Political commentary disguised as questions?

[quimboat]

What's with the sudden shift into political attacks for questions? I thought this site was pretty much apolitical. Aren't there enough other websites, chat rooms and discussion forums out there to air political grievances and attack the opposition that we can keep this one friendly and agenda-free?

[Staley]

I may have let some others pass me by without thinking about their political content, but as for the new ones from luvredwines, my presumption was that he just needed to vent a little over recent events. Far as I'm concerned, Obama isn't even the worst President of this century, but I got the question right first try because I remembered a few previous exchanges with him.

[Justme]

quimboat...I agree, lets keep this game politics free...

[Phil F]

As long as it's not blatently offensive like the scout master question years ago, I have no problems with it.

[quimboat]

So, so far there are two (including myself) against using questions on this site to propagate a political agenda, two (including luvredwines, obviously) in favor of it, and one who seems indifferent to it.

However, I'm guessing it's not a democracy, and that the webmaster has final say.

I would only ask that, the webmaster included, we all keep in mind that there are PLENTY of sites to air such grievances, even if luvredwines is particularly incensed about a recent occurrence. I'm pretty sure this has always been a place where participants can go ask, answer and discuss trivia questions without having to contend with attacks on their political beliefs and stances, regardless of what those beliefs are or whom those individuals support.

I'm not saying I am or am not personally offended by lrw's questions--I could be a Bolshevik-era communist or a 12th-century monarchist for all it matters--just that I'm very much put off by the decision to use this site to air such grievances and to lob corresponding insults.

If I'm in the miniscule minority in this feeling, or if the webmaster has no problem with anyone using TI as such a platform, then I'll accept the prevailing decisions and move on.

quimboat

P.S. - Phil F - I don't know to which question you're referring, but we all have different ideas of what we find "blantantly offensive."

[Justme]

Thumbs up quimboat....

[Staley]

There have been questions of mine that had a small degree of "political content" in the past, though I don't think I would ever post one as (trivia) content-free and one-sided as the ones to which you were responding. I would hate to see the board get regularly political, but I would also hate to see too much censoring of the questions posted. I think the 2 on the board yesterday were probably an anomaly though.

[Groucho]

I agree entirely with the points made by Quimboat.When I first saw the question,I thought the answer would yield a historical figure.In retrospect,the question should have been left unanswered.

[quimboat]

I just want to thank everyone for their feedback to/input on my concerns, and I'm glad to learn they are not exclusively mine. Such mature discussion about a problem is exactly what I relish about this and other sites where people can count on finding other thinking/feeling adults.

@Justme - Thanks for both your comments and your support!

@Groucho - Thank you!

@Staley - Thank you for what you wrote. I agree that we definitely should avoid censorship, and that sometimes it can be difficult to be certain when we're crossing into a red area. However, I just think, that when we are sure we're entering such an area, we exercise discretion rather than censorship.

All the best!

quimboat

[Charlene]

Obama isn't even the worst President of this century

Not meaning to stir any political pots, but...Obama for Prime Minister!
Oh, and Staley? Good one! LOL