I want the debate pit to be removed

[Here No Longer 5,276]

On 2/10/2018 at 1:36 PM, Jeric said:

You know what? Screw this ... I'm being way too nice. In this topic we have a person advocating for the removal of the area based on toxic discourse. That individual posted the following in debate pit ... 

  Reveal hidden contents

Is there any point to this reply or did you feel like writing something disjointed for the hell of it?

That reply was to an individual who simply repeated what he said earlier, yet he was rather neutral with his statement. I'm not naming names ... but come on ... 

 

Le sigh

 

You don't get to say there is a problem if you are part of the problem. I'm snarky and salty in there. I bite when I see regurgitation and sound bites. I can pull out my verbal scalpel with similar deftness as the above quote. But ... I'm not advocating for DP to be shut down when my values run counter to someone else's. I'm not calling for it's closure because I think I'm more informed. And I'm most certainly not going to be a hypocrite and suggest that it is toxic. 

 

Walk away and be an adult if it's not for you instead of wanting to grab your ball and go home. 

I thought it was me being talked about here, but thanks for pointing this out. I've been saying that this happens to me every time I go in as it happened there. I was the one who got targeted for saying something that she (she already said in this topic it was she who posted that, and I was the one she replied to) didn't personally like.

Nonetheless, I guess you do sort of have a point about it kind of running both ways. Nonetheless, with the frequency that it happens and the amount of people that have done this (I'd point a few out, but don't want to start drama) kind of warrants some sort of complaint. But considering that people have lashed out at me in similar fashion a couple of times in the General Discussion area of the forum as well, maybe the Debate Pit isn't actually a part of the problem at all. It's only people who can't have a civilized discussion and people like me who feel the need to defend attacks and insults thrown at me from people like the former, instead of promptly reporting the posts so maybe those sorts of toxic people will be at least reprimanded for their actions.

[Will Guide 21,359]

Guys, Guys, Guys, the big problem Mesme had with the Debate Pit topics was that they kept popping in the recent topics section. That has long since been resolved. The Debate Pit and its topics still exist; they're just not being shoved in your face on the home page anymore.

Am I right, @Mesmelicious Rize? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Edited February 23, 2018 by WiiGuy2014

[Jeric 46,850]

1 hour ago, WiiGuy2014 said:

Guys, Guys, Guys, the big problem Mesme had with the Debate Pit topics was that they kept popping in the recent topics section. That has long since been resolved. The Debate Pit and its topics still exist; they're just not being shoved in your face on the home page anymore.

Am I right, @Mesmelicious Rize? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Here is what he said in the OP that generated this conversation. 

On 10/20/2017 at 10:48 PM, Mesmelicious Rize said:

Normally i refrain myself from saying anything bad about this forum, because i love this place and alot of people here have always been good to me.

But the debate pit is the most toxic place on this whole forum and it has been especially bad in the last few months. It seems like 80% of the time anything political comes up (especially when it comes to our current US President) it turns into a bickering and fingerpointing war on both sides and the people who try to reason for a bit are just left in the dust. In the worst case, threads are locked and users are banned from the topic, making them feel unwelcome because they might see this as an attack on their political believes.

I know that this is quite an extreme request, but how much does it actually benefit our community? I feel like it only damages this place more then it actually helps and i would love it if we all could get along together, instead of feeling distant from another.

His issues with the DP had to do with the interactions within the community and his perspective that it's a toxic environment. The surfacing of DP topics on the index page came up organically throughout the conversation as people here were discussing bother their general views on the Debate Pit, and whether or not it should be eliminated ... which was the point of the Feedback request. The initial request was for it to be eliminated. 

Hope that helps. 

[Will Guide 21,359]

1 minute ago, Jeric said:

Here is what he said in the OP that generated this conversation. 

His issues with the DP had to do with the interactions within the community and his perspective that it's a toxic environment. The surfacing of DP topics on the index page came up organically throughout the conversation as people here were discussing bother their general views on the Debate Pit, and whether or not it should be eliminated ... which was the point of the Feedback request. The initial request was for it to be eliminated. 

Hope that helps. 

My mistake.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

Polarization is an interesting subject for observation, if anything, to learn how intelligence reacts under a different configuration. Whether be related to society, politics, religion. It doesn't matter.

This very discussion is a great example of this. You can see how intelligence fails to coalesce, conflicting with its perception of individuality. It's fascinating as to see whether they will transcend the subjective to reach a higher ground of understanding, or will stay divided like tiny shards of glass, too small to properly reflect a more expansive view on things.

[Jeric 46,850]

11 hours ago, They call me Loyalty said:

This very discussion is a great example of this.

Not really. It fails one of the key tests of political polarization due to the general lack of extreme viewpoints expressed. The Debate Pit would be a better population sample to study political polarization in a social internet based setting. 

[碇 シンジン 27,431]

Good debates are good to have but i dont think that the atmosphere of the section in question is something that nurtures creative discussion and constructive comments enough.

I kinda feel that the atmosphere of the site as a whole doesn't really match what is going on at the pit.

I know people want to talk about those kind of things but is this place really a good place to do it? Does it somehow benefit the site as a whole? Maybe it does Maybe it doesn't but personally I don't really feel that MLP and controversial topics shouldn't  be intertwined  too much as I don't think the atmosphere and the overall vibe that I believe that the show is trying to send can be maintained here on the site to the extent that I am comfortable with if that happens.

 

Though the way that it is now is kinda a borderline decision  from my point of view as it is kinda away but its presence cant still be felt affecting the site as a whole. 

I for one used to use this site as a escape and back then it kinda bothered me more than it probably should. Not the opinions there but the topics itself and their nature was uncomfortable.

When I first checked out the pit I was looking for actual respectful intellectual debates but I didn't find them I only found the same thing that you find when you open your local tv news or newspaper.

[Jeric 46,850]

5 hours ago, New display name said:

When I first checked out the pit I was looking for actual respectful intellectual debates but I didn't find them I only found the same thing that you find when you open your local tv news or newspaper.

Something I have found as well. Though to be fair, I know of two members that appreciated my academic approach of posting peer reviewed research in there. There was a recent individual who took the time to read through a source I linked which I appreciated. If more people posted sources, perhaps we would find that the level of discourse gets elevated a bit. 

[aoEAF2FBvC0MIo2Q 3,673]

Hm, I would personally suggest there be an option in users' personal settings to render the Debate Pit invisible. I've seen this option implemented at another MLP community and it appears to work quite well to reduce toxicity. Users who feel like they cannot cope with the DP but lack the self-restraint to just avoid it could choose to make it invisible. Is this an agreeable enough proposal?