Suggestion Should we ban religious / LGBT / political threads?

[MadMageKefka]

This started as a status message, but it sparked some interesting discussion, so at the advice of someone on my status, I made a thread to see what everyone else thinks.

Now, its not my place to decide the rules of this site, nor am I the kind of person to usually censor what people talk about. However, I am seeing more and more of these threads every day, and its getting out of hand. They always, without fail, devolve into bigotry and arguing. With this being a video game website, and these sorts of threads causing so much drama, maybe it would be for the best?

An example I would like to give is the thread from the other day about the Afghanistan bombing. After several pages it devolved into several people saying how gays should be executed. The thread was deleted shortly after. My question is, why aren't those people being punished and having their comments deleted? Why was the entire thread removed? Some of that conversation was legit discussion. I have a feeling the staff here is tired of the crap too (please correct me if I am wrong).

So what do you all think? I don't wanna censor people really, but at the same time I think it would make the site a more friendly, enjoyable experience for everyone. Maybe another option would be to create a separate forum for this stuff, so at least it doesn't appear on the front page? Please, let me know how you all feel too.

EDIT: At this point, after discussing this for so many hours, my opinion on the matter is that outright banning this sort of thing is not the answer. I do, however, feel that off-topic discussions of this nature don't belong on the front page of a gaming / hacking forum. A lot of people are tired of seeing it and it just plain makes us looks bad as a community when 4 out of the 10 topics on the front page are off-topic shit shows of bigotry and hate. This is obviously not too often the case, but it does seem to be happening more frequently.

 

[Aurora Wright]

The backlog isn't always there, and not that big of an issue. A lot of the time it's because we haven't decided on something, that the reports are still there. It was just to demonstrate that it is quite a bit of work involved.
I always go through the reports whenever I get on, and look for the shitposts and memes just because they're the easiest to deal with. And if some are left, it's because they haven't been reported OR if mods aren't on.

Imo it's more time effective to just delete the flame at its onset (when it's just one or two messages) than waiting for it to develop into a shitstorm and derail the thread altogether. The chances are slim that this won't happen with sensitive issues.

 

[DinohScene]

The backlog isn't always there, and not that big of an issue. A lot of the time it's because we haven't decided on something, that the reports are still there. It was just to demonstrate that it is quite a bit of work involved.
I always go through the reports whenever I get on, and look for the shitposts and memes just because they're the easiest to deal with. And if some are left, it's because they haven't been reported OR if mods aren't on.

Not to argue but, I have reported a string of spiderman memes 26 hours ago, when I woke up around 1 ish today, I reported them again, before finally being dealt with a few hours later by no other then yourself.

Things like that give the impression that the staff is overworked ;/

 

[Dionicio3]

I have reported a string of spiderman memes

Shit you found me

 

[cvskid]

Not to argue but, I have reported a string of spiderman memes 26 hours ago, when I woke up around 1 ish today, I reported them again, before finally being dealt with a few hours later by no other then yourself.

Things like that give the impression that the staff is overworked ;/

That is why i feel like there should be more moderators, one from each part of the world if possible so there can always be at least one moderator on at all times.

 

[The Catboy]

I've actually reported several posts/threads some time ago (not related to this, mostly in the 3DS and Vita sections) and they don't seem to care about them. Maybe they didn't think it was bad enough to be removed or something, but what I've learned is that reporting never works (not like replying is better anyways).

Remember, these staff members are humans and they do get backlogged on reports. They can only do so much with their time and this isn't including their own personal lives. And in some cases they the staff has to actually talk about these reports, putting the issue on backlog.
Basically does the post look report worthy? If the answer is yes, report, don't reply. This should be the golden rule of this site.

 

[Issac]

Not to argue but, I have reported a string of spiderman memes 26 hours ago, when I woke up around 1 ish today, I reported them again, before finally being dealt with a few hours later by no other then yourself.

Things like that give the impression that the staff is overworked ;/

That thread had 23 reports alone, and I had to go through it all to get the most of the cleanup in one go, even everything that wasn't reported. And the reason someone else left it alone? Beats me, I dealt with it when I saw it.
Now there are 11 reports to deal with (that I'm ignoring right now, since I'm speaking with you guys), 3 of which are for posts in this thread

I don't consider the staff overworked to be honest

 

[MadMageKefka]

Not to argue but, I have reported a string of spiderman memes 26 hours ago, when I woke up around 1 ish today, I reported them again, before finally being dealt with a few hours later by no other then yourself.

Things like that give the impression that the staff is overworked ;/

@Issac Things such as this have happened with me, too. Not saying the staff needs to do better or anything, but like @DinohScene said, it does kind of imply that either mods arent on at certain times, or are overworked a bit. If you say that's not the case though, I can only take your word for it. I have no reason not to believe you.

 

[evandixon]

Remember, these staff members are humans and they do get backlogged on reports. They can only do so much with their time and this isn't including their own personal lives. And in some cases they the staff has to actually talk about these reports, putting the issue on backlog.

Larger numbers of reports require either larger amounts of time or larger numbers of staff. When larger amounts of time are used, threads like this become a thing.

 

[Stephano]

That is why i feel like there should be more moderators, one from each part of the world if possible so there can always be at least one moderator on at all times.

I'm assuming that all these moderators would be volunteers?
Maybe there should be a site-wide poll where people can submit who they would think would be a good moderator. If they have been nominated, they can also decline if they so choose.

 

[Dionicio3]

I'm assuming that all these moderators would be volunteers?
Maybe there should be a site-wide poll where people can submit who they would think would be a good moderator. If they have been nominated, they can also decline if they so choose.

Really bad idea, a thread like that will get shitposted to hell

 

[Dr.Hacknik]

I just don't like it, I find the whole thing very cringy.
It doesn't mean I would go on harassing somebody else for liking it.
That is stupid, I find the harassing in this regard unjustifiable behaviour, and the comparisons of it to zoophilia just a byproduct of overreaching and ignorance.

Hell, I hate e.g. "The Big Bang Theory" with a passion, but I don't go around kicking some friend because he loves that PoS. /s

I am so glad that you're a fellow respectful human-being. Thanks, you just made my day!

 

[The Catboy]

Larger numbers of reports require either larger amounts of time or larger numbers of staff. When larger amounts of time are used, threads like this become a thing.

I previously suggested more staff members, so I am glad to see more people digging that idea.

Also I would like to thank @Issac for popping into this thread and providing us with that sneak peak into life of a Staff member. It's quite refreshing to have some transparency.

 

[Issac]

Imo it's more time effective to just delete the flame at its onset (when it's just one or two messages) than waiting for it to develop into a shitstorm and derail the thread altogether. The chances are slim that this won't happen with sensitive issues.

Indeed, but that also requires someone to actually report it in time, or that the mods see those posts before the flaming becomes a forest fire.

 

[916253]

I'm assuming that all these moderators would be volunteers?
Maybe there should be a site-wide poll where people can submit who they would think would be a good moderator. If they have been nominated, they can also decline if they so choose.

Allowing the community to vote on moderators doesn't really sound like it would work out very well-- people would just vote for their friends and people who may not have had any previous moderation experience might be given the position and not bring anything to the table.

 

[DinohScene]

That thread had 23 reports alone, and I had to go through it all to get the most of the cleanup in one go, even everything that wasn't reported. And the reason someone else left it alone? Beats me, I dealt with it when I saw it.
Now there are 11 reports to deal with (that I'm ignoring right now, since I'm speaking with you guys), 3 of which are for posts in this thread

I don't consider the staff overworked to be honest

I hate to bicker about things on which I have no access to (report logs and what not)
But in the time I reported the meme spam for the first time and going to sleep (time span of 4 hours orso) I saw several mods come online and go offline.
Which just raised the question further.

I can understand wanting to clean it up in one go, but having it up for hours does leave the impression to members that single image replies are allowed here.
And seeing the majority of the userbase are teens, which grew up with facebook and youtube where shit spam and memes are completely normal..

I'm assuming that all these moderators would be volunteers?
Maybe there should be a site-wide poll where people can submit who they would think would be a good moderator. If they have been nominated, they can also decline if they so choose.

Staff decides at their own discretion on who will become mod.
Popularity contests won't work.

 

[Stephano]

Really bad idea, a thread like that will get shitposted to hell

In practice, most likely. In theory, it might be looking into. For example, i can think of several users on the site right now who could fit the bill. If people were to quietly and maybe even anonymously nominate someone, it would give the current mods some idea of who they could look into for hiring. Maybe it shouldn't be a discussion at all. Just a poll.

 

[Issac]

Staff have their way of choosing new staff, thankyouverymuch Also, one thing to keep in mind when it comes to "more staff": Quality over quantity.

Now, this thread is starting to derail, and I'm sorry for being part of that. Now let's keep to the original subject.

...

I can't answer why it wasn't dealt with. At the same time, some shitposts or memes aren't the end of the world. The number one priority is real spam, then gore and porn, illegal files, warez requests and all that that actually hurt the site.
Shitposts are frowned upon and all... but whatever, even if their shitposts were allowed to be up for some hours, they all got a warning for it. That should teach them that it isn't okay.

 

[Stephano]

Allowing the community to vote on moderators doesn't really sound like it would work out very well-- people would just vote for their friends and people who may not have had any previous moderation experience might be given the position and not bring anything to the table.

Well we wouldn't really vote, but it could give mods an idea of who they could look into hiring. A full blown poll/winner take all would definetly not work. I should have articulated better

 

[The Catboy]

I just don't like it, I find the whole thing very cringy.
It doesn't mean I would go on harassing somebody else for liking it.
That is stupid, I find the harassing in this regard unjustifiable behaviour, and the comparisons of it to zoophilia just a byproduct of overreaching and ignorance.

Hell, I hate e.g. "The Big Bang Theory" with a passion, but I don't go around kicking some friend because he loves that PoS. /s

I am glad you posted this because it shows that someone can dislike something and not be mean about it. I respect you and I respect your opinion on this matter. You show a great example of what respect really means.
This is a golden example of how a post should be.

 

[Dionicio3]

Allowing the community to vote on moderators doesn't really sound like it would work out very well-- people would just vote for their friends and people who may not have had any previous moderation experience might be given the position and not bring anything to the table.

Good point, let's say, for example, someone nominates me. The only things I have ever moderated was a minecraft server and school projects. I am no way fit to be a mod. But if enough people vote for me, I'll just be a useless staff

 

[Stephano]

Good point, let's say, for example, someone nominates me. The only things I have ever moderated was a minecraft server and school projects. I am no way fit to be a mod. But if enough people vote for me, I'll just be a useless staff

This is what i was referring too. Sorry if i wasn't clear.