Poll: This needs a dedicated thread. What to do with R&P?

[vallorn]

So, I noticed in my GID thread, and the threads back in the days of the poll on closing the WW. A lot of people have REALLY divided opinions on R&P. Some people view it as a good thing, others as a containment board, or necessity for the running of the site, then there are those (including myself) who would rather see it gone. There's many reasons for all of these positions, and I'd rather allow people to voice their own takes on this.

To start off with, I believe burning a forum down and salting the earth is a radical measure, but it may be what's needed. The grudges between people (including ones directed at me, or that I hold), on this forum, mainly originate from R&P "debates". There's also the widely known practice of Baiting, whereupon one will juuuust skirt the rules in order to antagonize another used into posting something angry and rules breaking which ends up with the "death by a thousand cuts" loss of users some have noticed.

Most gaming relevant politics could be folded into General, and the rest, can we throw those topics into whirlpools? I wonder. What would you save from a whirlpool, a Wild West or an R&P thread?

To be clear, I don't often agree with just closing down forums without warning, but in the case of R&P, it may be better off to hurl that baggage off the side of this ship now rather than later.

EDIT: Are polls still broken? Damnit.

 

[TopazFusion]

Here is your poll:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/surveys/view/40812

 

[Sassafrass]

I said leave it as is.
I mean, I have no interest in it but I doubt it's as bad as it's being made out to be.

 

[vallorn]

Here is your poll:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/surveys/view/40812

Thanks.

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I said leave it as is.
I mean, I have no interest in it but I doubt it's as bad as it's being made out to be.

It really isn't bad, but it seems like people have a vendetta about it due to other people, not the topics there in.

Abrasive personalities will be abrasive everywhere. It seems like people are dead set on punishing the whole for the actions of individuals.

 

[Avnger]

Snip

Christ do you really have a hard-on for something that doesn't actually affect you...

 

[vallorn]

Snip

Christ do you really have a hard-on for something that doesn't actually affect you...

Well it's not just me, and it's clogging up some other threads. Better to have a dedicated place for people to talk about it. Maybe like a certain forum?

Spoiler: Hey, maybe we could call this a 'containment thread'?

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I voted to purge it with fire and salt because I hate politics. ...and religion too really. These things can never be discussed in a civilized manner, ever. Having said that though, if it's not going to be purged then at least continue to keep it far away from me.

 

[The Lunatic]

I say get rid of it.
It's not been very well controlled, and it seems the grudges and stuff that've grown from it don't get dealt with, so, it's probably better to just not have it.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Can someone explain what is wrong with R/P? Other than the occasional asshat saying 'Kill all the Trannies!' and not getting banned, which is a moderation issue not a forum issue.
It seems like 99% of R/P is perfectly fine, if passionate, and that the asshats are dealt with pretty frequently.

 

[The Lunatic]

Can someone explain what is wrong with R/P? Other than the occasional asshat saying 'Kill all the Trannies!' and not getting banned, which is a moderation issue not a forum issue.
It seems like 99% of R/P is perfectly fine, if passionate, and that the asshats are dealt with pretty frequently.

Yeah, stuff like people cheering on the death of certain races and that kinda thing is pretty gross.

 

[Captain Marvelous_v1legacy]

Can someone explain what is wrong with R/P? Other than the occasional asshat saying 'Kill all the Trannies!' and not getting banned, which is a moderation issue not a forum issue.
It seems like 99% of R/P is perfectly fine, if passionate, and that the asshats are dealt with pretty frequently.

From what I understand it comes down to two things. The first is that R&P is a hive of scum and villainy where users go to insult and degrade one another and call each other nazis. The second is that the animosity from R&P will bleed out onto other forums. But I've never really seen R&P's grudges bleed out onto other forums because many of the users that go to R&P go there almost exclusively. And the animosity in R&P is greatly exaggerated. Sure, it gets a little heated, but that's just what happens when two opposing sides clash over subjects at least one side is passionate about.

I say leave R&P as it is. Those who don't like political or religious discussions can just avoid it.

 

[Saelune]

Can someone explain what is wrong with R/P? Other than the occasional asshat saying 'Kill all the Trannies!' and not getting banned, which is a moderation issue not a forum issue.
It seems like 99% of R/P is perfectly fine, if passionate, and that the asshats are dealt with pretty frequently.

I really do wonder what people who hate the idea of discussing politics think will be solved if we censor discussion of it? Do they think if we don't talk about the racism of cops, the corruption of politicians, the abuse of foreigners, that it will all go away? Cause it wont, rather it would only get worse.


Many people who say it used to not be so bad are really saying 'I wasn't burdened with knowing it was an issue'. Gay people did not suddenly exist in the 70's, and foreigners have been abused by those in power since there were powers and foreigners.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

The irony of it all is that R&P is probably in the best shape it has been in the past 4 years. There were definitely a few years around 2014-2016 when it was a shit show, but it has stabilized and most threads in R&P today are pretty good both from behavior and content viewpoints. Shit, there are more active threads in R&P now then there was a year ago and we are handing out far less warnings in R&P then we did six months ago.

But as I said in the other thread: this entire discussion is moot, because it is down to New Management to decide which forums will be kept around and which gets axed, and we as users are unlikely to get a say in it. With that said, remember to pick your words carefully in this thread, because attacks on forum users are not allowed, even if you attack them as a group.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

I said close it myself, but Saelune does have a bit of a point. So for the sake of a tie or a tight vote, I'm fine with a VERY strict reform as well. Kinda wish I could go back and select that option, but eh

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

And not a single option for "I don't care".
I guess that's "Leave as it is" from me.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

The grudges between people (including ones directed at me, or that I hold), on this forum, mainly originate from R&P "debates". There's also the widely known practice of Baiting, whereupon one will juuuust skirt the rules in order to antagonize another used into posting something angry and rules breaking which ends up with the "death by a thousand cuts" loss of users some have noticed.

This seems like it a problem with people, not the forum itself. You close R&P then people are just going to find things to argue about here in Off-Topic or one of the other subforums. What would you do, just close each subforum one by one?

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

The grudges between people (including ones directed at me, or that I hold), on this forum, mainly originate from R&P "debates". There's also the widely known practice of Baiting, whereupon one will juuuust skirt the rules in order to antagonize another used into posting something angry and rules breaking which ends up with the "death by a thousand cuts" loss of users some have noticed.

This seems like it a problem with people, not the forum itself. You close R&P then people are just going to find things to argue about here in Off-Topic or one of the other subforums. What would you do, just close each subforum one by one?

This is exactly my point. Why should the whole pay for caustic personalities? Why not deal with the caustic personalities instead?

And the votes for "burn it because I don't like religion or politics"... Are they even real votes? That's like saying "I like to make up my own mind, so I don't see need for user reviews"

 

[Catnip1024]

It's ironic that the person with the biggest grudge around here seems to be yourself, rather than any of the R&P posters.

You don't want gaming relevant politics in General. That was the point of all these separate forums in the first place.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

What's wrong with keeping it around? Compared to some other designated politics section in various communities I frequent the number of Nazis there is actually pretty low.