The debate board

[wheezie]

I have had a look at the debate board in the past couple of days and have been shocked at some of the threads going on there. It seems to me, and I may be wrong, that some of the people there are abusing other users if they dont agree with their opinion which seems a little odd to me, considering its a debate board.

I felt quite sorry for some of the detabtees are not allowed to express themselves without being (personally) insulted or (in my opinion) racist comments about their country/ies being made.

These boards have always been so friendly and pleasant and helpful to me. I've never really seen anything really unfriendly on the UK dis boards which is why I love lurking about and reading them so often. It was just a bit of a shock to me to read the debate boards and to find something different happening there.

Wheezie

 

[kazzie]

Wheezie,

ITA with you.

Because of posting about my anti war stance (anti Iraq in particular) I have been subjected to personal abuse and am very shocked at how aggressive and bullying some or it seems the majoity of the posters are.

I have posted today to say I will never look at the debate board again,it is far too depressing and worrying too that these people seem to represent the US view on foreign politices and policies etc.The question to why is the whole world in more peril from terrorism is answered on that board.If a people or nation try to negotiate with the US and receive anything like the ignorance the handful of anti war posters (including,well actually mainly me!) did on the board then it is no surprise to me why people resort to terrorism.I know this will be an unacceptable view to some and I apologize to them but it is what I believe.

I am also surprised the mods allow the hard core of posters there who dominate the board with their jack boots get away with it?

When I posted to say how shocked I was at the aggression and bullying to myself who was only expressing deep regret at the going to and continuing war in Iraq,the answers included 'Boo hoo poor kazzie's delicate psyche can't take it'..... Nasty and scary or what?

 

[susie2]

hi karen, i to have been reading the db, but would never dream of posting there for fear of getting the backlash that you have been getting, i think that some people really go over the top with there insults and always get away with it, i must admit it did make me wonder if all american people thought this way about us, but decided hopefuly that they are not all the same, i love going to disney on holiday and have never met people like this and i hope i never do, i think you have made the right decision to leave the db alone but it must have been upsetting for you at the time, i bet you can do without those insults, susie

 

[AlanUK]

I too have been reading a few of the threads on the debate board and my opinion is that there are a lot of people who post regularly on there who just enjoy winding people up with their extreme opinions.

Personally I will post against the threads that interest me, although a lot of ground seems to get covered time and time again, such as with the war in Iraq, possibly beacause it is soooo inflamatory .

I haven't been flamed yet for any of my posts as I am getting into it slowly, but I would like to think that if I did I would be able to give as good as I got but with an educated and well reasoned argument rather than resorting to the type of abuse that it seems to degenerate to more often than not.

The mods have a difficult job to do and I think will always err on the side of pacifying both parties rather than resorting to bans as it is so difficult to completely ban someone. Most people have access to different ISP's and can re-register under a different username once banned anyway. There might be a recent example of this type of behaviour but I can't think to whom I mught be referring .

My advice to anybody would be to stick to posting where they feel happiest and amongst friends If the DB is not for you then just don't get involved.

 

[steve1984]

I have been watching the debate board for some time and have been horrified at the way the group of 5 or 6 individuals rule. No one is allowed an alternative viewpoint -oh yes they say you are allowed one as long as you prove your point backing it up with facts. The facts are produced and then they lambast you with personal insults. When are the mods going to do something about these people? I will never post as I am not going to suffer the insults similar to those thrown at Kazzie. They use the word 'liberal' with the same enthusiasm as the trials of the Mc Carthy era. I am so frustrated to see these individuals left unchecked and would like to see a UK mod introduced on the board to give some balance.
They seem like a group of badly behaved schooolboys that can behave with abandon . I hope that it is going to be checked soon as I believe things have got out of control

Steve

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

You're right Steve, generally it's a small group of adults acting like kids in the schoolyard. In real life debates aren't like that, arguments are. It really should be re-named. The Debate Board is a depressing place and best avoided if at all possible. I've only posted there on a few threads, and that was against my better judgement.

Regards

Rob

 

[Van Helsing]

The only way to over come these problems is for people to post there and not be afraid to say what they want !!!

UK mod introduced on the board to give some balance.

Yes i think that would help too.

 

[UKDEB]

The Debate Board is a microcosm of everything wrong with the World today . Opposing sides entrenched in their views with no room for compromise or empathy.

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Originally posted by Van Helsing
The only way to over come these problems is for people to post there and not be afraid to say what they want !!!

I think that would just lead to even more bitterness. The trouble with the Debate Board is that no attempt is made by anybody to find common ground, nevermind finding compromise where there are different views. That's how the real world works, but the Debate Board is a place for people to shout at each other - more people posting there would just lead to more people shouting.

Regards

Rob

 

[kazzie]

Deb & Rob,

I think having a strongly held view (as I do for example on Iraq) doesn't automatically exclude you from being able to see 'the other person's point of view'.I CAN see their point of view and why they feel as they do without it being how I feel.They on the other hand are totally unable to even hear the opposite point of view.I would abhor being put in the same class as the posters who don't knoe the meaning of the word debate.

I did recive some PM's from US DISers to say they supported me and felt ashamed of the usual suspects over there.Shame they didn't feel they could stand up and be counted because if the core group there could hear form Americans who opposed their views I wonder if they would be so vindictive to them?

I posted on a thread to say why can't they acknowledge differing views to their own and 'agree to disagree' as you can do even when diametrically opposing views are held.A UK poster posted to say 'agree to disagree' is what people say when they have 'lost' the argument

Agree to disagree better known as COMPROMISE is how comflicts are ended and wars are avoided and peace can NEGOTIATED.The two words in capital letters are not understood by the debate board nazi's,and they sadly seem to represent the overwealmimg view of their country.No wonder the world is more unstable and a less safe place to live in now.

About the Iraq war they say,prove it's wrong,show us the evidence,show us the links.............If you feel something is morally wrong it's just somethig you feel deeply.For example I could say prove to me racsism is wrong.Nobody can actually 'prove' this is wrong,it is just something that I feel in my deepest being that it is morally and in all ways wrong and unacceptable,but still it is only a view not a certainty that can be proved by statistics,reports etc.

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Could the UK mods say if it is possible to have a UK mod checking the deabte boards please?

 

[Van Helsing]

What you seem to suggest Rob is let a few people rule the debate board ( or just leave them too it ). if there where more middle of the road people posting then i think there would be a big improvement on the debate board.

Well said Karen.

JMHO

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Originally posted by Van Helsing
What you seem to suggest Rob is let a few people rule the debate board ( or just leave them too it ).

Yes, just leave them to it.

Very few people on the Debate Board acknowledge that they have changed their view because of what other people have written, hardly anybody makes the effort to find something to agree on, words are twisted and misinterpreted, spurious 'facts' are quoted, arguments develop over semantics, there is a complete lack of respect for other people's opinion even though very few DB threads deal with verifiable facts (it's mainly opinion and personal politics), 'debates' are started with the only apparent purpose of finding more issues to divide opinion with, posters try to patronise each other, etc, etc. Then throw into that mix a sprinkling of truly oddball characters, and you have a recipe for the least pleasant part of the DIS.

Yes, the people who inhabit the Debate Board are welcome to it.

Regards

Rob

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

Originally posted by kazzie
Deb & Rob,

I think having a strongly held view (as I do for example on Iraq) doesn't automatically exclude you from being able to see 'the other person's point of view'.

You're right Karen. Unfortunately there seem to be too many regular posters on the Debate Board who do not agree with this sentiment. Having more moderate voices on the DB isn't going to change that.

Regards

Rob

 

[kazzie]

Rob,well put.


For me personally 'steer well clear and let them get on with it' is exactly what I intend to do.

I say to myself these people don't know me their comments aren't important, but when it gets to the point where I am actually upset away from the computer about the nastiness and vitriol thrown my way,for me it's time to leave them to it.

For others I'm sure it will spur them on to feel they have to put the other side,good for them!

 

[Van Helsing]

Why hasn't it been closed down if its making people feel this way ???

 

[rob@rar.org.uk]

That's a good question JJ. I'm not saying that there should not be any place on the internet where people can argue like this, but I'm a little curious as to why it's necessary on a forum dedicated to getting the best out of holidays to Florida.

Regards

Rob

 

[Ms Lucy]

I too find the debate board very intimadating. I am normally a lurker there and do not usually post but one of the posts offended me so much as a British person that I had to reply.

The reply was arrogant and the person did not care at all who they were offending. I think the comments directed at Kazzie were awful. I agree that a UK mod would be a good idea.

I think VH is great to stand up to the bullies, he's got *alls.

 

[wheezie]

I agree with Rob, having looked at the content of the debates I felt that it was at odds with everything else on these boards and the general good spirit amongst everyone here. If people want to argue with each other about politics, I am sure there are plenty of other places they could go to do that.

Personally, I dont think the debate board in its present form has a place on the DIS.

Wheezie

 

[Hilary]

Could the UK mods say if it is possible to have a UK mod checking the deabte boards please?

I'm not sure what this would achieve.

First and foremost, let me say that I personally don't visit the debate board, although I am aware of some of the vitriol that has been posted on specific threads. Again (from a purely personal perspective) I don't visit the DIS for anything other than an interest in WDW and Florida, and simply have no wish to enter debates about unrelated topics. However, the debate board is there for that purpose and there must be enough people using it to make the Wemasters feel it serves that purpose - this UK Community Board isn't the place to debate whether or not we should have a debate board on the DIS

As to having a UK mod on the DB, what more could they do that isn't already being done by the current mods? Nationality of a moderator shouldn't influence the way in which they moderate a board any more than their colour / sex / marital status / etc., etc. It may influence the way a mod feels about views posted, but that shouldn't be relevant to the way they moderate.

 

[vernon]

IMHO choosing a moderator by nationality on the debate board would do more harm than good. What a mod can and can't do is reasonably limited and pertains to "personal insults". Putting a mod there to defend "Brit posters" would not be a way forward.

IMHO the debate board serves a useful purpose, much of the DIS can, at times, be too liberally sprinkled with pixie dust, if you like that environment then fine, stay in the areas that suit you. If you don't mind robust discussion then there is a place for that as well. If you find it too rough, then don't enter in. In any environment, work, school, social, cyber or real there are areas that are more robust than others. If it's not your cup of tea don't stop.

While I don't always agree with JJ's topics I do agree with the right to defend your position and to not be bullied into leaving if you feel so inclined. While there are some people that will never change their minds, by giving an alternate view it is possible to give the more moderate or uncommitted readers a balanced view to make up their mind. By speaking up will you change the noisey and unhearing 10% , no of course not. But that isn't the audience to which one should be aiming, the audience is those that will otherwise only hear one side of an argument because those with strong feelings the other side can't be bothered.

Bottom line, if you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.