# Can we have a Political Debates forum? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 4, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973 "2004-11-04T14:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/21 "2004-11-09T06:57:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What’s the standard for “political”, here, **Polerius**? Looking at your list, ten of your “Great Debates” threads look awfully political to me. Opposition to gay marriage? It’s the issue that swung the latest election. Voting tendancies among Jews? You can’t get much more political than voting. Social Conservatism? That’s a political philosophy, isn’t it? I’m not seeing the distinction, here. The general guideline I was thinking is if something is about short-term and/or local politics, it goes in PD (because it’s not a “great debate”), otherwise, it goes in GD. The examples I gave above show how I think it would work: > [@](#): > > A general thread about whether gun control is beneficial should go into GD. > A thread about the expiration of a gun law should go into PD. > > A thread about the effects of abortion on society should go into GD. > A thread about a senator who just voted against some abortion-related law should go into PD. > > A thread about whether society should recognize gay marriage should go into GD. > A thread discussing the fact that several states passed an anti-gay-marriage ban should go into PD. > > All the ranting and observations about the latest election should go into PD. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/22 "2004-11-09T13:12:37Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > The general guideline I was thinking is if something is about short-term and/or local politics, it goes in PD (because it’s not a “great debate”), otherwise, it goes in GD. > > The examples I gave above show how I think it would work: If it does happen (which I guess isn’t likely) I’d like to see the politics cleared out of the Pit as well; it’s nice to get my fix of irrational rants about junk mail without irrational rants about politics. And people like debating stuff in the Pit anyhow . . . ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/23 "2004-11-09T23:54:26Z")
When we originally started we had two, count 'em, two forums: Comments on Cecil’s Columns and General Questions. And it stayed that way for a long time because Ed said you could divide up the entire world that way. I’m getting nostalgic for those times. 🙂 your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/24 "2004-11-10T00:53:42Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > **Ike** needed a job. 😃 Aren’t you confusing the creation of Cafe Society with the 1952 elections, **Sam**? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/25 "2004-11-10T00:53:51Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > If it does happen (which I guess isn’t likely) I’d like to see the politics cleared out of the Pit as well; it’s nice to get my fix of irrational rants about junk mail without irrational rants about politics. And people like debating stuff in the Pit anyhow . . . Sometimes the debates are better in the Pit. I think we should have two forums: [ul] [li]The BBQ Pit[/li][li]Threads not involving personal attacks[/li][/ul] But maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Asylum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@Asylum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asylum)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/26 "2004-11-10T22:00:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > What’s the standard for “political”, here, **Polerius**? Looking at your list, ten of your “Great Debates” threads look awfully political to me. Opposition to gay marriage? It’s the issue that swung the latest election. Voting tendancies among Jews? You can’t get much more political than voting. Social Conservatism? That’s a political philosophy, isn’t it? I’m not seeing the distinction, here. What does is matter if the standard generates 100% compliance or not? The complaint is that there are too many political threads in GD and a Political Debates forum would go a long way towards addressing that complaint. We could even save the mods some trouble and let the thread starter decide if their thread should go in GD or PD and then just leave it there regardless and I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of political threads would still be cleared out of GD. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/27 "2004-11-11T13:50:42Z")
I thought I arready said, let’s wait a few weeks to see if this problem goes away. When a big smash movie installment like LORD OF THE RINGS came out, we had a flurry of threads in Cafe Society about various aspects. Big-news stories usually produce several threads. These things wear down a lot with time. The politics was unusually hot this year, let’s see if it settles down after the election. If not, and if the GD moderators think this idea makes sense, it’s easy enough to go with it. After all, Politics is the Art of the Possible. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/28 "2004-11-11T14:45:07Z")
Well, on the front page of GD (at least the way I have it set to display, which is pretty much the default I think), we have threads on epistemology, masturbation, bisexuality, methods of disposing of dead bodies (burial v. cremation), linguistics, the Cy Young award, homosexuality, lesbianism (geeze, do we need a separate “Sexual Orientation” forum?), the metric system, evolution, Christianity and free will, the Rapture, another one on evolution, Messianic prophecies and the authors of the Gospels, and at least one thread whose subject I can’t make heads or tails of even after reading the OP. There are also a whole passel of threads about politics, broadly speaking, which aren’t necessarily just about the recent elections; everything from debates about specific pieces of legislation to discussions of the voting patterns of different ethnic or religious groups or ideological blocs to abstract questions about law and government. The Middle East, a perennial favorite, seems to be making a strong comeback; so is the gay marriage issue. Of course either of those last two could drag in comments about U.S. Presidential politics; and there are still a number of threads more or less directly about the 2004 elections. So, all in all I think things are returning to normal. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/29 "2004-11-11T21:44:30Z")
However, there are NO threads about the election of 1988… so, take heart, all things fade into the past with time. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/30 "2004-11-11T22:23:23Z")
> [@](#): > > So, all in all I think things are returning to normal. Thank the IPU (pbuh). ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973/31 "2004-11-11T23:29:21Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > However, there are NO threads about the election of 1988… so, take heart, all things fade into the past with time. Must… resist… “Start New Thread” button… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-have-a-political-debates-forum/272973.md?page=1)