Say what you will but those restrictions are in place for good reason. There are people who just want to see the world burn, or so says the meme. Why not just go ahead and prevent it. Especially when there are other places you can discuss certain issues, just not here.
Ok I am not looking an argument here
, but in the forum rules, there is no rule forbidding "controversial topics", how would you define one exactly ? For a controversy to rage on this board first you'd need two people with diametrically opposed views on a subject and a mutual desire for some trolling. We certainly have the former, but the latter? I suspect
we could make a controversy out of anything, and isn't that the point... flamewar can start in any thread, it's less the topic than it is the people.
But what Guy is defending is the current policy (maybe Im blind but I can't actually see it as a
rule anywhere, and the catch-all clause doesn't fit imo) of preempting flames by disapproving the topics that are most likely to cause sparks. Sensible preventative measure, but it
is restrictive, and must be very fuzzy in its application. I could talk about some of the crazy things that happen here and probably not offend anyone since my local neanderthals' can't abide anyone not like them, certainly wouldn't like any of you lot, so probably aren't any about. Maybe its because I live surrounded by the epitome of a polarised community that I can hold a civil conversation about anything, detaching any emotional connection I may have enabling myself to view the thing objectively, entirely to explore the subject, not force through a point of view.
But communication skills need to be practiced, and to do so there must be an appropriate arena. The topics we might discuss, they're not CDPRs problem, and neither is giving us somewhere to gather and debate, but I just find it a little weird, like theres a disconnect between the game & forum community, that an International forum frequented by diverse people who - due to Geralts' worlds appeal it could be assumed - appreciate complexity in words & actions, who understand events aren't just a matter of black & white, that power corrupts and theres always someone with an agenda, and who expect & can face up to consequences.... yet can't question or learn from eachother because eventually there would be flames.
The rules likely to be broken by emotive topics are the hate speech rules, they are useful restrictions, and I very rarely see those deliberately broken here, occasionally typos & miscommunications, but we do not currently appear to have that many rabid arsonists on the board, maybe the mods think different. It may well be that by preventing current affairs discussions - and lets face it we
are basically saying "no significant international news please, don't share difficult topics, in case you mistakenly offend the Eskimo, or other ethnicity" - we are in fact restricting how close this community can grow.
I think limiting free speech to avoid argument just limits discussions, and discussions are essential for us all to improve. They don't have to include harsh words, although would allowing someone to vent briefly really be so bad? Actually such threads may teach us better forum-speak and tact. Sometimes you have to vocalise, or somehow externalise, a concept to progress anywhere with it. Yes you can say that
this is not the place for such talk, that there are more suitable places where they talk about that stuff already, but simply talking isn't the point, it's who you are talking to. I don't wan't to talk to some politico twiteratti with whom I have nothing in common about Ukraine, I want to hear ordinary people who I can identify with share some insight or connection to the events. Theres more chance I could be enlightened by one of you than there is that any mainstream news outlet will cover the topic in sufficient depth. History to them tends to be the broad strokes of important dates & notable power brokers, but I tend to think of history as much more the tale of how the ordinary people survive... "the World turns on a million acts of kindness", not the behaviour of governments & rulers.
