For Conservative Members Only: Do You Feel Comfortable Openly Expressing Yourself on RF?

[Nakosis]

This is to mirror another thread we started in order to gauge member sentiment. The other one was directed at all members, but this one is for conservatives only.

Do you feel comfortable expressing your conservative beliefs on RF? If not, why not, and what would make you feel comfortable doing so?

This is important for us to know, so please feel free to be as detailed and open in your answer as you want to be. Also, feel free to post in Site Feedback if you would prefer to answer there instead of here and/or if your answer will talk about a specific instance or instances of moderation. (The latter would be a Rule 2 violation if posted on a public forum.)

Please note that this is not a debate thread; any posts challenging the answers given in an attempt to start a debate or arguing with them may be moderated per Rule 10.

Last note: The poll is anonymous.

Thank you.

Other, not so much anymore. There are different types of conservatism. A little fear in getting pigeonholed into something you are not. Or having to defend a stereotype.

Also, offending people who may feel you are attacking them and not attacking an idea. The same poster put forth the same wrong, IMO, stereotypes. They are stuck with this is what a conservative is or this is what a capitalist is. I don't want them to feel I am picking on them. I accept they are never going to let go of this idea in their head what a conservative is so tend to acknowledge their response and move on.

 

[Kenny]

what I would say is that many time I have desire to say anything because people respond irrationally. So a "bash Trump" thread is a no go to me because I won't get reasonable responses and quality thought.

 

[Twilight Hue]

what I would say is that many time I have desire to say anything because people respond irrationally. So a "bash Trump" thread is a no go to me because I won't get reasonable responses and quality thought.

It does from time to time devolve into personal attacks. All one has to do is reread bash Trump threads and its right there.

I dont like double standards as at times it seems anti Trump postings get a little more leeway than the converse but I am aware most people on RF are left leaning in general.

 

[Debater Slayer]

what I would say is that many time I have desire to say anything because people respond irrationally. So a "bash Trump" thread is a no go to me because I won't get reasonable responses and quality thought.

Would you mind elaborating on the types of irrational responses that lead you to avoid any given thread? If you have any specific posts or member(s) in mind, please use Site Feedback instead to avoid violating Rule 1.

 

[Debater Slayer]

It does from time to time devolve into personal attacks. All one has to do is reread bash Trump threads and its right there.

I dont like double standards as at times it seems anti Trump postings get a little more leeway than the converse but I am aware most people on RF are left leaning in general.

By "more leeway," do you mean in terms of general acceptance by members or something related to site policy? Because the rules and staff-consensus system make no distinction between pro-Trump and anti-Trump posts in terms of assessment for moderation or lack thereof. I think it is important that I clarify this here.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

No, I don't really feel comfortable expressing right-wing views on here. Even if I post in support of a draft, I would get insulted (as has happened before). I have asked for a Nationalist DIR and that was shut down by staff even though most people didn't seem to have a problem with it, going by the poll I made at the time. Yet we have far-left DIRs (Communist and Socialist). I view that as a glaring double standard. (Yes, it is possible to hold at least some far-right views without being a racial supremacist and so on. I just wanted to get that out there.)

I really do get scared to admit that I voted for Trump (well, I guess I just did) because of all the vitriol spewed at Trump supporters on here. I am glad we are having this discussion now. Things seemed to have let up in the past day or so. Thanks to the staff for listening to our concerns.

 

[Debater Slayer]

No, I don't really feel comfortable expressing right-wing views on here. Even if I post in support of a draft, I would get insulted (as has happened before).

How helpful have you found it to report the insults to the staff?

I have asked for a Nationalist DIR and that was shut down by staff even though most people didn't seem to have a problem with it, going by the poll I made at the time. Yet we have far-left DIRs (Communist and Socialist). I view that as a glaring double standard. (Yes, it is possible to hold at least some far-right views without being a racial supremacist and so on. I just wanted to get that out there.)

When the staff discussed the suggestion of a Nationalist DIR, the main concern we had was that it could result in a lot of animosity and debate between nationalists from different countries. While I realize that nationalism doesn't always mean a negative thing--since its underlying values can vary on an individual basis--the other concern was a major one for us.

We usually have room to revisit ideas for further discussion if need be as well.

I really do get scared to admit that I voted for Trump (well, I guess I just did) because of all the vitriol spewed at Trump supporters on here. I am glad we are having this discussion now. Things seemed to have let up in the past day or so. Thanks to the staff for listening to our concerns.

What would make you feel more comfortable sharing your beliefs here?

And no problem. The conservative subset of our membership, like other subsets, is crucial in maintaining the diversity of the forum. We would like to make sure the membership at large is satisfied, so the best way to thank us would be to give honest, open feedback to these questions (as you have done above).

 

[Kenny]

Would you mind elaborating on the types of irrational responses that lead you to avoid any given thread? If you have any specific posts or member(s) in mind, please use Site Feedback instead to avoid violating Rule 1.

I don't think it is that important to me. If it gets too personal, I can report it. Appreciate your concern.

 

[Salty Booger]

Politics are so divisive right now, I don't want to spoil a forum about religion with my political opinions. There are many other websites that cater to such things. I prefer this site to be my respite from politics.

 

[stvdv]

They stop just short of it. It’s a talent. I’ve experienced it. Not even worth reporting.

IF all would report THEN miracles can happen

 

[Twilight Hue]

Politics are so divisive right now, I don't want to spoil a forum about religion with my political opinions. There are many other websites that cater to such things. I prefer this site to be my respite from politics.

I do wonder at times why politics are in a religion forum, although Christianity and politics are oftentimes intertwined enough that it can't be ignored.

People might be tired of seeing the sheer volume of political topics that dominate atm. There's other things to talk about and even those that are on a different subject, get prone to casual but frequent inserts of Trump jabbing.

It does make me appreciate the effort of those who desire to talk about other things aside from political topics as i noticed the frequency of non political subjects has increased.

 

[Salty Booger]

It does make me appreciate the effort of those who desire to talk about other things aside from political topics as i noticed the frequency of non political subjects has increased.

I suppose political sub-forums have a place here. It's just that I can get plenty of it anywhere else, so it's nice to reserve space where I can ignore the topic altogether.

 

[Samantha Rinne]

Other. Also, weird. I've never seen a poll on the featured page.

In general, I feel fine speaking conservative opinions. But in some places you can be punished for speaking conservative opinions even if your manner id polite. Especially places like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. RF seems okay in that regard (though I've had some warnings they are mainly because I've run afoul of other rules, which I'm not supposed to talk about due to one of the rules being about discussing mod actions, even though the topic is about that mods can help edit that paragraph if they object). But I do think there seem to be more liberal than conservative mods here. I think Vee is more moderate than some of the staff, but I couldn't tell you the actual political makeup of the forum. There's times when the place is flooded with secular atheists, and times when there's alot of Christian conservatives. I think as long as most of the latter feels comfy, and the firsr ones are okay debating with them, I think it's okay.

I'd rate RF as significantly better than Facebook about making conservatives feel welcome, but maybe not as good about it as an actual conservative forum (many of those are either deeply uninteresting unless you live and breathe sports and guns, or they are actively being undermined by loud liberal posters who are given free speech because conservatives tend to hate censorship).

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

How helpful have you found it to report the insults to the staff?



When the staff discussed the suggestion of a Nationalist DIR, the main concern we had was that it could result in a lot of animosity and debate between nationalists from different countries. While I realize that nationalism doesn't always mean a negative thing--since its underlying values can vary on an individual basis--the other concern was a major one for us.

We usually have room to revisit ideas for further discussion if need be as well.



What would make you feel more comfortable sharing your beliefs here?

And no problem. The conservative subset of our membership, like other subsets, is crucial in maintaining the diversity of the forum. We would like to make sure the membership at large is satisfied, so the best way to thank us would be to give honest, open feedback to these questions (as you have done above).

I can't really think of anything now. I think this conversation between staff and the community has helped a lot and I've already noticed a change in the board. Let's just keep it up.

 

[Harel13]

I second what @Rival wrote. From what I've seen, conservative threads - whether political or religious - tend to get blasted much more than non-conservative threads. I often feel the hostility and venom oozing from those replies, if I may be a bit more picturesque for a moment. While not being pluralistic myself, I understand that the liberal and/or secular view is much more so, and yet, I don't get that feeling with regards to liberal/secular reactions to conservative/religious views. It's always "my way or the highway", whether the subject may be gender, politics, patriotism, certain religious customs, etc.

I have no solution for this in terms of RF's policy. I think the policy is fair. Really the only thing I can say is that I wish the liberals/secularists would stop, turn it down a notch, take a deep breath, hear what we have to say, think about our positions, formulate a coherent argument and then stop again and think whether it's really that important to blast away at that particular subject and that particular RFer. I myself do this often. And if I don't have a coherent argument or feel that it's not worth it, I don't jump in.

I thought I would add that more specifically, RF leftists/liberals/hardcore secularists often phrase their replies in a manner that makes it seem as though it's intended to make me feel embarrassed about my positions/views/beliefs. For example, I would write x and a reply would be: "That is absolutely disgusting", without really explaining why x is disgusting. Though far from a convincing argument, it makes me want to state my views less and less.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I thought I would add that more specifically, RF leftists/liberals/hardcore secularists often phrase their replies in a manner that makes it seem as though it's intended to make me feel embarrassed about my positions/views/beliefs. For example, I would write x and a reply would be: "That is absolutely disgusting", without really explaining why x is disgusting. Though far from a convincing argument, it makes me want to state my views less and less.

A pattern of such lack of reasoning in a member's posts may be moderated as a Rule 9 violation. Frequent one-liners in lieu of detailed arguments are generally against the forum mission if they become a habit, so reporting them would be helpful.