwise, I don't really want it messing up my tazer-reading.
03-20-06 | 03:14 PM
#104
DVD Talk Gold Edition
I think it's going quite well. You can't expect a political forum to be all pretty talk and "I agree". Things get ouf of hand sometimes - no skin off anyone's teeth.
Leave it as it is
Leave it as it is
03-20-06 | 03:32 PM
#105
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Joined: Apr 2000
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From: Korova Milkbar
Didn't read this entire thread... Cause, well, it's about politics and I could give two shits.
That said, I do have an opinion... Leave the political forum where it is. Political discussions are mostly pointless to begin with and there's no reason to polute other with a bunch of "Bush sucks", "Clinton sucks", "Republicans suck", "Die you liberal swine" posts. Moving the political discussions to a sub-forum was the best thing that's happened to other (well, the traveling crayon thread was pretty spiffy) since I've been reading the boards here at DVDTalk.
Sports has it's own sub-forum... Why should politics be any different?
That said, I do have an opinion... Leave the political forum where it is. Political discussions are mostly pointless to begin with and there's no reason to polute other with a bunch of "Bush sucks", "Clinton sucks", "Republicans suck", "Die you liberal swine" posts. Moving the political discussions to a sub-forum was the best thing that's happened to other (well, the traveling crayon thread was pretty spiffy) since I've been reading the boards here at DVDTalk.
Sports has it's own sub-forum... Why should politics be any different?
03-20-06 | 10:25 PM
#106
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by classicman2
Speaking of moderators - what happened to sfsdfd?
Where are you, David?
Where are you, David?
I think there are some blind partisans that make it very annoying to sift through for an actual good discussion.
I mean, I make no pretenses at liking the [current administration style] Republicans, but I'm far from a Democrat.
There's a lot of issues I don't know a lot about, wouldn't mind discussing, or enjoy reading alternative viewpoints. I appreciate reading some of these viewpoints, even if I don't agree. For example, I learned a lot about the Kyoto treaty a year or two back as the result of a DVDtalk thread, and now as a result: I understand why people are against it, and personally I'm not a big fan of it either.
I find I can avoid wasting my time. Basically I don't bother to click on inflammatory threads. For example, if I see the word "Liberal" in the title, I know exactly what kind of partisanship I am going to get when I click on it.
03-20-06 | 10:28 PM
#107
DVD Talk God
Keep it in it's own sub-forum. Anything that keeps classicman out of the Sports forum, gets a big 
from me. 
from me.
03-20-06 | 10:51 PM
#108
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Joined: Jan 2000
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From: The land of chocolate
I see nothing wrong with the political forum as it is. If people go in there, then they know what they're likely to see. Those people less interested in politics can continue to have a politically free other with no problems. Sure it gets less traffic, but as has been pointed out, so does Book Talk - and it's not even a subforum.
Combining it back in with Other would not be a good idea IMO.
If there is a problem with occasional posters going too extreme, then just enforce the rules a little more. Other than that, I see no problem with the forum as it is.
Combining it back in with Other would not be a good idea IMO.
If there is a problem with occasional posters going too extreme, then just enforce the rules a little more. Other than that, I see no problem with the forum as it is.
03-21-06 | 12:20 AM
#109
I would like to change my vote.
I say integrate it with the other forum one day a week, just to stir things up.
Monday isn't upsetting enough... make it political merger day!
I say integrate it with the other forum one day a week, just to stir things up.
Monday isn't upsetting enough... make it political merger day!
03-21-06 | 05:58 AM
#110
Thread Starter
Moderator
Moved to it's final location....
Final move edit: Thanks for the help everyone. It was very informative. Unfortunately after I put the poll together it occured to me another good option would have been "do you want to expand the political forum to include other news" but there wouldn't have been enough slots for that anyway. Maybe in a few months we'll do another one of these things to see how it's going then.
Thanks again everyone
Final move edit: Thanks for the help everyone. It was very informative. Unfortunately after I put the poll together it occured to me another good option would have been "do you want to expand the political forum to include other news" but there wouldn't have been enough slots for that anyway. Maybe in a few months we'll do another one of these things to see how it's going then.
Thanks again everyone
03-21-06 | 11:09 AM
#111
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by dork
I was against the creation of the Politics Forum, then ended up spending more time there than in any other DVDTalk forum. I finally left for good maybe a year ago and do not plan to return.
There were several aspects of it that drove me away, but there's no denying that the main one was this: it's home to a handful of deeply unpleasant individuals who make every thread they touch turn to shit. And they touch a lot of threads.
I suspect that even if all of them were banned (perhaps a few already have been, but definitely not all) it would be only a temporary fix. The question is essentially what the character of the forum should be. It seems clear, both from the responses in this thread and from what I remember of my several years in the forum, that many, perhaps most, want the forum to have the tenor of talk radio. Since I find talk radio off-putting, it's not surprising that I eventually got sick of seeing well-written, closely argued, informative posts dismissed with a bilious one-liner, and usually a trite one at that.
All of which is to say that although I personally have lost interest in the Politics Forum, it stems largely from my somewhat unrealistic and idealized concept of what such a forum should be like -- a view which many do not share, as evidenced by this thread. I have absolutely no problem going along with the majority view on this, as it's impossible to have a forum that is all things to all people and in any case I am perfectly happy in Other.
There were several aspects of it that drove me away, but there's no denying that the main one was this: it's home to a handful of deeply unpleasant individuals who make every thread they touch turn to shit. And they touch a lot of threads.
I suspect that even if all of them were banned (perhaps a few already have been, but definitely not all) it would be only a temporary fix. The question is essentially what the character of the forum should be. It seems clear, both from the responses in this thread and from what I remember of my several years in the forum, that many, perhaps most, want the forum to have the tenor of talk radio. Since I find talk radio off-putting, it's not surprising that I eventually got sick of seeing well-written, closely argued, informative posts dismissed with a bilious one-liner, and usually a trite one at that.
All of which is to say that although I personally have lost interest in the Politics Forum, it stems largely from my somewhat unrealistic and idealized concept of what such a forum should be like -- a view which many do not share, as evidenced by this thread. I have absolutely no problem going along with the majority view on this, as it's impossible to have a forum that is all things to all people and in any case I am perfectly happy in Other.
If you search hard enough, you can probably find a post by me declaring the need for a political forum and saying how I would spend all of my time there. After spending a few months in it, though, it was clear that it was becoming just as dork described. There are a poisonous few individuals here that take the level down as far as it will go with almost every post, yet they suffer absolutely no repercussions. I can only conclude that their behavior is endorsed, or at least tolerated, despite rules stating otherwise, because of their political persuasion.
These feedback threads wondering why people leave the forum have been started once or twice a year with seemingly the same results each time. Those who have left the forum saying there is a much greater need for moderation, and those who have stayed saying everything's fine. Big surprise. If your goal is to actually bring more people into the politics forum, you may want to actually start listening to the suggestions of people who left.
03-21-06 | 01:42 PM
#112
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
I've quit the political forum. I rarely go there, but I think I have reached by breaking point with this: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?p=6866498. Just like dork said, oneliners and trite jokes are worth a lot more than actual discussion to the people there.
03-21-06 | 03:28 PM
#113
DVD Talk God
Originally Posted by Red Dog
I've really tapered off my political posting because most of the political threads involve obvious trolling that goes unnoticed or the same lame us vs them Dem vs Rep boring discussion.
Politics should continue as its own subforum, but unless things improve, I'll continue to keep my involvement down.
Politics should continue as its own subforum, but unless things improve, I'll continue to keep my involvement down.
You talk about repitition.
03-21-06 | 03:48 PM
#114
DVD Talk Legend
The Politics forum is really supposed to be just a debate board. Though the debates and the rhetorics (esp. the really lame and stupid ones) have probably worn out many people, especially those from a particular politcal side.
As for its future, I don't really care. I like reading some of the threads, but I think the forum really is too branched out as with the sports, poker, other, adult, and politics forums. I think most of us participate in other forums so we wouldn't be too upset if those forums were done away with.
As for its future, I don't really care. I like reading some of the threads, but I think the forum really is too branched out as with the sports, poker, other, adult, and politics forums. I think most of us participate in other forums so we wouldn't be too upset if those forums were done away with.
03-21-06 | 10:01 PM
#115
DVD Talk Legend
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From: Somewhere Hot Scoville Units: 9,999,999 Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Why's this even being brought up? Of course, you should keep the political forum where it is! The Other forum is great as is and doesn't need to be ruined with a bunch of worthless political discussions. Besides, I have a restraining order against everything political in nature...it must remain at least one forum length away from me at all times.
03-22-06 | 02:27 PM
#116
Moderator
Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
If you don't enjoy political commentary...
But when 95% of the posts on this forum are just regurgitating soundbytes heard earlier that day on talk radio, I suppose intelligent discourse is too much to ask for.
03-22-06 | 06:03 PM
#117
Retired
I think the new rules just need enforced better. There still too many posters making generalizations about opposing sides/parties.
Forum specific bans would probably solve the problem as it's really just a few "usual" suspects in there causing 90% of the cross party bickering and personal attacks and keeping good, intelligent debate from occuring in many threads.
As it is, I just stay out of there for the most part as too many of the regulars are just they type that tirelessly spout the party line and stifle any chance for actually debate requiring free thinking.
Forum specific bans would probably solve the problem as it's really just a few "usual" suspects in there causing 90% of the cross party bickering and personal attacks and keeping good, intelligent debate from occuring in many threads.
As it is, I just stay out of there for the most part as too many of the regulars are just they type that tirelessly spout the party line and stifle any chance for actually debate requiring free thinking.
03-23-06 | 12:37 PM
#118
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by Vandelay_Inds
If political parties are constituted of ideas, and some of those ideas are wrong, why shouldn't I be able to declare that X party's support for Y attitude renders X party mistaken and regrettable?
03-23-06 | 04:40 PM
#119
DVD Talk Godfather
Originally Posted by nemein
If you are trying to make a specific point, like "[liberals or conservatives] favor ________" please back up the supposition w/ links to articles/polls/sites that support the point you are trying to make.
Half of the time I find myself replying to posts that say things like "America is always more economic without {topic}" -- after a while, I simply get tired of not getting through to people after posting a thought-out, researched post. So I stop posting.
Unless there's a specific "goal" or target (reaching a consensus, even if it's unclear on certain matters), I see it more of an opinion forum and launching pad for factless discourse. While some may like that, I believe that is the root of the problem.
03-24-06 | 07:54 AM
#120
DVD Talk Godfather
Originally Posted by dork
Since I find talk radio off-putting, it's not surprising that I eventually got sick of seeing well-written, closely argued, informative posts dismissed with a bilious one-liner, and usually a trite one at that.
That's probably my main gripe. Ignorance of the rules. Either take them all out and make it a flame-war forum or start addressing them. I'd rather see the mods pandering to people looking for intelligent discourse, which is something sorely missing around here in the Internets, and that's honestly why I stick around. It makes me disappointed to not see it in a sub-forum but, hey, I'm not Geoff I'm not the moderators. You guys do what needs to be done and people will respond accordingly.
03-29-06 | 10:16 AM
#121
Yeah, I think I'm close to finished with it myself:
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=101
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=102
I can think of about four or five people that should be banned outright. What I'm seeing is that the administration is being very lenient with abusive posters, provided they've been here a long time, but the equivalent behavior isn't tolerated by those who are newer.
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=101
http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=102
I can think of about four or five people that should be banned outright. What I'm seeing is that the administration is being very lenient with abusive posters, provided they've been here a long time, but the equivalent behavior isn't tolerated by those who are newer.
03-29-06 | 10:22 AM
#122
We are currently discussing those very posts.
03-29-06 | 12:47 PM
#124
Except I'm still alive.