General / Off-Topic Politics, religion and gender wars.

[krysohmyz]

Yes, I'm probably crazy. Bash me or ignore me but this really keeps bothering me.

Yes, I understand this is an Off-Topic section and in theory we should be able to discuss anything we want that isn't related to Elite. And yes, the world did go to hell, lately so there's little choice of topics, I guess.
But in my personal insignificant opinion - there should be a line, somewhere, telling us how far off topic from gaming we should go

In the last couple of weeks there were two threads about music, one about film industry and two about specific movies, several utterly nonsensical threads (my favourite kind) and several topics of a category I'd call a "misc." That's fine. It's a bit sad that these threads are usually dying with five to ten replies, but it's fine. Shows where people's minds are.
Then we have one massive Brexit thread, five ongoing threads about Trump, six about religion, two gender equity vs. gender equality bash fests and another several dozens of thread that were at some point tainted and diverted this way, no matter what the original topic was.

I never understood this human need to pointlessly bicker about things. Or human need to try and convince others that they are more right.

Spoiler

Political discussions won't change anything. Not even when politics exercise them. Why do you bother?
Religious debates never lead to understanding, more often than not they lead to the exact opposite.
Gender talks, sooner or later, always slide into who had it worse in the past and who deserves it more to be treated differently. Equality at any cost, even if one side will suffer for it. *claps slowly*

Come on, people. There have to be place where you can talk these talks, but why here? What's the point? What am I not seeing that is so appealing?
To me, if someone goes to newbies section and answers a question that really helps somebody to enjoy the game, or shows us the chair they made for Elite, and hell, even if someone just makes a thread about their cute cat, that one post has more weight in the world than the whole Brexit threadzilla, in my eyes.

In case it isn't apparent, this is my "I quit" thread. Yes, I quit Off-Topic. Why live in a dumpster when the whole galaxy awaits.

o7

edit: I know this is too incoherent to be taken seriously, but I'm too drunk to care. Sorry.

 

[Arry]

We come here to chew the fat that the moderators won't let us chew in other forums.

You forgot about all the dead people we chat about.

We all have an opinion that is based on our education and life experience, which for some strange reason is varied and unlimited in its depth and scope.

There are of course: As many opinions as there are men. I am quoting some Greek guy from history there; which is why women are not mentioned. Now we have twice as many opinions due to woman input; however, many of those opinions seem to change, dependent on an assortment of things.

Many here will and can learn from the 'Off Topic' discussions we have here. Some because things like the news and current affairs, are alien to them.

Yes we have spats and some are here to troll or just poke fun and of course; many are 100% right and justified in their views and will not be swayed, but then, once in a while, harmony is found. Even if it is a 70% to 30% split.

 

[Adept]

Guys, this is an "I quit!" post. No need to respond to such salt mining attempts.

 

[Arry]

Guys, this is an "I quit!" post. No need to respond to such salt mining attempts.

She will be back. As I said, they have a tendency to change their minds, a lot.

 

[Chris Simon]

ROFL.

(btw. Arry, I think she only quit the Off-Topic section. )

 

[PigKiller]

" I know this is too incoherent to be taken seriously, but I'm too drunk to care. Sorry."
Still drunk and already feeling regret. When they sober up they'll come back. o7

 

[verminstar]

OP...yes we have our little catfights and tantrums...human nature I suppose. Thing is, we play games to blow off steam and we play multiplayer games to blow off steam and socialize, both positively and negatively. Like ying and yang, one cannot exist without the other.

The world is going to hell in a handbasket and a great many real life issues concern us greatly. Just saying the world has gone to hell means yer worried about something...we all are. Sometimes this spills out over each other and the differences in opinions can be extremely toxic at times...this is normal and its as much a part of communicating with different people from very different backgrounds as it is to talk about the game itself, which most, if not all of us do anyway.

Off topic because thats where such things are discussed obviously...there are rules of etiquete even here, and there are limits as to what can be said. If ye dont like it then dont read it...your choice as it is our choice to enter these debates and arguments. Some might think of that as celebrating our rights to freedom of speech...something which is a fundamental foundation of the free world.

Do we genuinely hate each other? We dont even know each others real names, how in hell could we ever possibly form such complicated judgements on people we dont know? Dislike and disagree maybe but hate is not a word I would use...not sure if ye can see the difference if yer off yer face ^

 

[Chris Simon]

Very well said, Verminstar.

Though I have to say I do agree with the general point of the OP. Off-Topic should be about what interests us, aside from Elite. Our hobbies, families, travels, for example. Something to help us to get to know each other a little outside the pilot chair, but still somewhat stay in the vicinity of Elite theme.

As it is now, the Off-Topic section is just one more depressing news feed.
Yes, of course, we can ignore it, which is probably what Krys was trying to convey, so dramatically.
Still, Elite Forums, just as Elite itself, are an escape from real life things for me, Krys and many others. I also find it annoying that every time I look at the home screen of the forums, I am reminded that "Some people think holocaust never happened". Important things to discuss, definitely, but I, too, don't need to see it here.

 

[FuzzySpider]

As it is now, the Off-Topic section is just one more depressing news feed to suffer through.

People talk about stuff they want to talk about. If there is too much politics that's probably a reflection of the world right at the present time, with serious world changing events happening daily.

A way to have less of it here is to post threats which are non-political for people to participate in. Complaining about it won't do much.

 

[Chris Simon]

People talk about stuff they want to talk about. If there is too much politics that's probably a reflection of the world right at the present time, with serious world changing events happening daily.

A way to have less of it here is to post threats which are non-political for people to participate in. Complaining about it won't do much.

I'm doing just that. Do you?

 

[Anon Sin]

There are too many over-opinionated,armchair politicians on these forums,who think their view of the World is the correct one. Most of them are wrong,misguided fools who are just blindly repeating the views of others and most of them don't realise that they are part of the problem and not the solution. They are always the same folk who are regulars on off-topic,who repeatedly make political threads and/or reply to such threads. They are always the last the people you would want to be an actually politician. They should just play the game. o7

 

[Chris Simon]

There are too many over-opinionated,armchair politicians on these forums,who think their view of the World is the correct one. Most of them are wrong,misguided fools who are just blindly repeating the views of others and most of them don't realise that they are part of the problem and not the solution. They are always the same folk who are regulars on off-topic,who repeatedly make political threads and/or reply to such threads. They are always the last the people you would want to be an actually politician. They should just play the game. o7

I think it has something to do with the average age, around here.
Other than that, I couldn't agree more. *departs to play the game*

 

[FuzzySpider]

I'm doing just that. Do you?

Yes I do.

 

[verminstar]

Very well said, Verminstar.

Though I have to say I do agree with the general point of the OP. Off-Topic should be about what interests us, aside from Elite. Our hobbies, families, travels, for example. Something to help us to get to know each other a little outside the pilot chair, but still somewhat stay in the vicinity of Elite theme.

As it is now, the Off-Topic section is just one more depressing news feed.
Yes, of course, we can ignore it, which is probably what Krys was trying to convey, so dramatically.
Still, Elite Forums, just as Elite itself, are an escape from real life things for me, Krys and many others. I also find it annoying that every time I look at the home screen of the forums, I am reminded that "Some people think holocaust never happened". Important things to discuss, definitely, but I, too, don't need to see it here.

Haha...Im laughing because one of my main hobbies outside gaming is in a bit of a legally grey area, so none too sure the mods would appreciate me posting up articles on indoor horticulture on how to grow...orchids.

Im also learning how to fly drones legally after getting my bollox chewed from the peelers fer flying it on the beach...damn these things are so much fun and usually the most fun stuff is illegal so...politics it is cos thats legal even though it shouldnt be ^

 

[Chris Simon]

Haha...Im laughing because one of my main hobbies outside gaming is in a bit of a legally grey area, so none too sure the mods would appreciate me posting up articles on indoor horticulture on how to grow...orchids.

Im also learning how to fly drones legally after getting my bollox chewed from the peelers fer flying it on the beach...damn these things are so much fun and usually the most fun stuff is illegal so...politics it is cos thats legal even though it shouldnt be ^

lol. I love people who use the term "legally grey area" instead of "illegal, but nobody's caught me, yet"

 

[verminstar]

lol. I love people who use the term "legally grey area" instead of "illegal, but nobody's caught me, yet"

Ive been caught twice...both times slap on the wrist, medium fine and lots of cautions which I ignored of course and continue to ignore. I have multiple sclerosis so its either staying law abiding and suffering pain in a wheelchair, or staying in the grey area and having a semi normal life where I can walk with a stick. Live a day with the pain I live with, then judge me fer what I do ^

 

[Chris Simon]

Ive been caught twice...both times slap on the wrist, medium fine and lots of cautions which I ignored of course and continue to ignore. I have multiple sclerosis so its either staying law abiding and suffering pain in a wheelchair, or staying in the grey area and having a semi normal life where I can walk with a stick. Live a day with the pain I live with, then judge me fer what I do ^

.
...
[up] [smile]

 

[xondk]

I never understood this human need to pointlessly bicker about things. Or human need to try and convince others that they are more right.

While I agree, when people are objectively wrong, they need to be informed of such, and unfortunately, some people tend to deny that they can be wrong instead twisting the objective truth so that their subjective view becomes true.

Yes, many things can be true at the same time, and people can disagree anyway, but personally I try to stay as objective as possible, specifically because I want to avoid all this arguing and gray area. I for one will gladly admit I am wrong, as long as there is objective proof of it, something that can actually be examined by myself and judged, rather then "But this site says x is better then y" then I personally begin searching for sources and whatnot, and their sources until I find the original reports, which unfortunately, many times do not even say anything near what is being claimed, usually by the side that simply can't be wrong, but yes, also by people that simply make mistakes, personally I will inform them of such without gloating and without the I am better then you because I was right attitude.

But that said, the internet, is open luckily, but this also means anyone can say and claim anything, which is why critical thinking is needed and you need to check things and such, at least enough so that you know that a certain source can usually be trusted and then you use that source until they betray that trust you give them. However, many people seemingly do not do this, and well yeah, that's just one of many reasons, that I see, that things go way way off topic, course that being said, both sides of a topic are usually to blame for the whole of it. Take the gender thing people seeing themselves/identifying as something. I don't know, attack chopper. Which I am personally fine with, if people want to do that it makes no difference to me, but my problem with it is that often in those debates, it is seemingly done because they do not want to be labelled as or by 'normal people' only to then proceed to look down their nose at the 'normal people' and throw labels and insults at them. The internet is one big melting pot, unfortunately what floats to the surface is the loud and unfortunately often obnoxious vapours of it, but there are plenty of places online that hold so so so much more then that.

But on an official gaming forum? where everyone playing (or just wanting to talk about) that game talks? yeah....generally not, you want the more remote forums for that.

- - - Updated - - -

The world is going to hell in a handbasket and a great many real life issues concern us greatly. Just saying the world has gone to hell means yer worried about something...we all are. Sometimes this spills out over each other and the differences in opinions can be extremely toxic at times...this is normal and its as much a part of communicating with different people from very different backgrounds as it is to talk about the game itself, which most, if not all of us do anyway.

Just to point out, statistically we have never been better or safer, just saying, but on the flipside we've also never had as much media coverage before, previously stuff we are experiencing happened as well, only thing is most people didn't hear it as easily, but on the whole, less is happening. That is not saying there aren't problems and that they aren't serious, no there are, but there are less then there were in the past.

 

[verminstar]

While I agree, when people are objectively wrong, they need to be informed of such, and unfortunately, some people tend to deny that they can be wrong instead twisting the objective truth so that their subjective view becomes true.

Yes, many things can be true at the same time, and people can disagree anyway, but personally I try to stay as objective as possible, specifically because I want to avoid all this arguing and gray area. I for one will gladly admit I am wrong, as long as there is objective proof of it, something that can actually be examined by myself and judged, rather then "But this site says x is better then y" then I personally begin searching for sources and whatnot, and their sources until I find the original reports, which unfortunately, many times do not even say anything near what is being claimed, usually by the side that simply can't be wrong, but yes, also by people that simply make mistakes, personally I will inform them of such without gloating and without the I am better then you because I was right attitude.

But that said, the internet, is open luckily, but this also means anyone can say and claim anything, which is why critical thinking is needed and you need to check things and such, at least enough so that you know that a certain source can usually be trusted and then you use that source until they betray that trust you give them. However, many people seemingly do not do this, and well yeah, that's just one of many reasons, that I see, that things go way way off topic, course that being said, both sides of a topic are usually to blame for the whole of it. Take the gender thing people seeing themselves/identifying as something. I don't know, attack chopper. Which I am personally fine with, if people want to do that it makes no difference to me, but my problem with it is that often in those debates, it is seemingly done because they do not want to be labelled as or by 'normal people' only to then proceed to look down their nose at the 'normal people' and throw labels and insults at them. The internet is one big melting pot, unfortunately what floats to the surface is the loud and unfortunately often obnoxious vapours of it, but there are plenty of places online that hold so so so much more then that.

But on an official gaming forum? where everyone playing (or just wanting to talk about) that game talks? yeah....generally not, you want the more remote forums for that.

- - - Updated - - -


Just to point out, statistically we have never been better or safer, just saying, but on the flipside we've also never had as much media coverage before, previously stuff we are experiencing happened as well, only thing is most people didn't hear it as easily, but on the whole, less is happening. That is not saying there aren't problems and that they aren't serious, no there are, but there are less then there were in the past.

I would argue that this perception would be hugely influenced by geography and personal circumstances...politically, where I live is teetering on the brink with an unthinkable and violent worst case scenario. Complicated...so changing the subject...indica or sativa?

 

[Chris Simon]

I would argue that this perception would be hugely influenced by geography and personal circumstances...politically, where I live is teetering on the brink with an unthinkable and violent worst case scenario. Complicated...so changing the subject...indica or sativa?

Indica for you, I bet. The direct pain relief and possibly some help with muscle issues.
Sativa is more of a... recreational thing.

(Okay, we just got the thread closed. )