Forum question/opinion!

[s0nny80y]

If you'd like, scroll down to the bold red letters at the end of this post to view the opinion/question.

Let me lay the facts first

First of all, the forum rules:

Rule #1 - You WILL NOT violate the AUP. No swearing, no personal attacks, no broad sweeping generalizations about Americans, Arabs, Muslims, Christians or any group. It will not be tolerated and offenders will be warned. Repeat offenders will be subject to administrative discipline up to and including banning.

Rule #2 - You WILL NOT post anything that even remotely suggests that people -especially civilians, regardless of nationality, race or religion should be injured or killed. Your post will be modified to remove the offending remark and you will be warned, plain and simple.

As for the Acceptable Use Policy, here's the link: https://www.gtplanet.net/index.php?categoryid=24&PHPSESSID=c87509714cdbd07833eabd1e489fde2c

So, after reviewing the guidelines, I will continue to post this thread without the threat of a locked topic because this topic follows forum rules.

Second of all, let me pull up all of the blatantly pro-Iraqi war topics against the blatantly anti-Iraqi war topics on this thread (note that this was done typing in 'Iraq' in the search function and that none of these include locked topics):

Pro-War

• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62479&highlight=Iraq
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=54568&highlight=Iraq
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53750&highlight=Iraq
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53065&highlight=Iraq
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49985&highlight=Iraq

Anti-War

• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53664&highlight=Iraq
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53230&highlight=Iraq
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51267&highlight=Iraq
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=48498&highlight=Iraq

These posts were shown to make a point that any new arguments on Iraq could not fall under any of the said topics. If anyone did try to make a new argument in the said threads, many of those topics would be locked for spamming.

And now for the locked topics that are blatantly anti-war and blatantly pro war (these locked topics have an endnote saying that there are numerous other Iraqi War threads in the forum that we should instead continue from):

Anti-War

• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66293
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=66195
• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62301

Pro-War

• https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52911&highlight=Iraq

On second thought, the topic under Pro-war was actually locked based on what Mr. Freak said


Anyways

This goes without saying that the bias against anti-war threads is very real. Take for example:

Viper Zero, it's not nessessary to create a new thread everytime you want to post another news article. I've already locked another redundant different thread on Iraq lately. I think you should limit your news postings to a single thread.

Read it here

The above quote did not denote that thread 'locked.'

When was the last pro-war topic locked? What, are the anti-war topics too realistic???


Now that my basis for argument is down, let me being my opinion:


My opinion on the matter is that if certain people lock topics because the general theme (which is Iraq) already exists in other topics, would continuing our argument (the argument being totally different than the already existing topic) in someone elses same-themed topic be considered spamming (or whatever)? Because that wouldn't be right!!!!! Right?

 

[Smoke_U_24/7]

That's a really heated topic, No matter which side you are on, (pro or anti-war) somebody will get irked and a debate will start. It's the main story that the majority of americans are thinking about, and for some of those people, it's personal. God only's knows how many people that subscribe to the GTP forum's has family members over in Iraq, and when the situation in Iraq is brung up, just reading the thread can feel like walking through hell, because of all the heat it (situation in Iraq) generates.

 

[Duke]

My opinion on the matter is that if certain people lock topics because the general theme (which is Iraq) already exists in other topics, would continuing our argument (the argument being totally different than the already existing topic) in someone elses same-themed topic be considered spamming (or whatever)? Because that wouldn't be right!!!!! Right?

Ummm, by your count of OPEN TOPICS, I saw 5 pro-war and 4 anti-war. That hardly counts a huge bias to me.

If you've been directed to post in an existing topic, go ahead and try it. You don't have to worry about going off-topic just because you make an anti-war post in a pro-war thread...

But also understand that this is a private forum, where the owner (and by extension, his staff) reserves the right to say what's appropriate and what isn't. Speaking for the whole moderation staff, I tell you that nobody here has ever been banned for the content of their opinion - just for the way they chose to express it.

That's what gets threads locked, too.

 

[kyle]

This is a big issue going around in the real world so you can bet lots of debate will come up. So instead of starting new threads let's try to do some gravedigging on this. You probably won't have to go very far.

 

[///M-Spec]

Threads are locked here for two reasons.

1) When they are very redundant
2) When they turn into flame wars

In addition, there is no such thing as a pro-war thread or an anti-war thread. If I start a thread saying how great vanilla ice cream is, there is nothing to stop someone from posting about how terrible vanilla ice cream is. That is how things work.

That is why there is ONE thread about America, not two.

You may think that Viper Zero's multiple threads remaining open is some tacit approval by the staff due to their content; in fact, the opposite is true. Viper's threads were the primary reason why I changed my policy towards Iraq threads: I was tired of seeing five of them on the same page.

I asked Viper to put them all in one thread because I thought he was mature and responsible enough to do so without me having to do it for him. What do you know? I was right. That was the beginning of May.

Since then, this thread appeared re: Iraq on May 18th:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=63946

What do you know... it starts out very negative.. and whoa.. it's NOT locked. Amazing. More amazingly, there are differing opinions in there.

In fact, YOU YOURSELF started a thread about Iraq in January, BEFORE I began the new policy. Don't remember? Here it is:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53230

What do you know... that thread isn't locked either.

Thus, it is MY opinion that the grievances offered by the original poster have no merit whatsoever and is just the result of someone being peeved about having two of his (redundant) threads locked. The suggestion of some political motivation is just a mirage.

In addition, ---and most importantly--- vanilla ice cream RULES.


M