Politics & Religion on Forums

[Fern Modena]

I wasn't going to post on this topic, but changed my mind.

I was one of the Admins here during the worst time. There were three of us most of that period, but at the worst of it one of them left (they had been planning this), and Doug was in the middle of moving. Once he moved he still did not do Admin work for a while because he said he only had dialup and it was too difficult to do with dialup.

Things got very contentious. If you didn't agree with somebody's views, instead of just disagreeing constructively, people got very personal, in a mean-spirited way. It was very ugly. Some of these people were regular posters, and some only came "for the fun of the disagreements." Many of them no longer post here (or on any timeshare forum).

As Administrator it was my job to warn these posters that there would be consequences if they continued down that road. Eventually much of TUG descended into total anarchy.

In the time immediately before the rule change to "no politics, no religion" twenty-one people were suspended from posting for a week. I restored a calm to the boards, but it in doing so it pasted a target on my back. Many/most of the people suspended felt that it was "everybody else" doing the attacking, and not them. That feeling lingers today with some.

I used to be a prolific poster on TUG. I no longer am. Five years ago I thought nothing about sharing parts of my life that I no longer do. You figure it out.

IMHO TUG is much calmer and a more pleasant place today. But I feel that I was forced to pay a big price to be a part of it.

Fern

 

[Steamboat Bill]

I used to be a prolific poster on TUG. I no longer am. Five years ago I thought nothing about sharing parts of my life that I no longer do. You figure it out.

Gee that sounds familiar...where have I heard that before...

 

[Dave M]

There is a big difference between Fern's situation and some other situations. As far as I can recall, Fern was never criticized for sharing things about her personal life here. What she shared from her personal life was almost always designed to provide useful info for others here.

It was as she said. She was criticized by many for doing exactly the moderating job that she was supposed to do. That she is still willing to add her knowledge here after all she went through is a credit to her strength and stature.

 

[Kal]

...Do note that we openly discuss money....

That one's easy because none of us has any.

 

[silvib]

Interesting thread...lets see how long it takes before it gets closed.

I posted a thread about who will be the Democratic VP....(I was wrong in my pick)...as I thought it would be a fun topic like picking a Super Bowl winner or the Best Movie for the Academy Awards.....guess what, after about 10 posts, it got locked because peopel can't help themselves and it gets out of hand.

Now if they every create a "specific religious timeshare" or a specific "political timeshare" then perhaps it can be discussed here.

Actually it was your thread that prompted me to ask the question I did in this thread. I didn't take it any differently than wondering who was going to be the next American Idol or who would win Dancing with Stars, even if the outcome will have more influence on our lives than a tv program. Sylvia

 

[TUGBrian]

and thus is a perfect example of why its such a blanket rule.

The rules are perfectly clear at the top of the page, yet even TUGBBS volunteer staff chose to start a political thread in violation of the rules.

"gray areas" are way different for people when you have a collection of thousands of unique individuals.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Gray, Shmay.

"gray areas" are way different for people when you have a collection of thousands of unique individuals.

Other people's gray areas are my clear-cut situations.

And vice versa.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[lawren2]

Political discussion is permitted over on TS4Ms but to be honest I don't miss it here and I don't bother with it much over there.

Political discussions are allowed on TS4Ms in an "opt in" forum only. If people feel the need to discuss politics and the associated nastiness that always seems to develop from these discussions then they have their own little private area to do so.

I think we learned from those hurtful days here and do not subject members to these on a "new posts" view.


I live by an old rule of thumb and treat these BBS's like I would a cocktail party. I don't discuss politics, religion or sex on them.

Ok maybe sex. :rofl:

 

[geekette]

If TUG limited discussions on money, then it would be pretty dull.....Posts would be like this:

"I paid TOP dollar for my XYZ timeshare and now I can't even sell it for a cup of coffee. I would post prices, but it is against the rules"

"I just closed on a DVC for less than a used Toyota Prius....60 days until my next visit...pixie dust for everyone."

"Destination Clubs offer great value, but I can't post a comparison to timeshares as it involves a discussion on money."

I think you missed my point.

 

[Steamboat Bill]

Ok maybe sex. :rofl:

Do you have any new threads you care to start?

 

[rickandcindy23]

Fern, it sounds like it was terrible back then. I just joined barely before the big software change TUG had in 2005, so I wasn't around when all this happened, and I am glad I wasn't. Now I understand why some of my comments early on (about Orange Lake) were taken so personally by a few here. Even though it wasn't about politics, things went down a bad road for a bit.

You are always so kind, Fern, and I am glad you stayed here. You make this a nice place to be.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Thank You, Fern. You Are A Class Act.

0You are always so kind, Fern, and I am glad you stayed here. You make this a nice place to be.

Well said.

Truer words were never -spoken- typed.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Keitht]

Fern, it sounds like it was terrible back then. I just joined barely before the big software change TUG had in 2005, so I wasn't around when all this happened, and I am glad I wasn't. Now I understand why some of my comments early on (about Orange Lake) were taken so personally by a few here. Even though it wasn't about politics, things went down a bad road for a bit.

Things certainly were bad in the period before political and other controversial subjects were finally banned. Different people will have different memories of the causes of the problems, but there is no value in raking all that up again.

To some though, adverse comments about Orange Lake were far worse than any denigration of their political or religious beliefs The reactions in some of the OL threads will give a little insight into how heated and polarised the political 'discussions' became.

 

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

I still appreciate all of you who gave me comfort and support while my son was in prison as a journalist resisting a grand jury subpoena. There was some discussion as to whether this was political, but I think the moderators did a good job of keeping the politics out, while allowing me to ask for prayers and support during a very difficult year for me. I haven't seen any religious controversy here, but I do appreciate people asking for prayer and if people are not praying type people they can always send good thoughts.
Liz