Is it General Discussion when the majority of the post are single issue?

[porphyrian]

Hey, say whatever the fuck you want wherever you want, let the mods sort it out if it breaks the rules. That's not what I'm getting at. I can ignore any one of you or any of your threads. However, I think the General Discussion forum ceases to be General Discussion when it's dominated for weeks by a single issue.

What do you think?

[ThomWV]

1. Focused Discussion Is OK

It allows a great number of people to give their opnion on the issue of the moment. Of course the moment changes and so the discussion flows. Sometimes it seems like all you see is a single subject but think about this. Sometimes an event is of such striking importance that it demands all of our attention and the attention of each of us as well. Of course even during those moments some idiot will post the latest nonsense about Opus Die, or Robert Byrd having been a KKK member 60 years ago for 3 days, but we ignore them anyway.

[porphyrian]

2. Sure, but at what point do you draw the line?

Focused discussion eventually deserves its own forum, don't you think?

[cracksquirrel]

3. It does

And it has one, it's called the I/P dungeon. Now that all the inmates have been let loose to run amock in GD, this place has been just a huge happy love fun fest!

[porphyrian]

10. "Dungeon" is a false term.

No one is imprisoned anywhere on DU. There isn't even a basement. There are simply specialized forums, none of which are any better or worse than any other, but are better suited to certain topics, thus their creation in the first place. No one is entitled to post in the wrong forum, thus topics are often moved by the mods to their appropriate forum. I'm simply asking if we are intentionally changing General Discussion or if I'm simply misperceiving events.

[cracksquirrel]

18. I know

Many people call it a dungeon for the mistaken belief that everything I/P in nature is "locked away" from public sight. I guess a more accurate description would be a mental institution, with off-kilter, raving inmates in padded cells for their own and others' protection.

[CJCRANE]

4. That's just DU.

It goes in waves. Personally, I like it when an issue grabs people's attention. And DU is good at providing up to the minute news, leaks, and analysing information and disinformation as a situation unfolds.

[porphyrian]

11. Right, but is it "General Discussion?"

DU is the whole, and GD is but a single forum of many that make up DU.

[meganmonkey]

5. I get your point but when the choices are

this devestation in the ME or arguing about pit bulls, I'll stick with the single issue :)

[porphyrian]

12. There wasn't this kind of domination and outrage over East Timor.

African tragedies of similar magnitude get a couple of posts that sink pretty quickly. Why do Israel and Lebanon get special treatment, and is this General Discussion?

[Lilith Velkor]

20. Because of the Bible

, and yes.

[porphyrian]

21. The Bible says we should dominate GD with Arab-Israeli wars?

Jeez, that thing is prescient.

[Lilith Velkor]

28. Are you being deliberately obtuse?

Emotions run high on this issue because of the connection the region has to the Bible.

Perhaps you need a break from GD.

[porphyrian]

30. I couldn't leave all of my fans here... - n/t

[Lilith Velkor]

34. Disingenous, bullying rhetoric may win you fans

...but fans like that are assholes. Good luck with that. :toast:

[porphyrian]

35. Lots of people are assholes...

...some don't pretend they aren't, though.

[Lilith Velkor]

41. Hey, whatever gets you through the day.

:toast:

[meganmonkey]

22. Maybe its the $6 billion we give Israel in direct and indirect aid

as well the relative proximity to Iraq which makes us feel more involved? Meanwhile our elderly people are going hungry and dying in the heat here because our domestic situation is on its way to shit, not to mention the Katrina-hit areas which are no longer popular enough to be discussed but are still suffering terribly...

This is not to say that Timor, Sudan and other devastated areas don't deserve more of our attention than they are getting, or that these folks aren't suffering more than we can even comprehend. But this is not 'special treatment', this is timely and huge and directly related to US foreign policy and US domestic problems, and many people are getting their first real education about this.

[porphyrian]

25. Did you bother to count the money and aid we've given other...

...perpetrators of conflicts, or is focusing on Israel your intent? I agree that spending money on foreign wars is reprehensible given that there are people who NEED that money in our own back yard, but why single out this one conflict?

[meganmonkey]

27. Believe me, I don't need a schooling on the amount of money

our gov't sends to support other governments, including some extremely corrupt, undemocratic ones.

You posed a question, I am giving some thoughts.

The very problems you are mentioning are why I spend most of my time on other discussion boards.

However, I do think the current conflict is helping draw needed attention to our role in Israel's foreign policy. Many Americans have no idea and think we are 'neutral' in this conflict, and nothing could be further from the truth.

[porphyrian]

31. I don't really doubt your motives personally...

...and, if this really is somehow enlightening Americans to our role in the ME conflict, then I'm happy it isn't in vain. I just smell a bit of blood libel in the ferocity and exclusivity of some of the arguments, and I don't see what good that will do at all.

[mike_c]

6. folks are free to post on whatever topics they wish....

The postings in GD reflect the concerns and perspectives of the folks who post here-- if a single issue dominates their concerns, then it's not unexpected that the issue will dominate discussion in GD. You're still free to post about other topics if they're more important to you, and if others share your concerns they'll discuss those other topics with you.

[porphyrian]

14. That's not entirely true.

We can't post anything we like in GD. Things get moved to other forums all the time. I'm asking why this is being given special treatment? Are we changing the rules of GD? Like I said, post whatever the fuck you want, that's the mods' nightmare.

[mike_c]

24. ok, that wasn't my point....

You're free to start discussion about other issues within the GD rules whenever you like, etc. Pedantic strafing isn't discussion either, my friend.

[porphyrian]

26. Do you get paid to use "pedantic strafing" in a sentence?

I've always wanted to use "onychotillomania" myself, but I can never find an appropriate venue for it, either.

[meganmonkey]

29. Why are you even pretending that you want to hear other people's opinions?

Why not just make your point and be done with it?

People are making a good faith effort to discuss this and you are responding as though it is a personal offense.

:wtf:

[porphyrian]

32. Is that your interpretation of it?

I'm sorry you feel that way. I thought I made my position clear before I asked anything. And I never said I'd show any special amount of respect for anyone's opinion, especially in a poll where I give you the opportunity to tell me to go fuck myself.

[meganmonkey]

33. If you were sincerely wondering if the rules have changed

you wouldn't have posted a poll, because you well know that questions about rules are not to be posted publicly. So your OP implies that you want to know what others think about the one-topic domination in GD.

Yet most of your responses to the comments of others are about whether or not the rules have changed, when you know they haven't or there would be a big thread pinned to the top of the forum.

It seems extremely disingenuous and sort of condescending, to be honest.

:shrug:

[porphyrian]

36. I'm sorry, that's wrong.

I've done nothing at all to prevent others from answering in any way they want. I simply reserve the same right. There's nothing disingenuous about it at all. As for the rules changing, they may or may not have officially, but there is certainly something different about the way this single-topic-domination is being treated than other single-topic-dominations, and I'm asking if others agree or think I'm just full of it.

Finally, with regards to condescension, I get it all the time. Tough fucking shit.

[Rosemary2205]

7. I've noticed GD tends to be dominated by media hype

whatever the media hype of the day is rather than the wide variety of issues and their possible solutions that Democrats need and want to address. Good posts that don't jive with the media hype du jour or the bash a rightie du jour tend to sink pretty quickly. Real shame too.

I have nothing against dealing with the media hype of the day or bashing righties but if that's all we do around here -- well, with all the issues facing the world -- seems bandwidth could sometimes be better spent.

Just my humble opinion.

[Kagemusha]

9. That's kind of why there's issue forums. Like GD: Politics

Ah well.

[porphyrian]

15. Exactly what I'm getting at.

Are we changing GD? Is it that we don't have an Israel/Lebanon forum yet? I'm just trying to understand.

[theHandpuppet]

37. I agree

No point in complaining about the MSM's screwed up priorities when we continue to play right into their hands. They feed us junk headlines rather than deal with real issues BECAUSE IT WORKS.

[Renew Deal]

8. This always happens when there is a big story.

Do you remember the Schiavo mess? It's similar in that it was a hot topic and lasted a few weeks.

[porphyrian]

16. It wasn't as bad as this.

Sure, it was talked about a bunch over a couple of weeks, but not 90% of the posts worth. Hey, my ignore features work as well as everyone else's, so I'm not really complaining. I'm just asking if we're changing the rules about GD permanently or what.

[Make7]

13. I though this forum was for discussion of famous military Generals. ( nt )

[porphyrian]

17. In that case, it's really been off topic for some time. - n/t

[CJCRANE]

19. Watch out, you'll wake up the Clarkies !!!

;)

[Renew Deal]

23. D'oh

:rofl:

[Generator]

38. Reagan death week, Schiavo death watch, and Pope death watch

were far worse. At least we have Mel Gibson and some ranting about the Greens. Besides there are SO MANY ways to condemn Israel, how can you get bored?

[porphyrian]

39. I don't think any of those continued into a third or fourth week...

Maybe I'm not remembering things correctly.

[Karmadillo]

40. Yes! It's General Discussion no matter how many posts deal wtih.

an issue some people would prefer to see relegated to a less frequented forum.

[porphyrian]

42. It has nothing to do with how frequented a forum is...

...though this seems to be a major arguing point of those promoting and proselytizing the same redundant shit I'm referring to.

[Karmadillo]

43. What was I thinking. I'm sure the multiple posts trying to have the issue

moved to a less frequented forum has nothing to do with moving the issue to a less frequented forum. You're simply a General Discussion purist attempting to protect the forum from the barbarians! Best of luck in your noble fight!

[porphyrian]

44. Ha! You're incorrigible, you sarcastic devil, you!

I meant what I said. Draw whatever conclusions you like. I don't give a shit. I don't care how much people frequent any of the forums. However, as I prefer GD, and as I believe it's likely this issue belongs in another forum, I'm seeing what others think. If my opinion mattered more than yours, it would already be moved. Barbarians don't enter into it, unless you've got some raping and pillaging planned that I don't know about.

[WildEyedLiberal]

45. Wow, you aren't having much luck

In that other poll you posted, DUers decided that you suck. Now they're telling you to fuck yourself.

It's rough out here, man, rough.