I want to get the opinion from you, the members here. I have received comments on both directions regarding political threads on this site and honestly do not know the best choice going forward. I had looked into seeing if I could make this forum viewable by only those that want to be able to see it, but it does not appear that is an easy or feasible option.
My question to you all is this: would you like to have the freedom to talk politics here amongst each other?
I run these boards, but I do it for all of us, not for my own personal kingdom. So it really is a matter of what you all want. If you as the members want to talk politics, that is your choice. I will say that I have my concerns. But if the threads stay in this forum, those that do not want to participate can just avoid reading any posts here? That is a question...
I personally will only moderate, I will not participate. As owner I think it is best if I keep my thoughts to myself. The only thing I will moderate is member interaction. I will not censor anything that does not violate the rules of these forums. So as long as the posters stay respectful it is up to them to debate the issues.
So, feed back please. Let me know what you all want. As I have said in the past, these boards are for you. I am always willing to try do make changes that make your interaction better here.
Cal, I appreciate everything you provide for us. Is it possible to have a political forum where all politics can be kept? That way people who want to talk politics can go there, and people who don't want the politics can not utilize the politics forum. Just a thought. I will abide by the rules established. Thanks again for providing the board for me to use.
That is where this is posted, in the Politics and Religion Forum (https://www.chicagobearboards.com/topics/8). Most of our other posts are, obviously, in the Chicago Bears forum or the NFL forum. The issue that I cannot solve is on the home page (https://www.chicagobearboards.com/) where it just lists the 15 most recent threads, everyone will still see anything recently posted in the political forum. So, you can ignore it, but also if it is not obvious what it is people could find themselves clicking on the post. I think some people just open up to the forums page (https://www.chicagobearboards.com/forums/posts) and pick the threads in the forums they like from there. I can look into seeing if I can move the Political forum to the very bottom just to make it easier to ignore for those that would rather do so.
So that is my concern. I know a lot of people have voiced that they are tired of even just seeing the stuff and like being able to come here to just talk sports and leave the rest behind. If those people are fine recognizing and ignoring threads here in this forum and allowing those that wish to post here that ability then I don't have an issue allowing them to have this space for that. And yes, I would enforce that all political or religious posts would be restricted here.
The only gray area is as it relates to the Chicago Bears.Obviously with COVID especially, it can directly effect the team. Posts bringing up current news regarding the team or even the league should be shared in the normal forums, if people want to discuss their opinions on those events they would most likely need to move them here, especially if the talk becomes more in depth with opinions. Just makes my job a little harder trying to figure out that line of posting information vs discussing it is all.
Does that answer your question?
Train like you are 2nd, but play like you are 1st.
Since the home page does not show what forum the thread is in, we can always try and note in the title its political so the non participants can know.
I realize we are a small group and that this only applies to a few people, but some do want to be able to talk politics and some do want to just ignore it. So if I can find a way to accommodate both groups I would like to. But this is a sports forum first so if I have to pick I will just ask we limit politics for the near future.
Train like you are 2nd, but play like you are 1st.
I have never been in the Politics and Religion Forums. I read some of the posts. I was shocked by some of the posts I read. They are highly charged, combative, explosive, and the tone of the posts are very different than posts in other Forums. I was taught a long time ago to avoid discussing politics and religion with others, who I did not know well. I learned when zealots on opposite sides engage they are more interested in expressing their opinion's than listening. Understanding comes from listening to the other side. Sometimes you learn new facts which could change your opinion. Sometimes you have to agree to disagree. One thing important is their needs to be mutual respect from both sides.
I'm against any discussion of politics on this board. I made a very poor decision to start a thread on kneeling, and I regret it. I think it drove several members who had been participants for years away from the boards. Injecting politics into sports is a recipe for disaster and will end up turning fans who got along great while talking about their favorite team against each other.
Regardless of the decision, I will no longer discuss politics here.
When you bleed, make it orange and navy blue