Dear moderator let's debate, pleeeze
 

I know, I know, you have made it "perfectly clear" that we have not been good girls and boys when discussing "_olitics", but if we promise to put our big boy pants on and debate like we did in high school because in the next year there are so many important issues that all posters could discover FACTS that have eluded all of us. Let's debate without profanity or personal attacks. I know, back in the day, our debate club would have our butt beat! So what do you say?????

The state of US politics at the moment, like our own here in UK, are so divided and partisan, the words 'reasonable debate' have been discontinued for the forseeable future.

Please moderator do not allow the return of THAT FORUM!!! TOTV is a much nicer place and is a very useful source of information like it is now.

Bingo!

A thousand NO's ! Talk of The Villages is a much more pleasant place these days.

To each his own. I for one favor being able to discuss those things going on in the world that have or will affect our lives.

Yes there will always be a loose cannon or two.

And unfortunately the forum and the majority of it's participants are tarred and tainted by the few.

Amazing how that works.

Yes let's have a spot to discuss world shaking events. Opt in.
Mis-behave get booted out.

If one opts in....they are not entitled to go back to the regular forum and complain about the content.

Those who want a "political' blog should create their own and not again poison this one. Most of us are not interested in the noisy, childish nonsense that permeated this blog before. We've learned our lesson. We have moved on.

Unfair condemnation of the majority who did it correctly.

Most of us behaved most of the time. It just got so full of cyber bullies who are a huge problem for the Internet. And these people on that other Forum would post a very large number of vicious personal attacks on their targets. And this was a daily occurrence.

I think an "intelligent" civil discussion of political events would be a good thing. But, like the many lawn ornaments in people's lawns, some people just don't think they have to play by the rules....

This whole “debate thing” could turn ugly

Although I really like the OP'S request and was just thinking about this same issue myself I don't think it would last more than the first 10 pages before it turned bad.

Do you remember how bad it really was? Do You? There is still a hangover of bad will from the old days. People who can't let anything but there point of view be highlighted. Many of the Grudges and Shots you see are based on the Thread That Was.

I do like the idea of give and take and being tolerant of the other person's views. Maybe I, or we could learn something.

That Forum has been gone for several years and although our Forum is a nicer place people still jab at each other based on what they know about other people's political beliefs from the old days.

So, in conclusion, I believe in a short period of time no matter what side you support all I see is it evolving into a Viper Pit in a short period of time. Great thought but the

reality is not good. I give the OP a lot of credit for the idea. Good Job!

It can't be a fair debate ever with the overwhelming majority of one party living here. That further fuels the anger and frustration for the minority party and things would go south quick.

Anger and frustration for the minority party, and all other parties, including the unaffiliated. Not all of us have embraced one particular party over the other and prefer to participate in our duty to vote as independents.

Look back.........who always starts the attacks, even when a "discussion" starts off seemingly innocent. There are a few here that are ripe with their condescending and holier than tho attitude and thoughts. Political "discussions" will always go over as well as fart in church here.
Steve

Not specifically pointing to any post that's already happened but as an example of why a P.C. Thread shouldn't come back will be tomorrow. This thread will go south. You'll see.

It is so easy to crawl in our comfortable corner and assume (we all know how to spell that word) that we have all the answers, but, but, maybe we could learn something from that debate and discover there is another answer, maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be a black and white issue but a "gray" one, maybe, just maybe!

We could call the forum, Fact Check, just like a real debate, no name calling, no personal attacks, just like "Dragnet" and Jack Webb were famous for saying, "the facts Mam, only the facts"

Look at the standard of debate on the site that cannot be spoken of.
Someone will post a politcal opinion/letter, and within minutes the so called debate gets down to sewer level.
Moderation would be a nightmare, there are plenty of sites 'off campus' to vent on, if that is a persons want.
Keep politics and religeon out of TOTV. JMO.

Views & Opinions were never changed or impacted by the debates, just expressed ad nauseam.

I guess a Real Debate is possible. I would hope for that also but we would Probably hear 1 Adam 12 instead. :1rotfl:

Best of luck. If you get this done I'll participate and behave. :)

Moderators rules are the Moderators rules...Abide or face the consequences

No thanks. I'll stick with the words of George Washington in his farewell address.

"I have already intimated to you the danger of [political] parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another..."

My response to a "debate" request. NO.

I respect other's opinions on any subject - as long as they respect mine. The slippery slope becomes an avalanche too soon and too many times.

Nope.

Political debate should be conducted face to face and I am real happy that it is not allowed here. The moderators already have a full time job trying to keep personal attacks and sarcasm out of threads. In the infamous words of Rodney King, CANT WE ALL JUST GET ALONG. an idea, would be to start a political debate GROUP on Facebook.

As much as I would love to hear debate and see the various points of views, I feel, given how quickly even the president’s arrival thread disappeared.... makes me wonder how long people could contain themselves.

I'd like to see the political forum return. I could discuss politics in a civil way. If posters break the rules, give them a time out.

I would hope that we could put aside our political prejudice and who knows , we might just discover we were wrong, imagine that! Too bad we can't pick a "salad bar" of different views. Last time I checked neither party had all the answers. Another option, questions given to moderator to choose thru a poll. Answer, yes no, or maybe! Just a thought, May we all keep an open mind and put aside our differences . Peace!

It could be easy to control.
Make it opt in...easy for those those who dislike political discussion....do not opt in!
Use same ID as in regular TOTV.
Enable ignore feature.
Give behavior violators 3 strikes and your out. The moderator would warn them up to three times....not just in one thread but overall.
Upon getting the third strike remove them from TOTV......maybe 30 days first time....60 days second time, etc.

Since the violators are a small minority count, it would not be long before they are weeded/struck out.

The ignore feature doesn't do any good if someone else quotes the person you're ignoring. A debate thread would suck up most of the moderators' time and efforts - and don't forget the mods have opinions as well - if they see a thread that busts their buttons, but isn't violating something, it's just more stress that they really shouldn't have to deal with.

That said - if such a forum option was to be returned, it should be a) opt-in only and b) violators are simply banned from that forum option. Not allowed to read or participate in that forum, but still have access as usual to the regular forum, with the usual rules.

:agree:

:bigbow:







:MOJE_whot:

If you want a "political forum", I suggest you go over to "the on line paper which must not be named" and see how long you can stomach it.

Nobody twisting you’re arms to open up the politicial forum and post are they.

No , no , no. Let the political people argue somewhere else.

This is a slippery slope. Often here on this forum, I see questioned posed as innocent inquiries about this or that topic - but they, and everyone else, knows that the answer to the question involves politics that aren't allowed on the forum.

So they bounce around the topic, edging close to that line between "allowed" and "verbotten" and it serves to irritate pretty much everyone, because they know they can't REALLY answer the question.

Members do this on purpose. To see who will cross that line. Maybe hoping to get someone banned, maybe just so they can call that person out in the future as "one of THOSE people who believe [insert belief here]."

If we can't talk about politics, then all discussions about anything political should be not allowed. That would include announcements of political figures coming to visit. They can find that information out on the Daily Sun, the Vi11age-News, the Ocala rag, the Leesburg weekly, and everywhere else that has local political news.

Complaining about the traffic caused by a [insert candidate] 2020 club golf cart parade, or a [insert candidate]2020 picket party, is just a poor disguise for a post daring and double-daring people to post political responses.

So we either stop it ALL - or we provide a place for it and enforce it. You want to talk about the condition of the Sharon, when you went to see you know who? Then put it in the political forum. Otherwise, leave who you saw out of the post. His existence had nothing to do with the condition of the Sharon.

That is an example I made up to demonstrate what I mean by disguising political talk with seemingly innocent posts. You don't care about the condition of the sharon. You just want to make sure everyone knows you went to see you-know-who.

If you could go back several years, there was a small group of posters that dominated the “P” forum that seemed to be dedicated to only allow a very narrow opinion as to what was acceptable. Please, don’t reopen that wound.

Once upon a time when life was more simple....when one heard or observed something not to their liking...they just ignored it.

Now in the age of the keyboard and social anonymity every mole hill can be presented as a mountain...and as all encompassing even when an isolated incident/instance...whether true or not...real or not...et al.

Freedom of speech and expression constantly being challenged.

Our lives are constantly bombarded all day and every day in the news, the movies, almost all sports etc, etc.

I still find the old way to be most effective. It is just too easy to ignore that which I have no interest in. And as for going in places where I know the content is not to my liking...simple again...JUST DON'T GO IN.

I'm guessing this would be up to the folks that run TOTV. Not the we that use this site.

Maybe I'm a dreamer, BUT I'd really like it not be a red or blue debate BUT a legitimate news versus fake news. ALL news media have NEWS and OPINIONS, let's not throw out the baby with the bath water. We need to acknowledge where the TRUTH lies, it's important that we have discourse AND treat each other with respect more importantly, I know we can do this, I really do!