Forum becoming more right-wing?

I wasn't here but I can understand that happening as Bush was a terrible president.

 

Unfortunately many threads are just echo chambers where like minded posters bash strawmen. There do seem to be less of the liberal threads, but I suspect that the liberal threads that have a decent argument are ignored. They're boring.

And the ones that appeal to bashers have been overboard and gotten mod edited. Some lately have been real loons.

The conservatives do seem to own the field right now, but I see plenty of libs still posting every hour. So count your blessings I guess.

 

The simple answer is yes, partly because some of the right-wingers are allowed to push the rules of the site on a regular basis and partly because some Libs are getting tired of attempting to talk sense to those that simply are not capable of receiving it.

 

From almost 4 years ago:

I'm sure there are even earlier examples. I've seen you make this same post several times. But I've also seen other people talk of better sites only to end up back here, again and again. It seems like nothing more than "sour grapes" over not being in total control of the site. That's why sites like _____ exist. Many leftists need their echo chamber to convince themselves of their rightness.

<<<MODERATOR EDIT: DISCUSSING OTHER BOARDS >>>

 

If leftwingers want more left wingers posting here , I suggest advising them of the rules and make sure they are abiding by them. Whether it's on the forum or a blog.

 

Some of it has to to with current stories. In case you don't notice when lots of high profile bad (*)(*)(*)(*) happens to or because of the left or right then the corresponding side tends to leave for a while because its exhausting trying to defend the indefensible. Currently most of the bad news stories are involving the left with Planned Parenthood, Clinton emails etc. Would you want to be constantly defending that? They will return when the stories die down or are resolved or when some Republican makes a huge (*)(*)(*)(*) up.

 

Please know that my post is in general, while quoting the above as an example.

That's the gist of it, isn't it? You don't get the answers you expect, so it is not to your liking, the feedback section is useless, and mods are ganging up on you/members.
That is basically what we read when a members gets his/her hand caught in the cookie jar. Only a few man up and admit they screwed up and violated the rules. But most of the responses are
"but look at this post"," look at that", "he got away with it", "why don't I", "you are picking on me because...I am left wing... I am right wing... you don't like me...."

Feedback is for constructive criticism. It is not the place to come in with swearing and accusations. Ask questions, make your case civilly, factually, just like all of us are expected to do t/o the forum.
If you have a great idea, we are willing to listen. If you feel your infraction was given in error, make your case. Look at the rule for which you were warned. Look at your post. Is your post within the guidelines? Tell us why. We will listen. That is true for PMs as well.
Lets say your thread was closed because your OP or title didn't comply with the rules.
Instead of "screw you, you are nuts", just ask if you can offer additional, respectful OP, or offer an alternate title, and we will edit your thread and reopen it.
Simple really.
When you get a warning for a rule violation, and you don't understand why, ask. We will explain. Reflect on your post so you won't repeat the violation. That is why we give warnings.
Mind you, if everyone would heed the warnings and improve their posting style, everyone would be able to post without any staff interaction.
Of course if members want the rules interpreted to fit their style, they will have further problems. We can't and won't change the rules to accommodate the few who stubbornly refuse to comply. The rules are so that the 99 % of our members who are polite have a safe and pleasant experience.
Who complains the most? Who stomps their feet the most? The one percent who cant follow the rules. Most members, believe it or not, have no issue with staff or the rules.
All discussion boards have rules. Some are more accommodating for those who want to pepper their posts with some juice words of phrases. So be it.

Lastly, as mentioned by another staff member, don't ask "why didn't you delete this or that post?" If you don't report it, we won't go looking. We are NOT looking and picking out rule violations. If is a member run board. Members are responsible not only for their posts, but also for reporting rule violations. Staff is made up of volunteers. We were selected because we can address rule violations without bias. We get a report, we don't check if member x is left, right, green or purple. We look at the words, the context of the post. Yes, that is how we come across other rule violations, just in case you were asking.
We address the rule violations, not the member. We do look at a member's prior history.
Did we PM the member about this already? We check the user notes
Did the member have prior warnings? How many?
I find myself looking at a member's infraction history without even being aware of who's page I am on. It is unimportant.

So perhaps you have reported a rule violation, and all you see is a deleted post. Look at the above steps. You don't see the member banned. That is why. Or the member is suddenly banned. That is why.
Look at the bottom of our rules page. It explains, among other steps, how many points are given for a particular infraction. How many infractions have to be issued before someone is banned. How long will the ban be and why.
So yes, I agree, it often looks like we don't apply the rules evenly. But that doesn't mean it is so. It just means that members don't know what is going on behind the scenes and the steps we are taking.
The last thing we want is a member being banned. Unless it is someone who comes in with both barrels blasting, as some may remember some recent event.
Ask around. How many chances to our members get? If people are honest, they will tell you.
But also remember, if you don't want to comply with the rules, our auto system will eventually get you. That is not by the staff's doing. We don't submit your posts, you do.
Are you esp passionate about a topic and angry about this or that comment? Walk away for a bit, think. Don't let anger get the best of you. Temper yourself.
When you report a post, ask yourself....
Did that post stick out to you because it is unorthodox and you find it disgusting?
Is it an opinion or is it a rule violation? Should I report it? If so, don't respond. If it is a rule violation, your post will be deleted as 'response to deleted post'.
Should I ignore it, should I respond in kind, should I respond in a tempered and reasonable manner?
You have choices. No one but you can make you do anything. Esp not staff. But that also means that you are responsible for either posting in compliance with the rules, or posting with rule violations that will eventually get you banned.
The rules are what they are. They are meant to make PF enjoyable for all, not just a few.

Some people may find all this unacceptable. It saddens us.
Here is my plea. Don't measure yourself by the bad examples, the few bad apples. Measure yourself on the decent members who strive to elevate the discussions, who put extra thought into their contributions, those who, without even being aware perhaps, have a keen understanding of our mission statement. They want to discuss and debate any of the many issues we are bombarded with on daily basis, but they want to do so without the cheap shots, the flame bait, the gotcha.
If you want to debate why it is your opinion that homosexuals should not get married, do so. Keep it civil. Don't belittle and insult.
If you want to discuss why you think Jesus may have been married to several women, do so. Keep it civil. Don't belittle and insult.
If you want to discuss race relations, do so. Keep it civil. Don't belittle and insult.
We all have feelings. We aren't here to belittle and insult. Any of that can not only come back right at you, but it can eventually have you looking for another forum. It is up to you to comply.
As staff, we have better things to do than to harass you. Stay off our radar by posting within the rules. If you can't do that, don't blame us.
If you don't see enough left leaning or right leaning or non leaning threads, post some, making sure to comply with rule 11. Don't blame us if you don't see enough threads from one side or another, and don't blame us when threads get closed. Encourage the Opening Poster to create a thread that meets standards. Don't post in a thread that does not. Report it.

Thanks for listening/reading as it were. I shall now grab some coffee and wake up.
Please excuse any grammatical or spelling errors for that reason.

Smile, life is beautiful.

 

I'd really like to see a Firearms section if you're going to be discussing technical/historical aspects of firearms. I'm a writer and technical/historical details of the firearms my characters use can either lend a great deal of verisimilitude to a story or even be some or most of its basis.

Thing is, you could just put it in Casual Chat, or in any other category you could shoehorn it into.

And in keeping, WHY do gangbangers all turn their pistols on the side?? Do they really do it, or is it just on TV and WHY?. Seems to me it might make the gun jam.

 

I violated no rule. You accused the left of doing something the right does just as much, if not more. I merely illustrated the ridiculousness of your claim.

 

That is quite impossible for yours truly, and you bloody well know it.

 

Just posting the TRUTH, my dear.

- - - Updated - - -

They do as explained earlier.

Do try to keep up.

- - - Updated - - -

Obviously, you.

 

your self justification comes as no surprise to anyone

 

lol, you wish......

 

I have nothing to justify. I'm just telling you the truth of the matter

 

Thx to you and the other mods for taking the time and effort to communicate all this stuff

While i do not always agree, i respect the process and the integrity

In a general context, every dispute has at least two sides
Each side is convinced of their own rightness
Let us illustrate with the case of a dispute between a married couple
Usually , a marriage councellor will hear the dispute and observe that both sides have some truth
But they are separated by different perspectives and misunderstanding

Posters become absorbed in their own passionate perspective
And may have difficulty grasping the perspective of the mods
And in any passionate dispute, miscommunication and poorly understood assumptions tend to cloud the discussion and resolution

In general it is good to take some time, chill out, accept the good intentions of others (the mods in particular) , stop being the victim, be willing accept there are usually multiple valid perspectives in every situation

Best wishes to the mods for their earnest long suffering efforts in behalf of maintaining a well balanced forum

Ardy

 

Actually it would play out just fine. I'm in advertising and I'm paid to make my opinions known. People do not hold back in my business, we can't- we would fail as a company.

Your post and opinion on the matter was far from the truth. It was an utterly ridiculous thing to say, and it made me laugh. Would you prefer I Iie to you?

 

I'd prefer you give your opinion in a respectful manner , is that really asking too much ?

 

You got the respect you gave, given that you accused an entire group of people (the left on this forum) of doing something that the conservatives do here just as much, if not more. That wasn't exactly respectful.

I do not have any respect for blatantly baseless opinions that attempt to tar an entire group of people, while leaving others completely blameless. That's not OK, and you should know better.

 

SMH, going to have to agree to disagree.

 

don't worry dude, per posters I have an anti-conservative agenda, anti-liberal agenda, anti-white agenda, anti-insertwhateveragenda. This forum has a good and fair moderating staff, and if you don't think so I'll give you half the money I make from moderating.

 

The forum is getting less interesting but like some posters have said, there isn't a lot that can be done about it. If Hillary loses to Bernie Sanders there might be more leftist posters showing up.

 

So even you make jokes about the fairness.

Good to see.

 

Fact is, every side feels picked on, discriminated against, misrepresented. It is what it is. We expect that. We can't help it. We know everyone stumbles now and then. No one is perfect. Members are not, staff is not. If you feel that we misunderstood one of your comments, ask for a review, do so politely. Telling us we don't like you, or that we want to get rid of you, or that we should screw ourselves, or that someone else did likewise or worse, or we are biased, doesn't make a case. Bring on the facts.
We are only human. If you make a good and factual case, we are the first to admit we were wrong. We have a serious peer review. All posts and threads, even the deleted ones, are visible to ALL staff members, including admins and owner. There is no hiding anything. We are checking each others deletions, edits, warnings and infractions.
And if a member wants an infraction appeal, all they have to do is ask.
Make your case. Do so by explaining why we are in error and why your post is within the rules. Quote the rule, quote your post/comment. Ask yourself, was that comment necessary? Was it respectful, civil, or was it a snark that made you feel better, momentarily? Was it on topic?

If your thread got closed, PM with additional respectful OP/ alternative title.

You may think side A doesn't show enough threads or posts. One way is to rectify that is to offer quality posts and threads and contributions within the forum rules. Voila. Posts and threads will remain, may even be nominated for the best post/best thread of the month by peers.
We started the nomination process again at the beginning of this month. This time it is not staff who nominates. (at the moment, we are just trying to get this going by posting some good ones), It is not up to staff. We are asking members to nominate threads and posts that should be considered. Not only that, we are asking that members vote for their favorite by giving likes. It is members choice. Member driven.
So where are these nominations? Where are the quality posts and threads? Can't find any? Didn't compose any?
Lead by example, create great posts and threads, and if you come across them, nominate them. Inspire others, elevate the discussions.
The rules are too complicated? Not for the vast majority of members. We have members who never even read the rules, yet they never received a warning or an infraction.
It is our members who post, who contribute, who run the forum. You post within or above the forum rules, no one will pick on you, no one will delete or edit your comments. No one will warn you or infract you. Before you hit 'submit', ask yourself if your post qualifies. Don't look at others to see if they have gotten away with something to justify a rule violation. Don't trump the negative. Strive for better. Don't blame us if your post is deleted. If a violation is missed, report it. Don't ask us why we didn't address it. We don't have time to read thousands of posts. You are in the thick of it. Report violations, don't respond to them or your response will be deleted as well. Don't escalate the matter. He called you a name? If you do so likewise, both of you are in the wrong. What "he" did is his responsibility. What you submit is yours.
Here is flounder's signature, may he rest in peace

Think about it. Don't blame us. We didn't post it.
Really, it is that simple.
Thank you for your time.

 

thanks for the laughs