Having a life at The Watch - or not

Originally Posted by Silver
If it makes you feel better I must admit a reluctance to post in P&R forum as I am not a utopian leaning person but more focused on what an individual can do with what they are given. I do not think a meaningful conversation can take place there with all the rampant tribalism. It blinds us all but some more than others.

Well, it's the utopian buggers we need to watch out for! Though I don't think you'll find too many of them in P&R.

But this idea of "rampant tribalism", an "echo chamber", and unfair one-sided moderation really is a narrative that's been cooked up. There's a Trump thread where about half a dozen people spit feathers, but then they have very different positions and heated debates on lots of other things. If you wanted to have a "meaningful conversation" on a political topic, that's really no problem. This idea that you're going to get mobbed by a mindless tribe, and kneecapped by heavy-handed biased moderators is pure nonsense.

Originally Posted by Ripper
Well, it's the utopian buggers we need to watch out for! Though I don't think you'll find too many of them in P&R.

But this idea of "rampant tribalism", an "echo chamber", and unfair one-sided moderation really is a narrative that's been cooked up. There's a Trump thread where about half a dozen people spit feathers, but then they have very different positions and heated debates on lots of other things. If you wanted to have a "meaningful conversation" on a political topic, that's really no problem. This idea that you're going to get mobbed by a mindless tribe, and kneecapped by heavy-handed biased moderators is pure nonsense.

Hey now. I've got no problem with the moderation. I'm talking generally about the difficulty of navigating quite different viewpoints and trying to meet people in the middle when things get taken out of context and reinterpreted rather liberally. That is bound to happen I suppose but I would prefer people to not assume others positions as much as they do and simply ask questions to establish things.

Perhaps it is because of some unwritten assumption that by associating with particular viewpoints one must agree with all of its tenets. Its not a position I hold. I find the conversations at P&R spirals out of control rapidly because of the shear number of assumptions and unfounded assertions flying around that it quickly devolves into meaningless walls of text back and forth. At its worst everyone talks at one another not too one another.

Well, I don't think it's actually as bad as you think. I mean, yes, of course a "Politics Religion and Controversies" subforum on the internet is going to be… let's say, not for everyone, but I don't think it's as tribal and unnuanced as you suggest.

Where I do see some irony, is in the fact that it's those that are generally fond of talking about "snowflakes", and "it's about facts not feelings", who actually start behaving as snowflakes once they join the rough and tumble, and find they don't like it.

Originally Posted by Ripper
Lol. Yeah, I reckon a MAGA "muscle car" forum would be the perfect fit for a few of the characters around here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OHYaxynht4

With car collections in the hundreds of thousands you clearly have no clue what you are talking about. But what a typical response.

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
With car collections in the hundreds of thousands you clearly have no clue what you are talking about. But what a typical response.

That is what's known as a joke, in response to your comment. The idea of you calling people clueless is another one.

Oh but Ripper I was just joking

Oh, right - my bad.

Good one.

Originally Posted by Silver
Hey now. I've got no problem with the moderation. I'm talking generally about the difficulty of navigating quite different viewpoints and trying to meet people in the middle when things get taken out of context and reinterpreted rather liberally. That is bound to happen I suppose but I would prefer people to not assume others positions as much as they do and simply ask questions to establish things.

Perhaps it is because of some unwritten assumption that by associating with particular viewpoints one must agree with all of its tenets. Its not a position I hold. I find the conversations at P&R spirals out of control rapidly because of the shear number of assumptions and unfounded assertions flying around that it quickly devolves into meaningless walls of text back and forth. At its worst everyone talks at one another not too one another.

I pretty much agree with you on this. My own beliefs are from over all of the place, some left, some right and some from over there etc! So I too find that if you express a view from "down under" people tend to assume you support all views from "down under"

Cant we all just get along??

Originally Posted by xSamhainx
Cant we all just get along??

Please no, I don't think anyone actually wants an echo chamber, that would get boring really fast.

On the topic of the off topic discussion, I'll just add that I've spent ten years on this forum, and have been offended exactly once to the point I wrote a
less than polite response (I later apologized when the poster PM:ed me, because I don't think it's very constructive starting flame wars nor insulting people). What I'm getting at though is that as a forum for RPG's the actual news threads very seldom derail into politics, at least as far as I can tell. Sure, there will always be some people shouting "SJW!" and whatever tag phrases liberals and socialists use, but it almost never gets dirty.

Or perhaps I'm just viewing the Watch through my rose tinted glasses?

Originally Posted by xSamhainx
Cant we all just get along??

This isn't a "whatever happened to kitty" thread.

Yep. Compared to most places on the internet, proceedings here are conducted in a jacket and tie, with the worst offence being the port passed in the wrong direction.

Originally Posted by Ripper
Yep. Compared to most places on the internet, proceedings here are conducted in a jacket and tie, with the worst offence being the port passed in the wrong direction.

To be fair, that IS a pretty grave offence.

Originally Posted by xSamhainx
Cant we all just get along??

Hey, welcome back! Haven't seen you posting for a long time!!!

I didn't recognize him without the tiger avatar!

Probably not. A peak at history sez it is possible but not likely; or not likely to last. One would think that over time history would be less likely to repeat (after all we are suppose to learn and evolve but alas I suspect that is just a myth).

Originally Posted by xSamhainx
Cant we all just get along??

There's definitely been a switch in terms of moderation attitude, but I think we went through all that long ago. These things happen - and I think, perhaps, the previous attitude was a little too relaxed.

Not for my part, obviously, but for the sake of polite forum society

It could use a little more refinement - but I'm not one to talk when I don't do any kind of work here.

Nice to see I still cause controversy after being gone for almost five months due to reasons I will not share. I see that Dart returned again but has deleted his account.

Anyways nice to see all of you again. Now I just need a long list of recommendations of what new games to play. As I had no internet access for a while. Not Kidding.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Nice to see I still cause controversy after being gone for almost five months due to reasons I will not share. I see that Dart returned again but has deleted his account.

Anyways nice to see all of you again. Now I just need a long list of recommendations of what new games to play. As I had no internet access for a while. Not Kidding.

Omg!! Welcome back, couch!! Glad you are safe!!

Welcome back! Pfew, I started to fear the worst.