Politics happens, because we're all people with strongly-held opinions about a lot of things (and I wouldn't be here if we weren't); things can get tense when it does, because, well, it's politics. But for the sake of the overall civility of the board, we're better off keeping those discussions in a place where there's both social pressure to keep things civil and something else to talk about so that conflict isn't the only focus of the conversation.

I'm not sure why the social pressure to keep things civil is automatically assumed to be absent in this proposed thread. Basic rules of civility should still apply and I'm pretty certain that any Buffista who engaged in discussions in a Politics thread would be just as likely to say "Whoa there, hoss...THAT was out of line" should things look like getting ugly. Just as they would in Natter or Bitches.

Think of it as the difference between the political crank in your family (who drives you nuts when he gets going, but on the other hand has some great stories on other subjects and has always been there for you) and the political crank on FOX news (who drives you nuts, period). Segregating the controversial stuff from the rest of the family dinner means that you get all the acrimony with none of the laughs.

There's nothing to support a view that a Politics thread would necessarily segregate the controversial stuff from other threads, or segregate laughter from the Politics thread. We're Buffistas, not the McLaughlin Group or anything. I'm sure there'd still be political talk in Natter and laughter in Politics. I'm not seeing why these should be mutually exclusive.

You can politely excuse yourself from the political crank in your family, and you can turn off your TV. Just as easily, you can scroll past the political talk or unsub from a thread.

There seems to be a point of view that a Politics thread is "concentrated evil...don't touch it!" and I just don't understand that. What's so scary? We don't need politics to get all het up...evidently we just need a shift in the wind or Mercury in retrograde, or a collective wild hair up everyone's asses. Witness Byou'reallcrazy recently.

I say "What the hell, let's give it a shot" for the Politics thread.

As Nutty noted (to her dismay) the board is already too big to not be somewhat subdivided. It's not been a negative.

I feel it has been a negative *for the board as a whole* even if it hasn't been a negative for you, David S, or for me, P.M. Marcontell.

Kick me, and I'll expand later. Or, you know, someone smarter than me can do it if they feel the same way, and I'll say "what he/she said" because I'm lazy like that.

Jon makes excellent points. I think I would rather see us become an all-purpose pop culture board (with plenty of natter in-thread and not), not an all-purpose all-purpose board.

Yeah, that would be my preferred direction for the board. If we continue to feed pop culture into the maw, we'll always have something to spin off conversation.

Kick me, and I'll expand later.

Wouldn't it be easier to just feed you Red Bull and vodka? You're pretty expansive under those conditions.

Hmmm, I wonder if that would work as the Signature Drink?

Wouldn't it be easier to just feed you Red Bull and vodka? You're pretty expansive under those conditions.

Haven't had one in ages. It's not on heavy drink rotation at the moment. (The rotation now? Wine with Ultraviolet, but we only have one more episode to watch, and then it's all gone.)

Later = at home.

It's not on heavy drink rotation at the moment.

Ah, yes. I now associate Lent with you being cranky, but it's only popped up occasionally.

Ah, yes. I now associate Lent with you being cranky, but it's only popped up occasionally.

Eh, I gave up on Lent early this year. Too many family birthdays.

t /natter

Basically, what Jon said, with a side of anti-thread spread.

I feel it has been a negative *for the board as a whole* even if it hasn't been a negative for you, David S, or for me, P.M. Marcontell.

Despite my exceedingly unpopular generally pro-proliferation stance, I think I know what you mean, Plei. More threads = more subcommunities = less of a chance to rub up against someone often enough to feel you "know" them = more chance for friction due to misunderstood tone.

But I'm not sure there's any way to solve that short of kicking a couple hundred people off the board. Even if we just stick with the threads we have now, they move so fast that it's unlikely every poster can have significant conversation with every other poster. But it does take away from the homey feeling,and I understand why that's a problem from a certain point of view.

Am I completely misunderstanding what you meant?

Jon makes excellent points. I think I would rather see us become an all-purpose pop culture board (with plenty of natter in-thread and not), not an all-purpose all-purpose board.

Yeah, that would be my preferred direction for the board. If we continue to feed pop culture into the maw, we'll always have something to spin off conversation.

Very appealing argument there. In particular, the implication that, if we're going to start a new thread, a general TV thread would fit in better.

My head hurts. Not least because I've been in and out of meetings since 2:30, and I should have gone home 45 minutes ago.

No, you're getting my drift.

Even if we just stick with the threads we have now, they move so fast that it's unlikely every poster can have significant conversation with every other poster.

Yes, but it's more likely that, even if two people haven't had a chance to bond, they'll at least have a vague impression of each other, if that makes sense. A "hey! it's that guy!" feeling instead of a "who the heck are YOU??!?" feeling.