Do we want an "Anything Goes" Forum?

[Hilly]

I like the idea of having a seperate section for rants. I too, like the idea of it being password protected, and with the exception of personal attacks on fellow leatherworkers, anything goes. Most of us are adult enough to "change the channel" when we hear things we don't want to listen to.

[Washroad]

I think everything is "political." Not everything is controversial. Not everything causes great disruption.

An "Anything Goes" forum might be OK, password protected and only people with 100oz skin should be allowed in. Send Johanna proof when applying.

[Tkleather1]

I say why the heck not. It will let people breath a little when they get all worked up. We all need to vent and some of us spen alot of time here and respect alot of the people here and their opinions so I think that this would be a good spot for it.

[ClayB]

I really hope you don't decide to do that. I feel like Leatherworker.net should remain focused on leather. There have to be other places on the internet people can go and discuss things like politics that can get people riled up really quickly. I dont see where having a place on this site for such conversations contributes to our goal in any way.

[tashabear]

I really hope you don't decide to do that. I feel like Leatherworker.net should remain focused on leather. There have to be other places on the internet people can go and discuss things like politics that can get people riled up really quickly. I dont see where having a place on this site for such conversations contributes to our goal in any way.

But they're doing it already. Look at the pig pile on that poor kid Noah, or all the political spewing around election time. Since people are going to do it anyway unless there's serious use of the modly hammer, give them a place to do it where the rest of us don't have to look at it.

[outcast]

Don't need it. Enough ppl hate me already.

[ClayB]

I know they are, and it's really sad. This is just my opinion, but if you allow that kind of stuff anywhere on our forum, that attitude is going to carry over. If that happens, then we lose all that we have worked so hard to create. Maybe we already are losing it. I'm glad it's not my decision to make. Someone asked for our opinions, that's mine.

[Tkleather1]

I really hope you don't decide to do that. I feel like Leatherworker.net should remain focused on leather. There have to be other places on the internet people can go and discuss things like politics that can get people riled up really quickly. I dont see where having a place on this site for such conversations contributes to our goal in any way.

in my opinion though if I want to hear another cowboys opinion on something I personally wouldnt know where to go other than here. And I am not trying to "attack" you in any way I need to make that clear.

[tashabear]

I know they are, and it's really sad. This is just my opinion, but if you allow that kind of stuff anywhere on our forum, that attitude is going to carry over. If that happens, then we lose all that we have worked so hard to create. Maybe we already are losing it. I'm glad it's not my decision to make. Someone asked for our opinions, that's mine.

That's why I asked Joanna if she could institute a locked section. I don't want to silence people, but I don't want to click on a thread thinking it might be relevant to my interests, only to find that it's really... not. I'm a lot more liberal than most of the folks here, and some of the directions the conversations take make me wicked uncomfortable. And yet I still respect their right to have and air their opinions. I just don't want to look at it or be surprised by it.

If you want to eliminate the rancor, the only answer is to eliminate the Off-Topic section and be ruthless about policing the rest of the board. I think that will do more to damage Leatherworker.net than anything else, not to mention creating a LOT of work.

It looks like I'm trying to persuade you to my way of thinking, and in a way I am, but I'm mostly responding to you in hopes that someone else might read this and possibly change their way of thinking. Even if we don't get a password-protected anything-goes area, maybe at least they'll think twice before slinging mud in public.

[MarkB]

in my opinion though if I want to hear another cowboys opinion on something I personally wouldnt know where to go other than here. And I am not trying to "attack" you in any way I need to make that clear.

Tkleather1

You can go to buckaroo Guide to get your cowboys opinion on something. This is a leather workers form. I think this may be bad for the form.

That just my cowboy opinion.

Mark