# Why do so many posters have trouble staying on topic? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 28, 2026, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125 "2026-01-28T17:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 88
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125/88 "2026-03-16T22:12:08Z")
Thank you for the compliment. I’ll leave out the secret rituals but emphasize one more point about this particular subject that relates. I get, heck we (the P&E mods by volume, but all of us) -get- it. Trump 2.0 is not a normal political situation. Trump 1.0 wasn’t either, but this is far worse politically. So we KNOW emotions are high, we try to put ourselves in your shoes (it’s not hard). And we’ve made note after note after note. But at the end of the day, we try to set expectations. When we split the thread, it was an effort to keep the moderation reasonable and distinct, but the real kicker is @Aspenglow’s lovely words: > [@I object to my warning in "United States and Israel are bombing Iran"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-object-to-my-warning-in-united-states-and-israel-are-bombing-iran/1028106/45): > > These are frustrating times, and they provoke a lot of understandable anger. When emotions are running high, the best thing you can do is discuss the issues in a respectful manner. These are part of our rules. We don’t wish to chill discussion, but we intend to enforce our rules to facilitate constructive discussion and not just fish-slapping contests. If you are unable to discuss these matters in a thoughtful way or would prefer a free-for-all, you know where the Pit is. Bonus points because she can say it in a paragraph and not in a book. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-posters-have-trouble-staying-on-topic/1027125)._