Alley of Lingering Sighs Forum Opens

I don't understand why, if people don't like reading about a certain topic, they just don't read that thread. There's nothing that forces anybody to push the button to open a thread. If I see a thread about 'Death Metal' then I don't bother reading it. But some people like talking about 'Death Metal' so I think they should be allowed to. All I will ever see about it is it mentioned in a thread title which I will never open.

I understand the frustration of Americans in constantly hearing generalisations about their country. My advice to them is not read those threads that do that. And if they inadvertantly do happen to read something, then try and forget it and move on to the next topic.

I see no need to ban topics of this nature. Part of the interest of these Boards for me is that I get to see a little bit about what people are thinking around the world. I don't want that view to be diluted too much through insisting people stick to supposedly safe topics.

But that's my 2 cents worth.

 

I might understand that the titles might possibly be disturbing to Bush supporters, but to those who are not so? Even if, there's no need to read the topic if one knows in advance that he's going to be offended and aggrieved by what's inside.

As for Bush supporters, well, let them defend their Commander in Chief with logical arguments instead of telling us to shut up because Dubya is so cool.

Don't know if the separate forum section is going to help, though. You know... then they said AoDA was full of anti-American topics, now they will say you've even made a special forum section for bashing America.

 

Harbourboy -- Your ideas are great ones -- but they oversimplify the situation a bit. Yes, the best thing to do is avoid specific threads, but sometimes you find yourself taking a look, or you're in a seemingly innocent thread and the topic of the US and its politics arises. Now, as you say, we can simply ignore it and close the thread....and you do that, once, twice, three times....over and over...and then it finally gets to you and you explode with anger and respond.

Attacks on your country's politics, ideologies or what have you are not the same as arguing about who makes the best cookies. These topics are emotionally charged for anyone who has a patriotic bone in their body....it's our nationalities that we're discussing and generalizations can hurt, without meaning to.

As for a solution here at SP -- I don't know that there is one. A seperate forum will certainly help -- but it's just put a name on something that already existed. I guess the only choice is for Americans (who are bothered by it) to avoid that forum completely.

 

Except many of topics in there were started by Americans. As for ideologies, well, that's the purpose of the AoDA. We can discuss the right and the left, we can discuss capitalism and social democracy, conservatism and liberalism, Christianity, the Catholic Church, why not exceptionalism then? There's quite a large in proportion amount of topics involving the US, granted, but that's not quite surprising given that one state of the fifty is about the size of the average European country (OK, one of the bigger states, but still) and it's not like the ideologies come from Mars or like the problems and issues raised are made up by people who want to discuss them.

And I can't agree that we discuss nationalities here. Such threads would be locked down in no time and would likely be the last in their posters' career on these boards.

 

It is all just so boring anyway Everytime I open a forum it seems to have something to do with Bush or the US somewhere I mean why is it you guys don't have something more exciting or fun to talk about I mean why is it you guys don't have something more exciting or fun to talk about I mean why is it you guys don't have something more exciting or fun to talk about To much of the same crap is never good

 

I don't like the idea of an separate forum very much either since I don't think it's really going to help anything. Those who are offended by the topics will find them in AoLS anyway and most of them will write there too.

My worst fear is that AoLS will become a "trashcan forum" in which unwanted discussion goes to and no one wants to post because it might hold the same "anti-Bush rant" they read about few months ago. This could mean that discussion about US policies would become futile since so few people participated in them. Well I hope I'm wrong but I've seen this kind of development on a few other forums.

 

I have to second Morgoroth and DMC. Internet forums just like bars works largely by the formula that people attract people, the more and smaller forums you have the less activity there will be in each one and this in turn attracts less people and can even serve to make the regulars post less and less as there doesnt seem to be much happening. It is a downgoing spiral.

However, as has been stated, it is your forums Tal and you do what you want.

 

That's true. I, for one, would be interested to hear their defence, since ATM it is really easy to judge all americans as morons. That's prejudice and no one really can put it off if there are no good, opposing arguments. I know the feeling when you are the only one that seems to think otherwise, but running away only because others might not like to hear your opinion is only a lazy-mans solution when even one or two lines is usually enough, if presented right...

@ Bion

That's probably a good idea, I'm certain at least some people would love it, but don't you think that SP is getting a bit too large now? There are several sub-forums that see very little use and only crowd the main-section.

What I would do is clean up those either by deleting them altogether (unpublished games that probably don't come out for a long while yet) or archiving them under one, graveyard-type sub-forum (with locks or no). But then I drive for minimalistic simplicity...

 

And people say lawyers don't have a sense of humour.

/me chases dmc with a rosary and a vial of holy water

That is correct, I believe. Yet another point is that threads in that forum will be assumed to be at least a mild form of bashing, which is likely to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Wirthe --

Man, am I ever glad you said that. You prove my case in point -- but, still, you don't get what I was trying to say -- perhaps I didn't state it fully.

I DESPISE BUSH. I am NOT a BUSH SUPPORTER. I NEVER voted for him. I am, however, an American. The question I ask is how are those anti-Bush Americans supposed to respond to continuous anti-Bush posts that go a bit beyond criticism of a President, and enter the realm of criticism of a country, of a people. We are still Americans -- so while we agree with your BUSH criticisms, we get offended at the rest -- we are still Americans, afterall, regardless of who's at the helm. The pro-Bush Americans have it easy -- they can mount an argument and take the other side because there's something to argue, that's legal according the board rules here. It's much harder when you agree with the BUSH criticism (but not the anti-US), because there's nothing to say except look at such posts over and over....and if you try to fight the anti-US rhetoric WHEN IT APPEARS, you're accused of calling people "American-haters". Around and around and around we go. (And I'm NOT saying all posts end up that way...but I've seen many cross the line with direct sarcasm that can hurt.)

Case in point.

 

Here's something that settles this... Talk about something else other than boring bloody politics!

Settled.

 

I agree 99.9% with Spellbound. As far as all Americans being morons I do find that narrow minded at best. What are we supposed to do? Stage an armed rebellion? Don't be silly.

Unfortunately not all the bashing comes from outside the USA. Some Americans bash other Americans who disagree with them.

As far as the new forum goes, I'm rather glad to see the topics out of AoDA. Although like a sore tooth I probably won't be able to stay away from it.

 

@ Nakia Nightshadow

I said it IS prejudiced, so stop pointing fingers or someday, someone will take scissors and cut them off.

(...And... well... armed rebellion isn't that bad idea, but I would just move to Canada... But rebellion is okay too, if that is what you have been thinking. )

@ Spellbound

That is because it is the president that sends the orders, but the people who carry them out. Bombing the hell out from civilians, torturing prisoners, military atrocities... First it was Afghanistan, now Iraq, next it is probably Iran or Korea, now that Bush has been given green light to continue. But whatever, you can say the same again in it's own forum and I can stick to Whatnots.

[ January 22, 2005, 22:42: Message edited by: Wirhe ]

 

Wirhe -- This is exactly the type of rhetoric I'm talking about -- you've just give a classic example of it and proven my point once again.

I rest my case.

 

Aside from my opinion that Wirhe didnt intend to lay blame on all Americans - is this sort of attack appropriate in a debate? Oh and look, someone from SP staff, too.

What a poor style.