Suggestions for new forums

[80sU2isBest]

Sometimes this forum gets out fo hands. Sometimes I just wanna discuss political events with people who feel the same way I do about them. Sometimes I want debate, but other times I just want good discussion with fellow conservatives. I'm sure many of my fellow conservatives feel the same way. I'm also pretty sure that liberals would like the same thing every once in a while. But as it is now, anything anyone ever posts that has a leftist or rightist view point will most certainly be argued with. So my suggestion is this; creation of two new forums - a conservative forum where conservatives such as myself and lemonite and Achtung Bubba and others can chill and discuss, and another forum just for liberals to do the same. Of course, when any of us get in the mood for a good old fashioned drop down deag out fight, we can post over here in Free Your Mind. Anyone else want to see something like this implemented?

 

[80sU2isBest]

Originally posted by LarryMullen's_POPAngel:
I don't see why there needs to be another forum like this one floating around. This one serves the purpose just fine. Just because someone has a different opinion does not mean you need a seperate forum, nor do they.

This a great forum for debate. However, sometimes I just want to discuss issues with like-minded people, without the hassle of having to argue with people. Do you think that if I titled a thread "for conservatives only", that liberals wouldn't argue? Same goes for liberals - if they posted threads entitled "for liberals only", conservatives would argue with them anyway. If there were 3 forums, one for conservatives, one for liberals, and one for everyone in which to argue, people woouldn't be so likely to go to someone else's forum and start arguing.
Thanks, Sicy for copying this to "don't expect, suggest".

 

[wannabe]

I don't post here, but I lurk.

My question is, would Liberals/Conservatives be banned from posting in each other's forums? What happens when a fellow party member has quite an opposing opinion (given that he/she isn't straight-ticket)? Sounds like it could make things more *calm*.

 

[zonelistener]

And how would you limit these thread to just conservatives and just liberals? Will I have to have some sort of special access card?

And what happens if I'm a conservative, and I just really like being a lurk and posting arguments in the Liberal threads...how do you control that.....

Doesn't make sense to me - sounds like a bigger headache waiting to happen. At least FYM expands your mind to different opinions! I like seeing the "other side of the argument/debate." Your mind doesn't expand if you always interact with people who think JUST like you!

[This message has been edited by zonelistener (edited 02-28-2002).]

 

[80sU2isBest]

Originally posted by wannabe:
I don't post here, but I lurk.

My question is, would Liberals/Conservatives be banned from posting in each other's forums? What happens when a fellow party member has quite an opposing opinion (given that he/she isn't straight-ticket)? Sounds like it could make things more *calm*.

Nope, I wouldn't expect people to be banned from any forums, but with the existence of the Free Your Mind forum being open for debate, I would expect that to deter people from "crashing teh other party's party"

People within a party are apt to disagree every once in a while, but it is far less likely than people of opposite parties disagreeing.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Originally posted by zonelistener:

1)And how would you limit these thread to just conservatives and just liberals? Will I have to have some sort of special access card?

2)And what happens if I'm a conservative, and I just really like being a lurk and posting arguments in the Liberal threads...how do you control that.....

3)Doesn't make sense to me - sounds like a bigger headache waiting to happen. At least FYM expands your mind to different opinions! I like seeing the "other side of the argument/debate." Your mind doesn't expand if you always interact with people who think JUST like you!

[This message has been edited by zonelistener (edited 02-28-2002).]

See my above post for my responses to issues 1 and 2.

As for issue # 3, again, I'm not suggesting we do away with free Your Mind. People can come on to this forum to be enlightened anytime that they want. I just want a place where I can chill with other conservatives, without having to worry about someone "getting up in my grill" all the time. In your real life, don't you ever just want to sit back and discuss politics with someone who feels the way you do? I find it can be an encouraging and uplifting experience. We all need the refreshment every once in a while. Debate is nice, but I don't want it 100% of the time. And I know for a fact that I will always get argued with if I post a conservative thread in this forum.

 

[wannabe]

Originally posted by 80sU2isBest:
In your real life, don't you ever just want to sit back and discuss politics with someone who feels the way you do?

If you want my honest opinion, rarely. I find discussing mixed opinion politics with others helps refine my views. Kind of like how someone with a snake phobia can be cured by more/excess exposure to snakes. Listening to others, and perhaps allowing oneself to look outside the box can proove beneficial.

As Zone said

Your mind doesn't expand if you always interact with people who think JUST like you!

Change is the only constant.

 

[melon]

Before I take my extended break, I'll just say this. Perhaps you should look for a politics forum on another web site. I know, for a fact, that there is a major conservative web site out there...I won't post it, in case it looks like advertising. I'm sure there is a liberal politics forum as well. Of course, feel free to visit here as well, but I don't think that interference.com can be *everything.*

Melon

------------------
"He had lived through an age when men and women with energy and ruthlessness but without much ability or persistence excelled. And even though most of them had gone under, their ignorance had confused Roy, making him wonder whether the things he had striven to learn, and thought of as 'culture,' were irrelevant. Everything was supposed to be the same: commercials, Beethoven's late quartets, pop records, shopfronts, Freud, multi-coloured hair. Greatness, comparison, value, depth: gone, gone, gone. Anything could give some pleasure; he saw that. But not everything provided the sustenance of a deeper understanding." - Hanif Kureishi, Love in a Blue Time

 

[zonelistener]

O.K. - Let me make sure I have this right - I may be confused - you want a place were someone with your same views politically can talk - in a U2 forum. Its still not making sense.

I'm sure somewhere in this vast Internet world you can find a board where you can post with people with your same political views. It seems WAY too niche to have a U2 fans and conservatives or liberals only topic area - no?

Why don't you start a thread discussing something, and instead of arguing against the opposite views, just ignore them, and speak to the similar views.

 

[zooropamanda]

Sorry for not agreeing with you 80sU2 but this is not a place just for your friends, it is an open public forum for everyone, or so I thought.
What you are talking about is segregation and will only cause problems and rifts.
And last time I looked it was a forum for U2 fans, who are the kind of people I thought were open minded and able to see the bigger picture, rather than wanting to lock themselves away for discussion in their own little groups.
What purpose would it serve?

Maybe we should have a forum for just males or maybe one that only allows Asian people, perhaps one for all the Catholics, where no other religions are allowed to debate them.

80's, this isn't the 80's, let alone the 50's, you are majorly talking about segregation here.

Although anything I say of late is wrong and has absolutely no merit around here, so don't listen to me anyway.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

I listen to you manda.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Some of you have had good suggestions (thank you, melon), but some of you are missing the point entirely, even though I've explained it twice.

1)It's not about "always" having discussions with people I know will agree with me. It's about "sometimes" being able to talk about a subject with like-minded people, without having to wade through posts and posts deriding and insulting my political views.

2)This idea that it is about "segregation" for the sake of segregation is way off. To compare my suggestions to the segregation and racism evident in the 50s is total malarky. How did you coem up with that? To equate the two trivializes the plight of those who had to live with true bigotry.

Just forget it. Bad ide, evidently.

 

[joyfulgirl]

80's, I think you've got the right idea with the "Attention My Fellow Conservatives" thread. It is obviously not a thread for me and I will respect that--hopefully other non-conservatives will as well. All one can do is ask politely not to have one's thread be hijacked into a debate thread and hope for the best.

 

[zonelistener]

80s

Just saw your "conservatives" post. I hope it works! Remember, just ignore the ones who are trying to argue against your ideas!

 

[zooropamanda]

I meant 50's in your backwards thinking, I never mentioned the word racism.I certianly didn't trivialise it either.

You want a forum just for one type/group of people.
Need I say more?

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

there's enough forums as it is. and now you guys want two *more* forums added?
and like others have said, adding these would not only prevent any debate, but come on...this is a U2 forum! it'll get to the point where there's more off-topic stuff than U2-related forums.
like it's been said, if you really must talk about (insert some non-U2 topic here) you can always go to some website actually pertaining to the topic. would that be so hard?

 

[80sU2isBest]

Originally posted by zooropamanda:
I meant 50's in your backwards thinking, I never mentioned the word racism.I certianly didn't trivialise it either.
You want a forum just for one type/group of people.
Need I say more?

You didn't use the word "racism", but you used the word "segregation" referring to the 50s. What do you think segregation was about in the 50s? People who like bananas as opposed to people who like grapes? Equating me wanting a conservative forum with segregation of the 50s(keeping blacks from going to white schools) is not only ridiculous, it's insulting.
Backwards thinking? How is wanting to discuss issues with people who believe as you do every once in a while "backwards thinking"?

 

[80sU2isBest]

Originally posted by KhanadaRhodes:
there's enough forums as it is. and now you guys want two *more* forums added?
and like others have said, adding these would not only prevent any debate, but come on...this is a U2 forum! it'll get to the point where there's more off-topic stuff than U2-related forums.
like it's been said, if you really must talk about (insert some non-U2 topic here) you can always go to some website actually pertaining to the topic. would that be so hard?

Khanada, I have met some fine people on this forum, and many of them are conservatives. I am specifically interested not just in discussing politics with not just anyone, but particular people that I have "met" on this forum, like Achtung, lemonite, etc. That is why simply going to another forum wouldn't achieve my results.

 

[zooropamanda]

um...look up a dictionary 80s, segregation means division. I never was referring to anything about racial segregation.
Don't put words in my mouth.
Your last reply was nothing to do with what I said, you just spun your own judgement onto what I was referring to.

 

[zooropamanda]

Another thing, I'm Australian, taking black people out of white schools, didn't even enter my head until you just said it. So there goes your theory.

Collins Dictionary:
Segregation: to set apart from rest

Sheesh

 

[brettig]

Originally posted by 80sU2isBest:
Backwards thinking? How is wanting to discuss issues with people who believe as you do every once in a while "backwards thinking"?

I think if u want this so badly u can set it up yourself...away from here.

 

[adam's_mistress]

Personally I think the idea is good, as all too often political threads get "hijacked" as someone before me put it. However I do think it is possible to have a political discussion between like-minded individuals despite some of the hijacking that occurs.

But the problem is, and we all know it, that opposing views incites anger and/heated debate and can take away from the actual discussion as people go round and round trying to back up their claims or hold their ground.

As much as I'd like to see a forum devoted just for liberals and people that think like I do, I know I can find that elsewhere on the net. I don't post here much, but most of my posts are in this forum - I love reading the discussions, and I love reading the debates - even if I don't agree. What I don't like is the bashing and since I tend to lean a little more to the left, when I see posts that say "And all those liberals (insert condescending or tongue in cheek statement here)" the thread immediately screams: "Let's start a pissing contest" To be fair, I think the same can be said for any conservative who feels lashed out against when there's a post that appears condescending to their views.

But I don't think having two more seperate forums will solve the problem of having certain threads hijacked. If anything, it will start a forum war. I can see it now. The liberal forum has a thread titled "Take a look at Lemonite's post in the Conservative Forum" and the replies, though in accord, could turn into a conservative bashing session. And vice versa.

I really don't frequent that many online forums, mainly because I don't have the time. What I like about Interference in general is that if I want to read a political discussion or debate, I can come here and see it in action. I don't like the arguments and I don't derive a sick pleasure seeing people duke it out here, but it's the nature of this forum. Personally I don't get involved in discussions as much as I'd like to, and I admit sometimes some comments get me bent out of shape, and sometimes I feel too intimidated to join in because I'm the nonconfrontational type.

If anything, this forum has taught me a lot about how people with opposing views interact. It gets heated and ugly a good portion of the time, but the resolve is usually peaceful and in the end everyone agrees to disagree.

So to conclude this mess I just wrote, I think the 'two more forums' idea is a good one, but I don't think it's necessary. I think if the person who starts the thread requests the thread is for like minded discussion, then we should all be mature enough to honor those requests.

 

[SicilianGoddess]

After reading a few other people's views on this suggestion, I have to say that I agree with the majority that say it would serve no purpose to make more forums for just a handful of people who share different views. If you dont agree on a certain topic, move on to something else.

We'll see how the conservatism thread goes, maybe that would work out if the opposing viewers ignore it, but somehow I dont see that lasting very long.

I'm going to leave the suggestion box thread open for now until Elvis can post in it and make the final say, but somehow I dont think he will go for the idea. It also might be a good suggestion to find a forum somewhere thats function is to purposely share your views.

------------------
It's cold in the ground
But there's peace in the sound
Of the white and the black
Spilling over

Sicy's Website

 

[Lemonite]

Originally posted by 80sU2isBest:
So my suggestion is this; creation of two new forums - a conservative forum where conservatives such as myself and lemonite and Achtung Bubba and others can chill and discuss, and another forum just for liberals to do the same.

Well said 80's, however I'd include the HORROR in that statement as well, I'm convinced he's lurking around here somewheres still... A Makavelistic Return I predict.

And with the current influx of new forums here in Feedback.. I'm sure we can stick one right in between Poopaganda and the Espanoles Galore Forums.

L.Unplugged

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I don't see why there needs to be another forum like this one floating around. This one serves the purpose just fine. Just because someone has a different opinion does not mean you need a seperate forum, nor do they.

 

[SicilianGoddess]

Lemonite your a freak, but thats besides the point.

I'm going to go ahead and put a copy of this thread in Dont Expect, Suggest. Because ultimately it will be Elvis who decides yay or nay.

------------------
It's cold in the ground
But there's peace in the sound
Of the white and the black
Spilling over

Sicy's Website