An End to the Mud Pit?

So now that the election is over can we get rid of the Mud Pit? The whole thing seems antithetical to the ideals of ATS. It doesn't promote rational arguments and high minded discourse. Instead it promotes divisiveness and personal attacks. If a member can't debate without breaking the rules the apply everywhere else on this site they should be punished. They shouldn't be given a place where those rules no longer apply. I'm getting tired of coming on here and seeing the Recent page flooded with pettiness from both sides. With the nation more divided now than ever shouldn't we act as an example for what we'd like to see in the world. Rational debate. Not arguments from emotion. Isn't it time to get back to doing we do best?

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Eliminating the forum won't affect behavior, ideology, hated.

I think it would be nice to simply click a button in user account settings that turns on or off the visibility of the mud pit on your page so you don't have to see the endless firehose of ideological tit for tat

but the mud pit should remain simply for people to gripe about their political dislikes and stuff...basically, it keeps those types of discussions in there and not spread out around the board.

I'm getting tired of politics on ATS. Six months of politics is enough for the next four years

a reply to: DBCowboy

If people can't act like adults then they should be banned. When the 9/11 forum became toxic we didn't get a new forum where they toxicity could thrive. Instead the mods and admins became more vigilant in punishing trouble makers. Maybe, just maybe, if people are required to act in a rational manner some kind of common ground can be found. If we're just encouraging pettiness and divisiveness there's no chance of that ever happening.

a reply to: Xcalibur254
I think the purpose of the Mudpit was to drain the divisiveness away from the rest of the forum and keep it restrained in one spot.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

We still need a mudpit.
There are still many people still whining about Donald Trump being a Russian... Hillary should not be investigated...
Next thing will be the Democratic Party throwing hissy fit filibusters in the Senate to become the obstructionists that they claim to loathe.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Nobody is forcing anyone to go there. We have one in my Fantasy Football but nobody uses it but I'm sure in some leagues people love it. It makes it a lot easier though if you know people personally. It's actually fun when you have people who know each other. When I was in the military we would bash each other constantly, I mean really nasty stuff but it always drew smiles because we all knew if things hit the fan or we had a mission all that stuff goes away in a split second. It made us stronger to be honest.

I think it's better though to leave it. Otherwise, it will start flowing into places it does not belong. It kinda does already but with no block to put it in you can't tell someone anymore hey, take it over there.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Point taken.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
a reply to: Xcalibur254
I think the purpose of the Mudpit was to drain the divisiveness away from the rest of the forum and keep it restrained in one spot.

Yeah,like that worked well.

Personally, I think it's time to lock it for a few months' cool down while mods enforce TF out of the T & Cs on the rest of the site. Sometimes even grown-ass adults are too childish to get the hint without a paddling.

Even if we lose the mud pit people still go around calling others trolls and shills, which is againts the ats rules, but with the new pay to play ats style, rules dont apply often these days.

Someone peed in our cheerios?

Then hit that "alert" button in the (little green man) drop down menu below member avatars. Or let it wash. Or go somewhere else.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
So now that the election is over can we get rid of the Mud Pit? The whole thing seems antithetical to the ideals of ATS. It doesn't promote rational arguments and high minded discourse. Instead it promotes divisiveness and personal attacks. If a member can't debate without breaking the rules the apply everywhere else on this site they should be punished. They shouldn't be given a place where those rules no longer apply. I'm getting tired of coming on here and seeing the Recent page flooded with pettiness from both sides. With the nation more divided now than ever shouldn't we act as an example for what we'd like to see in the world. Rational debate. Not arguments from emotion. Isn't it time to get back to doing we do best?

No. If you don't like it, don't read it. It's really that simple. The mudpit wasn't set up specifically for the election. Politics is an ongoing episode.

This thread is daft.

Even the Govt's house of commons and electorates act worse than people do in here. I've watched them make asses out of themselves many times.

I think the mud pit is a good way for people to vent and let off steam.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

This site has existed for almost 20 years. In that time there was no need for a Mud Pit. For almost 20 years members of this site have been able to discuss politics rationally and with civility. If they couldn't a member's post was either removed or they were banned. This system worked for almost two decades. What's changed that people can no longer discuss politics without getting personal? The Mud Pit encourages pettiness and personal attacks. That hardly sounds like denying ignorance to me.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
So now that the election is over can we get rid of the Mud Pit?

Someone push your buttons?

Why do I get the feeling this is in reference to a specific poster/thread author?

a reply to: Annee

Nope. Just a member that's been here for almost a decade that thinks the Mud Pit flies in the face of everything ATS is supposed to be about.

I have a better idea......just dont visit the forum if it upsets you.... WOW Novel idea right?

Just ban the bad apples for 12 months. Otherwise they will flood the other political forums here, if the mud pit is turned off.

From an outside point of view....

Its funny how people wanted the mud pit when their man wasn't president elect, and are now tired of politics when it is, eh?

Hypocrisy. Its a terrible thing.