should politics be banned on the forum?

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thirdcrank
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by thirdcrank »

If the Tea Room were closed I would imagine traffic would decline massively.
This is chicken and egg

"Traffic" has already declined massively. As alluded to in the moderation at the start of this forum, Brucey's stroke has accounted for part of that but by no means all. It seems to me that the Tea Shop has also changed over time. So, banning politics would not in itself close the Tea Shop but there's now little else there.
francovendee
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by francovendee »

I feel differenty about a ban at times but overall I think a ban would be a wrong move.
Political sunbjects can and do cause some rather bitter exchanges.
Those guilty lose sight of how this show of spite does nothing to support their views.
It's worse when this creeps into what started as a non political thread but then goes into an argument along political lines.
We're are living at a time when many pressures of our 'normal' lives seem under threat and we need to find a way of dealing with it.
Remaining polite even if you disagree on this forum should be the norm and we really shouldn't rely on our moderators to stop abuse.
It is possible if you stop and think before hitting the submit button.
I've only ever become irate over one personal post that was really hurtful and wide of the mark.
Since then I've exchanged pm's with him and I now regard him as a friend who has a very different view to mine.
This is a cycling forum and you'd normally be polite to another cyclist if out for a ride so why throw insults on here?
Carlton green
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Carlton green »

Oldjohnw wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 7:49am
Carlton green wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 7:37am
As for the politics here I think it detracts from this place and sets posters against each other. Cycling should be the focus of people’s attention here and tearoom posts but a small fraction of this site’s traffic.

If the Tea Room were closed I would imagine traffic would decline massively. Be careful what you wish for.
My comments above did not seek the closure of the Tearoom (though a temporary one might be good) but rather that some topics be out of bounds. From my earlier post today: “It’s simple enough really, just have some things that are off limits, I suggest: Party Politics and divisive issues such as Brexit.”
Don’t fret, it’s OK to: ride a simple old bike; ride slowly, walk, rest and admire the view; ride off-road; ride in your raincoat; ride by yourself; ride in the dark; and ride one hundred yards or one hundred miles. Your bike and your choices to suit you.
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mjr
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by mjr »

Carlton green wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 8:19am My comments above did not seek the closure of the Tearoom (though a temporary one might be good) but rather that some topics be out of bounds. From my earlier post today: “It’s simple enough really, just have some things that are off limits, I suggest: Party Politics and divisive issues such as Brexit.”
I don't think that's possible without totally gutting the forum. CTC is an older political campaign than the Labour party and inevitably it sometimes becomes party political. At the moment, the conservatives at uk level are great and some local conservatives aren't, but usually parties are more unified than that.

Also, many issues are divisive: bents/upwrongs, infrastructure/vehicular, hubs/derailleurs, treads/slicks, ...

I think the tea room should be replaced with a cafe due to the occupation of "tea" by the right wing "tea party" as I've mentioned before.

I also think simpler and easier rules should be set to make moderation faster, but I'm not doing it yet so it's up to the moderators to decide if the current practices are easy enough for the. The published rules should be updated to match reality, either way.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
All the above is CC-By-SA and no other implied copyright license to Cycle magazine.
thirdcrank
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by thirdcrank »

How about the drinking fountain? Probably too many associations with the Victorians. Or parish pump?
reohn2
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by reohn2 »

Oldjohnw wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 7:18am Forgive my ignorance but how do we know that the forum is shrinking?

Even away from the kitchen politics inevitably gets expressed. Fines for traffic offences. Indifferent police. Weak laws. Things that annoy us. Traffic free roads and cycle lanes. Railways. Travel. Ebikes and rules. Sustrans. Climate, Helmets. Inadequate sentencing.

Should none of the above be discussed?
And are none of those political issues?
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Hellhound
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Hellhound »

No is the short answer to the original question.
Oldjohnw
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Oldjohnw »

reohn2 wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 10:21am
Oldjohnw wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 7:18am Forgive my ignorance but how do we know that the forum is shrinking?

Even away from the kitchen politics inevitably gets expressed. Fines for traffic offences. Indifferent police. Weak laws. Things that annoy us. Traffic free roads and cycle lanes. Railways. Travel. Ebikes and rules. Sustrans. Climate, Helmets. Inadequate sentencing.

Should none of the above be discussed?
And are none of those political issues?
Absolutely. That is what I mean. If you don’t want politics then none of the above should be discussed. Every one is deeply political and even party political.
Last edited by Oldjohnw on 18 Oct 2021, 10:54am, edited 1 time in total.
John
reohn2
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by reohn2 »

Oldjohnw wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 10:31am
reohn2 wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 10:21am
Oldjohnw wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 7:18am Forgive my ignorance but how do we know that the forum is shrinking?

Even away from the kitchen politics inevitably gets expressed. Fines for traffic offences. Indifferent police. Weak laws. Things that annoy us. Traffic free roads and cycle lanes. Railways. Travel. Ebikes and rules. Sustrans. Climate, Helmets. Inadequate sentencing.

Should none of the above be discussed?
And are none of those political issues?
Absolutely. That is what I mean. If you don’t want politics then none of the above should be discussed. Everyone is deeply political and even party political.
:wink:
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
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Psamathe
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Psamathe »

Oldjohnw wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 7:26am If the technical content is depleted because of Brucie’s absence, how would banning politics increase it again?
It would deplete it. Quite a few contribute to both current affairs and technical threads and ongoing discussions and an active lively forum encourage people to visit frequently,

Without an active lively range of discussions you'd soon end-up with yet another "my disk brakes are noisy" and "How do I clean my chain" threads each with a single answer "See ... thread".

Ian
Psamathe
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Psamathe »

What I find so disappointing about those proposing bans is their lack of tollerance. It seems "Even though I can easily avoid it, I don't like it so ban it and stop those who do enjoy it from something that does not affect me".

Is that what our society has become? - ban anything we don't like even if it does not affect us!

Ian
Oldjohnw
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Oldjohnw »

Psamathe wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 10:51am What I find so disappointing about those proposing bans is their lack of tollerance. It seems "Even though I can easily avoid it, I don't like it so ban it and stop those who do enjoy it from something that does not affect me".

Is that what our society has become? - ban anything we don't like even if it does not affect us!

Ian
Everyone thinks they don’t do political until a particular nerve is touched.
John
Mike Sales
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Mike Sales »

Psamathe wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 10:51am What I find so disappointing about those proposing bans is their lack of tollerance. It seems "Even though I can easily avoid it, I don't like it so ban it and stop those who do enjoy it from something that does not affect me".

Is that what our society has become? - ban anything we don't like even if it does not affect us!

Ian
Cancel culture?

Did not David Amess show that it is possible to disagree politically without becoming abusive?
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
thirdcrank
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by thirdcrank »

What seems to have gone from the Tea Shop is a sort of whimsical element. Here's an example started by ex-forum member Charly. The first post in the thread had a pic of a ten-seater tandem, hence the
"car up, pass it on" "car up, pass it on" "car up, pass it on" "car up, pass it on" "car up, pass it on"
The picture is sadly gone as is Charly. I cannot now remember the circumstances of his departure but IIRC somebody took exception to something mild-mannered he posted and he slung 'is 'ook.

viewtopic.php?p=36257#p36257

(I'm not proposing banning anything.)
Psamathe
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Re: should politics be banned on the forum?

Post by Psamathe »

Oldjohnw wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 10:55am
Psamathe wrote: 18 Oct 2021, 10:51am What I find so disappointing about those proposing bans is their lack of tollerance. It seems "Even though I can easily avoid it, I don't like it so ban it and stop those who do enjoy it from something that does not affect me".

Is that what our society has become? - ban anything we don't like even if it does not affect us!

Ian
Everyone thinks they don’t do political until a particular nerve is touched.
Quite a few of the "ban it" also confuse current affairs and politics. I got reprimanded the other day posting to a thread that developed a current affairs aspect. Initially I was confused as to why the moderator didn't just delete my post, but it didn't break and rules and turns-out they are not even a moderator! They just have their own unpublished/unwritten rules about what they accept can be posted. It really disappoints me about our society when people get so determined about how others must comply with their wishes even when they are not impacted in any way by others. So intolerant.

Ian
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