I think once a month we should be allowed a political thread for a day or two.
Why?
[QUOTE=iLikePie;2357718]Not that i am a random-hanger enough for anyone to care, but i have found the mods to be terrific at judging the overall tone of threads and trying to decide how much to let slip.
It kind of baffles me why people especially want to talk about politics/religion/etc here anyway as there are other places that are much more suited to it (and i’d rather think about that stuff with my non-forum peeps anyway) but even aside from that, i think it’s pretty clear that the ordered forum caused more trouble than was worth. Nowadays when these threads pop up, it’s not hard to see how people get hostile and the air becomes less pleasant very quickly, and so in my mind, it makes sense to restrict them.
but whatever. I’m perfectly happy using this as a design/tech/flash forum (with some occasional great Random finds!) and so used in that way, the forum is perfectly moderated to be friendly, happy and with plenty of sunshine. Now lets all sing kumbaya.[/QUOTE]
I agree political threads and the like are not pleasent, but sometimes we’re having fun being douchebags and the threads get locked down which is kind of a bummer. But it’s Kirupa’s forum and he chose the mods to enforce his rules so I respect that.
[QUOTE=Jeff Wheeler;2357723]Why?[/QUOTE]
Just to bug you.
I’m a newcomer here and have spent a year or so (maybe a little more now) hanging at a different web/tech forum, and I gotta say discussions there were a lot freer. And I must say no one seemed to suffer too badly from it… Any time people got offensive or intolerant the mods would step in, but essentially no subject was barred. Sometimes people put up stupid topics, sometimes really intriguing ones, sometimes completely insane ones… but you really got to know people in the general section. probably the best friendships were struck in there, because people could be who they are. Also, a lot of people have very meaningful things to say on questions of philosophy/ religion/ whatnot…
anyhow it was my choice to try this place so of course I’ll try to stick by the set rules. but I must confess I’ve had a slight ‘1984’ experience already… Big Brother is not just a reality show…
No seriously. Kirupa double plus good!! 
I see that a few issues were brought into attention here. Perhaps it’s best to deal with them in turn.
The debates that were previously in Ordered are not allowed according to the rules. I understand that you might want to discuss your ideas regarding such topics, however because of previous (and unfortunate) experience they were ruled out and let’s just leave it at that. Every community has its rules (and you are supposed to read them as you join) and people either accept them or they are free to find one that is better suited for themselves.
Everyone needs to have some fun. Yet…I’ve seen lots of threads that get interrupted by personal banter or by an ad hoc conversation between 2 or more members that has nothing to do whatsoever with the purpose of that thread. If you start posting in the middle of a review or support thread, I can hardly see how an interlude about previous IM discussions, members bashing or your newly acquired socks could be relevant to any of us. If you don’t have something helpful to say, please refrain from saying it there. That is why we have Random.
And as we get to the topic of Random, I think the most important rule there is to use your best judgement. Treat the others how you would like to be treated yourself. And because someone mentioned freedom here, freedom means exercising your rights without hurting the others and their rights.
One more thing. A very smart guy here (:sen:) told me sometime ago that getting frustrated because others don’t like me is pointless. You might find people who don’t agree with you or simply don’t like you. And that’s ok. Not everyone is supposed to like you, just as you’re not obligated to care about everyone’s opinion. If you can’t accept that and are going to start whining every time somebody glares at you, then perhaps you are a bit too sensitive for this world.
In the last 3 months or so I have noticed the mods cracking down on stuff, but also in the last 3 months stuff has been getting a little weird. FTL gave me his msn before he left, I have yet to talk to him tho. I try to do my best to follow the rules. I even try and give a heads up to people when I feel the conversation is going a little out of hand.
And all of this freedom of speech stuff is a joke, [U]YOU DO NOT HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH ON KIRUPA[/U] There is a TOS for a reason, there is even a forum guide. I have many a times pointed a new person to it. My only beef right now with kForums is people posting personal sites in kool sites(I even tried to fix it, but no luck with that).
You do have freedom of speech. Just like you do in the country you live in.
You’re just mixing up ‘freedom of speech’ with ‘freedom to say whatever you want’.
The two aren’t the same.
^ I’m writing that one down for use against idiots. 
@ajcates: I hate spammers. Though my site is cool enough to be posted in Kool Sites. (Just kidding!)
[QUOTE=sekasi;2358063]You do have freedom of speech. Just like you do in the country you live in.
You’re just mixing up ‘freedom of speech’ with ‘freedom to say whatever you want’.
The two aren’t the same.[/QUOTE]
Edit - not going to break forum rules.
you were going to ask about the right to bear arms, right?
Yes, I believe it’s absolutely ridiculous that anyone would try to deny those beloved creatures their only means of picnic basket theft.
there is actualy a bear-monkey hybrid that can steal baskets with their feet, but its most likely a myth, just like canada
[QUOTE=sekasi;2358063]You’re just mixing up ‘freedom of speech’ with ‘freedom to say whatever you want’.
The two aren’t the same.[/QUOTE]
Yes they are.
Go to a bank and yell that you’re going to kill everyone if they don’t give you all their money, and then argue the first amendment. I think you’ll find that most people would disagree with you.
Freedom of speech is the right to voice your opinion, but you still have an obligation to respect other people’s rights.
Yes, if you yelled that you’d be arrested. We don’t have free speech here in the US. Or anywhere else for that matter. You don’t have an obligation to do anything. Nobody is born with handcuffs on.
Yes, that is true in a grand philosophical sense. But it’s pretty obvious that the term “free speech” generally is interpreted as something a little more complicated, which is what sekasi was saying.
wow thats one tough mod
Discussions shouldn’t have to be rigidly structured to ONE topic. Governing the way to discuss a topic is lame.
Dude… it is the banks property, it is up to them if you can say that or not in there. Since it is in the banks best interests to keep there customers safe, no they wouldn’t like it if you said that. If you go to a public park and say that, the cops can’t really do anything to you.
Blazes, you should read your own constitution. After that it wouldn’t hurt to read up on Freedom of Speech on wikipedia.