OK I gotta get everyone's opinion

[Digidave]

When or where in the hell did this website become a vestibule for political debate!!!

If you folks really feel the need to debate topics such as this, please go elsewhere! There are plenty of websites just for that purpose. This thread started out as a photography subject but somewhere along the line it turned into a political debate that has nothing to do with photography.

When this website was younger, you could let the occasional political comment slide & people would just ignore it & move on. Today, that doesn't seem to be the case. On any given subject, we could go back & forth for the rest of our lives & not get anywhere.

If you want to debate whether you think that Wind Turbines are pleasant photo subjects, more power to you. I'll be more than happy to give you a run for your money. If you want to debate Global Warming & the need for Wind Turbines, go elsewhere!!

Take a look at what happened to another thread when a seemingly simple question was asked. It started out asking about the well being of a fellow member of DPS & if anybody had any info on his whereabouts. Seems friendly enough. Then it turned into a debate on whether we should be getting inoculations or not!

People getting stupid!!!

Please! Don't allow this great website turn into "One of those" websites. You have all seen them. Where just about every other thread turns into a debate about this or that & gets completely off topic. It gets old very quickly!!

Please!!
1) Keep subjects related to photography.
2) Debate all you want as long as it's Photography related. Hell, I'll join in!
3) If you see a thread get off topic like this one did, these are the choices I would choose & hope many of you would also.
a) Ignore it
b) Ask the poster to keep on subject. Nicely of course.

This is not something that the Moderators should have to police. All they can do is ask that the subject get back on track or close the thread completely. We don't want to see that happen, now do we. It's really up to us to police ourselves.

I'm not trying to be "All High & Mighty" & put myself above anyone else here. I really didn't want to write this, but after seeing the direction a couple a recent threads have taken, I felt it necessary.

By the way, I hate these things except at sunset.

[BEGM83]

last i checked this was General Chat....

[BryanC]

Originally Posted by Digidave

When or where in the hell did this website become a vestibule for political debate!!!

If you folks really feel the need to debate topics such as this, please go elsewhere! There are plenty of websites just for that purpose. This thread started out as a photography subject but somewhere along the line it turned into a political debate that has nothing to do with photography.

When this website was younger, you could let the occasional political comment slide & people would just ignore it & move on. Today, that doesn't seem to be the case. On any given subject, we could go back & forth for the rest of our lives & not get anywhere.

If you want to debate whether you think that Wind Turbines are pleasant photo subjects, more power to you. I'll be more than happy to give you a run for your money. If you want to debate Global Warming & the need for Wind Turbines, go elsewhere!!

Take a look at what happened to another thread when a seemingly simple question was asked. It started out asking about the well being of a fellow member of DPS & if anybody had any info on his whereabouts. Seems friendly enough. Then it turned into a debate on whether we should be getting inoculations or not!

People getting stupid!!!

Please! Don't allow this great website turn into "One of those" websites. You have all seen them. Where just about every other thread turns into a debate about this or that & gets completely off topic. It gets old very quickly!!

Please!!
1) Keep subjects related to photography.
2) Debate all you want as long as it's Photography related. Hell, I'll join in!
3) If you see a thread get off topic like this one did, these are the choices I would choose & hope many of you would also.
a) Ignore it
b) Ask the poster to keep on subject. Nicely of course.

This is not something that the Moderators should have to police. All they can do is ask that the subject get back on track or close the thread completely. We don't want to see that happen, now do we. It's really up to us to police ourselves.

I'm not trying to be "All High & Mighty" & put myself above anyone else here. I really didn't want to write this, but after seeing the direction a couple a recent threads have taken, I felt it necessary.

As was already stated, this is General Chit Chat, described by the website itself as a place for "Introductions, Off Topic Discussion, Suggestions and Feedback."

I think that you need to re-read the original post of this thread. It didn't start off as a photography subject. WVCoalMiner was presenting his opinion about the impact on the land that different energy sources have. And, with his title of the thread, was inviting others to give their opinions as well. If it's a discussion that doesn't interest you in being involved with, follow your own advice you are giving everyone else. Ignore it, move on.

When adults have conversations or debates, sometimes it becomes a fluid discussion and the topic changes. This seemed to have happened in the other thread that you mentioned. It didn't seem to be a case of a thread being hijacked, it's the way it flowed. A discussion that doesn't interest you and you don't want to be involved with? Again, follow your own advice and ignore it, move on. I do it, others do it, it really takes no effort at all.

What we can do without is the ignorant types of things that you demonstrated. A rather large, red fonted statement like "People getting stupid!!!" has no place here. Just plain ignorant.

I would like to believe the Moderators haven't 'policed' these conversations that bother you because they haven't needed policing. It would be a different thing if it happened in other sections of the forum, but not in 'General Chit Chat'.

I also find it humorous that you don't see the irony of you coming into this thread about one subject and changing it with your post complaining about how threads get off topic.

I think that until there's a section called " Only What Digidave Approves Of ", you'll have to deal with it like us common folk. If a subject or conversation doesn't interest you and you don't want to get involved,...then don't. Ignore it and move on.

[WVCoalMiner]

Newsweek on the cooling world

The earth was cooling just 30 years ago????? we were headed for a "Mini Ice Age"

[wulf]

This is general chit-chat but we're heading off into intense, polarising debate. I think there has been a fair chance for people to air their views and there are plenty of other places on the net if you want room to vent some more, so I declare this particular discussion closed.

Wulf