Could we move the Israeli War threads into Politics?

[Ruthla]

It seems like the kinds of debates going on regarding the war in the Middle East are really political debates. For the most part, the most active posters seem to be firm supporters of one side or the other.

Does the Politics subforum still have those posting limits, where you can only start a certain number of posts per day and then only post in the forum once every 20 minutes or so?

If so, moving the Israeli War threads into the Politics forum might make them a lot less heated. If not, maybe consider re-instating those posting limits for the duration of the current Middle East conflict?

[JessicaS]

Well we could put the same restrictions on N&CE but it didn't work right when we had it on Politics and it was frustrating for people.

[Ruthla]

I'm still thinking that all these international political discussions just don't belong on MDC. Isn't MDC supposed to be about gentle parenting and being gentle on the Earth? It feels like these political debates are straying far from "gentleness" and are creating discord rather than harmony amongst the members.

I've noticed that there are certain posters with whom I disagree quite strongly in terms of our views of the current Palestinian/Israeli conflict. It's hard not to think of them as "enemies" at times. Yet we're not "enemies"- we're members of the same MDC community and we all have a lot to learn from one another regarding parenting, eco-tips, etc.

I'd hate to see N&CE completely dissapear because I like hearing other MDCers views on news stories related to ecology and/or parenting. It's also fun to discuss "fluff" news stories. But overall, maybe MDC would be a stronger community if N&CE was completely closed. I guess relevent news stories could go in the appropriate forums- stories about c/sections in "Birth and Beyond", stories of celebrities in ecologically wasteful homes in "Green Living", etc, and not host some of the more controversial (and unrelated to MDC's core values) discussions at all.

[Arduinna]

I'm still thinking that all these international political discussions just don't belong on MDC. Isn't MDC supposed to be about gentle parenting and being gentle on the Earth? It feels like these political debates are straying far from "gentleness" and are creating discord rather than harmony amongst the members.

Might as well close politics completely then because it doesn't matter if it's an international topic or one locally for you, the same attitude and disharmony is associated with it. I'm thinking of the recent election cycle. That was a mess in the forum too. Probably even more so than the current Middle east debate when you compare the size and scope of it on the forums.



I agree with Ruthla that it effects members outside those forums.

[JessicaS]

At some points it is manageable but when something like this is going on....not so much.

We are currently in talks. You will be updated soon.

[Arduinna]

In the meantime, use of the ignore feature is proving worthwhile.

[sunshinestarr]

I really think that MDC doesn't even need an NC&E forum. It's just proving to be divisive and hurtful (esp. with these Middle East threads).

[expat-mama]

I think the N&CE are great forums and I would be seriously disappointed if they were removed from MDC.

There are a lot of topics there other than the ones that PPs find so disturbing- topics about social and political issues that matter and are relevant to mothers, parenting and families (I do happen to also think that the topics of the Israel/Gaza conflict as well the election threads are/were very relevant to mothers, parenting and families).

If they disturb you, you don't have to read them. There are some topics/tribes/threads that one could find offensive/disturbing/divisive but they remain here because they matter to different mothers and are relevant to them. We are a community, as one PP said, a community of very different people having so many different and valuable perspectives to offer- it would be a great shame and a disservice to everyone on MDC to start shutting down threads because some people don't agree with what is being said. This community would be losing out.
I find everyone in the News and Current Events forums pretty respectful and though I don't post a lot on there I've gained a lot of knowledge and insight from them and I think they do belong here on MDC.

I see the problem lying in that as one PP said, they are seeing other posters as "enemies" because they present different views. I don't think this sentiment is in the spirit of the MDC community. And I respectfully would like to say that if you feel that because others have different views and opinions they are enemies, that's your problem and that's something unfortunate that you should deal with and if that is the personal effect that visiting these forums has on you, then perhaps you shouldn't frequent them- but they shouldn't be shut down. I have the opposite reaction to these forums- even when someone presents an opposing perspective or opinion, I tend to see that person as a friend- someone like me, doing this same thing, reaching out on these forums, living a life in a family, as a mother or wife but with a whole different experience and perspective. It's a wonderful thing.

Please don't shut down these forums, it would be a great shame. These forums are something to be proud of- people with different perspectives, from different backgrounds reaching out and talking about their feelings, thoughts, experiences and lives.
It's a beautiful thing- words are the WAY to peace! I think if more people remembered that we wouldn't even have some of these issues to discuss.

[calpurnia]

Originally Posted by expat-mama

Please don't shut down these forums, it would be a great shame. These forums are something to be proud of- people with different perspectives, from different backgrounds reaching out and talking about their feelings, thoughts, experiences and lives.
It's a beautiful thing- words are the WAY to peace! I think if more people remembered that we wouldn't even have some of these issues to discuss.

i agree. i would be seriously disappointed if the n&ce/politics forums were shut down. i learn a lot from discussions there.

[AstridS]

Originally Posted by expat-mama

I see the problem lying in that as one PP said, they are seeing other posters as "enemies" because they present different views. I don't think this sentiment is in the spirit of the MDC community. And I respectfully would like to say that if you feel that because others have different views and opinions they are enemies, that's your problem and that's something unfortunate that you should deal with and if that is the personal effect that visiting these forums has on you, then perhaps you shouldn't frequent them- but they shouldn't be shut down. I have the opposite reaction to these forums- even when someone presents an opposing perspective or opinion, I tend to see that person as a friend- someone like me, doing this same thing, reaching out on these forums, living a life in a family, as a mother or wife but with a whole different experience and perspective. It's a wonderful thing.

Please don't shut down these forums, it would be a great shame. These forums are something to be proud of- people with different perspectives, from different backgrounds reaching out and talking about their feelings, thoughts, experiences and lives.
It's a beautiful thing- words are the WAY to peace! I think if more people remembered that we wouldn't even have some of these issues to discuss.

I agree. I learn a lot from discussions in the N&CE and politics forums. I even learn that the way I see a situation is not always the right way. And that maybe there is not always a right and a wrong way, but just different perspectives and backgrounds. I think that if we could just all work with ourselves to accept this, then the politics forum could be at place where we grow to be more acceptant of other people, not a place where we think of each other as enemies. And if some of us are not willing to work with ourselves towards that goal, then perhaps it's best to just stay out of that peticular forum.
If we all do our best to accept diversity and differences in oppinion in the politics forum, then I really think that we have come a long way in modelling love and acceptance of other people to our children. And that's really what MDC is all about. :

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by expat-mama

I see the problem lying in that as one PP said, they are seeing other posters as "enemies" because they present different views. I don't think this sentiment is in the spirit of the MDC community.

But it can be very hard to ignore, especially when we see "our People" being presented in what we see as an unfair light. So we don't want it to stay on MDC unchallenged, out of concern that others on MDC might "learn about these issues" in what we perceive as a warped attitude. This topic is just TOO close to the heart to ignore. It invokes painful history that's been going on for generations, and has affected our own relatives. It goes so much deeper than simply "different opinions."

I know that the POTUS election threads were heated, and affected a much larger number of posters, but I don't think any of them got quite THIS heated or THIS emotional.

I agree that the "this poster is an enemy" sentiment is NOT what MDC is about, which is why I started this thread. The situation is too emotional and too raw for some people to simply ignore and pretend it's not being argued about on MDC.

[bluetoes]

There is so much to learn from these threads and if we have a particular opinion, knowing the member is on MDC that has an opposing view helps make me get perspective, we're almost all mothers and at the end of the day want the same things for our families. Life is full of painful things, we can't bury our head in the sand. Often I just read and don't comment to get information and perspective. Or sometimes I skip it altogether if I am having a day where everything upsets me.

We can't always be on the same page on everything all the time.

[indie]

I hate the idea of making this off limits to talk about.

[AstridS]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

But it can be very hard to ignore, especially when we see "our People" being presented in what we see as an unfair light. So we don't want it to stay on MDC unchallenged, out of concern that others on MDC might "learn about these issues" in what we perceive as a warped attitude. This topic is just TOO close to the heart to ignore. It invokes painful history that's been going on for generations, and has affected our own relatives. It goes so much deeper than simply "different opinions."
I know that the POTUS election threads were heated, and affected a much larger number of posters, but I don't think any of them got quite THIS heated or THIS emotional

You could say the exact same thing about a black man being elected as POTUS for the first time.
This really is all about perspective. Right now it hits a little too close to home for you. In the POTUS threads it upset somebody else. I think those threads upset both a lot of AA mamas and a lot of mamas living outside the US. Me, amongst others. I know it's not the same, but I really hated that a lot of posters called me unfree and oppressed, because I live in a European social democracy. It was insulting and it made me really angry. But I still loved to participate in the debates. If I got too upset I stayed away from the politics forum for a few days or ignored the poster I disagreed with. But I learned a lot about how Americans view the world and their own country.

[jeanine123]

Originally Posted by expat-mama

I think the N&CE are great forums and I would be seriously disappointed if they were removed from MDC.

There are a lot of topics there other than the ones that PPs find so disturbing- topics about social and political issues that matter and are relevant to mothers, parenting and families (I do happen to also think that the topics of the Israel/Gaza conflict as well the election threads are/were very relevant to mothers, parenting and families).

If they disturb you, you don't have to read them. There are some topics/tribes/threads that one could find offensive/disturbing/divisive but they remain here because they matter to different mothers and are relevant to them. We are a community, as one PP said, a community of very different people having so many different and valuable perspectives to offer- it would be a great shame and a disservice to everyone on MDC to start shutting down threads because some people don't agree with what is being said. This community would be losing out.
I find everyone in the News and Current Events forums pretty respectful and though I don't post a lot on there I've gained a lot of knowledge and insight from them and I think they do belong here on MDC.

I see the problem lying in that as one PP said, they are seeing other posters as "enemies" because they present different views. I don't think this sentiment is in the spirit of the MDC community. And I respectfully would like to say that if you feel that because others have different views and opinions they are enemies, that's your problem and that's something unfortunate that you should deal with and if that is the personal effect that visiting these forums has on you, then perhaps you shouldn't frequent them- but they shouldn't be shut down. I have the opposite reaction to these forums- even when someone presents an opposing perspective or opinion, I tend to see that person as a friend- someone like me, doing this same thing, reaching out on these forums, living a life in a family, as a mother or wife but with a whole different experience and perspective. It's a wonderful thing.

Please don't shut down these forums, it would be a great shame. These forums are something to be proud of- people with different perspectives, from different backgrounds reaching out and talking about their feelings, thoughts, experiences and lives.
It's a beautiful thing- words are the WAY to peace! I think if more people remembered that we wouldn't even have some of these issues to discuss.

I agree fully. These forums have gotten me interested in what's happening here and around the world again. It's where I start gathering information and it has spurred me to check news sites more often than I had been doing. I like reading the different opinions, even when they make me roll my eyes. I may not always agree with what's being said but they force me to think and at times force me to think outside the box or consider something from a different perspective.

Yes, it's a little overwhelming and dare I say annoying to open up the Current Events folder and find so many threads on one topic. But it's what's front and center on everyone's mind right now. It won't always be this way.

This folder is one of the reasons why I started posting on MDC again. I would hate to see it disappear completely.

[Ruthla]

Maybe some kind of limit on how many threads there can be on one topic at a time? I think the N&CE would be less overwhelming (plus have room for more different news stories on the front page) if all the various Israeli War links were confined to one or two threads, not dozens.

Maybe it would help if N&CE was moderated, and mods could put through new posts either as new threads or add them to another existing thread.

[studentmama]

Please Do Not Shut Down NC&E and Politics

I know this is very close to peoples hearts, on both sides, but discussion is the only non-violent way anything with get worked out. By both parties, who both feel they are in the right and being wronged, being able to discuss these things on a board, where others who are unfamiliar with the situation being able to see how this affects people, it would do the world a disservice to shut discussion down, including those at MDC.

Part of why I come here is because I know that I will be able to speak with someone who may have a comepletely different view than me, in a way that is more gentle than mainstream boards, yes discussions get heated, and things sometimes get personal, but discussions here go miles farther than anywhere else I have seen, and it is because it is MDC.

This conflict affects everyone, regardless of their connection, and being able to discuss it will so many different viewpoints is imparative for long term solution.

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

But it can be very hard to ignore, especially when we see "our People" being presented in what we see as an unfair light. So we don't want it to stay on MDC unchallenged, out of concern that others on MDC might "learn about these issues" in what we perceive as a warped attitude. This topic is just TOO close to the heart to ignore. It invokes painful history that's been going on for generations, and has affected our own relatives. It goes so much deeper than simply "different opinions."

I know that the POTUS election threads were heated, and affected a much larger number of posters, but I don't think any of them got quite THIS heated or THIS emotional.

I agree that the "this poster is an enemy" sentiment is NOT what MDC is about, which is why I started this thread. The situation is too emotional and too raw for some people to simply ignore and pretend it's not being argued about on MDC.

I understand what you are saying, but remember,t here are those on the other side of this conflict that feel the same way. This is the safest place for everyone to come and talk about it.

A situation as serious as this is going to be hard, for all sides, how could it not be? That is precisely why communications need to stay open.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by studentmama

I know this is very close to peoples hearts, on both sides, but discussion is the only non-violent way anything with get worked out.

nothing is going to get worked out on MDC, no one posting here is a leader for either side or has any power whatsoever to change what is happening by their respective leaderships.

[JessicaS]

There are a lot of issues with the forum.

It is burning out moderators very quickly with the current crisis in Gaza as well as general non-compliance to the UA.

The admins are not supposed to be moderating a forum long term and we cannot leave N&CE with only one moderator. When Admins are moderating it delays projects and slows things down.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to see a simple workable solution.