A funny kind of tea shop?

[Freddie]

I'm not sure what those designing the forum intended or what it was like in the earliest days, but I do wonder if a forum named "The Tea Shop" was supposed to be taken up with many obviously contentious topics like "Who should we be boycotting?", "Is the UK government an incompentent bunch of liars?" and endless Brexit threads (pick your own threads if these don't take your fancy, there is plenty of choice).

Politeness and civility generally disinclines people to discuss such topics in a real life tea shop. Do I want the discussions stopped? No. Do I think they should have their own sub-forum like helmet discussions/debates? Yes.

I also think that whatever the politics of an individual, to enter a "tea shop" as a new member of the forum and be faced with many threads of strong views, of whatever shade, is not particularly welcoming. That the Tea Shop is dominated mostly by the posts of a handful of posters might attest to as much.

I am all in favour of vigorous discussion and debate, but is a tea shop the right place for it? The kinds of threads that seem more befitting are along the lines of "How's your weather?", "tea & coffee revisited" "Favourite smells". I think anything that will obviously raise strong feelings (and perhaps finger pointing) should have its own subforum and the light hearted, tea shop suitable threads should remain here.

Poll above, what do you think?

[PH]

Maybe it should be called the Coffee Shop, they were hotbeds of radical politics in the 15th century.
Call it what you want, put it in any sub category, or just don't click the link, the moderators do a decent job of ensuring the threads are appropriately named. I don't know how others organise their reading, I only use "Active Topics" the only time I'll note what board it's in is when i start a new thread.

[Cyril Haearn]

I subscribe or unsubscribe, depending, mostly I hit 'unread posts' and click on those that interest me

B***t* was number one awhile, then cv, then blm
What next?

* I gave up worrying about This b***t Madness a while ago

[kwackers]

"Tea shop" as in a place where you'd discuss anything you like.

Seems well named and well placed, why change it?

[reohn2]

"Tea shop" as in a place where you'd discuss anything you like.

Seems well named and well placed, why change it?

I agree and like the TV,if you don't like what's 'advertised' don't click on it.

[Mick F]

Neither.

Just shut up about it all, and lets talk about interesting stuff rather than politics.
Chill out!

Get rid of your telly, don't buy a newspaper ...............and only listen to music radio, or nothing.
Silence is golden.

[kwackers]

[Tangled Metal]

There, evened the poll out. 50:50 seems about my view on this. I would prefer the site was set up so you had to actively look for politics and helmet threads, as in they don't appear when searched through active or new threads, but I am not bothered enough by that to argue for it anymore. I prefer to talk about things relating to cycling or touring or camping (which is part of cycle touring for us). It's easy to read these and possible to ignore the rest. Just avoid the rabbit hole of reading any new political thread. There's enough on here who love to argue the toss about anything political and more than a little dog with a bone type of hounding in debates.

[francovendee]

The tea shop should be a place where anything can be discussed but without personal insults being throw.
I choose to look at a thread, nobody makes me. It's no problem if I don't like a thread, I just don't look at it.

The Brexit thread was massive, understandable as it dragged on and on and people had, still have, very entrenched views.

I prefer the 'lighter' topics in the tea shop but there should be a place for everything.

With the heat generated on some contentious issues I think you'd be chucked out of a real tea shop.

[Oldjohnw]

We could have somewhere called 'Bar room brawls'.

[99.9%certain]

Political threads should possibly have their own sub-forum.This seems to work OK on some other Forums.IIRC Bikeradar has two off-topic sub-forums each for MTB and Road sections(Hub,Crudcatcher&Cakestop,Bottom bracket).A shooting forum I use has an "adult" only sub-forum(not that sort ) that you have to request to join separately and agree to slightly different rules.This I believe has separate moderators.

Maybe "The Pub" would be a more appropriate name for this sub-forum?Or keep the Tea-shop and have a Pub sub-forum also?

[reohn2]

We could have somewhere called 'Bar room brawls'.

Or 'Pavement punch ups' maybe?
Or 'My dad's bigger than yours shop'?

[Cyril Haearn]

Oh dear, votes for either choice are almost equal, could end in a draw
I cannae see who is ahead, it is either Oxford or Cranebridge

[Carlton green]

To my mind the difficulty with Tea Shop discussions is that some posters don’t behave like they were in that environment. Some seem unable to act in the civil way one would expect in a tea shop and unable to accept opinions divergent from their own; for discussion you do need to be able to compare and contrast views and to accept additional information. The only answer that I can see to matters is harsher moderation - which I would welcome - and, as would happen in a real teashop, being ‘asked’ to leave. It’s all a shame really, the mod’s should be but rarely troubled by our actions. However people who should know better act in ways that wouldn’t end happily in real life, and all because they can’t abide opinions other than their own and feel the right to impose their views on others.

[Cyril Haearn]

She who always wants to have the last word soon finds herself alone, talking to herself
Breton saying