Politics, Religion,Social Hot Topics & the Board

Here's a place for NON '66 Batman related subjects.

Moderators: Scott Sebring, Ben Bentley

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Scott Sebring
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Politics, Religion,Social Hot Topics & the Board

Post by Scott Sebring »

In the past, it had become the culture of the board to stay away from polarizing subjects that deal with separating beliefs and dividing communities.

In years past, we had tried to let the guard down a little to see if we could as a whole show restraint, understanding and tolerance for differing ideas and if they were addressed that they were discussed in a mature debate area without escalation. Even then , the status quo was to "leave it lie" and don't bring up such subjects.

Many moons ago, there was no OFF TOPIC SECTION and if any post didn't directly deal with the 1966 Batman world it was considered off topic and wasn't allowed. But as our sense of community grew beyond just things Batman, we wanted a place where we could share a family's announcement of a baby, or a kids soccer league winning their district. Birthdays were shared and people in personal crisis could ask for help, support or simply let us know what was going on. I initiated the OFF TOPIC section to help instill that sense of community and friendship amongst the members.

Things like elections, political beliefs, religious beliefs are individually important and part of our own personal identities but too many times have caused discourse, divided lines and drama that almost always ends up with hurt feelings, people leaving the board and moderators boxes filled with confused or angry messages.

This board didn't start about these hotter topics and will not be a host for them. Most of you have been wonderful in your handling of such subjects as they come. Some have been incredibly intelligent and articulate with thought provoking debate or interjection that has been refreshing and gave me hope that maybe we could proceed with these topics crossing our paths as long as the standards that were set by others were always the rule of thumb. But sorry, not everybody is built that way and not everybody can just read counter ideas without reacting in an undesirable way. Anytime we had gotten closer to an election, it always got worse. Whether one sees it or not on the board they usually have no idea what goes on behind the scenes in PM's that the moderators have to answer or try to answer.

I come to this board, moderate this board and play ship counselor for this board out of my love for the good will , fair play and fun times that I got from a wonderful TV show that aired over 45 years ago. I have found the majority of the people who have come here and participated have come here and continue to come here for the same reasons. We have tried to provide those fans with a playground in which to share and be a happy refuge from the more cynical places on the web. I am not going to let it turn into anything different from that. We are not going to go back to the days before the OFF TOPIC section, but be aware that the OFF TOPIC section will have to comply to it's own set of rules and not become a catch all.

So in trying to keep the overall peace we're making the 1966 Message Board a NO POLITICS/ HOT BUTTON zone. This includes but is not exclusive to sex, drugs, alternative lifestyles, bigotry or hardcore beliefs. This includes a "no bashing" policy that even extends to celebrities, non-celebrities, world leaders, public figures, non-public figures and even convicted felons. In other words, if you can't say something nice about somebody no matter who they are, then don't say anything at all. This is not reflective of my own views of these subjects but rather the nature of the controversy these subjects can create and therefore making thing much more taxing.

Now, if somebody posts that they are asking for prayers or somebody says they will pray for them, do not take this as an infraction and do not make a point to state any counter belief or overtly pro-beliefs. Since for some folks,prayer is a way of sending a positive and encouraging message much akin to sending good vibes, the gesture and post is allowed. To start professing scripture and belief systems beyond that would not be in keeping with the board policy.

I'm not into censoring belief but I am completely prepared to censor behavior, comments and actions that are not in keeping with the standards and culture that we have tried to uphold on this privately owned and hosted forum.

Let's have fun and keep it fun. If you have issue with this, take it up with me privately. You know where to find me.
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