Why no politics or religion?

[Morrus]

I can only partially agree with that. However, I am a person who loves to debate so that may have something to do with it. I just dont, personally, believe that there would be all that many more fights than there are already...

Thing is, I'm not basing this on some arbitrary off-the-wall opinion. I'm basing it on historical observation on these very boards. Political and religious posts do occasionally slip under the mods' radar, and when we eventually see them, they're always already full scale flame wars.

Anyway, as you said, it's kinda moot anyway. That's how this place has always been and that's how it'll always be.

 

[Turjan]

Thing is, I'm not basing this on some arbitrary off-the-wall opinion. I'm basing it on historical observation on these very boards. Political and religious posts do occasionally slip under the mods' radar, and when we eventually see them, they're always already full scale flame wars.

This is true, I've seen this myself. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. It was also a surprise how some people I considered very even-tempered went completely mad. It's probably better the way it is .

 

[Aust Diamondew]

Yes, but politics and religion start WARS...real wars, too. Not just the flame wars that can result from the other stuff.

I don't think anyone has started a war because of what someone said about their beliefs on the internet. I suppose it's only a matter of time...

Wouldn't it be ironic if this threat became a flame war? Then we wouldn't be allowed to discuss the ban on discussing religion or politics.

 

[STARP_JVP]

Anyway, as you said, it's kinda moot anyway. That's how this place has always been and that's how it'll always be.

That's a political statement right there, you know.

 

[S'mon]

Seriously though, I do feel that the mods are sometimes a bit too quick to close threads that verge on being political and/or religious but aren't properly. Talking about real world politics or religion as it relates, for example, to a particular player in someone's RPG group or gamers in general is not by itself political or religious. It's the difference between politics and political science/political sociology; or for that matter, between religion and theology.

That's my feeling also.

 

[S'mon]

Although there are times when I wish courtesy were enforced as totally as the no politics/religion rule (although I must say since I've been back at ENworld this time around, I've seen a lot more of mods pouncing on rude posts which I apreciate hugely)

Enforcement of the no-rudeness rule does seem much stricter now than it was a couple of years ago.

 

[Chiaroscuro23]

I think it is interesting that I grew up with that rule; that it was impolite to discuss religion and politics in mixed company, it was part of being civil.

How the world has changed.

That's pretty much the rule in American culture. It's different on the internet. As others have noted, not being able to see others takes away some self-restraint, as well. The two combine for a fairly low signal-to-noise ratio among the flames.

FWIW, I kinda wish it were acceptable to discuss politics (civilly) in person, too.

And, as long as we're on the subject, how close to politics can you get around here, anyway? Can I quote the President in my sig? Can I use a nation's flag as my avatar? May I link to my blog, opinion column, or local paper? If we're dicussing a fantasy work that has libertarian themes may I point them out? May I critique them?

Thanks!

 

[Dinkeldog]

That's pretty much the rule in American culture. It's different on the internet. As others have noted, not being able to see others takes away some self-restraint, as well. The two combine for a fairly low signal-to-noise ratio among the flames.

FWIW, I kinda wish it were acceptable to discuss politics (civilly) in person, too.

And, as long as we're on the subject, how close to politics can you get around here, anyway? Can I quote the President in my sig? Can I use a nation's flag as my avatar? May I link to my blog, opinion column, or local paper? If we're dicussing a fantasy work that has libertarian themes may I point them out? May I critique them?

Thanks!

Please don't; please don't (since it's bound to be politically motivated--if he's commenting on his D&D campaign that's different); yes (but not altered); please don't; and only in the context of the fantasy work; only in the context of the fantasy work and the workability of the campaign.

Remember, whenever you think you're skirting the rules, you're probably breaking them, at least in spirit. That's rude to the other board members, and that's a big part of what we want to avoid.

 

[Dagger75]

I do have a solution, if everyone just agrees I am right then there would be no flamewars and we could discuss politics and religion.

 

[James Heard]

As a rather dedicated poster to other (previously mentioned) boards that allow politics I can only say that I'm very, very glad that ENWorld is what it is. ENWorld is too large to effectively police religious and political commentary while maintaining the grandma and other politeness rules. I imagine that a site of ENWorld's size could do it, but it would have to have grown up with that burden from a smaller one and rely on a tremendous amount of peer pressure (like we've got here concerning the other rules really). I distinctly remember in 1989 watching my very first political/religious argument on my BBS, and that disrupted mail feeds for weeks - the world hasn't changed that much and the internet isn't calmer for having more opinions in it.