That's actually not a bad way to differentiate the libertarians from the socialists. Is bkadoctaj still around? Epic dreamer.
same here.. but i'm 39 i dig this section and like reading it.. sure some posters get me "angry" so i yell at my computer screen and don't post anything... also giving -reps for peoples opinions and beliefs is pretty fucked up and causes a lot of the bullshit in here imo. some folks feel like they can't walk away from an argument (debate) so they'll just keep arguing. If your left with nothing but personal attacks at any point in your argument.. that's when it's a good time to just stop posting, smoke a bowl (which i ave a hard time believing some of y'all do) and move on.
I'd bet money that it's almost all about behind-the-scenes drama. This ain't the only subforum with that problem. I've said "sometimes the back button is a better option than the submit button" in posts at least three times over the last ten days. I wish I could follow the rule religiously myself, but at least I make a regular practice of writing out an entire post and then hitting back and walking away.
That's what I do when I feel my post is going to screw the thread up or cause a commotion. It's hard to do though. It honestly is.
The day that a cannabis-centered website shuts the mouth of ANYONE regardless of their opinion. I didn't and don't like the current administration, but then again I have never lived through a good administration. DOB 1974. Politicians are crooks from the get go in my book. There are some that are less evil than others, but they're all out of touch with the real world. There needs to be a place to discuss politics. Maybe 2 forums? One that is moderated and one that is not. Click this button to sign away your right to be "not be OFFENDED" and click this button if you are so closed-minded and/or immature and misinformed that you can't stand to be in the fire and would prefer to live in your unrealistic and rose-colored world. Sounds like a decent plan to me. There are plenty of places out there that do not censor posts and I don't believe I've ever seen one of them get in trouble for some person's post. Obviously, if someone's verbal abuse has violated the law, then they would be reported to the proper authorities. I'm not saying I would do it, because I would not like to get a second "warning" in 2 days. In spite of my personal beliefs regarding the running of the forum, I would rather let others be ......themselves(That wasn't name calling! ((for anyone that might be thin skinned)) ) and be able to still chat with some people. My 2 cents. If I did wrong by the mods, I apologize publicly here and now.
Sometimes the politics section can be a drag; there are days when you just wade through the same blind one-sided garbage (on both sides) that you could see on Fox or MSNBC. Other days, though, you could learn a thing or two - and I think that makes it totally worth it to have such a forum. I can't say that my political philosophy has radically changed since coming onto the GC politics forum but in all honesty I think it's been invaluable for me to gain wider knowledge as to all the viewpoints out there. You don't hear a helluvalot of libertarian philosophy in Ann Arbor, let me tell you... Though there are posters that I think are short-sighted or slightly prick-ish at times, I take it all with a grain of salt. We all want the world to be a better place. We just have different views as to how the people in our time can get us there. Coming here has allowed me to view a window into other people's minds - people whose thoughts are vastly different from my own - and honestly I can't think of any better use the internet can offer. Also, not to turn into a love-fest or anything but, Aaronman, though we share different political beliefs, I do believe I respect you more than any other individual I've become acquainted with on the net (though perhaps that's a pretty low bar ).
I love the politics section of any board I visit, especially this one because I'm not the only libertarian on here. That's nice because usually I'm all by myself. As far as name calling goes I don't take offense to any of it. People get heated over politics because it's very important. Some discussions get heated but I don't really get upset with the individual persons. That's just the nature of the beast in my opinion. As far as elitism goes I don't have a problem with that either. If you believe something is right why would you compromise? I have a very simple way of looking at things and I believe it is the right way to do things. I'm never going to agree with anything a statist says because they are wrong. End of story. Its not my job to compromise my beliefs but figure out a way to convert others to my way of thinking. And I hope they have the same attitude. I think we have a lot of problems in Congress because those people are too willing to compromise their beliefs. Any compromise I do make is going to be in my direction, not someone else's. And this board, along with others I've been too, are a great way for all of us to hone our arguments and make them better.
I agree, we should debate to strengthen our own ideas and if the case warrants, through out ideas in search of new ones.
Shutting down the politics section on a weed forum would be silly. What legitimate complaints could people have against this section to warrant closing it down? Politics are uncomfortable...that's the nature of the game. That's why we talk about it in the first place, to try to understand it more fully.
I personally love GC politics. I've posted on dozens of politics forums, lurked even more, have tens of thousands of posts (cumulatively) and I have to say, I enjoyed this place the most. People tend to be more open-minded. I don't think potheads in general are more open-minded, I think pot culture just tends to be attractive to open-minded people. However, over the past month or two, this place has reallllllllly been going down the shitter. We've had an influx of new posters, many of whom are clueless, and pretend like they know what they're talking about, and just a ton of cockiness. I see so much shit day to day I disagree with, but I never call people on it, because I lack the motivation to sit there with a dozen people and try and challenge their views. Maybe it's because I've been doing it for 5 years and am getting tired of it? I don't know, but I've recently been becoming a lurker, and I'll only really post if something inspires me, or if the person I'm replying to is a regular and familiar face. Maybe it's because of the up-coming election cycle? I've only been here a year, so I didn't post here around the 2008 election season, so I have nothing to compare and contrast with, but really, this forum seems to have been dying down (and the little activity remaining has been complete shit) since right before election-cycle politics took over. Hopefully, come November, this place starts to liven up, and the garbage is taken out, if not, I think some earlier posters were correct. This place is in jeopardy. I've witnessed a major politics forum go from a great discussion place, to a place where extremists drove away all the sane people. I sincerely hope this place doesn't turn into that, because among all the shit that gets posted here, it truly is a great place, with some great people. Most of the regular posters here and moderators (AW ) are some of the coolest people I've come across on the net. I have mad respect for most of the people who come here week after week, especially those that have views contrary to the libertarian dominance, and never lose their cool (smokinp + AHuman, etc).
It is what it is, its Politics, it brings out emotions in people over beliefs that run deep. The reason Super J created this political forum was too get the debate out of the General area. Your never going to get rid of political debate no matter how much some would like it, so is it not better that it remain here. Maybe there should be a warning so that people know they may encounter view points other than their own.... I think one problem is people come on a pro weed website and expect the politics section to be mostly far left liberals, then they are angered to find Libertarians and conservatives. As far as the mods, i know of a couple that absolutely hat the fact that it is libertarian dominated.....i even had one try and tell me i was not allowed to post anything about politics. Bottom line is it not better to keep the debate here instead of over running the General section? EDIT: You know, as a christian, when i go into the Spirituality and Philosophy forum i get offended by the anti christian views, so you know what? I DON'T GO IN THERE! Why are people complaining? If a TV show offends you, don't watch it...
I never have too much to contribute, but I love lurking the GC politics section. Definitely would be a bummer if it wasn't around anymore.
I'm certain I contribute to the problems around here. I've noticed myself certainly instigating some of these flame wars over the time I've been here. I've also noticed a lot of my posts have become off topic or just so far out there that no one can respond. Part of my problem is that I love to argue about my ideology, and never (or rarely) talk about valid studies, news articles, etc. I talk about a lot of 'what if' scenarios. Regardless, I still like the community here. I also appreciate some of the particular individuals on this board like aaronman and mist, and augustwest as well.
LOL! I don't know what all the hype is about but the Politics forum isn't going anywhere. Are you kidding? No, it's very much here to stay. The name-calling and disrespect that occurs because people find the need to attack other members rather than the ideas of other members...that's not staying. The forum, however, is staying.
Complaints? We don't need no stinkin' complaints! Dance! [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXPPNlXbrd8]YouTube - Ministry - So What[/ame] Politics are best taken with punk beats.