I admit, there are some topics that when I see it, I feel the need to go do something else. I don't want to be apart of the shitstorm. I think a lot of us don't.
But what I think we're doing is stagnating growth. Personal Frustration does not really give us the right to just crap on someone's actual attempt to gain understanding on a subject, as long as they bring it up in a concise and a well thought out manner. There is such a thing as multiple alternative views on any topic.
Just because the title has 'sexism' doesn't mean it earns your ire. 'Race Relations' or 'Do I deserve White Guilt' shouldn't make your neck hair stand up. 'Guns' shouldn't make you fire off a volley of insults (see what I did there?). It doesn't even need your input really at all. And it especially doesn't need to be shot down just because you're simply tired of seeing these threads pop up. You can ignore the topic as well as probably the hundreds of others that pop up during the day.
And if you come in pissed off that someone might be inciting another shitstorm, are you stopping to think that your ire or your comment might be inciting a different one? You're basically coming in and modding a thread because you want to keep the waters calm. You're saying your relative ideal of what's acceptable in the forums is more important than someone maybe trying to get another perspective from a vast number of people he or she probably could never poll in real life.
Honestly, why is it so hard to ignore these 'hot button' threads? I can't even count how many new threads we have a day, and I know there is NO ONE here that responds to them all. Not because they don't see them (although that's a possibility), but there are at least six you do see at a time and you might not even choose to comment on any. Even if they come up multiple times. I know I've said all I had to say about "Women vs Tropes", although for the last couple of hours, it seems to always be in the last commented box. Yet I keep ignoring it because it's relatively easy to do so.
So, do you try to mod the forums to create an environment that you seem acceptable when it comes to hot button threads? Do you simply ignore the Nth "Why are women like this" when they pop up? Do you attempt to talk, or does your frustration always color your tone?
But what I think we're doing is stagnating growth. Personal Frustration does not really give us the right to just crap on someone's actual attempt to gain understanding on a subject, as long as they bring it up in a concise and a well thought out manner. There is such a thing as multiple alternative views on any topic.
Just because the title has 'sexism' doesn't mean it earns your ire. 'Race Relations' or 'Do I deserve White Guilt' shouldn't make your neck hair stand up. 'Guns' shouldn't make you fire off a volley of insults (see what I did there?). It doesn't even need your input really at all. And it especially doesn't need to be shot down just because you're simply tired of seeing these threads pop up. You can ignore the topic as well as probably the hundreds of others that pop up during the day.
And if you come in pissed off that someone might be inciting another shitstorm, are you stopping to think that your ire or your comment might be inciting a different one? You're basically coming in and modding a thread because you want to keep the waters calm. You're saying your relative ideal of what's acceptable in the forums is more important than someone maybe trying to get another perspective from a vast number of people he or she probably could never poll in real life.
Honestly, why is it so hard to ignore these 'hot button' threads? I can't even count how many new threads we have a day, and I know there is NO ONE here that responds to them all. Not because they don't see them (although that's a possibility), but there are at least six you do see at a time and you might not even choose to comment on any. Even if they come up multiple times. I know I've said all I had to say about "Women vs Tropes", although for the last couple of hours, it seems to always be in the last commented box. Yet I keep ignoring it because it's relatively easy to do so.
So, do you try to mod the forums to create an environment that you seem acceptable when it comes to hot button threads? Do you simply ignore the Nth "Why are women like this" when they pop up? Do you attempt to talk, or does your frustration always color your tone?