Topics/Arguments you tend to stay away from.

Just curious about all the other dopers, I tend to stay away from religious posts. Mainly because rarely is anything good going to come out of it. I do read them, but even when I want to reply, I don’t.

That, and abortion threads. I don’t have ovaries, so I don’t get an opinion on it. Much safer that way.

So, what kinds of topics do you guys/gals stay away from?

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<overpowering irony of me abstaining from this thread here>

Abortion threads. There’s no middle ground anymore, and both sides hate each other and lie about each other, so what’s the point?

Republican vs. Democrat threads. Shut up, already.

Sports, politics, and religion.

Sports bore me.
Politics infuriates me.
Religion is too personal to argue about.

Frankly, I prefer the lighter, sillier threads - escapism is ever so important to me!

I stay away from abortion topics, except with my friends. I know my rabidly pro-life viewpoint is unpopluar, and I’m not likely to convince someone that I’m right. So I’ll keep my mouth shut and continue to vote for politicians I might otherwise not vote for, in order to try to get it outlawed.

StG

I try to stay away from relegion (unless I really feel like whinding somepeople up) and am not to bothered many sensible threads.
Life’s to short to be serious :slight_smile:

egg

I’m with FairyChatMom on what topics I avoid and why. I also tend to keep away from relationship problem threads, partially because I have trouble relating to this sort of thing and partially because I really don’t feel I have anything to contribute.

Sports and politics.

I lack the good sense to stay out of religious threads, though.

I’ll happily weigh in on just about any sort of issue here on the boards. This is in stark contrast to my behavior in everyday life, where I studiously avoid getting into discussions of religion or politics. I have no problem participating in those debates here, because this board has developed a clear set of ground rules that makes it safe to toss ideas and arguments around without recrimination. Those rules don’t apply in the nonweb world, so one engages in controversial debates at one’s peril.

Abortion, abortion, abortion.

Oh, and did I mention abortion?

same as Lurkmiester. the “relationship” threads are sooooooo boring, and nothing anyone says in cyberspace is going to change anything.

i do like the porno-related thread! :smiley:

Gun control and abortion (well, I post something bland in an abortion-related thread now and then, but generally try to steer clear).

Formal philosophy threads just go ‘whoosh’ above my head, so I tend to look at them once and run away screaming.

To an extent, I stay away from Israel-Palestine debates/rants.

Too puch polarisation, too little middle ground. If we can’t do it, then both peoples are certainly doomed to live in a state of war for a long time, I’m afraid.

After todays debacle, I may stay away from gun control issues. Can’t win. Gets frustrating.
I sometimes fear opening a thread pertaining to animals / pets…Like the one about renters being cruel to animals. It upsets me and there is nothing you can do about it.

And the BDSM thread .:eek:

As a Fundamentalist Agnostic I stay waaay away from religion topics (although I do peek). Because I’m personally opposed to abortion yet I know prohibition will do more harm than good, yup, avoid abortion threads like the plague. I watch very little TV these days, so that’s out. Um… “women’s biology” nuh-uh. Israel/Palestine? Why bother? Japanese Porn? Um… no, of course not, no no no.

Religion. I am so deeply in love that I come away crying.

The thing is, I’m very happy to discuss anything at all, but even here it can quickly turn nasty. Recently I tried to start some earnest discussion on the inner conflict I feel over watching serial killer flicks. I’m fascinated but worried by that fascination. The problem with that thread, as in so many, is that only one person needs to act like a fool to ruin it. Someone had a go at me, accused me of wanting to stop him watching the films he likes. I walked away in the end because I was getting angry and upset and I could hardly remember the OP.

I do enjoy threads on subjects I know nothing at all about. I got some big ol’ naive opinions to swing around.

Ditto for the religion threads, but I peek in on the ones that sound like bible/historical research.

Come to think of it a lot of the GD threads are a bunch of people sitting around talking at each other with their fingers in their ears.

I’ve also stopped reading the threads about oversexualizing children. More than once I have gotten the creeps from people’s viewpoints.

Gun control threads. Every gun control thread that I’ve looked at has been the same group of about five people circling through an even smaller number of arguments that have all been debunked many times over.

Any thread that’s entirely devoted to the question, “Did politician A commit crime B?” Talk about a waste of time.

Gun debates and American political threads. I have zero interest in them.

Religion threads. I read them, but never post.

Israel / Palestine threads. I see the nastiest side of posters here, and choose to stay away.

Sports- I don’t give a shit about them.

Politics- I don’t really understand them.

Religion- Too personal, and everyone will insist that he or she is right and everyone else is wrong.

Abortion- Waaay too controversial

Perhaps most of this is why I tend to stay away from Great Debates altogether.