Discussion time is dead. Please Discuss.

niggle_farago

Nick_C wrote: »

Do you seriously expect me to answer that? How the heck should I know?

He was out by a factor of 10%. Politicians often get figures wrong, but in this case the argument remains valid. It amazes me that politicians manage to remember correct statistics for the wide range of issues that they are questioned about.

Well, it might just be me but, at a shrewd guess, I would say that you might find an answer by looking at the link I gave.

Quasar

I've been here 10 years. I've heard (ok, read) cries of "DT is on its way out", countless times.

DT is here to stay for a variety of reasons, but mainly because there needs to be a place to keep general conversation away from the dedicated money boards.

What HAS changed though in all this time, is that more frivolous threads are started in DT when they should be started in the Arms, bringing DT's once good level of debate down considerably.

Also, since the debate here has been almost exclusively on political issues for the last few years (including steering non-political topics into political ones) even well before all the electioneering, some established users tend to post less because, well, a strong sense of ennui has set in. I know. I'm one of them.

EDIT - the way this thread is going after a few post testifies to what I've just said.

£$&*"($£&(

Quasar wrote: »

What HAS changed though in all this time, is that more frivolous threads are started in DT when they should be started in the Arms, bringing DT's once good level of debate down considerably.

I'm not sure Q. Remember Tod and his llamas everyday.

Quasar

grahawk wrote: »

I'm not sure Q. Remember Tod and his llamas everyday.

That was 3-4 years ago, still well after I joined. I never said that things have changed just now. The drift into triviality has been going on for about 5-6 years. Before that there was the odd misplaced thread and users felt they could mention to the OP that it would be best put in the Arms. Lately, if you suggest anything of the sort you'll be told it's not your place to TELL others where to post. "Suggesting" and "telling" being conflated in the mind of the poor debater.

Ames

I was only thinking the other day about not bothering with DT anymore.

I've a few reasons.

1. It's so repetitive, there's a handful of topics that get repeated ad nauseum.

2. Personal attacks and a completely ineffective PPR system. There are a couple of posters that when they're around I try to avoid posting anything that's not completely bland and uncontroversial.

3. I've just said it all before. I've lost the will to argue on a few topics. A few years ago it was possible to have a debate with the possibility of changing someone's mind, or having your own changed. Now everyone's so entrenched there's just no point.

4. It used to be a good place to find out news, but I'm on Twitter now.

If I could find somewhere else to go for debate, I would.

Quasar

Ames wrote: »

I was only thinking the other day about not bothering with DT anymore.

I've a few reasons.

1. It's so repetitive, there's a handful of topics that get repeated ad nauseum.

2. Personal attacks and a completely ineffective PPR system. There are a couple of posters that when they're around I try to avoid posting anything that's not completely bland and uncontroversial.

3. I've just said it all before. I've lost the will to argue on a few topics. A few years ago it was possible to have a debate with the possibility of changing someone's mind, or having your own changed. Now everyone's so entrenched there's just no point.

4. It used to be a good place to find out news, but I'm on Twitter now.

If I could find somewhere else to go for debate, I would.

Years ago myself and Fran, one of the boardguides, started a forum specifically for debate, not to compete with MSE, but to take off some of the load by allowing more latitude in the debate, so that there wouldn't be so many reports in here burdening MSE towers. There were many whingers at the time, and they were all invited to join that forum.

The forum became dormant in a few months as people preferred to post on MSE and then still whinge at the quality of debate. Mind you, the new forum did not have a thank-you button, which may be one of the reasons as egos were not sufficiently stroked, perhaps. Shame because some of the topics were good and there was a lot of debate, with only some basic restrictions. Then again, you can take a horse to water but...

There are other fora out there, started by other MSE members, some of them languishing, others ticking by, as far as I know.

Muttleythefrog

Crikey it seems they just pulled a perfectly functional debate about the role of church in politics as I was posting in it. I fleetingly return to MSE now and again and every time I'm reminded of the same.. I waste a lot of effort debating in debates that end up pulled. So another smack on my bottom and reminder I shouldn't waste my time here.

£$&*"($£&(

Who moved this to site feedback. This is not a site feedback thread. It's a discussions about Discussion Time, the place for discussions.

Quasar

grahawk wrote: »

Who moved this to site feedback. This is not a site feedback thread. It's a discussions about Discussion Time, the place for discussions.

Feedback is read by MSE towers. DT isn't. So perhaps moving this to Feedback ensures that the complaint reaches those who can address it if necessary.

Ames

Quasar wrote: »

Years ago myself and Fran, one of the boardguides, started a forum specifically for debate, not to compete with MSE, but to take off some of the load by allowing more latitude in the debate, so that there wouldn't be so many reports in here burdening MSE towers. There were many whingers at the time, and they were all invited to join that forum.

The forum became dormant in a few months as people preferred to post on MSE and then still whinge at the quality of debate. Mind you, the new forum did not have a thank-you button, which may be one of the reasons as egos were not sufficiently stroked, perhaps. Shame because some of the topics were good and there was a lot of debate, with only some basic restrictions. Then again, you can take a horse to water but...

There are other fora out there, started by other MSE members, some of them languishing, others ticking by, as far as I know.

I've been to the one that people often mention but it just seems to be an almight b1tch fest.

grahawk wrote: »

Who moved this to site feedback. This is not a site feedback thread. It's a discussions about Discussion Time, the place for discussions.

I agree. At least it means this thread is going to fade away rather than get pulled.