Boojum Posted June 17, 2004 Posted June 17, 2004 Something I notice in the TCH forums: Controversial subjects, such as politics, religion and philosophy are generally avoided, and when threads veer into them, those threads are likely to be closed. This is quite understandable, given the tendency for people not involved in the debates that can develop to be irritated by the polemics of those who are. But I think it is possible to discuss even the most divisive and emotional issues in a generally rational and mutually respectful manner, and to do so without offending non-participants. I therefore propose the creation of one or more forums reserved exclusively for discussing political, religious and other controversial subjects. Thus, only those who wish to enter the fray (or observe it) would be present in the forums or aware of their content. This seems to work well for other online communities of a size and diversity comparable to TCH's. Now, I would imagine that we would all like to see a degree of decorum in these proceedings, so I also suggest that we not only "agree to disagree" as a condition of joining the forums, but that the forums themselves be designated as protected. Like the "Family Only" forum, they can require passwords; unlike it, they should perhaps retain the option of expelling any participant who cannot remain civil. (On the other hand, perhaps the forums should go the opposite way: no holds barred. That is up to the staff.) Let's channel our controversy, not squelch it.
GroovyFish Posted June 17, 2004 Posted June 17, 2004 I respectfully disagree that TCH should host such forums. While we all enjoy chatting about non-webhosting topics occasionally, TCH is ultimately a forum for a business and those topics are really not appropriate here. Even if the discussions and debates were polite, it still may cause ill will between members. And I would hate to see that.
bellringr Posted June 17, 2004 Posted June 17, 2004 Something like this has already been requested and denied. See this thread
TCH-Andy Posted June 17, 2004 Posted June 17, 2004 Boojum, As stated by several of our family, this has been discussed before. If you would like to have a forum of this sort then might I suggest that you purchase a hosting plan and open a forum of your own. I would certainly step in occasionally and join in a discussion on politics, religion or any other controversiol topic. I'm sorry for having to close the thread but I can only see this getting out of hand. I hope you understand. Please IM or PM me if you would like to discuss the issue further.
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