I’ve deleted the topics about GMOs because they were too political. Please refrain from posting links to partisan articles about politically controversial matters.
Censorship isn’t acceptable because you disagree with something. GMOs aren’t too political, they actually aren’t a political issue at all. If this is your stance and personal philosophy for this forum, please remove me from your board outright and delete my account - censorship and blissful ignorance isn’t something I support. Otherwise, restore the topics and debate the points made in a logical and equitable manner. This a food forum. GMOs and Organics are food issues. To suggest it’s too political is non-sensical. I will not tolerate censorship because you disagree with me…
You think you’re right on this issue and people who disagree with you clueless idiots, so you’re not really interested in discussing it. You’re just pontificating, which is explicitly not allowed.
Incorrect - I’m interested in educating people - hence the postings. If you had an issue with a post, you should have brought it to my attention, rather than deleting the threads outright. You can’t win an argument, or you disagree with the statement of facts, and so you remove the threads? Absurdly ridiculous.
There’s nothing to discuss with pontificators who think their opinions are facts.
I would urge you to reconsider this Robert. This is a food board, and GMOs are one of the most controversial topics currently in food, so not having it on here seems strange.
I have a PhD in genetics, so I know a fair bit about the subject. However, I’m personally not that interested in debating it online since I realize that I’m not going to change any opinions, anymore than I’m going to convince someone to switch political parties by debating them online. People will believe what they want to believe, no matter how wrong other’s may think their beliefs are.
May I suggest a compromise? On another board I’m a member of (WineBerserkers.com, the world’s largest wine board, which like this one was created by exiles from famous parent board that engaged in massive censorship and banning and was ultimately supplanted by its misbegotten child because of that), they have “The Asylum” and “Politics” as separate topics, and all the more controversial or off-topic threads occur there.
That way you are not censuring important topics like GMOs (or even unimportant ones), but are keeping them off in their own corner where those who don’t care to see the debate don’t have too. I presume as moderator you are able to move threads as needed.
BBE
I agree with you, and I believe @robert does as well.
I think it’s not so much the discussion of GMOs, per se, but rather how it’s presented as a topic.
A topic wishing to explore the impact of GMOs on crop prices, for example, would probably be copacetic.
However, a topic denigrating the absence of GMO labeling on cereals would probably not be.
I think this is the gist of what @robert is getting at.
Commentating is fine, pontification is not.
“Pontification” is a term people use when they can’t argue based on the facts. It’s another form of name-calling like “right wing conspiracy” or “knee-jerk liberal”. I don’t think that is helpful in this discussion and I think you are splitting hairs.
I don’t remember what Justpete posted since I quickly gave up on the thread (which is why I’m only noticing this 12 days later). But if Justpete crossed the line, warn him and delete a post, or even lock a thread if it’s getting out of hand. Don’t delete an entire thread on a very relevant topic.
Are we going to ban threads on NYC vs Chicago pizza too? Because I’m totally going to the mat on that one!
When a true believer who thinks other people’s opinions are wrong starts a topic to tell them so, that’s not starting a discussion. It’s pontificating. There are lots of places on the Internet where people like that can talk past each other.
Everyone understands that NY vs. Chicago pizza is a matter of personal taste. Partisans of the two styles aren’t lobbying Congress, funding or opposing ballot measures, or funding academic research promoting one over the other.
So are we permitted to discuss GMOs or not (I don’t understand Ipse’s distinction between two different, equally relevant GMO topics)?
Genetically modified food per se is certainly on topic.
It’s just fraught with potential problems since there’s so much misinformation, propaganda, and nonsense being circulated by various factions.
LOL, I just realized that the thread I participated in was on HO, not here. So I don’t think I actually know what was being discussed in the deleted thread here. Oh well…
The problem posts were virtually identical to some in this topic:
Your opinions are facts so if we disagree it’s because I’m deluded? Make yourself at home over there, I guess.