Posted 31 December 2009 - 10:47 AM
This thread is all over the place.
I want to add a comment to the mix. Some have said this forum is here so that people can discuss Folsom. If that is true, fine, but that isn't what I see at all. That is just one piece of it. What I see is a forum that is "by" and "for" Folsomites, but not exclusively "of" Folsom. Those who don't want to see politics or religion discussed don't mind talking about movies, TV shows, celebrities, Christmas, household tips, jokes, professional sports, and so on - none of which have anything directly to do with Folsom. The "purest" Folsom-related thread is the "Folsom General Discussion", plus the neighborhood forums. Those are the ones that best serve the intent.
So it's not accurate to say that politics (except local politics) should be banned because the topics have nothing to do with Folsom. Otherwise, you would also want to ban all the other stuff as well.
Core values, most often expressed in politics and religion, are not what some people think Folsomites should be discussing on this forum. That is fine, as long as that reason is the one given, and not the excuse of "the topics have nothing to do with Folsom". I think the reason that core values are a problem is that we become vulnerable when we open up and reveal our inner selves. From vulnerability comes defensiveness, and then come arguments and attacks, when someone feels that his or her core self has been assaulted. The resulting personal attacks are one big reason why the moderator shut down the forum. (Along with some people making too many random posts, not following the rules, etc.)
The challenge with political discussion is to keep things light enough to prevent that from happening. But if you keep things too superficial, then political discussion is pointless.
I am getting the vibe that any discussion topic, even if non-Folsom-related, is fair game, as long as no one's feelings can potentially get hurt. Which makes politics and religion dangerous to include. Whereas debating a movie's merits is not in the same league.
Local politics present an interesting dilemma, because one the one hand, it's politics, but on the other hand, it's 100% relevant to Folsom.
