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.

(Kinda mememe, so anything after sentence one is indulging me, thanks in advance)

I'm inclined to vote against a Politics thread. I really don't want to see the inevitable hard feelings that would result at some point. I know some folks thrive on and seek out conflict, but in my entertainment time, I tend to mostly be a Can't we all just get along-type. Politics generates conflict. The Buffistas are uberbright and generous and I'm sure I would learn stuff. However. USan politics tends to be extremely polarizing, by definition (sadly). I'm on other mailing lists where intensely rancorous political discussions have broken out (even when actively discouraged) among people who make a regular habit of crashing on each other's couches. My own opinion of some of those people from whom I have received and to whom I have extended hospitality, has been diminished by their conduct in said discussions, to my regret (in contrast to extensive time spent in their RL presence).

So that's my saga. I agree with the posters who have suggested that a specific Politics thread is not entirely in the general entertainment focus of the board. There are plenty of places to get politics discussions on the weeb, goodness knows, and when the topic occasionally comes up in Natter, it is usually just enough to educate me, and not send me fleeing the keyboard.

Those are my two cents, and if enough folks really want a politics thread, then they do, and so be it. My inclination is that it wouldn't be a positive step, so I'm agin it.

t YourCottonToItMayVary

A "hey! it's that guy!" feeling instead of a "who the heck are YOU??!?" feeling.

Yeah, I see what you mean. Waivering as to whether I agree or disagree and what it means if I do agree, but I understand your point.

Let me counter it by noting, that while I acknowledge the value of scattered talk - the shows I would be interested in discussing, don't have a focused thread.

Hmm. That brings up an interesting point. Is there a difference between the nature of the topics that makes one more suited to a separate thread than another? Because what Hec says here makes total sense to me too. Maybe because in discussions of things like television shows, there's a more defined time and place when discussion is (especially) relevant; certainly there's a more defined, though not static, group of interested parties*. Politics talk, though it often arises in response to a certain event or development, seems more free floating, and while the active-posting-group may also be restricted, it's a cohort likely to change from issue to issue or moment to moment. And in fact, it's the variance of that group that gives the topic a lot of vibrance.

So to me, that suggests that politcal subjects really are more suited to general discussion threads, while some other topics, like non-dominant tv shows, would be better served by having a dedicated spot.

I appear to have just talked myself out of a politics thread (where I was already leaning) and into support for a TV thread, should that come up again. Huh.

*And I meant to add, but forgot, that it is sometimes entertaining or interesting to read posts on things I don't watch or haven't seen, so it's maybe worth remembering that it's not necessarily only the known fans of a particular show who constitute "interested parties."

I oppose a teevee thread too. In case anyone was wondering. And also, adult swim sucks. Except for the part where it rocks. I didn't get the memo on the de facto Stargate thread, so I've been missing that.

I definitely agree on the 'whole other culture' thing that develops with the individual threads. There are definitely some denizens of the board that I've never heard of because they operate in different cycles. With me, its generally a show thread thing, because of my tape delay and now general inertia, I never go in there anymore. Except for Minear, cause I get Wonderfalls.

But it leads to a big whopping plate of whatthefuck when the now divided cultures collide. Yes, it's natural attrition due to growth, but I do regret it. It was nice when I read every post on every thread and knew what was up with everybody. But that's just not the reality that is now.

So how do we deal with it? I'd personally rather deal with the disconnect that comes from timezone skipping and skimming than the disconnect that comes from compartmentalizing our topics.

And for the history queries, I opposed the music, movie and LotR threads too. And I used them all. So I'm not saying if we have it, my experience personally will diminish. It'll just be one more thing to try to keep up with. But I do think there is a risk of a negative effect on the boards overall.

Sure, it may be fine, and we may all be civil and thoughtful, and we may only attract fine upstanding citizens with well reasoned and documented views that they're passionate but not obstinate about. But if it isn't, the damage isn't confined to that thread, or to that trial period of time. It runs the risk of damage to the community, and I'll be damned if I let anyone mess with my Buffistas.

t offtopic

So some minor resentment that we've got a Farscape/due South/Smallville thread which has become the stealth Stargate thread.

Stargate was grandfathered in -- I think it was already under discussion in the Farscape thread -- what were you going to do? Ban it when they were combined?

t /offtopic

Yeah. In fact, I think we took that attitude about similar shows for that thread. We kinda knew we might have some additional tv discussion there, we just didn't want to make it a Big Important Issue where the existence of the thread itself would make it inherently a general tv thread. I think if someone started up with discussion about NHL playoffs (what, it's on tv!) in that thread it would get thwoshed pretty quickly. Know it when we see it, I suppose.

I've now written (EDIT: and deleted) two different posts, both several paragraphs long, to attempt to express my thoughts. I am now going to force myself to use three short sentences (after this one) to say what I need to say, because I don't need any more than that.

I will vote against a Politics thread.

I believe it will quickly lead to unhappiness that will dwarf that of recent days.

I believe that because I can easily see myself fomenting the unhappiness.

As the proverb goes, Don't Get Me Started. (All right, four sentences. And a fragment. Two. Four.)

I believe that because I can easily see myself fomenting the unhappiness.

I'm glad to see you saying this, because I think it is true of myself as well. Having, rather naturally for this group, strongly held views, it is unlikely that I personally will be able to discuss hot-button issues dispassionately. I do hope I would be civil. But I rather reckon I would get my ire up a time or two.

And I would not want to contribute to the unhappiness of the board.