I’ve been thinking of resurrecting the thread idea I used here but would basically like some opinions as to whether it’s a good idea or not. Like I said in the thread I find it rather irritating that debates on subjects that I am interested in hearing other peoples opinions on quickly disintegrate into sniping matches between a couple of individuals and are then closed or pitted. I would therefore like to try to give people an opportunity to present their opinions without getting shouted at. I was thinking of starting a thread in IMHO using the same rules on a single subject (probably gun control again to start with) as Czarcasm suggested. I have a few questions though
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Is this a good idea ? I am honestly not trying to annoy people by posting on contentious issues, I do however understand that I am new to this board and that posts on this type of issue are frowned upon by the moderators for precisely the factors that I am hoping to circumnavigate with these threads. If people honestly think that this type of posting is best done elsewhere then fine.
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Is IMHO the right thread for this? I agree with Czarcasm that there is an essential problem involved in forbidding debate in the great debate forum but IMHO’s description seems to suggest that it is not meant for more contentious topics (I did put some thought in to my original choice of forum even if I was misguided)
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Assuming anyone actually does think that this is a good idea, does anyone have any other ideas for topics that could be addressed in this way? I don’t really have any particular reason for choosing gun control as poster child for this idea other than that as an outsider looking at American life from afar it is (too me anyway) a particularly fascinating issue and normal threads on this topic appear to get especially vicious (that and the fact that I would have to write a new monologue if I start with another issue)
I think it best to heed Czarcasm’s post when he closed your GD thread, enigmatic:
Also, you could email the mods/admins direct with your questions here, for their say on it.
I almost asked about this Ice Wolf . I tried emailing Czarcasm with more or less the above querys straight after the thread was closed but recieved no reply. I accept that there are any number of perfectly good reasons for this (not least that I forgot to give the title of the thread I was referring to in the query).
However it was the first time I had tried to use the straight dope email system and would like some reassurance that I didn’t do anything wrong. Do I need to give specific permission for a mod to reply to my email or put my address in the body of the text or anything like that before someone can reply to me ? I’d hate to thing I had sent a question to someone who was unable to reply to it.
enigmatic, the whole point of having a message board is to allow people to quote, query, discuss, and debate.
If you’re not going to allow those things, people may just as well type the topic into google and look through a few websites supporting different sides.
If you want to state your opinion on something then you should be prepared to have other people comment on what you have said.
I didn’t read your post about guns in the last thread, because, although I live in the UK, I have no interest in them. But no doubt there are people who are going to want to call you up on some points you’ve made, or ask for clarification on others.
Your “rules” would prevent that.
The messageboard is supposed to be an interactive community, not just a corner of cyberspace to post a personal diatribe with no comeuppance.
As for emailing the mods, don’t forget they are volunteers with their own lives and jobs, don’t be surprised if it takes a while to get a response, especially if they have to search through your posts to find out what thread you’re talking about. Czarcasm doesn’t need special permission to email you or anything, and I’m sure you’ll get a reply if he feels you need one, bearing in mind he pretty much answered the questions in your op when he closed the last thread. (ie - pick a topic and take it to IMHO)
Tir Tinuviel I accept your points. The reason I was thinking of doing this is that I am interested in reading a wide variety of different peoples opinions on these subjects. I am not afraid of having my own views on a subject challenged, I think this is a healthy thing and probably the best reason to debate on a subject.
I have observed however that threads on certain subjects seem to cause a lot of friction between the two sides of the debate and that the debate then tends to break down. I was also under the impression that (especially as a newcomer to the boards) if I started normal threads on these issues people would just assume that I was trying to stir things up and cause trouble, which is the last thing I want to do.
Like I said I am new at this (this is the first message board I have posted to) and am still trying to figure out everything. If people honestly think posting this type of thread (or even on these subjects at all) is a bad idea then I am quite happy to accept their superior experience.
I did not mean to imply that Czarcasm was in any way at fault in not answering my message. As I said I can think of plenty of reasons why I didn’t get a response many of which are my fault and none of which are his, I was just wanting to try and eliminate specific mistakes that I might have made.
Thanks for the advice