Now that the current affairs section is dead

[Martin Alvito]

I completely understand that and get the point of the mods not intervening. You can’t really have a forum of free speech if it’s moderated like 1984. On the other hand some of the posts in there bordered on hate speech and internet forum or not would probably land people in trouble if the right people saw those posts. I’d put money on some people loosing their jobs if those messages were sent to their employers and made public. They could hide behind freedom of speech all they wanted, it’s not our fault they don’t actually understand the rules and laws around it. I have a lot of tolerance for a lot of things but ignorance in an age when anything can be looked up and not just things that support your own side of an argument are not one of them.

I get social media is an echo chamber but in 2023 there’s absolutely no excuse for the down right stupidity of some peoples opinions

This sort of thing is much harder to moderate than you probably think, from the outside.

Sometimes, someone advances a position that can be demolished with logic and evidence, but it moves the discussion forward in positive ways. It's hard to predict when that will happen, and when it will degenerate into ridicule and ugliness. There's also the problem of the moderators' own biases, which they know they have. Showing favoritism demolishes credibility, and that's essential to doing the job without losing control of the whole thing.

I've faced the problem both on a high-traffic site and within classroom forums in academe. It tends to work better when there's a real price, like grades, attached. Nobody wants to step too far out of line for fear of punishment, because the grades matter. It does also tend to stifle open discussion somewhat. It results in what I would describe more as tactical voting than candid responses. Everyone aims at scoring points, rather than saying what they really think.

 

[roydo]

I completely understand that and get the point of the mods not intervening. You can’t really have a forum of free speech if it’s moderated like 1984. On the other hand some of the posts in there bordered on hate speech and internet forum or not would probably land people in trouble if the right people saw those posts. I’d put money on some people loosing their jobs if those messages were sent to their employers and made public. They could hide behind freedom of speech all they wanted, it’s not our fault they don’t actually understand the rules and laws around it. I have a lot of tolerance for a lot of things but ignorance in an age when anything can be looked up and not just things that support your own side of an argument are not one of them.

I get social media is an echo chamber but in 2023 there’s absolutely no excuse for the down right stupidity of some peoples opinions

We tolerated opinions, rightly in my opinion. (sic). But would still warn/ban the usual "Isms" when they occurred. It is no coincidence that the few posters/bots who derailed it the other day are nowhere to be seen since. That is sommet we, the mods, need to fine tune. Its not like getting a space ship back from the moon, so reckon we will work it out.

 

[bluerobert]

This sort of thing is much harder to moderate than you probably think, from the outside.

Sometimes, someone advances a position that can be demolished with logic and evidence, but it moves the discussion forward in positive ways. It's hard to predict when that will happen, and when it will degenerate into ridicule and ugliness. There's also the problem of the moderators' own biases, which they know they have. Showing favoritism demolishes credibility, and that's essential to doing the job without losing control of the whole thing.

I've faced the problem both on a high-traffic site and within classroom forums in academe. It tends to work better when there's a real price, like grades, attached. Nobody wants to step too far out of line for fear of punishment, because the grades matter. It does also tend to stifle open discussion somewhat. It results in what I would describe more as tactical voting than candid responses. Everyone aims at scoring points, rather than saying what they really think.

I mean I don’t think it’s that hard to moderate somebody openly saying they support white people over any other race mate

 

[bluerobert]

We tolerated opinions, rightly in my opinion. (sic). But would still warn/ban the usual "Isms" when they occurred. It is no coincidence that the few posters/bots who derailed it the other day are nowhere to be seen since. That is sommet we, the mods, need to fine tune. Its not like getting a space ship back from the moon, so reckon we will work it out.

Mate I’m in no way digging the mods out here, I’m upset at the opinions of people I considered likeminded

 

[roydo]

Mate I’m in no way digging the mods out here, I’m upset at the opinions of people I considered likeminded

I know you arnt mate. Like I said ^^^^, CA is a popular and usually respectful forum. I miss it already. But once we figure out an answer to obvious trolls, I reckon it will be back.

 

[Amw79]

We tolerated opinions, rightly in my opinion. (sic). But would still warn/ban the usual "Isms" when they occurred. It is no coincidence that the few posters/bots who derailed it the other day are nowhere to be seen since. That is sommet we, the mods, need to fine tune. Its not like getting a space ship back from the moon, so reckon we will work it out.

Always thought there was good back and forth in there, and even those with serious disagreements could generally still have a laugh with each other - see the recent Rita and Pete love-in.

But the constant spamming of full articles, again and again, with no attempt to engage on specific points became a problem in the last few weeks, and it started getting toxic.

 

[scratchnsurf]

On a pizza!!! Gah! 'makes sign of cross with fingers'

Is there another way of doing it?

 

[JimmyJeffers]

Can we at least have permission to make an ale house thread dedicated to bashing Jordan Peterson ?

A fair compromise surely ?

Already getting Rogan withdrawal

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

I know you arnt mate. Like I said ^^^^, CA is a popular and usually respectful forum. I miss it already. But once we figure out an answer to obvious trolls, I reckon it will be back.

Can I volunteer my services as dedicated CA mod? I am even-handed and non-partisan and will happily swat weasels.

In no way would I be a tyrannical overlord with a power trip.

That Rita Poon character will be first against he wall, like. No lewdness in my CA.

Deal? No????

 

[Prevenger17]

I know you arnt mate. Like I said ^^^^, CA is a popular and usually respectful forum. I miss it already. But once we figure out an answer to obvious trolls, I reckon it will be back.

Make it Forum Supporters only Roydo, none of them seem to want to pay for the privilege of spamming Tucker Carlson videos and posting lines of laughing emojis and that's fine by us

 

[roydo]

But the constant spamming of full articles, again and again, with no attempt to engage on specific points became a problem in the last few weeks, and it started getting toxic.

Quite. That is what we need to work out. My personal opinion, and it is no way a collective GOT opinion, is that they were Trolls/Bots. We have had it before. But it always comes back to us being censures of an opinion I disagree with. I am not comfortable with that.

Give it a few weeks, if they return, then we deal with them.

 

[Rita_Poon]

No lewdness in my CA.

 

[roydo]

Make it Forum Supporters only Roydo, none of them seem to want to pay for the privilege of spamming Tucker Carlson videos and posting lines of laughing emojis and that's fine by us

Well you can open a Ukraine or Asylum seekers thread in there anytime you want mate. But many of the most informative posters in Ukraine in particular are not UG.

 

[Amw79]

Quite. That is what we need to work out. My personal opinion, and it is no way a collective GOT opinion, is that they were Trolls/Bots. We have had it before. But it always comes back to us being censures of an opinion I disagree with. I am not comfortable with that.

Give it a few weeks, if they return, then we deal with them.

I get that. Bit of a tightrope you’d rather not walk. Me neither.

I also think there was some troll farm activity there. That repeated copy/paste of full articles from 2 or 3 specific sources without any personal comment or opinion being offered doesn’t really seem like someone looking to engage on a topic, bot or not.

 

[Leylo]

Quite. That is what we need to work out. My personal opinion, and it is no way a collective GOT opinion, is that they were Trolls/Bots. We have had it before. But it always comes back to us being censures of an opinion I disagree with. I am not comfortable with that.

Give it a few weeks, if they return, then we deal with them.

Hope you sort it , personally most people on here are amazing, couple of years back on your health depression section many helped me with such amazing words ..the good will come through in the end even with a few idiots.. amazing forum let's keep it that way