What would make people feel less ostracized from P&R?

[TAKODA]

What makes people feel ostracized from P&R is their own insecurities and desire to not get into arguments. Some people hate arguing and get emotional about it.

But I love arguing.....Heck most of the back and forth I have, with knapp in particular, is mostly just for the exercise of arguing.

There is somewhat of an art form to doing it effectively and what better way to get better at it than to engage the master.

Some people and possibly even knapp himself may think I really have a problem with him or his views. Nothing could be further from the truth.

99% of the time I either agree with him or at least respect his side of things and how he presents his argument.

The people I don't respect are the ones who I usually won't engage in discussion with.

Unfortunately, sometimes I do get emotional about it. But, if it's not worth getting a little emotional about, it's probably not worth arguing about in the first place.

And while I'm at it, zoogs, dudeguyy, LOMS, NM and you Moiraine are some others who I really enjoy reading your take on things even though we don't always see eye to eye on political matters. You guys (and gals) help open up my mind to some other viewpoints. You can carry on a contentious conversation without resorting to unwarranted attacks or belittling others. There are others of course but you are some of the most active in the P&R forum so I thought it was worth sharing.

.·´¯`(>▂&lt´¯`·.

You and those darned symbol pictures. Do you have a book of those things or are you just way more creative than me?Not sure if you're telling me that's enough of the touch feely stuff or if you felt left out. If it was the latter, don't worry, I didn't mention the people I usually agree with or that I've never had cause to argue with....yet anyway ~《●●》~ see I suck at it.

I was feeling a bit lonely, left out and just sad. So I cried a river of tears. (｡◝‿◜｡) I feel better! + I am not creative, I just copy and paste. Just trying to lighten up the mood. See ya. Around the board! Cheers E. D.

 

[HuskerNation1]

I have stopped visiting this forum for some reasons already outlined:

1. There is a groupthink mentality among many on here, and a lack of openness to other ideas. The side of the aisle that claims to represent diversity and inclusion only does so when somebody subscribes to their viewpoints.

2. A consistent hatred of Trump and Republicans in general. I would estimate over 80% of the posts over the past 6 months in this forum have been anti-Trump or anti-GOP. Just look at the last 15 threads created on here (outside of this thread). A majority of them were created to bash Trump or Republicans or to prop up the left.

3. An unwillingness to criticize Obama. There are 10 or 12 regular posters on this forum that claim to be Independent or "moderate" yet rarely or never would criticize Obama when he was certainly deserving of it. Meanwhile, throughout the entire election season including the primaries, I criticized Trump early and often, and I still will continue to do so. While I agree with his recent policy to keep Americans safe by ensuring we know who is coming into this country, I don't agree with how this was executed at all. It needed to be more well thought out.

4. In December I created a thread wishing everyone Happy Holidays/Merry Xmas. There was one response....one. That was from NM11046. This signified to me that the main group that posts on this forum that is unwilling to accept others have a different viewpoint and still recognize they are human.

http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/81962-merry-christmas-and-happy-new-year/

 

[knapplc]

Heck most of the back and forth I have, with knapp in particular, is mostly just for the exercise of arguing.

SAME!

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

This thread is great, mainly because it's allowing folks to vent their frustrations and it get it out there. TAKODA, don't apologize for anything, knapp and I have had our back-and-forths over time. Regardless of what we say I think both of us would say that we respect one another no matter how it comes across to other folks. I think we "get" one another, but neither one of us wants to concede our points. "Type A" personalities will do that.

 

[knapplc]

knapp and I have had our back-and-forths over time. Regardless of what we say I think both of us would say that we respect one another no matter how it comes across to other folks. I think we "get" one another, but neither one of us wants to concede our points. "Type A" personalities will do that.

I still love you, man.

 

[Landlord]

If I had a dollar for every time bnillhome mentioned how ~some other posters~ refuse to criticize Obama but how he, on the other hand (it's always on the other hand), has criticized Trump plenty of times, I would have a pretty decent amount of dollars.

 

[Making Chimichangas]

As I read most of the responses here, I realized something I hadn't really thought of: how my anger, when posting in this forum, colors my posts.

As a someone who is a member of the LBGTQIA, I get dumped on by pretty much everyone in society-even by Democrats. I live in a very religious and conservative state. In national media stories, there is literally a story almost every day where some Republican somewhere is introducing some new legislation to legally discriminate against people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc. I try really hard not to let all that negativity come through when I post, but it does.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of constantly being treated like I am some kind of dangerous predator-in the eyes of society in general, not specifically anyone here. I am tired of always hearing from conservatives that individuals like me are the source of all America's immorality and ills. Since most on here are straight, you probably have no idea just how bad the situation truly is.

All these "religious freedom" laws popping up, the ironically titled "1st Amendment Defense Act", etc; it all has a negative cumulative effect. All of this is the prelude to what follows:

I've been given a non-voluntary vacation twice since I joined. Both times, the ban, I don't think, wasn't even warranted. In the first instance, I posted something in the football forum and a poster (who will go unnamed for now) comes by and just insults me for no reason. I responded in kind, and I'm the one who got banned-not the instigator. My question is, why didn't the instigator get banned? I know I got banned because I am still relatively new here and the instigator isn't.

In the second instance, as illustrated above, I let the cumulative anger and frustration with society (and homophobia in general) come through. I didn't (in my mind) even think I said anything that bad, certainly not worthy of being banned for a week. I told someone, didn't even mention his name, to "Get bent" and I was banned-again.

And to the mod who gave me the "vacation" (same mod both times) I sincerely wonder if you have some kind of personal vendetta against me? It is almost as if my posts are the flame, and you are the moth. Please feel free to PM as I believe we both could benefit from a conversation.

I bring all this up because it seems that I, as a still a relatively new poster here, am held to higher standard and have far less "leeway" with regards to what I say. I also think there is some very blatant favoritism at work here. I've read a post (month plus now) where a popular member flat out called someone a troll. It was the kind of one sentence drive by that would absolutely get someone like me banned, but this person gets a pass. The rules, and how they are enforced, seem to be dependent on how well certain mods like you. By my lived experiences, and routinely being proverbially put through the societal wringer on a daily basis, it does negatively color my outlook.

Just know that I try really hard to engage people, especially those I disagree with, with civility...sometimes I fail though. Sucks being a human being sometimes. End of ramble.

 

[ZRod]

I have stopped visiting this forum for some reasons already outlined:

1. There is a groupthink mentality among many on here, and a lack of openness to other ideas. The side of the aisle that claims to represent diversity and inclusion only does so when somebody subscribes to their viewpoints.

2. A consistent hatred of Trump and Republicans in general. I would estimate over 80% of the posts over the past 6 months in this forum have been anti-Trump or anti-GOP. Just look at the last 15 threads created on here (outside of this thread). A majority of them were created to bash Trump or Republicans or to prop up the left.

3. An unwillingness to criticize Obama. There are 10 or 12 regular posters on this forum that claim to be Independent or "moderate" yet rarely or never would criticize Obama when he was certainly deserving of it. Meanwhile, throughout the entire election season including the primaries, I criticized Trump early and often, and I still will continue to do so. While I agree with his recent policy to keep Americans safe by ensuring we know who is coming into this country, I don't agree with how this was executed at all. It needed to be more well thought out.

4. In December I created a thread wishing everyone Happy Holidays/Merry Xmas. There was one response....one. That was from NM11046. This signified to me that the main group that posts on this forum that is unwilling to accept others have a different viewpoint and still recognize they are human.

http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/81962-merry-christmas-and-happy-new-year/

1. Yes there is some group think. But I think everyone is pretty open to different ideas. The board just wants people to ground their beliefs in reality and reason, not feels and because pappa was that way (obviously I'm being a little facetious).2. Trump, yes. GOP, not so much. Something you may have missed was a new found respect for many GOP members serving the country. McCain, Sasse, Rubio, Ryan, just to name a few have all been praised in the last 2 or 3 months.

3. This dance again? People criticized Obama! But when you have a President who is actually about average or maybe a little above, there really isn't that much to criticize. You have a President who in a majority of metrics left us better off than when he started 8 years before. Not a whole lot to criticize there. Trump is inflammatory by nature. He's a lightening rod. He's going to draw heavy criticism, and much of it deserved. He's not the GOP.

4. Admittedly never even saw either thread. I was pretty busy around the holidays as many others were. I wouldn't read much into it.

 

[ZRod]

As I read most of the responses here, I realized something I hadn't really thought of: how my anger, when posting in this forum, colors my posts.

As a someone who is a member of the LBGTQIA, I get dumped on by pretty much everyone in society-even by Democrats. I live in a very religious and conservative state. In national media stories, there is literally a story almost every day where some Republican somewhere is introducing some new legislation to legally discriminate against people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc. I try really hard not to let all that negativity come through when I post, but it does.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of constantly being treated like I am some kind of dangerous predator-in the eyes of society in general, not specifically anyone here. I am tired of always hearing from conservatives that individuals like me are the source of all America's immorality and ills. Since most on here are straight, you probably have no idea just how bad the situation truly is.

All these "religious freedom" laws popping up, the ironically titled "1st Amendment Defense Act", etc; it all has a negative cumulative effect. All of this is the prelude to what follows:

I've been given a non-voluntary vacation twice since I joined. Both times, the ban, I don't think, wasn't even warranted. In the first instance, I posted something in the football forum and a poster (who will go unnamed for now) comes by and just insults me for no reason. I responded in kind, and I'm the one who got banned-not the instigator. My question is, why didn't the instigator get banned? I know I got banned because I am still relatively new here and the instigator isn't.

In the second instance, as illustrated above, I let the cumulative anger and frustration with society (and homophobia in general) come through. I didn't (in my mind) even think I said anything that bad, certainly not worthy of being banned for a week. I told someone, didn't even mention his name, to "Get bent" and I was banned-again.

And to the mod who gave me the "vacation" (same mod both times) I sincerely wonder if you have some kind of personal vendetta against me? It is almost as if my posts are the flame, and you are the moth. Please feel free to PM as I believe we both could benefit from a conversation.

I bring all this up because it seems that I, as a still a relatively new poster here, am held to higher standard and have far less "leeway" with regards to what I say. I also think there is some very blatant favoritism at work here. I've read a post (month plus now) where a popular member flat out called someone a troll. It was the kind of one sentence drive by that would absolutely get someone like me banned, but this person gets a pass. The rules, and how they are enforced, seem to be dependent on how well certain mods like you. By my lived experiences, and routinely being proverbially put through the societal wringer on a daily basis, it does negatively color my outlook.

Just know that I try really hard to engage people, especially those I disagree with, with civility...sometimes I fail though. Sucks being a human being sometimes. End of ramble.

I don't know what posts you ended up getting banned for, but most of what I remember you posting in P&R seemed pretty, maybe hate filled, and inflammatory. It wasn't really apparent that you wanted a discussion, so much as to be pissed off at Republicans.
*edit* That said; I hope you can tone it down and stick around awhile. You would have valuable insight and experiences to share here.

 

[teachercd]

This thread has been great. It's good to see some posters real ideas coming out

 

[Whistlebritches]

As I read most of the responses here, I realized something I hadn't really thought of: how my anger, when posting in this forum, colors my posts.

As a someone who is a member of the LBGTQIA, I get dumped on by pretty much everyone in society-even by Democrats. I live in a very religious and conservative state. In national media stories, there is literally a story almost every day where some Republican somewhere is introducing some new legislation to legally discriminate against people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc. I try really hard not to let all that negativity come through when I post, but it does.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of constantly being treated like I am some kind of dangerous predator-in the eyes of society in general, not specifically anyone here. I am tired of always hearing from conservatives that individuals like me are the source of all America's immorality and ills. Since most on here are straight, you probably have no idea just how bad the situation truly is.

All these "religious freedom" laws popping up, the ironically titled "1st Amendment Defense Act", etc; it all has a negative cumulative effect. All of this is the prelude to what follows:

I've been given a non-voluntary vacation twice since I joined. Both times, the ban, I don't think, wasn't even warranted. In the first instance, I posted something in the football forum and a poster (who will go unnamed for now) comes by and just insults me for no reason. I responded in kind, and I'm the one who got banned-not the instigator. My question is, why didn't the instigator get banned? I know I got banned because I am still relatively new here and the instigator isn't.

In the second instance, as illustrated above, I let the cumulative anger and frustration with society (and homophobia in general) come through. I didn't (in my mind) even think I said anything that bad, certainly not worthy of being banned for a week. I told someone, didn't even mention his name, to "Get bent" and I was banned-again.

And to the mod who gave me the "vacation" (same mod both times) I sincerely wonder if you have some kind of personal vendetta against me? It is almost as if my posts are the flame, and you are the moth. Please feel free to PM as I believe we both could benefit from a conversation.

I bring all this up because it seems that I, as a still a relatively new poster here, am held to higher standard and have far less "leeway" with regards to what I say. I also think there is some very blatant favoritism at work here. I've read a post (month plus now) where a popular member flat out called someone a troll. It was the kind of one sentence drive by that would absolutely get someone like me banned, but this person gets a pass. The rules, and how they are enforced, seem to be dependent on how well certain mods like you. By my lived experiences, and routinely being proverbially put through the societal wringer on a daily basis, it does negatively color my outlook.

Just know that I try really hard to engage people, especially those I disagree with, with civility...sometimes I fail though. Sucks being a human being sometimes. End of ramble.

I don't know what posts you ended up getting banned for, but most of what I remember you posting in P&R seemed pretty, maybe hate filled, and inflammatory. It wasn't really apparent that you wanted a discussion, so much as to be pissed of at Republicans.

Just guessing but there was a week where he ended nearly every post in P&R by calling Republicans a bunch of Nazis.

 

[Enhance]

I have stopped visiting this forum for some reasons already outlined:

1. There is a groupthink mentality among many on here, and a lack of openness to other ideas. The side of the aisle that claims to represent diversity and inclusion only does so when somebody subscribes to their viewpoints.

2. A consistent hatred of Trump and Republicans in general. I would estimate over 80% of the posts over the past 6 months in this forum have been anti-Trump or anti-GOP. Just look at the last 15 threads created on here (outside of this thread). A majority of them were created to bash Trump or Republicans or to prop up the left.

3. An unwillingness to criticize Obama. There are 10 or 12 regular posters on this forum that claim to be Independent or "moderate" yet rarely or never would criticize Obama when he was certainly deserving of it. Meanwhile, throughout the entire election season including the primaries, I criticized Trump early and often, and I still will continue to do so. While I agree with his recent policy to keep Americans safe by ensuring we know who is coming into this country, I don't agree with how this was executed at all. It needed to be more well thought out.

4. In December I created a thread wishing everyone Happy Holidays/Merry Xmas. There was one response....one. That was from NM11046. This signified to me that the main group that posts on this forum that is unwilling to accept others have a different viewpoint and still recognize they are human.

http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/81962-merry-christmas-and-happy-new-year/

1) I agree there is some groupthink, but I'll be honest bnilhome, I think one of the biggest reasons you struggle to feel included in this forum is because of your posting style and rhetoric. It's often incredibly abrasive.

2) A dislike of Trump is evident, but I think less so for Republicans. I agree with ZRod above in that there seems to be a growing appreciation for other prominent members of the Republican party right now... people like Sasse, Ryan and McCain. We're going to need them to have strong voices during the Trump presidency.

3) This is a flat out lie and again goes back to your posting style/rhetoric. You see what you want to see, bnilhome, while simultaneously propping yourself up for your bi-partisan efforts. I would estimate over 80 percent of your posts over the last six months have been anti-Obama or anti-Democrat. Your comments about both are often laced with subtle (and not-so-subtle) inflammatory digs and your posts about Trump often ignore his serious character issues and poor judgement. You don't practice what you preach here.

4) I missed this thread - I don't have any other excuse.

 

[knapplc]

Wait a second. We're all being chastised because we didn't wish someone Merry Christmas?

Is that HuskerBoard's fault or the fault of a person so abrasive (to use Enhance's term) that almost nobody wants to interact with them? There's some serious mirror-gazing that needs to happen here before calling everyone else out.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

knapp and I have had our back-and-forths over time. Regardless of what we say I think both of us would say that we respect one another no matter how it comes across to other folks. I think we "get" one another, but neither one of us wants to concede our points. "Type A" personalities will do that.

I still love you, man.

I'd still share a beer with you anytime buddy!

 

[HuskerNation1]

I have stopped visiting this forum for some reasons already outlined:

1. There is a groupthink mentality among many on here, and a lack of openness to other ideas. The side of the aisle that claims to represent diversity and inclusion only does so when somebody subscribes to their viewpoints.

2. A consistent hatred of Trump and Republicans in general. I would estimate over 80% of the posts over the past 6 months in this forum have been anti-Trump or anti-GOP. Just look at the last 15 threads created on here (outside of this thread). A majority of them were created to bash Trump or Republicans or to prop up the left.

3. An unwillingness to criticize Obama. There are 10 or 12 regular posters on this forum that claim to be Independent or "moderate" yet rarely or never would criticize Obama when he was certainly deserving of it. Meanwhile, throughout the entire election season including the primaries, I criticized Trump early and often, and I still will continue to do so. While I agree with his recent policy to keep Americans safe by ensuring we know who is coming into this country, I don't agree with how this was executed at all. It needed to be more well thought out.

4. In December I created a thread wishing everyone Happy Holidays/Merry Xmas. There was one response....one. That was from NM11046. This signified to me that the main group that posts on this forum that is unwilling to accept others have a different viewpoint and still recognize they are human.

http://www.huskerboard.com/index.php?/topic/81962-merry-christmas-and-happy-new-year/

1) I agree there is some groupthink, but I'll be honest bnilhome, I think one of the biggest reasons you struggle to feel included in this forum is because of your posting style and rhetoric. It's often incredibly abrasive.
2) A dislike of Trump is evident, but I think less so for Republicans. I agree with ZRod above in that there seems to be a growing appreciation for other prominent members of the Republican party right now... people like Sasse, Ryan and McCain. We're going to need them to have strong voices during the Trump presidency.

3) This is a flat out lie and again goes back to your posting style/rhetoric. You see what you want to see, bnilhome, while simultaneously propping yourself up for your bi-partisan efforts. I would estimate over 80 percent of your posts over the last six months have been anti-Obama or anti-Democrat. Your comments about both are often laced with subtle (and not-so-subtle) inflammatory digs and your posts about Trump often ignore his serious character issues and poor judgement. You don't practice what you preach here.

4) I missed this thread - I don't have any other excuse.

You and Zrod and Knapplc just proved my point with your responses. Most of my posts have been backed up with data or links supporting an argument I am making, and because it doesnt subscribe to your views, it is labeled as inflammatory or abrasive, yet the vast majority on here who bash conservatives and Trump you do not see that way. The only Republicans being named as a defense against GOP bashing are those that have taken stands against Trump. That is not independent thinking...sorry.
As for Obama, there are plenty of areas where he left this country in worse shape, yet you and others refuse to voice any criticism, and have for a long time. One of many examples occurred with a shooting on an Oregon campus where Obama came out within hours and said he was going to politicize the tragedy to make a point about gun control. From what I can remember, many on here sat quietly and refused to call him out, yet if Trump or another Republican had done that, we would have 5 threads talking about it.

So as I stated before, I would guess that 80% of posts made in this forum over the past 6 to 12 months have been anti-Trump or anti GOP or for a progressive viewpoint. When a person new to this forum who is center-right sees such responses, why would they want to engage in this forum. It is not welcoming or inclusive. Just look at how knapp responded to my comments on wishing people well for the holidays. It was a very genuine attempt to reach out and hope everyone had a great time, and his response was one of contempt. I do appreciate dudeguys response so thank you for that.