Comment on protected groups

[angrychair]

I am not going to mention any groups. I ask that no one use my OP as permission to slander, harass or call-out a group's members or a group. Please keep it civil.

I believe there is a place and need for protected groups. I believe that they should have a safe place free of debate and conflict.

My issue is when a group uses their protected status to abuse, harass, ridicule or otherwise attack other members, groups or that groups subject focus, be it their candidate or issue close to their heart.

No one is innocent on this issue. I only ask you enjoy your protected group and conversations while keeping the assholishness to a minimum. We all see what is posted but not all of us have the privledge to respond or defend our issues that are important to us that you are trashing.
Thanks!

[thesquanderer]

1. I think threads from Protected Groups should not appear on the home page...

...or on the Greatest Threads page. That's what brings people who don't normally frequent those groups into those groups, and it is the presence of those people that rocks the boat.

DU is a discussion board. If someone clicks an interesting headline, there's a good chance they're going to want to discuss, and they may not want to take the approved perspective of the group.

The solution, IMO, is that people should have to specifically navigate to a group to participate in their threads. I think this approach would go a long way to solving the Protected Group problems.

[angrychair]

2. Good idea

Seems reasonable to me. I think it would help but I still don't think people should use it as a platform to trash people or issues and then hide behind the "protected group" label.

[fleur-de-lisa]

3. That makes sense.

It seems that a lot of posters who get banned from either the Hillary or Bernie groups wandered in there by accident.

[question everything]

5. Agree (nt)

[thesquanderer]

10. I'm glad so many like my idea! Any idea how we propose it to Skinner? (n/t)

[question everything]

11. Just go to the Ask the Administrators forum - see list on the left

and ask. Your question will be hidden until he replies and no one can contribute to the thread.

Good luck.

[thesquanderer]

20. Done, thanks! (n/t)

[nolabear]

24. Add my support! It's killing DU.

[Bjornsdotter]

6. That's what happened to me

....clicked on a thread that was in a protected group. When I realized what I had done, I deleted my message and apologized.

Not sure what can really be done about it, I have noticed when people put the name of the group in parenthesis after the post it is easier to avoid mishaps.

[Dem2]

21. I agree

like many, I've found myself in these threads, wondering why the commenting rules seemed different...

[question everything]

4. Agree. Excdept that, if you are a member of an opposing group

but make it your affair to visit "the enemy" than you have no business complaining.

Protected groups are to share opinions and ideas, of course, but also to vent about other DUers.

Unless you feel an affinity to a protected group, you have no business posting anything which offends members of the group. And no, you have no place to decide what is offensive if you are not a member there.

Jurors should use a different criteria when asked to hide a post in a protected group that does not belong there in the first place.

I think that hosts of these groups should have the authority to overturn jury verdict about posts in these groups. Banning offenders cannot work if there are many who just venture once for a hit and run.

Otherwise, I certainly agree with the spirit of your post.

[angrychair]

7. I disagree

A level of decorum should be maintained. A "protected group" should not be a free license to be derogatory and nasty to other DU members or groups. If that is your goal, I think you should do it somewhere else besides DU. My opinion.

[question everything]

8. Than you must not have read many posts on GDP, not that I blame you

But, yes, I feel safe going to a protected group to express my disgust at the so many posts attacking a candidate, personally, not the policy.

And interesting that you suggest I should leave DU. Same as you have done? With 1000 posts a year since 2006?

So much for your request not "to slander, harass or call-out a group's members or a group. Please keep it civil." Or was this for groups, not individuals?

You've just lost any good intentions that you generated in your OP.

[thesquanderer]

9. In context, I think the op meant "you" as "one", and not you personally. (n/t)

[angrychair]

12. How did you get that out of my comment?

I stated:
"If that is your goal, I think you should do it somewhere else besides DU. My opinion."
Your 'goal' being solely to slander or dispariage another user or group.

Sorry, I personally, am never going to concede that it is "ok" in any scenario to be derogatory and nasty to a specific user or group here on DU.
It is fine to be passionate, aggressively defend your position and disagree without being disagreeable. I have been guilty of it as much as anyone, I make mistakes but doesn't make it "ok".

[LanternWaste]

13. Then simply alert on the offending post as is done throughout DU.

"A level of decorum should be maintained..."

Then simply alert on the offending post as is done throughout DU.

[angrychair]

15. Not applicable

In a protected group you have been banned from as far as I know.

[Donkees]

22. Skinner Quote:

"Groups are safe-havens for particular viewpoints. They are not safe-havens to trash-talk your fellow DUers."

[angrychair]

23. Very nice to hear

Not sure it's enforced.

[Beacool]

14. I don't understand why people try to go to an opponent's group to trash that candidate.

For example, I didn't go to the Obama board in 2008 and I haven't been interested in going to Sanders' board either. I actually got banned by Sanders' group because there was a post on the main page that I responded to, I was unaware that it was from the Sanders' group or I wouldn't have bothered responding to it. People should feel free to have a bash free zone where they can support the candidate of their choice without having to spend time and energy defending him/her.

If some of you are upset because you got banned form the Hillary board, what were you doing there in the first place? Ditto for any Hillary supporter who attacked Sanders on his group board.

That's why we have GDP, that's where the fur flies and mud is flung in every direction.

[NCTraveler]

17. I'm pretty sure you don't have to say one negative thing....

in a group to get kicked out of a group.

Your overall point is spot on.

My only post in the Sanders Group. I was banned minutes later.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/128069099

[Beacool]

18. Well, I don't know why they banned you.

It was a positive post. I just stay away from other candidates boards, the main reason being that I'm not really interested in them.

[NCTraveler]

19. For posts outside of the group. I was just making that slight distinction from your post.

You post was on the mark.

[NCTraveler]

16. I really don't care too much about protected groups other than I like them here.

I don't post in them often at all but I do think they serve a great purpose. Part of that purpose is to confine some of that which you describe.

I was kicked out of the Sanders group minutes after making my first post in the group. It was a very positive issue driven op I created.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/128069099

They are often not about the discussion of issues in any way. I find that discussion is actually much better in GD P. lol.