Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

This post is in response to some mail we've been getting lately.

*quality

A voice of reason. Pity you have to make the point but yes it's all too common for comments to turn into flame wars and I see that quite often, even on the most trivial of subjects.

Gold Star member Deano has awarded dag one published post for this quality Sift Talk contribution.

"I think now would be a good time to remind people that it's OK - even good - to disagree with the content of a video" - *quality, I couldn't agree more!

The discussion in the comments section add so much to a video. Furthermore, I think the majority of people on this site try and keep it civil - but things can turn nasty in debates regarding particularly emotive issues, such as politics, religion,ethics. Furthermore, particular users - for example, quantumushroom - hold very ill-informed intolerant views on certain issues. When they repeatedly target posts that relate to certain topics by downvoting them and adding hateful comments one occasionally gets very aggravated!

This is going to be a problem as there has been a rise in people who post simply to inflame discussion from ill informed stand points trying to mimic Colbert.

...the flirting is really starting to get to me....but the phone bill has been steadily dropping.....

Yeah, I've noticed this happening a bit lately, and my main area of concern was with regard to religious folks. I know a majority of sifters are atheist and that's perfectly fine, but I have seen a rise in verbal "blanket" attacks, covering all religious people. You may not agree with someone else's beliefs, but at very least you should respect that they hold those beliefs. Otherwise it becomes no better than a racial stereotype. And, of course, that shouldn't just apply to religion, but politics, ethnics, etc. as well.

Hopefully we'll be seeing an improvement now that this issue has been noticed.

"and my main area of concern was with regard to religious folks. I know a majority of sifters are atheist and that's perfectly fine, but I have seen a rise in verbal "blanket" attacks, covering all religious people. You may not agree with someone else's beliefs, but at very least you should respect that they hold those beliefs. Otherwise it becomes no better than a racial stereotype."

WELL SAID!!!! I couldn't agree more. There are some people on the Sift who would like to paint anyone with religious beliefs as unthinking intolerant morons. As a Muslim I have found the comments from some Sifters - I will name no names, but you (and they) know who they are - are deeply intolerant and prejudiced. If the word 'Muslim' was replaced with 'black' these people would have been kicked off the Sift long ago. I've got nothing against people with other beliefs and I have upvoted videos about atheism and other faiths on many occasions. I think that diversity, debate, and pluralism add to the quality of the community and they help to foster tolerance and understanding. I just get sick of having to respond to people who routinely dismiss all Muslims as idiots - and I'm sure Christians feel the same. Sometimes it seems that it is ok to be intolerant and fanatical as long as you are an atheist.

Any preeminent religion gets a bad rap when it flexes, or when the fringes become more vocal that the majority...this bothers me though...
"If the word 'Muslim' was replaced with 'black' these people would have been kicked off the Sift long ago."
not the same amimal, mate.....s'either about stereotyping by race or religion...I can't help I'm black, I can't keep that to myself.....Atheists are no different than Christians or Muslim,s in their zeal, conviction, and faith-
I see no difference, the mechanism is the same....

The fundamental differences in human beings are minimal...perception is the mother of most egos...
Leggo my egos..

*equality

Hi, first time poster here(never even thought to look in SiftTalk before!)

I've found 'Sift a site of quite intelligent users, in that we don't see the general abuse of the comments system with inanity and childish ramblings (see: YouTube, SpikedHumor, etc). It still survives, despite its growth, as a bastion for conversation about viewpoints and topics (at least for the time being... . But where people may make unpopular remarks, I don't think there should necessarily be a process of elimination for these users. This is for a few reasons I would like to assert below:

Firstly there's the educational benefit (bear with me here). I would like to think that people are smart enough to notice when something said is unfounded, off topic or hurtful - and to raise this in conversation with them. I have often seen many well constructed responses to posts such as these on Sift, back and forth. We have to allow people to say things that are not popular, because this may even be the process of learning for them. For myself, I used to buy into the whole 'global warming isn't really an issue' line until it was pointed out to me that my sources were very biased.

There is also a strong forum provided for debate here... Now, I know there are users out there who tow a pretty hard line and probably won't be shaken from their trees. But by questioning each-other to back up our statements, it is both you and they that are forced to consider your position logically and thoroughly, rather than just holding a blind opinion. We should have faith that people reading will be smart enough to see what's going on and form their own opinions.

To clarify, I agree with Choggie on the black topic, which also applies to sex, sexuality and so forth - these are not choices one can make, and should be treated very sternly where abuse is spoken! However theology, philosophy, politics and the like are matters of personal pursuasion, so always must be open to discussion. Again, make your cases and don't stand for baseless opinion in yourself or others, but edify. In all things question your own beliefs also (yes, atheists included! )

Consciousnesses cannot be raised if people are not allowed to see what people really think in the world. The good and the bad.

Here, here on all accounts, I'm all for sifters acting with some amount of restraint and sensitivity, especially in the realms of religion, race, sexuality, etc etc... but this discussion further reinforces my view on one of the other sifttalk posts currently up for discussion, that of the request to remove comments deemed 'offensive'... I think that such a feature would suffer the most potential abuse because of the issues under discussion in this thread...

You see, it's our ability to have these kinds of discourses on such personal subjects that makes me wary of the possibility of being able to remove comments a poster finds 'offensive'... if such a thing were to happen, then a poster of a religious (or whatever) type vid could then conceivably remove any comments by other users that countered the oppinnions reflected in the posted vid, citing of course that these counter opinnions were 'offensive'... yes it sucks when someone downvotes, yes it sucks even more when someone goes off on some ignorant, racist/anti-whatever-religion rant, but it is still their viewpoint, and freedoms of speech allow them to express that... but, in the end, they only succeed in revealing to others what idiots they are... so shake it off, and soldier on, keep posting what you believe, and respect that others have the right to post what they believe. Rise above such childishness by setting an example, rather than sinking down to the level of those who don't via retaliation, downvotes, etc etc.