politics

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kdbgoat

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There are about a half a dozen members here, on "both sides of the aisle" that seem to have to interject politics in every thing they post. Some blatant, some veiled. Everyone here knows who I'm talking about and which side they're on. If you really need to put your politics out there on the web, do an internet search for political forums, find one or two or a hundred you like and post there. The RV Forum is not the place. It's getting really old and serves no useful purpose except to spread hate, discontentment, and division among our members. That's opposite of the purpose of this forum. Don't take me wrong, though I may disagree with someone, I would still be happy to sit around a campfire with them, and have them join me at the dinner table, as one member here has done with me.
 
kdbgoat said:
There are about a half a dozen members here, on "both sides of the aisle" that seem to have to interject politics in every thing they post. Some blatant, some veiled. Everyone here knows who I'm talking about and which side they're on. If you really need to put your politics out there on the web, do an internet search for political forums, find one or two or a hundred you like and post there. The RV Forum is not the place. It's getting really old and serves no useful purpose except to spread hate, discontentment, and division among our members. That's opposite of the purpose of this forum. Don't take me wrong, though I may disagree with someone, I would still be happy to sit around a campfire with them, and have them join me at the dinner table, as one member here has done with me.

It is very hard today to do anything on the internet without sometimes brushing up against politics.  They affect almost every part of our life including RVing - national parks, lifetime passes, fees, etc.  Those that stray too far here are usually locked.  I treat it like I treat the news.  If I don't like it I just skip over to the next subject.  You could also include guns and religion in your post too.  Especially guns but everybody seems to think that anybody who owns a gun is an NRA member and that is far from the truth.  Religion has not been much of a problem.  So if you want to stick to pure RVing I think you will have to do as most do - skip over what offends you and press on.

Bill
 
Agree on the gun arguments too. I do think if someone asks an honest question about state laws or something like that, someone can post a link to where they can get their question answered, and everyone let it go at that. Further discussions can be handled by PM.
 
kdbgoat said:
Agree on the gun arguments too. I do think if someone asks an honest question about state laws or something like that, someone can post a link to where they can get their question answered, and everyone let it go at that. Further discussions can be handled by PM.
I agree. And at that point the thread should be closed.
 
Greetings All,

I want to thank kdbgoat, for putting this post up! I agree with what he says. Good advise of posting links to areas that answer certain questions that get political.

This is a great forum and for the most part isn't too volatile. I'd like to see it remain that way. A thanks to the forum moderators that help keep it that way!

:)) :)) :))
 
Several members seem to enjoy making veiled comments regarding political views perhaps thinking they can slip the comments by the forum staff.  To them I say "you're not as cute or as clever as you think you are!" and many of us find this practice extremely tiresome.  IMHO.
 
The worst part of the whole deal is that the idiots making their stupid remarks seem to think they are accomplishing something when in reality all they are doing is saying 'Look at me, I am an idiot'.
 
Tom and Margi said:
and many of us find this practice extremely tiresome. 

As does the staff.

It's not a matter of "just don't read it if you don't like it", these conversations simply don't belong here, and once they start downhill, one or more staff members start paying close attention, issuing warnings (often ignored), eventually locking and then sometimes cleaning up the mess. I would disagree that everything touches politics - if you can't talk about RVs without wandering down the wrong road, you're not trying hard enough. And here's a clue: if you're starting a sentence with, "I don't want to get political" or "This isn't meant to be political but..." just stop typing and hit the back button.
 
As someone who has not been here long, it is nice to be able to avoid the political discussions (and I don't think I've knowingly contributed/started any of those).  That being said, I would say some folks here are way too sensitive....whether the topic is politics or otherwise.  Someone makes a statement and game on......

Please remember feedback can come in a number of ways but most fall into two categories: Opinions and Data (facts).  Blending the two can be ugly.

It is not fun to read a post where two people are arguing a point that is moot (RV site grounding comes to mind).  I'm an electrician, no I'm an electrician.....and so on.

So I'd give the same advice to folks who want to argue (regularly)....let it go and move on. 

 
I wholeheartedly support this thread!  :))

One of the reasons this forum is so good, IMO, is that these topics don't dominate every thread.  There are a lot of forums out there that certainly can't claim that.
 
There is no reason to avoid gun discussions if the political snipers keep out of the discussion. Many forum members travel with weapons, and this forum is a good resource for the exchange of relevant information.
 
HappyWanderer said:
There is no reason to avoid gun discussions if the political snipers keep out of the discussion. Many forum members travel with weapons, and this forum is a good resource for the exchange of relevant information.
But every single discussion that guns are mentioned eventually get locked as this one probably will very soon. If people need information about guns then go to a gun forum.
 
SeilerBird said:
But every single discussion that guns are mentioned eventually get locked as this one probably will very soon. If people need information about guns then go to a gun forum.

That is a false statement. The only gun topics that get locked are the ones where politics get thrown in. There have been many very informative topics related to traveling with weapons that were not derailed by political comments.
 
Appreciate the various comments. We are listening.

Our preference is not to have a forum of locked topics. As Sun2Retire suggested, we employ various measures, including posting a polite warning to deal with charged discussions. We also split offending messages from topics and move them out of public view. We also communicate with offenders via PM or email. Much of what goes on behind the scenes is not in public view.

Historically, our forum members expressed a strong desire to not have discussions about politics, religion or firearms. Also historically, forum members actively (gently, but firmly) reminded others about posting this stuff. This was what we used to refer to as a "self-moderating forum", and I saw an example of this in another discussion this morning. Over the years, we've attempted to open things up and allow ilimited discussion of the "taboo" topics, in the hope that folks could have adult discussions. Unfortunately, some folks insist on posting a charged comment that becomes a lightning rod, and some folks just can't restrain themselves to keep the discussion civil, resulting in the discussion spiraling downhill.

I'll respectfully remind folks of these excerpts from our forum Rules (that we all agreed to when registering for an account here).

Political and Religious Ranting
Political and religious rants can lead to some ugly discussions and arguments, even among otherwise polite and friendly people. Over the years, RV Forum members have expressed a desire to avoid these kinds of discussions in our forum, preferring to maintain harmony. So, please post your political and religious views elsewhere such as one of the many alternative venues that cater to such discussions.

Respect For Others
While disagreements will understandably arise, we ask that members try to correspond in a friendly and good-mannered fashion. Personal disparagement, libel, slander, and harassment are unacceptable. Please try to focus on the issues, not on your correspondent. Attack the message, not the messenger! Personal attacks on other members are not permitted, regardless of the perceived provocation.  If you are offended by someone else's message, you may bring it to the attention of the forum staff; but please do not respond "in kind" to any perceived offense by another member.


Thanks for your cooperation.
 
It's pretty obvious that I have violated the "Respect For Others" rule. I apologize to the Admin and moderators, the site members, and especially those I disrespected. I'll do my best not to disrespect anyone again. I imagine I probably violated the the other rule also at one time or another, so please accept my apologies for that too. As I said before, though I may disagree with another person about different things, I would feel honored to sit around a campfire with anyone here.
 

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