Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself on RF?

[Eyes to See]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

1. Yes. People for the most part are chill on this board. Even when having differing opinions and beliefs and are respectful of each other for the most part.

2. Hmm...one doesn't come to mind off the bat. So if it happened it wasn't that big of a deal. I appreciate the ignore feature. If someone says something really ignorant and on purpose, like 'you guys don't like education' or some such nonsense and is being disagreeable just to be a donkey, just click ignore. Don't have to worry about dealing with it.

3. Not really. I think people here are respectful when we talk about subjects from the Bible, even if they don't agree with what it says.

So I guess I should take the time to say thank you for being such a well-ordered and welcoming forum.

As for the question about politics. I would probably click ignore on the forum if I was aware that option is available. I have no interest in the subject aside from keeping informed of world events as they unfold.

 

[Ancient Soul]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

1. I have spent my lifetime coming to terms with my spiritual abilities and the most profound spiritual life God has given me. I have also long ago come to terms with the fact that most people hate, fear, and/or ridicule/insult people such as myself. But it is what God has given me, and I'm secure in expressing it no matter how negative the reaction. I've been on Internet forums for some 20 years or so, and this forum is the only place where I have found other's with similar abilities/experiences whom I can discuss such things with. Which makes it all worthwhile stating things about my spiritual life and abilities, no matter how much flak I get from the rest..

2. I am made to feel unwelcome some 90% of the time. Mostly because most people are ego driven and like to think that their religion, no matter how faulty it is, makes them superior to others with different beliefs. But instead of letting that bother me, I like how it makes me think about my beliefs when replying, often leading to discovering things that I hadn't realized before. So my beliefs are tested in the fire as the saying goes, and also leads to a deeper understanding of my spiritual abilities, experiences, and understandings.

3. No.

 

[Neuropteron]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

"Open expression" is a relative term, we always have to be careful that we don't offend others, and that is a good thing. Generally speacking I am quite comfortable expressing myself in RF, thank you.

 

[Watchmen]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

Absolutely do not feel comfortable. Wish I could say more.

 

[Rival]

Absolutely do not feel comfortable. Wish I could say more.

Feel free to PM a staffer or make a Site Feedback thread. We really would like to understand.

 

[Revoltingest]

I feel generally quite welcome.
But occasionally very much otherwise by some on the left. On the whole, welcome.

 

[Hockeycowboy]

To put it succinctly....
Yes....part good moderators, part confidence in my POV.

NO.

NO.

Love you guys, y'all are my cousins.

 

[Jesster]

I never felt comfortable from the start. But that's not just RF. I'm just uncomfortable talking with people I don't know well, especially if there's a high chance a difference of opinion could become heated. I mostly just read.

 

[Milton Platt]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

Yes, I am okay with openly discussing my position on religious, political, or other topics.

 

[Twilight Hue]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

I need not expand on my political views. The exchanges I encounter speak for themselves and ill just leave it at that.

But aside from that, it's a fairly welcoming place I think.

 

[Quagmire]

I feel comfortable posting here because I'm pretty sure nobody reads my posts anyway.

 

[Cooky]

Most people here seem open-minded. But I have noticed that asking certain questions draws ire, where civility and reason could so easily be used instead.

 

[Cooky]

Absolutely do not feel comfortable. Wish I could say more.

You're just joking, right?

 

[Cooky]

Feel free to PM a staffer or make a Site Feedback thread. We really would like to understand.

Hey, uh... You were getting a little squirrely on my thread yesterday. You thought my question was a little..."odd", did you?

I'll take you on any day of the week, Rival!

 

[Left Coast]

Not in one case: Forum Rule 2: Discussion/Dispute of Moderation

And I don't think I can openly express myself any further on this point without getting dinged.

Otherwise, I don't feel inhibited.

Please feel free to PM one of us on staff to discuss if you'd like, or create a Site Feedback thread. As @Rival mentioned, we are interested in honest, open feedback here.

 

[Mock Turtle]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Yes, in general, since I'm not so precious as to think that any comments will upset me substantially (but one can't always predict how they might affect others), and do feel that there are enough having similar views to myself to make such worthwhile. I would hope that I would gain from other viewpoints just as much as others might do so.

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Not really - I don't expect garlands and plaudits for everything (or anything) I say.

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

I don't feel part of any particular group - apart from the sensible and open-minded one of course - so wouldn't therefore feel discriminated against, but I do think that politics here is just too factional, and perhaps that comes from being more USA-dominated, where Socialism is seemingly equated to Communism, but where elsewhere it would not be seen so.

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

Most welcome. Like many perhaps, I chose the forum because of the range of discussions and the mix of peoples. One often learns more in an environment of vastly differing beliefs than where they all tend to merge seamlessly, and that is a bit obvious here.

 

[thomas t]

The moderators have recently been discussing whether members feel welcome on RF. We want to better understand some aspects of our culture here and would appreciate your participation in a brief questionnaire.

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

This thread is for discussion, not debate. Thanks for your participation.

Thank you for asking. I think the freedom of speech is great here. I've only posted 400 times so far... but this suffices for a first opinion.

I come from two Christian message boards where I used to be a member in and it's far worse there.

Just to give an example: You are allowed to disgree with someone who claims homosexuality to be a "mental illness"... but if someone takes offence, your post will be moderated for "complaining". The initial disrespectful remark against gays will not be moderated. So, effectively you're allowed to call someone out for disrespectful remarks a ten times maybe, but the moment someone presses the report button it's over.
This is at least my interpretation of the situation of one of the big Christian forums.
It's not as horrible as it sounds, as I may add. The mods know that this is bullying gays. And in discussion, they reply in a humble manner instead of being rude...
I quit.

Here is another example from another board:
If a poster calls a prominent political figure from the left "silly beyond belief"... you are discouraged to post anything against this way of behaving towards that person. The board says that you as an ordinary member are not supposed to criticise this. You are rather supposed to press the report button. And the mods will decide themselves if this was against the board rules or not. However, the mods won't do anything against posts like this. So, the member is encouraged to think they've done "all they could" to prevent that insult from staying unchallenged.
So effecticely the rule goes like this: if someone insults a prominent figure from the left, this insult will stay where it was written - and it will stay unchallenged. Noone, neither mod nor member, will post anything against it. Period.
I quit, too.

So this is the threashold set by two other big discussion boards on religion concerning freedom of speech, as I see it. If it's more freedom here, it's great!

Thomas

edited (changed word highlighted in green)

 

[Estro Felino]

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

I like RF because I love knowledge. I love to learn newer and newer things every day, so I like discussion, debate and dialogue done with mutual respect and kindness
I like friendliness and in fact you can see I am a giver...I tend to give more frubals than I receive.
I think I have always been friendly and loving to people.

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

Well...here everyone has always been kind and friendly to me.

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

Well...I I think it is a given that we rightists are a tiny minority....
Well...but still I love everyone here, and respect their views.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

That really depends on my mood. But I think it has more to do with how my psychology works than it has to do with the people on here. But I do try to avoid saying things when I think it can provoke an unfriendly response or a "fight". My social anxiety drives me nuts when I feel I have a problem with someone.

Has there ever been a time when you haven't felt welcome here, and what do you feel was the reason?

When I was a new member on this forum I needed some time to adjust. I hadn't used a forum since my teenage years. Back then I also made the mistake of openly speaking my mind in a thread that was about a very sensitive subject. I knew what would happen, but I underestimated the emotional impact it would have on me. I have gotten a lot more careful since then. But I think the experience also made me more patient, humble, and understanding.

Are you part of a particular group that you feel is less welcomed and why?

I'm kind of a loner and find it hard to connect with people. People easily make me feel drained and overwhelmed. Because of this, I never really feel at home in a group.

 

[stvdv]

Do you feel comfortable openly expressing yourself. Why or why not?

Except when speaking on the C-virus, I feel quite comfortable expressing myself on RF. I remember @SalixIncendium asked us quite a while ago "how about a special conspiracy forum". I wish there was one. So, that I could post/ask about C-virus stuff without getting "warnings"

Is it possible to have a secret sub-forum, where Google is not snooping around to check on the C-virus? Would be nice.

A conspiracy sub forum would also be nice for other "conspiracy" stuff or posts where we know from experience that certain RF'ers can't control their negative attacks. Because when I post certain things in normal debate forum, there usually comes a lot of judgmental criticism and even Ad hominem attacks. A conspiracy sub forum might take most of that out.

Note: I don't criticize RF, just answering @adrian009 his question about "feeling comfortable openly expressing yourself"