Political Baiting on ATS Getting Out of Hand......

15g.) Political Baiting: You will not engage in politically-charged rhetoric, politically-inspired name-calling, and related right-versus-left political bickering while Posting in any topical forum or discussion thread on the Websites. You will not alter political candidate names or party affiliations in order to insult or deride the opposition.

Is it just me, or has the political baiting on ATS become a serious issue? I see thread after thread full of posts that contain content just as described in 15g of the T&C. Often times the OP itself is nothing but an attempt to bait people into a thread created just for the sole purpose of espousing rhetoric and nonsense.

Now I know that it must be hard for the Mods to keep up with all the BS that we, the users, put them through but it seems as though it has become a serious problem. It makes it very difficult, for those of us who enjoy a spirited debate on politics, to engage in many threads without being labeled a certain way by partisan members.

I know that I am guilty of this as well from time to time, and I to rectify that I am pulling myself away from the poltical forums until the tide changes.

So members and mods, are you seeing what I am seeing? Am I off base here?

reply to post by sheepslayer247


Let see, what is going on, I got it, is pre election year yes, my friend I been there and see it all, it is going to get worst, oh yeah a lot worst, just ride it and enjoyed, unless the party been bashed in a thread is the one that you support then is not such enjoyable right?

Ask the owners to hire more mods.

Or don't let people control your emotions so easily.



/thread

reply to post by marg6043


I understand you point, but it has come to the point that the political baiting is carrying over to threads that are not political in nature.

reply to post by GringoViejo

Would you like to comment on the issue, or are you going to make an off-topic poke at me?

Originally posted by GringoViejo
Ask the owners to hire more mods.

Or don't let people control your emotions so easily.

/thread

edit on 8-11-2011 by GringoViejo because: (no reason given)

ill be a mod

Originally posted by GringoViejo
Ask the owners to hire more mods.

Hire?

News flash... moderators are volunteers, which equals zero paychecks.

As far as political baiting is concerned, yes, there's a lot of it lately, but, as has been said already, better than 50% of the membership is gearing up for an election and that will reflect what is going on in the real world.

Originally posted by masqua

Originally posted by GringoViejo
Ask the owners to hire more mods.

Hire?

News flash... moderators are volunteers, which equals zero paychecks.

As far as political baiting is concerned, yes, there's a lot of it lately, but, as has been said already, better than 50% of the membership is gearing up for an election and that will reflect what is going on in the real world.

so how do i volunteer

Originally posted by Newz2387

Originally posted by masqua

Originally posted by GringoViejo
Ask the owners to hire more mods.

Hire?

News flash... moderators are volunteers, which equals zero paychecks.

As far as political baiting is concerned, yes, there's a lot of it lately, but, as has been said already, better than 50% of the membership is gearing up for an election and that will reflect what is going on in the real world.

so how do i volunteer

You don't - they come for you in the night, and fit your various MOD prostheses.

A bit like the borg, you get assimilated.

reply to post by Newz2387


You don't. One needs to be asked first.

To add to the topic:

If you see a post or thread that is out and out trolling, alert it, but don't respond to it. Trolls hate that.

I see rampant political baiting in most OWS related threads tbh

Originally posted by masqua

Originally posted by GringoViejo
Ask the owners to hire more mods.

Hire?

News flash... moderators are volunteers, which equals zero paychecks.

As far as political baiting is concerned, yes, there's a lot of it lately, but, as has been said already, better than 50% of the membership is gearing up for an election and that will reflect what is going on in the real world.

The occu pie supporters are very guilty of this recently

reply to post by popsmayhem


And the anti-OWS is not? This is exactly my point.

"Those that support OWS are socialist commie Obamanites!"

It has become so bad that we cannot even have an intelligent discussion.

You know, a few months ago there were threads after threads after threads about how the Tea Party were;
Haters
Racists
Meanies
Greedy
Shills
Puppets
Rubes
Nazis

Now that the (appropriate Birkenstock) is on the other foot, those same critics who (just mere months ago) were writing the threads slamming the Tea Party, they now ask, "Why can we all just get along?

If hypocracy were an Olympic event, ATS would have gold medalists.

Originally posted by masqua

Originally posted by GringoViejo
Ask the owners to hire more mods.

Hire?

News flash... moderators are volunteers, which equals zero paychecks.

As far as political baiting is concerned, yes, there's a lot of it lately, but, as has been said already, better than 50% of the membership is gearing up for an election and that will reflect what is going on in the real world.

Newsflash... I could care less, ask them to ask for more volunteers then. Sorry I haven't aquainted myself with how mods become mods. It doens't really matter outside of ATS.

reply to post by beezzer


This thread actually has nothing to do with OWS, except the one example provided above. Care to offer any substance to the topic at hand?

Or are you just trying to bait and troll?

Its one of those things both sides (left and right) actually do quite a bit both in the general media and here on ATS. Oddly, those from each side are usually quite sure the other side is far and away the worse offender.

Its went on from time to time since I've been here. However, it has gotten worse in recent years here - just as its gotten worse everywhere else. Usually it gets to certain level, the mods crack down on it (rightfully so), and then it dies down a bit for awhile.

Would you like to comment on the issue, or are you going to make an off-topic poke at me?

It wasn't off topic. Most of the problems seem to come from not having enough mods, not that they aren't doing their job. There are a lot of posts each day, and a handful of volunteers (happy, Masqua?) to 'police" them. So the best solution, to me, would to ask someone to see if they can't get a few more.

reply to post by GringoViejo


I don't think it's going to help by policing, per se, but by educating people on exactly what qualifies as political baiting and trolling.

As I have said before, I am guilty as well. I get a little heated at some comments some other members make, so I have decided to take a step back from certain areas on ATS.

reply to post by sheepslayer247


I pretty much agree, but I think it has to be a combonation of both. I mean, even one more mod would lighten the workload a bit.

Originally posted by beezzer
If hypocracy were an Olympic event, ATS would have gold medalists.

Seconded!

To be honest all sides of these debates seem to have members like this. Certain members seem to have decided to believe anything that supports there opinion and deride anything that opposes it.

The motto of ATS is deny ignorance not deny reality.

Just because something doesn't fit with your world view doesn't automatically make it incorrect