# "Off Topic" posts **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 15, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101 "2021-04-15T19:49:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/21 "2021-04-16T19:12:58Z")
I disagree. If someone suggest draconian penalties for doing X due to political motivations, it is right and proper to ask why A, B, C etc, which kill more people or whatever, do not have the same draconian penalties. If doing X kills people, we all know it is bad, We all agree it should be penalized. So there no debate there. But how much of a penalty and how easy or draconian? That’s the debate. So if a OP suggests, for example, life in prison for doing X, and doing A is a minor fine despite the fact it kills ten times more Americans, clearly (at least to me) the reason for proposing such a draconian penalty is the OP hates X for political reasons. And that is the real debate. Because the debate isnt that it kills people, now is it? Otherwise you stifle _all debate but a greek chorus._ “X is bad as it kills people”: then the only possible replies are “Yes”. Yep. You are right. OK. Sure. etc. 🙄 And often, that is exactly the kind of “debate” the Op wants- **none.** There can be no actual debate. Are you saying for example, in a debate about UHC, people cant bring up other nations successes? Same with gun control, it will be verboten to mention that more western Euro states have much lower gun deaths? ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/22 "2021-04-16T20:40:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Those _can_ be hijacks if the thread turns into a discussion about them- instead of (for example) guns. Possibly. However, it is still proper debate if someone wants to argue, for example, that pools are not a good analogy to guns because pools have X, pools have Y, pools have Z, and then the first poster wants to point out that they are a good analogy because the rules around X are this way, etc. In other words, what is wrong with fleshing out how similar or dissimilar pools are from guns to see if the proposal is consistent with other general laws regarding dangerous products? Because in all of these threads, there are two sides which are miles apart. One side claims that guns are almost completely unregulated and the other says that there are stringent regulations against guns. How do we decide who is right without comparing and analyzing the regulations against these types of products and arguing if the product is even comparable? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/23 "2021-04-16T20:52:13Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > One side claims that guns are almost completely unregulated and the other says that there are stringent regulations against guns. How do we decide who is right without comparing and analyzing the regulations against these types of products and arguing if the product is even comparable? By listening to, and responding to, all those posters that aren’t at those extreme sides. By not ignoring the excluded middle just because you are only prepared to confront the extreme sides. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/24 "2021-04-17T00:15:09Z")
Oh yeah, that’s fair also. Just dont go into “the deep end”. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/25 "2021-04-18T03:29:45Z")
I read (but didnt post) in the original thread, and it has quite a few “off topic” posts. Maybe the issue was my arguments werent making the OP happy? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/26 "2021-04-18T11:11:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I read (but didnt post) in the original thread, and it has quite a few “off topic” posts. > > Maybe the issue was my arguments werent making the OP happy My happiness has nothing to do with it-I have no control over the moderation of that thread or any other. Perhaps there is a difference of opinion as to the definition of “off topic”? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/27 "2021-04-18T17:10:48Z")
Ah, so you didnt report any posts for being “off topic”? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/28 "2021-04-18T17:30:15Z")
Apparently it was the _moderators_ that found it to be off-topic-this has nothing to do with me. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/29 "2021-04-18T19:05:39Z")
You didnt report them? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/30 "2021-04-18T19:08:47Z")
[**What\_Exit** had been watching the thread, ergo _nobody_ needed to report _anything_.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-manufacturers-liability/939719/223) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/31 "2021-04-18T19:13:03Z")
I was watching and I did get reports when I banned **DrDeth** from the thread. His posts were really going too far off topic. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/32 "2021-04-18T19:54:49Z")
Other people here disagree. And in fact, there hasnt been anything like modding for a single post going “off topic” before. Yes, true, a hijack is often modded when it gets too far. And a threadshit is modded. But a post that simply doesnt go along with where the OP wants it to go has not been modded in GD before. And that is what happened here. In effect, the Op didnt like my arguments and reported them. I carefully followed your Mod notes as to what was on or off topic. I even deleted two posts after I read one of your instructions. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/33 "2021-04-18T22:18:20Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I was watching and I did get reports when I banned **DrDeth** from the thread. > His posts were really going too far off topic. Would you explain how his posts were off topic because I genuinely don’t understand and neither do many others. Have you run this through the mod loop? Is argument by analogy forbidden from the board now? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/34 "2021-04-18T22:27:59Z")
Just my opinion but WE seems a bit OCD. Tags in CS. The inability to accept wider discussion in GD. It might be something we have to accept. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/35 "2021-04-18T22:33:04Z")
Is there a rule against “off topic posts?” ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/36 "2021-04-18T23:32:58Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > **What\_Exit** had been watching the thread, ergo _nobody_ needed to report _anything_ . Isn’t that a different thread than the one we’re talking about? I’m pretty sure it’s not the one I posted in. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/37 "2021-04-19T00:53:09Z")
> [@Falchion](#): > > Isn’t that a different thread than the one we’re talking about? Different thread from what is linked in the OP but almost the exact same thing happened over there. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/38 "2021-04-19T00:58:00Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Tags in CS. The tags are great. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/39 "2021-04-19T01:09:11Z")
Just my opinion but any change to the board should be by a vote of the board. We are all in this together. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2021, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101/40 "2021-04-19T01:17:25Z")
You do realize this is a privately owned board, and not a co-op, right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/off-topic-posts/940101.md?page=3)