I’ve in GD a few times but generally don’t stay. Too many people get entrenched in their position and refuse to actually look at the issues.
My perspective may not be quite what you’re asking for. My feelings on GD aren’t quite “hell no,” but I do realize I’m not there much. I tend to scroll through threads via New Posts, not even paying much attention to where a thread is located. I’m open to jumping into a debate. But it seems like most of the times I come across one, I look at how the title is phrased and who started it and I just… don’t feel like having that level of conversation with that sort of person. I don’t mean to suggest everyone there is a jerk, by any means. But looking at the forum now, it seems a surprising number of recent threads were started by people who have since managed to get banned. I’d love it if more of the many posters I really like here started more threads in GD, and I’d probably post in those threads, but I guess there’s sort of a vicious cycle at work.
Stop catering to the far right so much, stop punishing people for arguing with them and driving away everyone else. And yes, being “even handed” by punishing people who are upset at being called subhuman or deserving of death is catering to the right. They depend on that definition of even handedness, it’s part of how they take over forums and silence their opposition.
I used to be interested in reading or posting there. Moderators should promptly weed out personal attacks and futile jokes, which IMHO do not make ‘great debates’ material.
Please have a look the derisory comments in this current debate.
Did you report the posts in question?
I don’t have to. There are three moderators there and the activity is anaemic. Routine surveillance should allow them to spot any deviation at once.
Yeah, that’s not how it works.
Thank you for your opinion. I know both how it works and how it should work.
So, you meant “I shouldn’t have to” when you said “I don’t have to”. Well, that’s true enough. Have you volunteered to mod, then?
I have volunteered to make a contribution to this thread. My post includes a general suggestion and an example.
For me, it’s when the thread topic is obviously intended to provoke. I know before clicking it’s going to be partisan bickering where nothing gets resolved, or the OP will become convinced that dissenters are purposely trying to destroy him/her. There will also be numerous thread derails because some nit-picker has an issue with an extremely minor aspect of the topic, and the larger issue becomes ignored. At least with The Pit, there’s no pretense of civil debate. It’s like deciding whether Meet the Press or Jerry Springer is more entertaining.