Posts which lead to political statements

[Cloud]

Recently a moderator has closed a number of threads which started out with good intentions but because (whether we like it or not) we are all political animals. So could I make a suggestion please, either we avoid such threads (which would not be right IMO) or we simply make them 'in memoriam'. That way we can pay our respects to those who have lost their lives, rather than concentrating on the people who carried out the crime and then debating why the crime occurred. I would ask that the moderators try to find a solution to this which allows us to only pay our respects and nothing else.

[mwenz]

You mean like the moralizing politcal post you made in that thread instead of mourning the loss?

Your post was the only reason I entered that thread.

[Rik]

This looks like the beginnings of a thread that could easily become an argument.

I think Cloud's suggestion is a good one (whatever he has or has not said before).

We simply need to show respect to and feel sympathy for those who have lost their lives.
If we start airing our view (and believe me, I have many), then it simply leads to the point, where a Moderator says 'enough is enough'.

If we keep things to a respectful level, then there shouldn't be a need to close any thread.

Shall we agree, to agree?

[pauland]

I think Cloud's suggestion is a good one (whatever he has or has not said before).

Absolutely.

[mikeymopar]

Nowhere in that closed thread was about mourning the victims, even from the first post.

It was a very civil discussion with no flaming, off-color language, or disregard for any other member's comments. Granted, comments could devolve to the point where someone with authority would need to step in but in Off-Topic one should expect, at times, to have their comments challenged. All of the comments were lucid and remained on topic. I'm just surprised at how quick it was closed when in the past it's taken many warnings to very offensive, flaming members in threads not even in the Off-Topic forum. There are a couple of threads throughout the forum that i find personally offensive but that I would even let slide in the forum that I am a moderator of. Really no point in "Off-Topic" if a moderator is going to critique every thread topic and viewpoint based on his own beliefs.

Oh well. I've probably over-stepped again. But I thought you guys were discussing the topic quite well and respectful of others.

[pauland]

Mikey, it would not have been pretty if it had continued.

I don't know the moderator's stance on where the thread ended, but I think the decision was fair and right and expected by me.

For some subjects the feelings can run strong and debating them in any depth here would damage the TG community.

I and Mike (mwenz) disagree on the guns stance and it's better for us and TG that the conversation was not allowed to continue. We can set aside those differences as things stand.

[Rik]

Miley: The thread was closed by a Mod, because the policy of TG is to steer clear of religion and politics.
And once we start going down those roads, then opposing views very quickly lead to... well, I'm sure you know!

[Barbara B]

I've just been in touch with the Mod who closed this thread.

I agree that this thread was beginning to become an argument and ceasing to be a discussion.

I also agree that massacres and other heinous acts of aggression should not be swept under the carpet.

However...we have rules on tg, and if we selectively bend or ignore these rules, TalkGraphics will soon become chaotic.

I am not in favor of a special thread for comments about political issues, because that is probably just side-stepping the rule we have about political, religious, and other hot button topics.

I don't see why personal feelings can't be expressed on social media. Actually, they can and they are discussed.

Why would we want to politicize a forum, that is by its charter apolitical?

Many members have told us that tg is a place that they can get away from the headlines before getting to work in the morning.

I don't think we should completely avoid anything that isn't Xara-centric, but there are just so many areas of communications today that are packed with bile, I'd like to think that tg is one place that we can trust to come here for what the forum stands for.

We are short-staffed as far as Moderators go, and I feel it's stretching things to ask for more free labor to build and supervise a customized thread for a specific, off-topic subject.

Kind Regards,

Barbara

[Cloud]

I hope that I wasn't misunderstood to have asked for a special section of the forum. I think with hindsight that we should perhaps (as Barbara correctly said) keep any form of political comments to social media. This is after all a graphics forum and the off-topic threads should be kept to technology and something which brings a smile to our lives.

[ss-kalm]

.... I think with hindsight that we should perhaps (as Barbara correctly said) keep any form of political comments to social media. This is after all a graphics forum and the off-topic threads should be kept to technology and something which brings a smile to our lives.

Wonderfully expressed. I agree entirely.