Over-reacting?

Mattykins

Mattykins

Cute Member
Guys,

I am going to try to keep the personal stuff out of this. But really - don't you all think this whole political thing is getting ridiculous?

Mino has versed his disappointment.
Many here have. And to simply close everything that even mentions politics?

I just want to go on record and say that I am disappointed. Granted we are supposed to talk about film stuff here. But threads that serve no other purpose but to bash people stay open. Personal attacks are let to stay. Yet the moment something pops up about politics or the economy - which effects all of us and our films it is instantly shut down.

I can't even recall how many posts I've reported for being personal attacks that are left to stay open. I think we need to refocus our efforts on keeping this a friendly place rather than shut down everything that has to deal with anything political or economical.

I expect this will be closed as well. But I would hate this place to turn into a place where it is okay to bash people but not okay to be liberal or conservative.
 
Mattykins said:
Guys,

I am going to try to keep the personal stuff out of this. But really - don't you all think this whole political thing is getting ridiculous?

Mino has versed his disappointment.
Many here have. And to simply close everything that even mentions politics?

I just want to go on record and say that I am disappointed. Granted we are supposed to talk about film stuff here. But threads that serve no other purpose but to bash people stay open. Personal attacks are let to stay. Yet the moment something pops up about politics or the economy - which effects all of us and our films it is instantly shut down.

I can't even recall how many posts I've reported for being personal attacks that are left to stay open. I think we need to refocus our efforts on keeping this a friendly place rather than shut down everything that has to deal with anything political or economical.

I expect this will be closed as well. But I would hate this place to turn into a place where it is okay to bash people but not okay to be liberal or conservative.
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Dood it was over a week that we let politics slide.

Forward threads to us where people bash each other and we'll do something about it.

The rules are the rules.

It was ALWAYS no politics. We've just gone back to the actual rules.

You act like you've been entitled to discuss politics here. NO. It was like an extra privilege we tried and it did not work.

So tell me what you would do.

The rules are no politics. We bend them. There's a bunch of fighting and people getting pissed off when we have to step in and moderate "so and so posted this and he didn't get his post deleted" "so and so said that and it was ok". Which is exactly what you are doing now regarding things even outside of politics.

What's the fair way then since it's all subjective judgment calls? To not have it at all - as has always been the policy.

So you tell me? Since clearly just trying to keep an eye on things didn't work - what next? - I mean we even said - hey, bad idea on our parts - whatever the plural is of mea culpa ... so now what do you want ... just keep doing the same? Or go back to the way that works. Again it wasn't one blow up. We tried it. It didn't work. Really - what do you want? We acknowledged "mixed message". People ***** when it's a mixed message. People ***** when it's a clear message. So what's your solution?
 
I've been on boards where discussing politics are allowed...

It gets out of hand fast and enemies are made fast.

Just saying...
 
I am absolutely not acting like we have the right and are entitled to discuss politics.

I am getting at the fact we let posts and threads go by where people are just fighting and being jerks to one another. I am saying we need to focus on that rather than on trivial things.

Please Jack, don't refer to me as dood and look at this like I am making a huge deal here. I've been here for a while. This place is becoming a place that isn't "safe" for anyone. And I have forwarded posts that people bash each other in. None of them have ever been closed.

This is becoming a hostile place. That is the point of my post.
 
Matty I'm really asking you. What do you want? I apologize for the use of "dood". Never offended anyone before with that - kind of a friendly tern actually, but if you take offense I apologize. So what do you want us to do Matty? I'm listening. Do you have a suggestion? I'm kind of missing the point of your post if you don't think we're doing something wrong in going back to zero politics?

We're not gonna have a politics section or discussion. Go to Zaks forum or Twisted Lincoln's. I'll likely see you over there. But really, aside from screwing up and laxing up in the first place on the political talk, what would you have had us do differently?

We tried to be fair, but it's too subjective. Traffic wreck occurred. Now what?
 
Jack, sorry it was the way your post came off.

I know its a tough call. I just think we are focusing our attention in the wrong places. Politics suck. They do. And I agree we shouldn't be talking about the next president, or claims of socialism and stuff. I totally agree.

I almost agree with the zero politics. However - that said. I think the focus needs to be on the threads that genuinely get hostile. Politics doesn't make people hostile. Sometimes it comes up in regular threads.

Point is, there are a lot of times where I read something geared towards someone who is new that is highly derogatory. The hostile nature of the forum has continued to go up. The only political threads I've seen have been those dealing with the economy. One discussion became about investing yet was still shut down. Yet there are countless threads that serve no other reason that to create issues.

It's more about focusing in on the wrong thing.

EDIT:

And for what it's worth, I was an admin on a paintball forum for a few years back in the day. I know its a tough job. We had to work really hard to keep it a kind place to be. And In years past - the user was like that. Not when I joined. In fact I was almost bashed out for asking a few "newbie" questions. But shortly thereafter, things got better. And I noticed in the past few months we have declined again.
 
Well you have a voice. Maybe we can have a discussion about that here - hostility.

And if if my post came off a certain way you have to realize that we resent assertions that we're in some smokey room sending lightning bolts to the members that we personally don't like or that there's anything behind our decisions but trying to do our level best. Personality will come into t at some point - were human.

So what can we do to make it less hostile, or what are some of the instances where you see people getting into stuff that maybe could be avoided.

Yes people do get into heated personal arguments over the EX1 vs HVX but we kind of have to talk about those things. We don't have to talk about politics. I'm passionate about the HPX 170 but not nearly so much as my views on who should win this election. See my point kind of? If we can't get along largely (according to your characterization) on stuff like that? What happens on stuff that actually matters? Like God, the economy, and who's that asshole in this year's election.

But sound off about wherever you think there's room for improvement, member or mod, especially in terms of general hostility here, if that's your perception.
 
It's not like there's a shortage of political discussion forums on the web. Having said that, a lot of rules here are enforced depending on where people are perceived to sit on the pyramid which, IMHOP, is unbecoming a community that's ostensibly created for artists.
 
I can see how you could have that perception.

I think the trouble is that we try to be lax until we can't. So it comes across that way.

I'll point the mods to this thread and I think what we can take from your comment is to be more consistant. Hence in this instance, just a flat out no politics decision.

Thanks Brian.
 
Mattykins said:
And for what it's worth, I was an admin on a paintball forum for a few years back in the day. I know its a tough job. We had to work really hard to keep it a kind place to be. And In years past - the user was like that. Not when I joined. In fact I was almost bashed out for asking a few "newbie" questions. But shortly thereafter, things got better. And I noticed in the past few months we have declined again.
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The increase in hostility over the past few months that you've noticed could have been due to the relative laxity about politics that was going on then.
 
brianluce said:
It's not like there's a shortage of political discussion forums on the web. Having said that, a lot of rules here are enforced depending on where people are perceived to sit on the pyramid which, IMHOP, is unbecoming a community that's ostensibly created for artists.
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IMHOP = In My House Of Pancakes?
 
Thanks for the forum plug, Jack. It's a small forum so far, but everyone is welcome to discuss politics or any other non-film-making topic there.

As for the issues here, I am also dissatisfied with the rules, but everyone's comments have started to go far past helpful suggestions and have divested into all out dissent.

There has been something like four or five topics in the last week that have broken down into arguing over this. It's time to let it go, or go elsewhere.

Unlike in real politics, staging an insurrection will get nowhere here. None of us have any leverage -- if I swear to never come back, no one would care. Being bitter serves nothing.

Let's all work together to make this issue a non-issue, and remember that this isn't cancer research -- it's a forum for us to collaborate and have fun.
 
I was wondering about the house of pancakes too Zak...

I'll just chime and agree that I've been noticing a steady decline in the quality of this place over the summer and up until now. Just seems like a lot more bickering. About everything. I think being more consistent in the handling of things would help quite a bit. But a huge thanks to you all that moderate this place. Its a big forum and I know being consistent among multiple mods isnt the easiest thing to do. Thats my 2 cents. IHOP is starting to sound pretty good now...

eta - well said Twisted - "Let's all work together to make this issue a non-issue, and remember that this isn't cancer research -- it's a forum for us to collaborate and have fun."
 
As the ex-Political Police, I feel I should weigh in here:

Ever since it was announced that NON-PARTISAN videos encouraging people to vote for ANY candidate would be allowed, everything went to the dogs. First of all, the PSA that was originally posted WAS slightly partisan. I don't like complaining and, since it was minimal, I kept to myself and started tossing around ideas for my own to submit.

It would appear, however, that many people took that announcement as some sort of invitation to start discussing political issues (ergo, the economy). Time after time threads were started about that issue and they always resulted in arguments and the use of the "close thread" button. Yet, people kept starting new threads. I removed myself from these discussions early on so as to avoid any heated exchanges, but I continued to ask myself "Why the hell do people keep starting these? Don't they get it?" Yet, I didn't complain.

Yesterday I was out of the house until late in the night. I didn't log onto the site once. I come on now and I see that this whole issue has exploded. The PSA is gone, an announcement from Jack is in its place explaining the reasons and, yet, there is STILL a gang of threads demanding answers to questions that never needed to be posed. I don't think I have ever seen so many closed/locked threads on one page, but I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if I were a mod.

Guys, this is getting RIDICULOUS! The mods tried to connect filmmaking (which is what this forum is about, after all) to vote encouragement and, instead, you all started getting into arguments. Politics is a sticky subject, one where you can never get everyone to agree. Every time something political comes up it gets heated very quickly and it distracts people from what we are here to do - make films. Another issue is the fact that relationships get destroyed over these stupid discussions. If someone wants to film one of my scripts they shouldn't decide not to simply because of a political viewpoint I have expressed, but that is what happens when you let people run wild.

I am tired of people starting threads to complain. I am tired of people acting as if we have ALWAYS been able to talk politics but now have had the RIGHT taken away. We HAVE NOT had the luxury (if you can even call it that) of discussing politics here (at least in many many years). The mods tried to add a non-partisan extension to the site and many of you misinterpreted that and now we have lost it.

Stop complaining. Stop starting threads. If you have a problem, PM a mod. It looks like the rule is "no politics." Yes, "no politics" it IS, "no politics" is HAS been and, as far as I'm concerned, "no politics" it WILL be. (Now, if anyone got the political joke there, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF OR SEND ME A PM :))

That is all. If I were a mod, I would now close this thread.
 
brianluce said:
One of these days I'm gonna this internets thing right.
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haha! sorry for making fun. feel free to report me.
report.gif
 
I have to agree on the consistence! Right at the beginning of my DVXuser time I came into a discussion which overheated and I learned right away to just stay away from such topics and it served me well. I was wondering as well over the last weeks what happened to this place. Also the religion discussion. It seemed like nobody cares anymore. I mentioned the rules, but was told that everything is under control. It was this inconsistence what confused me. I think to stick strictly to the rules is the best way to go, so it is fair to everybody.
 
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