The idea of locking the board away from new users is incompatible with using the board as a marketing tool to draw users to this gaming forum.

If people are concerned about having serious political discussion, why would they do it on a gaming website? I don’t see the connection. The topic of politics is of zero relevance for a gaming site (aside from the Scavscarian gaming gate cult from years ago). If we want a shitposting outlet, politics is the perfect topic for that. And really, should we pretend it’s purpose is other than that?

If maintaining activity is the goal of politics; mass banning people for semi-shitty political posts will probably lower activity on the forum more so than axing the forum entirely.

Really Rol? You're going to try to foment a revolution against the mods? All because they take a few days to talk out the solution they want to give? Yeesh, calm down dude. It doesn't matter how good tomorrow's manifesto is, the best you can expect is that if it doesn't involve making you a mod, maybe the mods will independently come to a similar conclusion. Doesn't matter if the community does demand to make you a moderator, there's nothing the community can actually do to force the mods to listen to you. And the community won't rally behind you, because as annoying as the politics problem is, it's not worth some crazy revolution where we rally behind you. 

Huh, looks like I was right then. I originally said something about this seeming like one of those classic internet layered irony things where you say something outrageous and pretend to be serious but if anyone calls you out you pretend you were just exaggerating or saying it ironically, and we're all just supposed to go along with you and also half-seriously go along with whatever you say, acting serious until we're called out, then act only half-serious, otherwise we're not cool or don't get it or some nonsense like that. I then deleted that bit so I could watch it play out to be sure. I've been lurking here since late 2012, you'd think I'd have figured you out by now. Shame on me.

But however serious you are, or if it's a simply playful competition, or whatever, the mods don't have to take your "competition" seriously at all. This is a website, not a democratic government, and the only plan will be the mods plan. Sure we need one, but your little pretending-to-be-not-serious-but-probably-secretly-serious-but-when-called-out-mock-the-person-who-treated-you-seriously game will not result in any sort of community demands to make you mod, or implement your plan, or even for the mods to hurry up and make a decision. Like you said, this has been a problem for a long time, we'll survive a little while longer while the mods discuss it.

He isn't going to be a mod, regardless of how much drama he creates or how many demands he makes or how many public tantrums he throws.

Either way... The thread is starting to wander off-course from it's original intentions... So would be good if we could all get back on track and brainstorm some constructive ideas and move forwards. Cheers.

My apologies for engaging him then. I don't actually have any further suggestions that I haven't already voiced.

Many good points brought up, to dismiss them as nonsense is poor form and missing the point entirely.

Naw, fuck that place. I got banned for calling Trumpards out for being Trumpards (Keep in mind I called them Trumpards, not Trumptards, because mental health is no laughing matter but Trump is) and saying that they were bad for the country.

I made matter-of-fact statements about how abhorrent some mentalities are and apparently someone decided to whine to the mods about 'flaming' because they're apparently a child and can't handle proper criticism.

'Flaming' is calling someone an idiot for liking Xbox or someone stupid for not liking Ocarina of time. 'Flaming' is a cutesy internet forum term for not playing nice regarding silly goofy internet things like videogames or movies or apple or samsung or nintendo vs genesis. Saying 'you have disgusting, bigoted beliefs, the perpetuating of those beliefs is unacceptable, and the widespread acceptance of those beliefs is a plague upon this land' is not flaming. it's aggressive and not nice, but we don't live in a world where politeness ends racism. We don't live in a world where kindness nullifies bigotry. We don't live in a world where intelligence stamps out ignorance (though you really think it would.)

As such, until people in general get thicker skin and learn how to ACTUALLY defend themselves from such harsh accusations rather than crying to mommy and daddy mod, yeah, clearly people here aren't mature enough to discuss politics.

Constructive criticism with evidence in hand is not a needless attack.

Y'all need to move beyond any kind of victim complex. As things are currently being run, you're cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Sure it is, the problem is that the evidence offered paints the mod team in an extremely bad light and points out several inconsistencies and problems with how things have been run. To properly address the problems within moderating specific parts of the forum (this isn't just tied down to political discussion), we have to look at the problems currently seen within the mod team and general decision making.

What the mod team has and hasn't been doing is a key part of the discussion regarding what can be done with the Political Board. I said that in my original post.

If you're serious about fixing these problems, you have to accept that the mod team has been a major part of the problem.

Someone else should repost Rol's post - maybe then it would not be dismissed and its valid points would be taken into account.