Topic: Politics, respect, community standards

Yeah, I'm not suggesting this is the place for proper political discussions, @WoomyNNYes .... Just that the main reasons we can't have those here are the same as why they don't happen anywhere else! But yeah, they'll probably have to lock this thread soon, I think

@BruceCM in fairness this thread has remained pretty civil, or all the juicy comments get deleted before I get chance to read them.

I think these kind of forums are a great place to discuss heavy topics, there is good mix of political ideology and beliefs here and for the most part peopleare tolerant and respectful to each other.
If we only discuss these topics with people who agree with our point of view, where is the discussion that could lead us to change our viewpoint?

Yeah, you try asking all the people who are busy shutting down such discussions everywhere I go, @Mr-Fuggles777 ....? That it should have been obvious I don't agree with, generally? We haven't actually got into any political debate here because in the forums, that'd be covered by the rules! That's what @WoomyNNYes was referring to in his post

@Mr-Fuggles777 If the thread stays cool, it will be a shining example of humanity's finest 🌈🌈🌈

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

Thanks for all the feedback/support etc in this thread.

It's clear the internet is seeing a trend of polarisation on almost every topic, it's a shame that people feel the need to attack others just because of a different point of view on one issue. This isn't how people behave in the "real" world, but there we go.

Anyway, we've discussed this fairly recently at a staff meeting and agreed some ways forward that will improve the moderation tools that we have.

Ultimately we want to allow civil discussion; but certain topics may become outlawed as frankly, we're here to talk about video games and get away from a lot of "real world" topics. Nor do we want to spend half our working day removing inappropriate comments.

Cheers

Well, it is how people behave in my real world, @antdickens .... Perhaps, in 'polite society', it isn't obviously 'rude' insults & so on but it's dismissing points/ arguments, shutting discussions down & plenty of similar things, on quite a range of 'sensitive' topics. Which is sad because it used to be generally possible to have respectful discussions on most things 15+ years ago around where I live.

Are conkers a part of the outlawed conversation?

@BruceCM thankfully it's not something I've experienced too often in the real world — but I would agree that it does feel worse than say 10-15 years ago. Personally I don't understand why people are so binary these days when by definition we're never going to agree 100% on everything with every person we meet or interact with. It's OK to disagree and hearing different points of view makes us all better people. But what do I know?

I have 42 users on my ignore list currently. Grows weekly. There's a simple system right there... use it.

like @gcunit and a lot of other users of said, they have your own banning button right there, I have never used it to be honest but you probably will fined use for it.

@gcunit you'd be surprised. Some users seem to think using the ignore list makes them official members of the poopy babby club, or something, and absolutely refuse to use it.

@Eel You're on their ignore list. Do you want me to repeat it to them so they can read it?

@gcunit wow that’s quite a lot😂 I have none, but then again I tend to just stay out of fights and enjoy the fun side of things

@Eel I’ve never understood that mentality. If I am in a public setting talking to friends or attending a talk and there is a discussion portion, if someone random becomes abusive or disruptive I don’t talk to that person.

We ignore real life people we can see all the time. Everyone has that co worker they steer clear of unless their job is on the line.

Yet somehow there is this view online that because you can read a comment that a) you butting in with your thoughts , especially rudely has to be acknowledged b) choosing not to engage makes one a coward c) going off topic (this is a game site and half the comment fighting has nothing to do with the thread or article they are commenting on) should be indulged when it goes beyond the normal permutations of conversation.

I try to keep my comments focused since I can’t keep them succinct, lol. And nobody has to accept abuse from others.

I keep a three strikes rule personally unless one is unreasonable. Initial comment and two rejoinders. If one is still abusive or disturbing then ignore list is used and I keep it moving. It has never once diminished my enjoyment of this site even with active users I have ignored.

I think what we’ve learned from this is that people are basically just like conkers. They might look big and tough, but actually be soft and fragile on the inside. They might seem superficially hard, but in fact be merely brittle. If we immediately rush into conflict without preparation, we’re likely to end up shattered in a thousand pieces on the floor.

What we really need is time. Time to temper our very core. Sometimes we may find ourselves in a pickle, but if this happens, we should remember that being in a pickle is the very thing that helps conkers grow strong. That, and copious layers of varnish. And like a conker, we must varnish ourselves to a fine sheen. We must gleam in the sun like burnished balls of hardened starch.

If we can do all this, then we will see that we have achieved something more valuable than conker our enemies. We will have conkered... ourselves. And that, my friends, is a truly tough nut to crack.

@Maxz I have meant to express this for a while. I have greatly enjoyed your wit on this site. As well as your asides on translation. Thank you.

@Ryu_Niiyama yeah it's weird. I personally avoid using the ignore list because I'm a moderator... And should probably not use it. But I would absolutely add a few certain users if I weren't.

@jump don't be silly 😘 people can't put me on ignore. They need to ignore me old fashioned way!

@Ryu_Niiyama Haha, thank you. I must admit, a small part of me hopes that some of what I write is at least... peculiar enough that it’ll disarms people and makes them question the cortisol-driven feedback loop we’re liable to get stuck in online. It’s probably utterly futile, but at least I get to write weird chestnut allegories, and that’s... something.

I agree about the ignore button through. The world is full of people on platforms, and we’re each perfectly at liberty to just walk away.

Post of the day! However I suspect you're actually a Brie Larson sympathizer so you're going on my ignore list.

@Maxz That is poetry. Genuinely I am inspired by it! I love making IKEA puns, for instance, and sometimes I can floor people in their own laughter if I chain together enough. I can tell you have the same humour!

A lot of people like to think out loud, and post in the heat of the moment, and I call that the "Trump" effect. He does that dozens of times a day and complains about virtually everything. At school I was taught "netiquette", and I always strive to be first and foremost respectful when I post stuff, including here. Hopefully everyone can have a good netiquette, and not attack each other over minute debates, as passionately as people can get. That isn't against the rules though, but know the line between impassioned debate, and raw aggression.