shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Dec 30, 2020 11:09:29 GMT -5
Nice, but you have those treasures too close to the fireplace... Fortunately, it's electric! Unfortunately, that's because we had a chimney fire last year.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2020 11:25:44 GMT -5
I know there’s a no politics rule, and no plans for a politics thread, so please don’t consider this a “stealth politics” post, but over the last couple of days, I am reminded of how restrictive such a rule is, despite my respect for the rule. There’s been some Space Force news. A lot of it. I want to post about it, but it is SO intertwined with a particular administration, that I feel it’d be impossible to share full and frank thoughts about Space Force without mentioning a particular president. Also, there have been rumours that 2021 will see the blue party (US) challenge WWE over it designating wrestlers as ‘independent contractors’. I had a lot to say about that in the wrestling thread, but if politics is banned, then that’d be another topic not allowed even though it’ll potentially be a big story that every wrestling newsletter, and media outlets, will cover. I’m not seeking to change the rules. But 2020 truly was the year where politics and life were intertwined. How do you discuss the pandemic without mentioning countries’ responses to it? Space Force is intertwined with a particular soon-to-be-gone administration, how do you discuss it without mentioning politics? How on earth could one ignore potentially the biggest wrestling story of 2021 because of a no politics rule? It is what it is, and I follow the rules of a place I am in, but as the years progress, it’s getting harder to see a separation between politics and life. Oh, I get it. I think we all get it. This is why we used to have an open policy. And when members started fighting each other over politics, we created a politics thread and asked folks to confine the discussion there. And when members fought even worse and some even left the forum, we started watching that thread more carefully, posting more in-thread warnings and sending more friendly warnings to members. And when the fighting still got worse and even more members started leaving, we shut down the politics thread. For the millionth time, no one wants this restriction (the mods least of all). It was necessary to preserve the health of this community. I do understand the policy, and I understand the logic. I certainly wouldn’t even visit a politics sub-forum even if one existed. It’s just that the pandemic, Space Force and possible changes to WWE’s wrestler designations don’t exist in a bubble, and it’d be near-impossible to bring up those without mentioning politics. I mean, given it’ll be the blue party possibly challenging WWE over the ‘independent contractor’ thing, I don’t know how you’d do a post about that, in the wrestling thread, without at least indirectly mentioning the two parties. I get that it is what it is, though.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Dec 30, 2020 11:34:00 GMT -5
I mean, given it’ll be the blue party possibly challenging WWE over the ‘independent contractor’ thing, I don’t know how you’d do a post about that, in the wrestling thread, without at least indirectly mentioning the two parties. What would happen if you post that: 1. Someone corrects your information and points out that the source you got it from was likely politically biased. 2. Someone else jumps in to support the move to get WWE wrestlers classified as employees and also slams the right at the same time. 3. A third person jumps in. Now it's two people coming down hard on you for your misinformation and taking jabs at the right for opposing this. Mind you, it's not outright confrontational, but suddenly you're feeling picked on and unwelcome. 4. Someone else sees these posts and gets upset. They decide to take a break from the forum. 5. Someone else decides enough is enough, jumps in to defend you and the other perspective in this argument, and does so with a little too much force. 6. Someone from the other side responds. 7. It escalates to full-on name-calling. 8. Other members get involved. 9. Suddenly two people who are neither you nor the first person who responded to you are terrorizing each other and will never be friends here again. Likely, one or the other will storm off, never to return, while a dozen people watching silently wonder if this is a community they even want to be a part of anymore. This is why we have a mod staff, and why that staff spends countless thankless hours getting involved with friendly warnings before it comes to this. And this is not just theoretical. It happened here countless times before you joined the community, my friend. It puts us in a very difficult situation and results in us feeling more than a little offended when folks complain publicly about the policy like we're just choosing to be mean and oppressive.
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Post by impulse on Dec 30, 2020 11:57:54 GMT -5
Taxi, I don't see why you couldn't discuss the WWE situation without getting political. "The government is pressing WWE to change its policy of hiring wrestlers as contractors to employees. It will be curious to see what this does to the industry. Will they have to have to let wrestlers go since they can no longer afford it? Will anyone leave in protest?" Etc. Describing that the challenge is happening and watching what happens does not need to be political, as long as no one goes "well that's effing stupid bc..." etc. If you keep it to the facts and events, should be fine no?
And I mean yeah, I get that nobody likes the policy, and that it is a necessary thing, but at the same time, it would be untrue to act like it doesn't stifle conversation, too. Now that trade-off seems worth it given how many times the politics cycle described above happens, for sure.
Modding is a thankless job, and thanks to all who do it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2020 12:02:37 GMT -5
I don’t for one minute think that anyone is being mean and oppressive. And I get that someone could get very partisan about it. I’m merely stating how hard it can be.
Impulse, you could be right. But it’d be hard to avoid politics entirely, e.g. this will be one party pushing for this, the guy running WWE has supported the other party for a long time, etc.
This post came about because I realised how I’d self-censored recently. Again, I understand the policy but I realised that I could not post about the pandemic, Space Force (so intertwined with the 2016-2020 administration) and now the WWE issue. It doesn’t mean you can’t try - the wrestling story will be a big one - but it does make you realise how sad it is that previous political disagreements/bickering has led us to a stage where you have to potentially think twice about posting something (and I really don’t see the WWE thing as being 100% political, it’s more of a labour union issue than anything).
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Post by impulse on Dec 30, 2020 12:23:38 GMT -5
There is a fine line between describing things that exist and "getting political." Saying Donald Trump started Space Force isn't political. Talking about pandemic cases isn't political. I don't see what the WWE owner's political support has to do with anything or why it would have to come up in this conversation. Another organization (in)famous for having contractors and not employees was Uber, and I recall them losing a case recently, and lots of people are wondering what that means. Uber was already struggling to turn a profit. Will this impact it? Will they cut rates or headcount? Will not enough people be able to drive etc?
Lots of things to discuss without getting into the political side. I will admit that it does take more expenditure of mental energy to carefully avoid going into political territory, but a lot of these things are still able to be discussed.
Completely switching gears, though, the coffee brand I've been buying since my 20s has somehow gone off. They started getting less and less consistent over the years, but it's gotten to the point where the last few bags have been absolutely dreadful. It's possible my grinder or brewer are somehow contributing, but the nastiness has lasted across more than one brewing method.
I think it's time to accept I need to move on from them which makes me sad. It's nostalgic for me, and this is what my Dad has been making for decades. I have childhood memories of smelling the beans in the bag and how great it was long before I ever drank the stuff myself.
So, I am disappointed to have to move on, but I'm also tired of awful coffee. I also realize I probably need to start paying a lot more for my beans.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2020 13:01:39 GMT -5
Is that the cover of Parable on a t-shirt? It sure is! She had it custom made. How many other Americans have a Moebius t-shirt?? That is very cool!
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Post by Farrar on Dec 30, 2020 14:51:04 GMT -5
Well we finally had our Christmas morning today, and it was a total blast. By the way, best haul I've ever personally had! Apparently, my amazing girlfriend snuck a few suggestions to the North Pole. I agree with everyone -- this is some fabulous haul. And as @mrp noted, that Buck Rogers book is awesome!!!
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Post by impulse on Dec 30, 2020 15:35:52 GMT -5
I had that X-Men Alert game, too. I think I still might have it shoved in a closet somewhere.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Dec 31, 2020 9:28:59 GMT -5
I had that X-Men Alert game, too. I think I still might have it shoved in a closet somewhere. Do you remember it being any good?
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Post by impulse on Dec 31, 2020 10:03:22 GMT -5
I can't say whether it was actually a "good" game, but as I was a 12 or so year old comic book nerd obsessed with the X-Men in particular, I sure enjoyed it at the time.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2020 15:30:37 GMT -5
Working tonight, so I am going to wish everyone a Happy New Year now before I go in.
Here's hoping 2021 doesn't look at 2020 and say, here hold my beer...
-M
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 31, 2020 16:20:44 GMT -5
HNY, mrp!
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Post by impulse on Dec 31, 2020 16:24:02 GMT -5
Happy New Year, everyone. May 2021 be as good as 2020 sucked.
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Post by brutalis on Dec 31, 2020 18:39:35 GMT -5
Early wishes to all for an end to this rather lousy 2020 and a happier journey into the New Year 2021. I'll wake at midnight when the firecrackers and gunshots go off, wish myself well into the new year before rolling over back to sleep. Cheers fellow comic lovers...
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