This Forum Has Taken A Sad Turn For The Worse

algale · Post by **algale** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 9:44 pm

Over the last few days, various members have felt it necessary to post to the effect that any one who would vote for or support a candidate or policy that they disagree with must be a moron, a couch potato, brainwashed, a communist, a socialist, a traitor, blind, stupid, ignorant and/or have a venereal disease. (Ok, I made up the one about a venereal disease).

Contrary to what these members may think, these posts aren't winning the debate, changing minds (much less policy), overturning elections, furthering your impeachment fantasies* or doing a single constructive thing.

You are, however, turning off and making members feel unwelcome (I can't be the only one).

Until now, this forum has been the most collegial and civil forum on the net. To maintain that identify, I implore all of you engaging in this type of posting to stop. Please go to one of the many political forums where people go so they can engage in political debates with people who want to engage in those debates, divide into opposing camps, and hurl insults at each other (for whatever good that will do). There's no shortage of such sites on the net.

I'm not suggesting people with strongly held political views shouldn't hold them. I am suggesting that it is not in the best interests of Shopsmith or of this forum to do anything that may drive off current or potential future members who may not share the same political views but who do share our one uniting trait: a mutual interest in Shopsmith. There are too few of us with that trait as it is and this is effectively the only site where we can go to get our Shopsmith fix.

Al

* Regarding impeachment fantasies: it has nothing to do with the Department of Justice; only the House can vote to impeach. Once the House votes to impeach, only the Senate can vote to convict.

dgale · Post by **dgale** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:05 pm

Amen! I go out of my way to avoid political debates/arguments/rants online - it rarely amounts to anything but further polarizing folks and it certainly the last reason I would be a member of the Shopsmith forum! Life's too short to get all stressed out over the stupidity (on both sides of the aisle) in Washington DC - go make some sawdust instead, it's much more relaxing and satisfying.

algale · Post by **algale** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:10 pm

dgale wrote:Amen! I go out of my way to avoid political debates/arguments/rants online - it rarely amounts to anything but further polarizing folks and it certainly the last reason I would be a member of the Shopsmith forum! Life's too short to get all stressed out over the stupidity (on both sides of the aisle) in Washington DC - go make some sawdust instead, it's much more relaxing and satisfying.

Thanks dgale. And for those wondering, dgale and algale are not related (so far as I know).

BuckeyeDennis · Post by **BuckeyeDennis** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:24 pm

The 'gales have my unequivocal support on this one. I'm a card-carrying moderate, by golly. Reasonable people can and do disagree. But if you want to make forward progress, then find grounds for mutual respect, and be willing compromise for the greater good.

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 10:35 pm

I try to stay out of the political debates as much as possible. While I read them, I typically don't respond. However, I am glad that this portion of the forum can let others who are frustrated voice their opinions. I have a friend of mine who's constantly sending me e-mails which are political in nature. I delete them. I find them to be very tiresome.

As far as making sawdust is concerned, it looks like I may get another "snow day" in the shop. I don't really care about having to make up snow days; I'm more than willing to make the tradeoff so I can get my "shop-time".

BPR

eagleta2 · Post by **eagleta2** » Sat Mar 23, 2013 11:16 pm

Simple solutions to complex problems...I just choose not to read em

Thanks

Geo

curiousgeorge · Post by **curiousgeorge** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 12:28 am

My suggestion is if you don't like the content of a post or thread simply don't continue reading the post or don't follow that particular thread. Everyone has a right to his/her opinion (right or wrong) and IMHO no one has the right to stop them from expressing it. So, if it bothers you simply ignore it instead of trying to suppress their right to state it. This in no way infers that I agree or disagree with any opinions expressed. As stated, It's simply my opinion.

skou · Post by **skou** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:26 am

" Everyone has a right to his/her opinion (right or wrong) and IMHO no one has the right to stop them from expressing it."

George, while I agree with what you posted, I need to point something out.

A while ago, I was a Mod, at a motherboard maker's Forum. I voiced the opinion, and was backed up by ALL the other Mods, that as a private entity, a Forum owned by a private company DOES INDEED have the right to censor what they want. PERIOD!

If my old Forum, or Shopsmith now, wants to say, no discussions on short, redheaded cows, then we'll have no discussion on short, redheaded cows. (Yes, that is a ridiculous example, but you get my drift.)

Here (I'm assuming that most of us fall into this group) in America, "freedom of speech" only applies to "public" speech. This group is privately held, and SS, since they're "paying the piper" gets to call the dances.

Oh, just so you know, I had an uncle that was a Az state congressman, and later a state Senator. His nephew is now the junior Senator from Az, in Washington. Knowing that, my favourite political thought; (Gene Howe knew my uncle, and I'm pretty sure he knows my {almost} cousin.)

How do you tell if a politician is lying? (See if anyone can guess the answer.)

steve

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 5:20 am

[quote="algale"]

* Regarding impeachment fantasies: it has nothing to do with the Department of Justice]

Thanks for the refresher course in US Government. The thought is just a fantasy. This Senate would never confirm such an act.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:59 am

The simple solution to avoid contentious issues is to avoid reading the thread. Or, if someone finds an individual's postings particularly egregious, one could simply add that person's ID to the Ignore List that can be found under the User CP (control panel). In any event, private or not, like it or not, the Community Forum was set up to "for general discussion not related to woodworking."