[Augie]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Many have stated that members who don't like the Poli Forum should not go there. I think the argument that hey, it is opt-in so what's the problem, belies one of the problems with the Poli forum.

Maybe the reason members who don't like what they find there venture in because they too would be interested in participating in a TOTV Poli forum. Maybe they try participating, get insulted and ganged up upon by yes, a clique, and then give up. Maybe others who would love to offer their perspective venture in, see the lay of the land, and then don't dare ever post, or just don't want to converse with people who belittle those with whom they disagree.

This argument that if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen gives the Poli Forum almost exclusively over to the few dominators and schoolyard bullies who can gleefully continue to run off or turn off new participants. Maybe a forum in which only about a dozen of the 25,000 TOTV members post regularly is not worth the time and effort it takes to moderate.

Maybe the new owner is the sort of gentleman who just doesn't want to sponsor barroom brawls.

Some say have rules but don't moderate. That has been tried.

The wild west, no modding approach would reward bullying and in effect, provide a political forum in which a few who are hostile to opposing viewpoints thrives and everyone else either leaves in disgust, or fails to speak up because they don't want to participate in a spit fest. Maybe such a forum disenfranchises more members than it enfranchise. Maybe that's why only about a dozen TOTV members out of 25,000 regularly posts in the Poli Forum.

Maybe it looks like with 370-plus posts on this thread, there is too much interest to close political. Look again. More than half of all of the posts in this thread were posted by just 10 people.

Nice job. Thanks for the very insightful and thoughtful post.

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by Augie

Nice job. Thanks for the very insightful and thoughtful post.

Phyllis is always insightful and thoughtful, though I cannot fully agree with her on this subject.

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by Augie

Nice job. Thanks for the very insightful and thoughtful post.

augie - i am still waiting for you to respond to the question i asked of you from your other post? are you gonna make the midnight deadline?

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by bkcunningham1

P, are you saying that this forum has 25,000 regular posters?

i don't think so, bk - i think pturner figured out that only 25 of 25,000 members post regularly in political.

[Augie]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

augie - i am still waiting for you to respond to the question i asked of you from your other post? are you gonna make the midnight deadline?

Nope.

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by Augie

Nope.

i figured as much!

[kentucky blue]

Originally Posted by chelsea24

This is my second post on this long thread, but it seems that you have many, many more. Isn't that kinda like the pot calling the kettle... well, you know the rest. Cheer away "Gleeful" people!!! You certainly are setting a stellar example of "America's Friendliest Hometown". Your cartoon of beating a dead horse is offensive, IMHO.

The horse may be dead to you, but we that took part in the Political Forum are still waiting to find out what killed it! Autopsy please?

"Two things are infinite ....................the universe and human stupidity",we have seen plenty examples of that,please give them back their political forum.They are entitled to their opinions,whether they are informed or not.Maybe Cinderella wasn't enthused about the stroke of midnight,but i sure in the h&ll am,end this nonsense,the sooner the better.Just a word of wisdom ............................try LISTENING to other INFORMED individuals before you offer your opinion.Check out post # 63.

[Augie]

Originally Posted by njbchbum

i figured as much!

Yup

[ilovetv]

Regarding:

"This argument that if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen gives the Poli Forum almost exclusively over to the few dominators and schoolyard bullies who can gleefully continue to run off or turn off new participants"........

I don't see it this way at all, because a person who poses weaker arguments has the right to post just as many times as the person who "wins" with stronger, more articulate arguments.

A person whose argument gets shot down can go and read all night from various sources and post again and again, with as many comebacks as they want to post. And the exercise and practice would make the person a better debater.

Personal attacks and name calling shouldn't be allowed IMO.

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by kentucky blue

"Two things are infinite ....................the universe and human stupidity",we have seen plenty examples of that,please give them back their political forum.They are entitled to their opinions,whether they are informed or not.Maybe Cinderella wasn't enthused about the stroke of midnight,but i sure in the h&ll am,end this nonsense,the sooner the better.Just a word of wisdom ............................try LISTENING to other INFORMED individuals before you offer your opinion.Check out post # 63.

yeah, you can post items like #11 in the The Best Deal in Town - Really?? thread!

[lovesports]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Many have stated that members who don't like the Poli Forum should not go there. I think the argument that hey, it is opt-in so what's the problem, belies one of the problems with the Poli forum.

Maybe the reason members who don't like what they find there venture in because they too would be interested in participating in a TOTV Poli forum. Maybe they try participating, get insulted and ganged up upon by yes, a clique, and then give up. Maybe others who would love to offer their perspective venture in, see the lay of the land, and then don't dare ever post, or just don't want to converse with people who belittle those with whom they disagree.

This argument that if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen gives the Poli Forum almost exclusively over to the few dominators and schoolyard bullies who can gleefully continue to run off or turn off new participants. Maybe a forum in which only about a dozen of the 25,000 TOTV members post regularly is not worth the time and effort it takes to moderate.

Maybe the new owner is the sort of gentleman who just doesn't want to sponsor barroom brawls.

Some say have rules but don't moderate. That has been tried.

The wild west, no modding approach would reward bullying and in effect, provide a political forum in which a few who are hostile to opposing viewpoints thrives and everyone else either leaves in disgust, or fails to speak up because they don't want to participate in a spit fest. Maybe such a forum disenfranchises more members than it enfranchise. Maybe that's why only about a dozen TOTV members out of 25,000 regularly posts in the Poli Forum.

Maybe it looks like with 370-plus posts on this thread, there is too much interest to close political. Look again. More than half of all of the posts in this thread were posted by just 10 people.

Wonderful post and brave woman to post it. I never never saw so much out of context and baiting and bullying in my life. By the way, times have changed, there is a real movement to stop bulling now. Whole programs are in every school. Kids were taking their lives who were the targets of bullies.

People are afraid to post on this thread. And by the way, all I posted was the Admin had a right and a reason for closing the Political. I never said it affected me like Barefoot implied. I remember Poli well before the opt in. There was a reason it was closed.
Many don't go into political because they remember those days. When I know there is a bad part of a city, I don't have to go in that part of the city to see if I get shot. When I know there are people calling names and ganging up on postes, I don't have to opt in to see if I will get called names. But I sure saw it in this thread.
So get this straight, I don't CARE if you have Poli or not but I sure think it is the Admin right to close it. I said before that I would be stoned over and over by the same dominators. It proved so true. One poster on this thread has over 30 posts or more and I make one post and he/she is on me like flies on fly paper. He/She twists what everyone says and baits, bullies and twists some more. I bet this same posters could be with me in a club or any face to face and be the nicest person.
So why I started this post, Putner, I think you are the BEST. You are always so nice to everybody.(like Gracie) Thanks for an excellent post.
So glad it is close to midnight.

[RichieLion]

The Admin said on this forum or to me personally in a PM, I don't recall which, that if he closed the Political Forum down he would regain approximately 7 hours of his life back each week.

I think in some ways he asked for this problem, as he tried to do too much and please too many people; and maybe the wrong people. It's hard to monitor feelings. This problem is all about feelings.

I won't repeat how I thought complaints could have been handled in the "opt in" at your own risk forum that it was. I posted all that previously on this thread.

The Political Forum is not going to return, I believe. The only reason a website like this would backtrack is if it garnered significantly less hits because of it, which would translate eventually into lost advertising dollars.

I don't believe that will be the case. Those who drove the Admin crazy got what they wished for....................a political vacuum. I guess they can always talk to their cats.

[bkcunningham1]

Originally Posted by kentucky blue

"Two things are infinite ....................the universe and human stupidity",we have seen plenty examples of that,please give them back their political forum.They are entitled to their opinions,whether they are informed or not.Maybe Cinderella wasn't enthused about the stroke of midnight,but i sure in the h&ll am,end this nonsense,the sooner the better.Just a word of wisdom ............................try LISTENING to other INFORMED individuals before you offer your opinion.Check out post # 63.

kentucky blue, post #63 is a post by you. Not saying it wasn't a good post, but umm, oh, never mind. jk ;~)

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by lovesports

Wonderful post and brave woman to post it. I never never saw so much out of context and baiting and bullying in my life. By the way, times have changed, there is a real movement to stop bulling now. Whole programs are in every school. Kids were taking their lives who were the targets of bullies.

People are afraid to post on this thread. And by the way, all I posted was the Admin had a right and a reason for closing the Political. I never said it affected me like Barefoot implied. I remember Poli well before the opt in. There was a reason it was closed.
Many don't go into political because they remember those days. When I know there is a bad part of a city, I don't have to go in that part of the city to see if I get shot. When I know there are people calling names and ganging up on postes, I don't have to opt in to see if I will get called names. But I sure saw it in this thread.
So get this straight, I don't CARE if you have Poli or not but I sure think it is the Admin right to close it. I said before that I would be stoned over and over by the same dominators. It proved so true. One poster on this thread has over 30 posts or more and I make one post and he/she is on me like flies on fly paper. He/She twists what everyone says and baits, bullies and twists some more. I bet this same posters could be with me in a club or any face to face and be the nicest person.
So why I started this post, Putner, I think you are the BEST. You are always so nice to everybody.(like Gracie) Thanks for an excellent post.
So glad it is close to midnight.

sorry, lovesports - you posted that the admin said he had to monitor the poli forum 24/7...and he did not. your statement was misleading and twisted facts.

[rp001]

Originally Posted by Pturner

Many have stated that members who don't like the Poli Forum should not go there. I think the argument that hey, it is opt-in so what's the problem, belies one of the problems with the Poli forum.

Maybe the reason members who don't like what they find there venture in is because they too would be interested in participating in a TOTV Poli forum. Maybe they try participating, get insulted and ganged up upon by yes, a clique, and then give up. Maybe others who would love to offer their perspective venture in, see the lay of the land, and then don't dare ever post, or just don't want to converse with people who belittle those with whom they disagree.

This argument that if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen gives the Poli Forum almost exclusively over to the few dominators and schoolyard bullies who can gleefully continue to run off or turn off new participants. Maybe a forum in which only about a dozen of the 25,000 TOTV members post regularly is not worth the time and effort it takes to moderate.

Maybe the new owner is the sort of gentleman who just doesn't want to sponsor barroom brawls.

Some say have rules but don't moderate. That has been tried.

The wild west, no modding approach would reward bullying and in effect, provide a political forum in which a few who are hostile to opposing viewpoints thrives and everyone else either leaves in disgust, or fails to speak up because they don't want to participate in a spit fest. Maybe such a forum disenfranchises more members than it enfranchises. Maybe that's why only about a dozen TOTV members out of 25,000 regularly posts in the Poli Forum.

Maybe it looks like with 370-plus posts on this thread, there is too much interest to close political. Look again. More than half of all of the posts in this thread were posted by just 10 people.

Thanks for the wonderful post...I think this spells it out much better than I could..Thoughtful and very accurate.