I agree, it has, and I don't want it to get any worse. But if the existence of splinter communities within Buffistas isn't caused by the threads where those communities spring up, then what is it?

I think that the existence of splinter threads is symptom rather than cause. The way you see it is a valid reading, but it's not so much my reading. My opinion is that people will stay in the centre if the centre has sufficient pull to attract them. (My opinion is also that I'd like to see the centre thrive, and I'd like to see people in the subcommunities want to participate there, and maybe it's worth looking at how to improve its appeal sometime.)

Mostly though, I'm very very tired of talking about it. I feel like every time we open Lightbulbs it's just another exercise in endurance - whoever has the stamina to still give a fuck after 4 days wins. And I have no more stomach for this fight, so I'm going to bed.

Yeah. I rarely participate in new thread debates, but it's easy to see the stress it causes people of all opinions. I have no solutions to that, unfortunately.

On a more positive note, I don't think that these debates have as much influence as all that, i.e. I don't think it goes to the side with the most endurance. The debate does bring out things to consider, but ultimately I think most people make up their own minds, and certainly I don't expect many people will change their minds on the pro-lif/anti-lif spectrum because of it. (Any correlation between the voting results and the direction of the voting discussion at the end, IMO, is more likely to stem from both of them being an expression of one kind or another of the board's opinion than from one heavily influencing the other.)

On a more positive note, I don't think that these debates have as much influence as all that, i.e. I don't think it goes to the side with the most endurance.

I'd be curious to know how many people vote without ever reading Lightbulbs. It wouldn't surprise me if there were quite a few.

I'd be curious to know how many people vote without ever reading Lightbulbs. It wouldn't surprise me if there were quite a few.

I predict renewed interest in this thread when I follow up the current Bitches discussion with a "Should Kristin be less comfortable about nudity?" vote.

Oh dear gods. Billytea, you are officially On The List.

Oh dear gods. Billytea, you are officially On The List.

Please. I've been listing ever since that hip injury.

This is the first time in five years that I have ever followed a discussion in light bulbs. Never even knew what it was really for before now. I bet I'm not the only one.

I was going to say that I was billytea, except for living on the other side of the world and not being nearly as much into exotic animals unless they're some sort of cat. Until the Kristin post, and now I'm not quite so sure.

The board has never been small enough that I could read all of it, so that's not a goal for me. I'm spoilerphobe and in my very own time zone, so bucket threads don't really work for me, and I just can't regularly keep up with Natter and Bitches, so I kind of wish it were a little easier to create threads, as I miss spending more time with Buffistas, and that's the only way it seems feasible to me. That said, it was really fun when the gaming talk leeched in here, so I do understand the desire for cross-pollination. Mostly, I just wish these discussions were less contentious. But I'm starting to understand and be ok with even that, kind of.

I feel like every time we open Lightbulbs it's just another exercise in endurance - whoever has the stamina to still give a fuck after 4 days wins.

I think this process works, painful as it may be at times (and I'd like to express a little gratitude to those who went through the pain of creating this process). I do find that on an individual level it's probably healthiest not to be actively involved in the discussion ALL four days. Since I didn't get to start reading the thread until tonight it's been under an hour for me.

I don't really have anything constructive to add regarding the current proposal. Sorry.

Sean, I'm not sure if you're (just) frustrated because you want the thread currently under discussion, or if you honestly believe (any) thread creation should be little more than a notice in Press and a new header on the board.

Bev, I really don't know how to respond to this post of yours. I know you didn't mean it to be inflammatory, so I will not take it that way. But I have to say it's a gross mischaracterization of my position.

I don't necessarily want to be able to create a thread with just a notice posted in Press.

What I would like is for this process to take place without the gross mischaracterizations on both sides.

I don't know how to describe the posts of the people on the opposite sides of this issue from me come across in a way that will not hurt more feelings and start the fight anew, but what I want is for this process to not be so acrimonious.

I agree, it has, and I don't want it to get any worse. But if the existence of splinter communities within Buffistas isn't caused by the threads where those communities spring up, then what is it?

Cliques just happen?

I have no idea what caused these splinter communities to happen, other than some of us just don't like others of us very much.

That has nothing at all to do with new thread creation, and stopping new threads altogether won't prevent it from happening further, and won't fix it.