Could we move the Israeli War threads into Politics? - Page 2

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

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.

Hmm, why post about anything then if people have no power?

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by abimommy

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.

I hope that Mothering can find one. This forum and the politics forum are very important to me, and not because the are just news and politics, but because it's at MDC and I know when I come here I am going to have a much more elevated discussion with very knowledgable mamas with opinions across the board than anywhere else.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by studentmama

Hmm, why post about anything then if people have no power?

oh come on, you know I was referring specifically to this part of your post, that is why I quoted it

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.

Obviously people talk about all kinds of things that they don't have the power to change, heck News is full of such threads. You are the one that referred to things getting worked out, and I was addressing that.

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

oh come on, you know I was referring specifically to this part of your post, that is why I quoted it

I know what you were referring to and I disagree that ordinary people have no power, in any situation.

Obviously people talk about all kinds of things that they don't have the power to change, heck News is full of such threads. You are the one that referred to things getting worked out, and I was addressing that.

Change begins with ordinary people, not with entrenched politicians.

It's how ordinary people got rid of monarchy's. It's how slavery ended. It's how women got the vote. It's how civil rights were won.

[Arduinna]

Yes American women got the vote because American women fought for it, ironically Britian got the vote first IIRC, same with us becoming our own nation, all those were all local changes brought about by people that are a part of those nations creating what they wanted.

This is a message board where the overwhelming majority are not residents of the communities living this every day, change must come from within if it's to be lasting. If anything the last 60 years of mayhem should be the perfect example of how enforcing change from the outside leads to abject failure. Until the parties living their can agree nothing will change.

[Liquesce]

Originally Posted by abimommy

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.

Is it that difficult to find/train new moderators? (Honest question, since I know that can come off sounding a bit more like "c'mon, it can't be that hard ..." I really have no idea what kind of time/attention demands being a moderator puts a person.)

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

Is it that difficult to find/train new moderators? (Honest question, since I know that can come off sounding a bit more like "c'mon, it can't be that hard ..." I really have no idea what kind of time/attention demands being a moderator puts a person.)

It isn't just lack of moderators but general lack of member interest in adhering to the UA, which tends to frustrate the moderators we put in there.

It isn't exactly a cheery forum. A good number of the daily threads in there are depressing. It isn't that we don't have any mods, it is that it is burning mods out.

It is pretty normal to see on threads "It is so good to read a positive thread in here!"

Yeah, most people can just not read the forum, but someone moderating the forum cannot do that.

[amydidit]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

Is it that difficult to find/train new moderators? (Honest question, since I know that can come off sounding a bit more like "c'mon, it can't be that hard ..." I really have no idea what kind of time/attention demands being a moderator puts a person.)

Depending on the forum being a moderator can be very demanding and take a LOT of time. I was a moderator for a while a couple years ago. I loved it, but it began to get to be too stressful and time intensive. And I didn't even have *difficult* forums to moderate.

I can't even imagine trying to moderate NC&E or politics. I like having the option of avoiding disturbing and upsetting threads.

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by amydidit

Depending on the forum being a moderator can be very demanding and take a LOT of time. I was a moderator for a while a couple years ago. I loved it, but it began to get to be too stressful and time intensive. And I didn't even have *difficult* forums to moderate.

I can't even imagine trying to moderate NC&E or politics. I like having the option of avoiding disturbing and upsetting threads.

soooo true


If we were the model for peace and getting along that some would like, we wouldn't have nearly the problems in the forums as we do.

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

Yes American women got the vote because American women fought for it, ironically Britian got the vote first IIRC, same with us becoming our own nation, all those were all local changes brought about by people that are a part of those nations creating what they wanted.

This is a message board where the overwhelming majority are not residents of the communities living this every day, change must come from within if it's to be lasting. If anything the last 60 years of mayhem should be the perfect example of how enforcing change from the outside leads to abject failure. Until the parties living their can agree nothing will change.

Well, I have seen lots of folks from the area posting, and I know many who typically post in NC&E and politics, many have connections to that area. I know I do. However beyond that, this is an international problem, this is not just about them, and it involves everyone who helps on boths sides. And even beyond that, we are all human, and that connection matters too.

No one is talking about enforcing change, we are only discussing whether people should be able to continue discussing it on MDC. We may have to agree to disagree, but I do believe these discussions are important. They are important to keep communication open. They are important to keep understanding open. They are important for the rest of the world to understand what is going on there and that we are connected.

Maybe you disagree with that, and that's ok too, but I am explaining why it's important to me.

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

soooo true


If we were the model for peace and getting along that some would like, we wouldn't have nearly the problems in the forums as we do.

Moderating easy forums is hard, I can't imagine the tremendous task it is to moderate harder forums. I have been online for quite some time visiting various forums and I can tell you, I have yet to come across a forum that didn't have issues with moderating. I attribute this the fact that anytime you get more than one person in a scenario, you will have disagreements because that's what happens when more than one opinion enters the room.

Kudos to the moderators, because it is a tough job!

[Arduinna]

well at least by leaving the threads open in there I can see who is condoning the violence and put them on ignore. :

[grniys]

Originally Posted by 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.

I just wanted to say I think that's a really great suggestion. A lot of the topics in N&CE about the situation are the same people stating the same opinion over and over with different links to validate their opinion. Maybe one or two threads with all those links & discussions would make it easier to contain.

[E.V. Lowi]

Originally Posted by grniys

I just wanted to say I think that's a really great suggestion. A lot of the topics in N&CE about the situation are the same people stating the same opinion over and over with different links to validate their opinion. Maybe one or two threads with all those links & discussions would make it easier to contain.

I agree! It's tiresome.

[studentmama]

Originally Posted by E.V. Lowi

I agree! It's tiresome.

Maybe the threads could be merged? It's a lot of talk going between the threads too.

[*Aimee*]

Yes, I think this would be a great idea. It seems any opposing viewpoint has already been bullied away from this whole topic anyway. I'm not even really going to N&CE as much as I used to because it seems so completely one sided and it's frustrating.

[Arduinna]

If you feel it's one sided then by all means post threads that reflect the other side. No one is stopping you.

[E.V. Lowi]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

If you feel it's one sided then by all means post threads that reflect the other side. No one is stopping you.

What is stopping me is that I do not wish to alienate MDC members by escalating what is already a heated discussion on the N&CE forum. By moving the topic into Politics and adhering to the rules that were instated for the recent election, it keeps the conversation on what is a complex, contentious and emotional topic from boiling over. It is political and it belongs in there. Or eliminated as a topic of discussion, like abortion has been.

[Arduinna]

I just wanted to post thanking the admins and moderators for all their work over the years in the War and Politics, News and Current Events and the Politics forums. Thanks for all the hard work trying to keep everyone in line. I hope the decision to close the forums results in more harmony amongest the membership at large and across the other forums.

[Moon Faerie]

I'd like to thank all the intelligent people that posted in politics. I rarely posted, but I read a lot. Without it, I'm not sure I would have sorted out what was going on during the election, and I'm much more knowledgeable about politics now, which was something that prior to this election, I cared very little about. I'm saddened some solution couldn't be found. If anyone can point me to somewhere that does still allow news and political talk that's not super mainstream, I'd appreciate it.