June's "Beaches & Sunsets" thread

[diebitter]

still not sure. I think the odd controversial thread adds a bit of welcome pep around here.

[Blarg]

Again, there are different types of controversies. You're pretty much guaranteed to piss people off when you build a thread around trigger issues. The only question is whether you will lose people permanently, and if that's a gamble you're willing to take just to pee in your own pool.

[katyseagull]

I just don't get this at all. No disrespect meant toward you, Blarg, (you know I like you) but how on earth would one thread in one forum cause people to flee permanently? Can't people just not click on the thread if they are that freaked out about politics or worried that their political view might be bashed? There were plenty of threads in OOT that I purposefully didn't click on because I didn't like the sound of the subject title.

[Blarg]

Come on now, you must know I'm not talking about me. I've taken torrents of abuse in OOT and I'm both still here and still a prolific poster. This isn't about me.

Other people aren't necessarily like that, or like you. We are forum survivors in a way. We can take the baloney. Others just disappear. Some make an announcement of it. We just had someone saying they would never come back last week, because of some trivial something with pryor. It's not the first time I've seen that. I'm just saying that if you make threads that you KNOW will piss people off and encourage them to develop and hold grudges and be on their worst behavior, you might as well consider the consequences. In a forum like politics or BB4L, an uproar might be welcome and appropriate. (One reason I don't go to politics.) In OOT, it's at least not unexpected. Here, well, it's a good idea to be clear about what you want the forum to be. If you have shizophrenic goals, you will get schizophrenic results.

Plus, bear in mind that it's the negative things people remember most. It takes very little negative to wipe out a huge amount of positive feelings and goodwill.

[katyseagull]

Schizophrenic huh? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] Thanks.

My goal is an adult forum where we can have some lively yet civil discussions and really good exchanges on a number of topics ranging from film to dance to relationship problems to politics...you know, like with total strangers who live thousands of miles away.

I don't know about the rest of you but my purpose on forums is to have some good back and forth discussions on both the arts as well as current topics. I like hearing from people on opposite sides of an issue and it's especially cool when they are articulate enough that they can sway me.

I’m not even sure the word “controversial” is the right word for this debate. If I had started a thread "Do you think Clinton embarrassed America?" would that have been too loaded? What if it's just an interesting topic to some of us?

[Blarg]

Compare it to some other traffic-garnering winners like the following:

Does abortion embarass America?
Is abortion murder?
Why abortion and Nazi eugenics are essentially the same.
Does Christianity trivialize Judaism?
Was the reformation sacreligious?
Violence in Ireland -- Who's really to blame?
Oppressed peoples: Why aren't there closer ties between blacks and jews?
Nigg** and My Right to Free Speech

[katyseagull]

That's weird. Usually you and I see eye to eye on most subjects.

[samsdmf]

[ QUOTE ]
That's weird. Usually you and I see eye to eye on most subjects.

[/ QUOTE ]

Isnt it good for the forum that you don't occasionally though, it hardly seems fair that 2 of the top discussion posters never disagree- we need a bit of dissent in the ranks to keep things interesting!

[Sniper]

[ QUOTE ]
Hmm, when we had that controversial 'is Bush an embarrassment' thread going on, this forum was really lively and moving - lots of discussion, lots of good threads happening. Since I locked it, it's gone REAL quiet.

Was it a coincidence?

Did I do a stupid thing in locking it?

A few people have said they thought it was cool, but I wasn't keen on how it was going at all.

Thoughts plz.

[/ QUOTE ]

Stop locking threads [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[fyodor]

I will not be posting for the better part of a week.
It might have somthing to do with something pryor said to me, about me or behind my back.
It might have somthing to do with diebitter locking threads, doors or guns.
It might have somthing to do with tldr, 2+2 or the internet.
It might have somthing to do with my diet but I have not died.
I'll be back.

You can make a weekend game of it. Where has fyodor gone and why? Do we care?