should politics be banned on the forum?

[Oldjohnw]

I stopped reading anything political on here a while go in the realisation that no one ever changes their mind based upon the rantings of the otherside, all I would either do is agree with other person or wind them up , so what's the point. In real life I quite happily sup with people of the opposite political persuasion, we managed to get by without politics and if it comes up we generally agree to disagree. So its easier just to ignore politics on here.

But somehow you found your way here, even though you don’t read anything political.

[NUKe]

I stopped reading anything political on here a while go in the realisation that no one ever changes their mind based upon the rantings of the otherside, all I would either do is agree with other person or wind them up , so what's the point. In real life I quite happily sup with people of the opposite political persuasion, we managed to get by without politics and if it comes up we generally agree to disagree. So its easier just to ignore politics on here.

But somehow you found your way here, even though you don’t read anything political.

Clues in the title, as to why I felt I might want to comment

[thirdcrank]

But somehow you found your way here, even though you don’t read anything political.

I'm no expert on social mediaspeak, but there must be a term for this type of innuendo.

[thirdcrank]

IMO, this is a bit more subtle than that. So much depends on context.

eg A regular (apolitical) topic on here has been people complaining about "invisible" cyclists they've seen on the road and imo they are fair game for queries about how they saw them. In this case, a poster made what seemed to me like a reasonable contribution and received what seemed to me like a response which was a fraction too clever, which provoked a response which was perhaps OTT.

IMO, if a message is misunderstood, the sender should reflect.

[Syd]

[moderated]

Politics should, and must, be banned across the forum.

This forum is quickly turning into a nasty place to be and I will no longer be posting on, or visiting, this forum hereafter.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

[Oldjohnw]

I think I am with Syd here. I am deeply saddened by what I can only assume is a lack of humanity with some. I started the RIP post in good faith but some have seen fit to turn it into a rant. I can do politics as good as anyone but I hoped that there would be some decency and decorum on a page respecting a murdered parliamentarian. How naive of me.

[thirdcrank]

Well I am not and I have reported his post.

=======================================

As he should have reported the posts which offended him, instead of resorting to personal abuse
(edited to remove an embarrassing typo, preserved in a later quote)

[slowster]

Has he should have reported the posts which offended him, instead of resorting to personal abuse

Remarkable that someone uses a personal insult about another poster, and in the next breath complains about how nasty the forum is.

[mjr]

I think I am with Syd here. I am deeply saddened by what I can only assume is a lack of humanity with some. I started the RIP post in good faith but some have seen fit to turn it into a rant. I can do politics as good as anyone but I hoped that there would be some decency and decorum on a page respecting a murdered parliamentarian. How naive of me.

There were several things in that post which were IMO obviously likely to offend some religions, such as presuming to speak for others. Then you added the heady mix of politics by making claims like that Amess did "not have dictator tendencies" whereas in reality he did indeed vote to dictate how women and LGBT people behaved privately.

Leaving aside whether we agree with him or not, an RIP post was not a good place to raise political points like that, especially if you did not know of Amess and didn't know if you wrote truth. Decorum and decency would have been to leave politics out of it. Probably religion too.

I had no polite answer so posted nothing but I'm not surprised someone took the bait.

[Oldjohnw]

I mentioned the fact that he was an RC, as has every news bulletin and comment in the country. That he was a politician with certain views was a simple political fact. His profession could not be left out. Nor the simple fact that he never sought office. And why on earth do I need to have known all about the man before simply acknowledging his murder? That is quite different to bringing in religion and politics into something. Others did all of that.

But hey, I have learned my lesson. Where these pages go now is somewhere I don’t want to be, if you can’t even express human sympathy without people rolling in on you. I have seen something truly ugly. I am now leaving this forum. It’s a sad day when you have to agree with someone’s politics before you can express human sympathy and outrage against a heinous crime.

[thirdcrank]

I think I am with Syd here. I am deeply saddened by what I can only assume is a lack of humanity with some. I started the RIP post in good faith but some have seen fit to turn it into a rant. I can do politics as good as anyone but I hoped that there would be some decency and decorum on a page respecting a murdered parliamentarian. How naive of me.

There were several things in that post which were IMO obviously likely to offend some religions, such as presuming to speak for others. Then you added the heady mix of politics by making claims like that Amess did "not have dictator tendencies" whereas in reality he did indeed vote to dictate how women and LGBT people behaved privately.

Leaving aside whether we agree with him or not, an RIP post was not a good place to raise political points like that, especially if you did not know of Amess and didn't know if you wrote truth. Decorum and decency would have been to leave politics out of it. Probably religion too.

I had no polite answer so posted nothing but I'm not surprised someone took the bait.

mjr

Bearing in mind you seem to take more interest in moderation and the surrounding problems than I do, I feel reassured that your thoughts reflect mine.

[Carlton green]

Following me reading the thread on Sir David Amess and his murder, it appalled me that even that turned to politics. In places. Particularly the posts from Debs. A coward living behind a keyboard as I doubt very much it would be repeated in mixed company.

On the basis politics should, and must, be banned across the forum.

This forum is quickly turning into a nasty place to be and I will no longer be posting on, or visiting, this forum hereafter.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

I shall be sorry to see Syd go - and similarly Oldjohnw - and think that his reaction is a good example of the corrosive effects of political expression here.

Moderation of comments should barely be necessary but unfortunately it is. Moderator’s have a difficult task which they shoulder without pay and with scant appreciation from the members. They work un-seen to keep this place going, sometimes editing and removing member posts, and they are very tolerant of what’s expressed. Unfortunately that (IMHO excessive) tolerance is, in practise, misguided and hence decent folk leave this forum and others don’t bother joining.

[Paulatic]

Interesting outcome to a Topic title which was like a red rag to a bull.
I totally agree ( I don’t always ) with mjr

I had no polite answer so posted nothing but I'm not surprised someone took the bait.

You shouldn’t speak Ill of the dead yet sometimes I will. I hate the fact some people appear to become saints after death.
Syd said

A coward living behind a keyboard as I doubt very much it would be repeated in mixed company.

Syd must mix in more polite circles than I do as just having had a quick read of the thread I see nothing I haven’t heard in the spoken world. Unless the offensive post has been removed.

[Carlton green]

Syd said

A coward living behind a keyboard as I doubt very much it would be repeated in mixed company.

Syd must mix in more polite circles than I do as just having had a quick read of the thread I see nothing I haven’t heard in the spoken world. Unless the offensive post has been removed.

I’ve just read through the thread and believe that some offensive material has been removed.
My experience of Syd is that he is an educated and thoughtful poster, I might not always have agree with him but I’d certainly consider his comments carefully.

[thirdcrank]

IMO, this is an example of one of my regular themes:-

It's easy to be misunderstood on an internet forum for various reasons eg there's not the immediate feedback of face-to-face conversation. One important thing is how you deal with that. IMO, the best way is to reflect to see why the message was misinterpreted and try to clarify it. Blaming others is not helpful. Obviously, if you've not been misunderstood and the replies express disagreement, then either justify what you wrote or accept the correction.