Can we have an Opinion Page?

[odanny]

I'm not sure why a forum that promotes free speech as well as this one does would not have a sub-forum solely dedicated to just that, free speech.

I don't always need, nor expect, a "link" to some website that leans either right or left. There should be a sub-forum where people are allowed to discuss their views without supporting links to anything, based on ones personal experience, beliefs, and attitiudes. It can most surely be moderated, however you desire, keeping discussions on topic is probably only necessary if one is alerted by the author it is necessary. No room for crying in this forum, discussions revolve around your viewpoint, not the viewpoint of someone from the Washington Post, MSNBC, FOX News or Breitbart.

A forum where big boy pants are required to participate in. I hope this idea resonates with someone, I think it's a good one. My services as an ombudsman can be utilized if the forum deems this necessary for this sub-forum's success. I'm here to help.

 

[1srelluc]

I just start an option thread with My Opinion in the proper subforum.....No issues so far from the mods.

A few old ass diehard members are sure not used to folks just having their own opinion about something though.....Meh, they can pound sand.

 

[Dante]

I'm not sure why a forum that promotes free speech as well as this one does would not have a sub-forum solely dedicated to just that, free speech.

I don't always need, nor expect, a "link" to some website that leans either right or left. There should be a sub-forum where people are allowed to discuss their views without supporting links to anything, based on ones personal experience, beliefs, and attitiudes. It can most surely be moderated, however you desire, keeping discussions on topic is probably only necessary if one is alerted by the author it is necessary. No room for crying in this forum, discussions revolve around your viewpoint, not the viewpoint of someone from the Washington Post, MSNBC, FOX News or Breitbart.

A forum where big boy pants are required to participate in. I hope this idea resonates with someone, I think it's a good one. My services as an ombudsman can be utilized if the forum deems this necessary for this sub-forum's success. I'm here to help.

Just about every thread OP here @ usmb is opinion masking ask fact. Thanks to a select group of imbeciles, idiots, and complete morons.

 

[Stryder50]

Too many people blur the line between opinion and fact. Some think their opinion is fact.
If it's a quantitative component in the discussion, it helps to be linked to an objective source for validation.
If it's a qualitative component than there might be room for such to float on it's own merits, but then again there is likely to be friction and some will think it also is a form of fact.

We already have 'badlands' and 'rubber forum' which would seem to fill the bill, and show the likely stumble blocks.

 

[d0gbreath]

I'm not sure why a forum that promotes free speech as well as this one does would not have a sub-forum solely dedicated to just that, free speech.

I don't always need, nor expect, a "link" to some website that leans either right or left. There should be a sub-forum where people are allowed to discuss their views without supporting links to anything, based on ones personal experience, beliefs, and attitiudes. It can most surely be moderated, however you desire, keeping discussions on topic is probably only necessary if one is alerted by the author it is necessary. No room for crying in this forum, discussions revolve around your viewpoint, not the viewpoint of someone from the Washington Post, MSNBC, FOX News or Breitbart.

A forum where big boy pants are required to participate in. I hope this idea resonates with someone, I think it's a good one. My services as an ombudsman can be utilized if the forum deems this necessary for this sub-forum's success. I'm here to help.

Provide a link, then provide commentary. Them's the rules. How does providing commentary differentiate from your no link opinions?

 

[Stryder50]

Just about every thread OP here @ usmb is opinion masking ask fact. Thanks to a select group of imbeciles, idiots, and complete morons.

Heavy dose of projection there Charlie.

 

[Auld Phart]

from what I've seen, every forum is opinion page.

people post 'facts' that agree with their opinion, and every response is an opinion that either agrees or disagrees with it,

 

[Dante]

Heavy dose of projection there Charlie.

Oh my!

 

[1srelluc]

Too many people blur the line between opinion and fact. Some think their opinion is fact.
If it's a quantitative component in the discussion, it helps to be linked to an objective source for validation.
If it's a qualitative component than there might be room for such to float on it's own merits, but then again there is likely to be friction and some will think it also is a form of fact.

We already have 'badlands' and 'rubber forum' which would seem to fill the bill, and show the likely stumble blocks.

See what I mean OP?....Some people can't function without validation from some talking head.

That way they get to attack the OP and whatever link provided.

I don't always need some middleman to express an opinion.

 

[1srelluc]

from what I've seen, every forum is opinion page.

people post 'facts' that agree with their opinion, and every response is an opinion that either agrees or disagrees with it,

It is after the OP.....But why can't the OP just be the OP's opinion?

 

[Stryder50]

Oh my!

View attachment 1082856

Quid-pro-quo, Charlie.
You are the opposite side of the coin and many of us would say you are among the "select group of imbeciles, idiots, and complete morons".

 

[MarathonMike]

I thought "General Discussion" was basically that? It states right below the forum title "talk about anything you want nothing matters in here".

 

[Harry Dresden]

Quid-pro-quo, Charlie.
You are the opposite side of the coin and many of us would say you are among the "select group of imbeciles, idiots, and complete morons".

big time.....and he has always been one of them...

 

[Dante]

See what I mean OP?....Some people can't function without validation from some talking head.

That way they get to attack the OP and whatever link provided.

I don't always need some middleman to express an opinion.

You just described most all of MAGA.

 

[Foxfyre]

I thought "General Discussion" was basically that? It states right below the forum title "talk about anything you want nothing matters in here".

That's what I was thinking. No requirement for links there. Also the structured debate forum allows the OP a lot of leeway in how to formulate the OP.

I can appreciate why the politics forum requires a more rigid structure or it would become an impossible quagmire of troll threads and posts and this would be a far less pleasant website for most of us.

 

[hjmick]

Jesus... every page is an opinion page around here...

 

[Crepitus]

I'm not sure why a forum that promotes free speech as well as this one does would not have a sub-forum solely dedicated to just that, free speech.

I don't always need, nor expect, a "link" to some website that leans either right or left. There should be a sub-forum where people are allowed to discuss their views without supporting links to anything, based on ones personal experience, beliefs, and attitiudes. It can most surely be moderated, however you desire, keeping discussions on topic is probably only necessary if one is alerted by the author it is necessary. No room for crying in this forum, discussions revolve around your viewpoint, not the viewpoint of someone from the Washington Post, MSNBC, FOX News or Breitbart.

A forum where big boy pants are required to participate in. I hope this idea resonates with someone, I think it's a good one. My services as an ombudsman can be utilized if the forum deems this necessary for this sub-forum's success. I'm here to help.

Ummm.... Isn't this whole thing just opinions?

 

[odanny]

Too many people blur the line between opinion and fact. Some think their opinion is fact.

There would be no line to blur in this forum, it's an opinion forum, one can support that opinion or challenge it, it would be more about the poster and their viewpoint than parroting something someone else has written about.

 

[Missourian]

I'm not sure why a forum that promotes free speech as well as this one does would not have a sub-forum solely dedicated to just that, free speech.

I don't always need, nor expect, a "link" to some website that leans either right or left. There should be a sub-forum where people are allowed to discuss their views without supporting links to anything, based on ones personal experience, beliefs, and attitiudes. It can most surely be moderated, however you desire, keeping discussions on topic is probably only necessary if one is alerted by the author it is necessary. No room for crying in this forum, discussions revolve around your viewpoint, not the viewpoint of someone from the Washington Post, MSNBC, FOX News or Breitbart.

A forum where big boy pants are required to participate in. I hope this idea resonates with someone, I think it's a good one. My services as an ombudsman can be utilized if the forum deems this necessary for this sub-forum's success. I'm here to help.

I've discussed this previously with various mods, and the consensus has been that by beginning a thread with "Original content" and then actually developing a coherent original argument is an acceptable thread format.

Not just "I think this, what do you think?"

It must be more "I believe this and here's why."

"Supporting paragraph 1"

"Supporting paragraph 2"

"Conclusion"

The tough part is...the supporting paragraphs should have facts...and those facts should be supported by links.

The only way around that is if it is original research. How often will that be the case?

 

[odanny]

I've discussed this previously with various mods, and the consensus has been that by beginning a thread with "Original content" and then actually developing a coherent original argument is an acceptable thread format.

Not just "I think this, what do you think?"

It must be more "I believe this and here's why."

"Supporting paragraph 1"

"Supporting paragraph 2"

"Conclusion"

That would be perfect, some outline like this can surely be part of the forum. Just an idea, but I do think this could make for a very interesting sub-forum. Some posters would not be up for it as they are never able to elaborate, and probably unable to formulate a well reasoned opinion.

That's okay though, they can keep doing what they do.