Debate Symposium Closure

[Olly 1,011]

Just now, Scar said:

This isn't the forum for that. If you want that, go look elsewhere. There are a multitude of other forums out there. Why do we need this on a pony forum? It makes zero sense to me whatsoever. 

If you want to go down that road you could easily just say you don't need most of the other forums on here either. That's a bad argument. But yes, people will go elsewhere, although I can't see why you'd want to push people away from your own place and say they can just go to better places. You know what really makes "zero sense"? tossing a good thing you had for nothing at all, just having something beneficial, and making your place worse by arbitrarily getting rid of it. 

[Olly 1,011]

Just now, Scar said:

The debate symposium was a constant hassle for the staff to handle
 

And you know this how? isn't it the job of moderators to moderate? what, it's too much work to bother with? 

1 minute ago, Scar said:

The point is the debate symposium proved way too unruly for this forum. And do those other forums devolve into senseless bickering with little no lee way, no mutual agreement on each other? No, they don't. 
 

That sounds more like an opinion than a fact to me. How often did you actually use the debate forum? "senseless bickering" isn't a good summary of it to me. Yes, sometimes people disagree, and in that disagreement become emotional. People get emotional when it involves something important to them. You can just say why even bother defending it, it's just a forum, it doesn't matter. I benefitted from discussions I had with other people, and other people did as well, even if there was some emotion involved at times. Us talking about this right now is fully in the spirit of having a disagreement and being able to have a back and forth. People don't need to come to mutual agreement to have productive conversations, that's not the point of debate. Rather, you can sharpen your own opinions, or have them changed. You can learn.

Plenty of times I thought about just finding a different forum, plenty. But I was comfortable here, because at least we had the debate section, where at the very least if we didn't want to spend time online having vapid conversations about nothing I knew I'd possibly learn something or show someone my point of view. That's a valuable thing to have. If the staff here just say to themselves, "this is a pony forum. We only want friendly discussions about ponies, or safe, family friendly conversations" that's their prerogative. 

I probably wouldn't even bother with this if it hadn't have had a personal impact on me. I'm making an argument for this forum, not against it. It's like, if you want your place to be worse, if you want people to go away, whatever, it's just a forum right? but something of real value would have been lost, that's all. 

[Jeric 46,854]

29 minutes ago, Olly said:

For real, rethink this. You're doing everyone a disservice. 

No. In its previous form Debate Symposium is done. This is not up for a vote or a debate or a discussion. This is the Administrative body of this forum stating that the current system of real world political debate is broken and this is where we stand. I’ve left this thread open to general commentary from the community out of tradition for them to make a comment or two. This topic will not turn into a back and forth. 
 

Debate Pit sucked for too many people here. It was a time vampire. Enough users of that place could not have civilized conversations, and if they could it would still be open. 
 

We expected and were ready for far more negativity that we received. I was expected a mass exodus and in a way, I would tipped my hat as we parted way as friends. The fact that the huge majority are understanding, ambivalent, or supportive means that we kinda nailed it. It is how it is. 
 

That is all. 

[Olly 1,011]

3 minutes ago, Scar said:

Well if your making a personal argument for this forum, then most of us are against it as it was the right call to make. They'd have to be against the forum then, no? I did indeed partake in debate but I stopped a few weeks before it was closed because there is no common ground, no respect, and it just became a constant deadlock. No point in wasting my personal time in a place like that. 

Sounds to me like you have a chip on your shoulder. Like maybe you went there once, had a disagreement, and didn't like that. People don't like being challenged, some people feel bad about it. Maybe that's where you are. I don't know what you expected, were you hoping that people would just come to common agreements, and no one would ever be upset at each other? 

 

3 minutes ago, Jeric said:

No. In its previous form Debate Symposium is done. This is not up for a vote or a debate or a discussion. This is the Administrative body of this forum stating that the current system of real world political debate is broken and this is where we stand. I’ve left this thread open to general commentary from the community out of tradition for them to make a comment or two. This topic will not turn into a back and forth. 

God forbit people disagree, right? let's shut down discussion and debate. Let's give up because we don't agree. 

 

Shame on you. You did not "nail it" this is not something to be proud of, or to pat yourself on the back for. 

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Just now, Olly said:

God forbit people disagree, right? let's shut down discussion and debate. Let's give up because we don't agree. 

 

Shame on you. You did not "nail it" this is not something to be proud of, or to pat yourself on the back for. 

Honestly; if people just disagreed then the Debate section would still be open. Fact is that it devolved into more than simple disagreements. For literal “years” we’ve tried various methods to keep it open, but nothing worked.

Period.

[Olly 1,011]

2 minutes ago, Pathfinder said:

Honestly; if people just disagreed then the Debate section would still be open. Fact is that it devolved into more than simple disagreements. For literal “years” we’ve tried various methods to keep it open, but nothing worked.

Period.

I think what you're really saying is that you've given up. Which you're free to do, but at least own up to it. You can't control human nature. There really wasn't anything worse or more unusual about your debate section than anywhere else online. In fact, more often, it was better. Give up on something, you'll lose a few users, whatever. It's a shame, it's not a good thing. You guys can celebrate, I guess? I wouldn't celebrate losing something.

20 minutes ago, Jeric said:

 The fact that the huge majority are understanding, ambivalent, or supportive means that we kinda nailed it. It is how it is. 

Another thing, if those people are the type of people to generally agree with anything you do, or are totally ambivalent, those aren't the opinions you should pay attention to. If people have a strong response, about a forum of all things, those are the opinions you should look at closer. 

[Lucid_Nightlight 923]

Where will I discuss my opinions on Celestia's taxes on Ponyville?

[The Kaeya Simp 13,989]

no need for it to be so uncivil with people basically going and bringing the pit here, 
Really not the place

There are some solutions been put in this thread that would have been more popular, but the moderators need to decide what is the best option, 
And with this being a privately owned forum, there's not any right to it being forced to keep any part of it.

Do I disagree with the closure, in short yes, but I can understand why
Am I going to whine about it? no

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

2 minutes ago, Olly said:

I think what you're really saying is that you've given up. Which you're free to do, but at least own up to it. You can't control human nature. There really wasn't anything worse or more unusual about your debate section than anywhere else online. In fact, more often, it was better. Give up on something, you'll lose a few users, whatever. It's a shame, it's not a good thing. You guys can celebrate, I guess? I wouldn't celebrate losing something.

Another thing, if those people are the type of people to generally agree with anything you do, or are totally ambivalent, those aren't the opinions you should pay attention to. If people have a strong response, about a forum of all things, those are the opinions you should look at closer. 

Um, yeah, we gave up, at least the current iteration of that specific section. Not hiding that fact at all.

We’ll likely try again in the future, but as it stands we tried and we failed. The staff certainly aren’t celebrating; tho I won’t miss the section as it stands for now.

[Jeric 46,854]

@Goat-kun I would be unfair to not acknowledge your point about RP. I’m actually working on a topic for Throne Room about the VTT build I’m working on. 

[Olly 1,011]

6 minutes ago, Sherbie-kun <3 said:

no need for it to be so uncivil with people basically going and bringing the pit here, 
Really not the place

Nothing uncivil at all? but telling how you associate people talking about something in a certain way with a section of the forum that no longer exists 

[The Kaeya Simp 13,989]

4 minutes ago, Olly said:

Nothing uncivil at all? but telling how you associate people talking about something in a certain way with a section of the forum that no longer exists 

I associate it that way cause of the shit that went on there

[Jeric 46,854]

Yeah this is not happening. I have actual community stuff to work on that doesn't involve this topic turning into an extension of the very place we closed. If you want some great debate, the Pony show has nine seasons of debate worthy topics. This is a Pony Forum after all. The announcement is communicated. Fin.