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[Papa]

Dunki, you nasty.

Cya Kiev Keene... fucking commie.

You drunk bro?

 

[LegendOfKage]

I don't believe your sexual preference is a choice, but it is something that develops naturally later in life. In that sense, it's a "choice" that is out of your hands.

How can you simultaneously not be born that way and not choose something?

So do you believe people are born gay, straight, bi, etc, and that their sexual preference lies dormant in them until puberty? Because I personally feel otherwise, as I described above. I think people are born without a sexual preference, and that develops naturally through puberty. But it's almost an argument of semantics at that point. Either way, we're both saying that no one gets to choose their sexual preference.

 

[<+)O Robido O(+>]

So do you believe people are born gay, straight, bi, etc, and that their sexual preference lies dormant in them until puberty?

I can't speak for anyone but me, but I remember crushing on boys when I was 8. Apparently other people could tell as well, since they never missed an opportunity to mention it.

I think people are born without a sexual preference, and that develops naturally through puberty

That doesn't make sense to me, but ok. Everyone is different, I guess.

 

[EviLore]

How can you both not born that way and not choose something?

Based on what science understands, just about everything to do with the individual human condition is a combination of genetics and environmental influences. The latter can be thought of as one huge timeline of your moment-to-moment existence from start to finish that is potentially subject to change at different points in your life.

On a basic level, you can think of sexual orientation as expressing on a continuum of

heterosexual A-------------B bisexual--------------C homosexual

at an observed moment in time for an individual, based, again, on some potential fluid combination of your genes and your environment.

For example: your genetics might make you point somewhat bisexually to start, but if you grew up in one society it might put conformity pressure on you to minimize your homosexuality and maximize your heterosexuality, pushing you toward A, so you might not be comfortable whatsoever with the idea of bisexuality and never have opportunity or interest in experimentation or figuring out all relevant aspects of what you have going on sexually during your formative years or afterwards.

But if you grew up in a different society with the same genes, you might be encouraged to not conform at all and be as open as you can be as a cause for celebration in and of itself, in which case you'd likely be reinforced toward B and end up being way bisexual and might even have a special name for it that you use to let people know just how seriously super bi you are.

In a third society with the same genes, you might find your true love in high school and stick with them for life, guy or girl, and identify as hetero or gay heavily influenced by the connection to your partner that came about, in which case that life event could have effectively prompted you to jump directly to A or C respectively.


It can be both. It's not as easy to grasp as "you're born with it" or "it's your choice." The important thing to understand is that it's complicated and has scientifically established genetic influence from birth. The overall dynamic between the genetic and environmental influences are infinitely complex and fluid and aren't really going to be things that you observe yourself much if you think back on your own life unless you're a really rational thinker, and even then you're not going to understand your own sexuality on a purely rational level. You're just going to know/feel it intuitively and say what it is.

This part is subjective, but if we look at the scientific evidence it suggests that we probably shouldn't force people to conform to arbitrary constructs of sexual orientation and should probably let consenting adults do as they will in private since they will anyway. Society's better off with well-adjusted people expressing their sexuality openly and honestly instead of a bunch of unnecessary suffering and confusion and dysfunctional relationships from ignoring the science. This influenced a progressive movement in western society that rapidly became more accepting of individual sexual orientation and encouraged more openness and reframed sexual orientation around broader and more fluid identity, ultimately to celebrate whatever your sexuality is without oppressing people for being whomever they intuitively are. Science, bitches.

Now let's reflect briefly: a blindly raging internet kid here earlier claimed that asserting the above established science was being ANTI-LGBT and if you thought or said so it was IMPOSSIBLE to be an LGBT "ally," despite it literally being the foundation of the LGBT progressive social movement.

Weird, right? Remember, angry flippant internet kids who yell at you for whatever you politely say to them aren't thinking very clearly because they're angry and yelling during an otherwise civil conversation. They're told by other angry internet people to look for certain language on message boards and scream at the people who used that language without engaging any cognitive faculties to understand the thing they're looking for. Be careful! You don't want to become evil alt-right fascists like those monsters already are so don't stay long and don't let yourself calm down! They're being DISINGENUOUS!!!!!!1111 Or, perhaps, they're living within an insular internet social thought bubble most of the time and under pressure to conform their worldview to whatever they're told it should be or they'll be set on fire and stomped on by all the other scared people who do as they're told.

The only treatment, alas, for this deadly contagious acute stupidity disease, is the impossible task of complying with your forum moderator's requests, calming the fuck down and going and reading Wikipedia or a book or something oh my god.

Anyway, haha, hope that helps!

 

[Future]

The relevance of going deep on whether or not sexuality preference is a choice is questionable. In the past people claiming it to be a choice used it as fuel to persecute them, and say it was ok to discriminate against them because they are choosing to be immoral or whatever. This is why people lash out when discussion points in this direction: it is not common for one to say this and not have ill intent with where hey are going with it

Whatever the true cause of homosexuality or heterosexuality, the key point is that you prefer what you prefer and should not be punished for it. Nor should it be expected that you can change what you prefer, regardless if the preference started from within the womb or was a combination of genetics and life experiences. Unfortunately you will always have people out there that STILL dispute this (hell entire country governments) causing people to want to end the discussion overall and get angry about it

 

[Dunki]

But would you say that people are "born gay" or "born straight," then? I wouldn't. I don't believe your sexual preference is a choice, but it is something that develops naturally later in life. In that sense, it's a "choice" that is out of your hands. The idea that you can't "choose" to believe or not believe in God either is perhaps more similar than it sounds at first.

I should also say that the exchange yourself, mckmas, and valor are having is a great example of the kind of respectful conversation about serious topics that I like to see here, and you've all made some good points.

Here is my very unqualified opinion on it. First of all it makes no biological sense to be gay. There is just none. So what I beleive is that there is a change in the DNA that makes people prefer their own gender. How it works I do not know but that there is something different should be out of the question. That does not mean tha homosexual people have some kind of defect but rather that they are different.

 

[Yoshi]

On the other hand, is my being a Christian "purely a choice," as you say? No, I don't think so. I can choose to eat pizza instead of ice cream, but I can not choose to stop believing that Jesus is the son of God. Can you choose to stop believing that the world is round? Our beliefs don't work like that. Of course as a Christian I do engage in countless choices and acts of the will on my faith journey. I go to mass, a choice. I receive the Eucharist, read the scriptures and so on, all choices. But really, my faith is not a choice for me. I feel I cannot do other than to believe and because I believe I see this as a gift from God, that I did not earn.

If you agree that what you believe is not a choice, don't you feel it is wildly unfair to disrciminate people according to whether they believe in a specific deity / prophet? As in: Yahweh's distinct discrimination in treatment of people after their death depending on their belief should be regarded as an unfair and cruel measure, right?

 

[TwiztidElf]

Take care KK. I always enjoy your threads and posts.

I think you quoted me once and disagreed with me, and that's cool.
You articulated your thoughts and it made sense.
I didn't respond because there was no point. I'd made my point and you'd made yours. There was no point in taking it further. Why can't more people be ok with that? Disagreeing yet respecting other peoples opinions.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

If you agree that what you believe is not a choice, don't you feel it is wildly unfair to disrciminate people according to whether they believe in a specific deity / prophet? As in: Yahweh's distinct discrimination in treatment of people after their death depending on their belief should be regarded as an unfair and cruel measure, right?

If God says don't worship any Gods besides him, and you chose to worship other gods, you have made an informed decision to disobey, and disobedience has consequences.

To put the blame on God for that is like blaming your parents for punishing you because they told you not to lie and you told a lie.

Instead of trying to catch Valor in a gotcha moment where you take the immutability of his faith and apply it to people of other faiths as if such immutability is inmately born within us, and therefore, if no one can change faiths, then it would be cruel for God to say do not worship anything or anyone else besides me, you should probably just press the question of why Val0r's faith in Jesus immutable.

Reading the post l, it appears that s/he is arguing a case exclusive to themselves.

 

[nemiroff]

It doesn't matter what people discuss nor the direction as long as people post a bare minimum quality posts, are respectful, non-aggressive and on-topic.

In such a scenario one-sided political angles wouldn't be an issue whatsoever. So what if "the majority" are no on your side per se? Just post your own political opinion/angled topic and discuss without fear of being lambasted, problem solved.

TLDR; I don't fully agree with you, but I respect your post and your opinion because you made quality content with room for discussion.

 

[mckmas8808]

Is it a choice even if you're raised like that without much of an option to do anything otherwise until you're at least into your mid teens? Not sure it's that clear cut. Then there's cultural heritage as well, it's hard to break free from your sole reality when something is that deep-seated into who you are.

You have a choice to "believe" it's real or not. Whether you keep going to the place of worship may not be up to you, but you can choose in your mind and heart that it's not real or the truth.

 

[Lionel Richie]

You have a choice to "believe" it's real or not. Whether you keep going to the place of worship may not be up to you, but you can choose in your mind and heart that it's not real or the truth.

But do you really have a choice when a lifestyle is imposed on you?

 

[mckmas8808]

But do you really have a choice when a lifestyle is imposed on you?

When you are a kid living at home? Not much of a choice. And you're too young (for most people to really figure this whole world out) it can be hard. But when you are an adult? Yes you have a choice. Religion is 100% a choice for all adults. You opt into it.

Even if it was imposed on to you as a child, at some point when you are an adult you make a choice to stay or at a minimum continue to believe what you were taught.

 

[LegendOfKage]

When you are a kid living at home? Not much of a choice. And you're too young (for most people to really figure this whole world out) it can be hard. But when you are an adult? Yes you have a choice. Religion is 100% a choice for all adults. You opt into it.

Even if it was imposed on to you as a child, at some point when you are an adult you make a choice to stay or at a minimum continue to believe what you were taught.

Deciding which church to go to, or even whether or not to go to church are examples of choices. Deciding whether or not to believe in God is not a choice. I can choose today to have soup or a sandwich for lunch. I can choose which restaurant I go to, or decide to stay at home. But I can't choose to be gay or straight, just like I can't choose to believe in God or not.

 

[blu]

When you are a kid living at home? Not much of a choice. And you're too young (for most people to really figure this whole world out) it can be hard. But when you are an adult? Yes you have a choice. Religion is 100% a choice for all adults. You opt into it.

Even if it was imposed on to you as a child, at some point when you are an adult you make a choice to stay or at a minimum continue to believe what you were taught.

While I'm a stern believer in adults' freedom of choice where it comes to belief systems, I also can't deny there's such a thing as indoctrination of belief systems in humans, where people cannot even start to recognize something was imposed on them, in order to start questioning it.

OP, taking your life in you hands is the right thing to do when you feel it's slipping away. Gather up, regroup, and in general, pursue your life. Fight, discover and rediscover -- enjoy your journey, as it never lasts long.

 

[mckmas8808]

Deciding which church to go to, or even whether or not to go to church are examples of choices. Deciding whether or not to believe in God is not a choice. I can choose today to have soup or a sandwich for lunch. I can choose which restaurant I go to, or decide to stay at home. But I can't choose to be gay or straight, just like I can't choose to believe in God or not.

But it's still a learned way of life. Someone would have had to teach you the religion that you believe in. Someone would have needed to teach you about God in the first place and why he is real. If you are a Christian, I "HOPE" you've made a decision that God is real to you. That's a huge part of having faith. A person should make their religion real to them and not just accept whatever was told to them.

The other is different. Even without society telling you what you are supposed to like, you'd like a certain gender(s) naturally.

 

[Lionel Richie]

When you are a kid living at home? Not much of a choice. And you're too young (for most people to really figure this whole world out) it can be hard. But when you are an adult? Yes you have a choice. Religion is 100% a choice for all adults. You opt into it.

Even if it was imposed on to you as a child, at some point when you are an adult you make a choice to stay or at a minimum continue to believe what you were taught.

Then how to explain gang-related offenses and the incarceration rate of black people in the US? Is it a choice or the consequences of inheriting a behavior pattern and social conditions that are ingrained by whatever means into a specific community/local culture?

 

[Razorback]

The brachiosaurus!

 

[mckmas8808]

Then how to explain gang-related offenses and the incarceration rate of black people in the US? Is it a choice or the consequences of inheriting a behavior pattern and social conditions that are ingrained by whatever means into a specific community/local culture?

Weird that you put gang-related offenses right beside the incarceration rate of black people side by side as if they are one in the same. Hmmmm..... There's a 350 year history of how bad black people have been treated (unequally literally by the law) in this country. Not sure what you mean about the gang-related offenses though.

 

[Lionel Richie]

Weird that you put gang-related offenses right beside the incarceration rate of black people side by side as if they are one in the same. Hmmmm..... There's a 350 year history of how bad black people have been treated (unequally literally by the law) in this country. Not sure what you mean about the gang-related offenses though.

79% of gang members are either black or hispanic, while the incarceration rate of black people is significantly higher than the race representation in the general population, which means black people get arrested proportionally way more than white people. Those things are not one in the same, but they are related. Now, does this happen because they chose to do that or because of the cultural baggage that comes from decades of social marginalization (which you even alluded to in your post)? That's of course a rhetorical question, it happens because of the historical context. The same rules apply for a fuckload of religious people. They don't really choose to be religious, they inherit religion.

Let me phrase it differently: does one really choose to be a gang member or is he kind of forced to be like that because they only know that lifestyle? And I mention gangs not because of the black stereotype, but because it's a specific criminal behavior that's tied to a continuing social construction (regardless of the gang member's race).

 

[Yoshi]

If God says don't worship any Gods besides him, and you chose to worship other gods, you have made an informed decision to disobey, and disobedience has consequences.

To put the blame on God for that is like blaming your parents for punishing you because they told you not to lie and you told a lie.

Note the difference between believing in and worshiping. One decides whether one worships something, so it could still be argued that punishing someone for worshipping may be OK (though of course, it is quite the offensive thing to do either way).

Instead of trying to catch Valor in a gotcha moment where you take the immutability of his faith and apply it to people of other faiths as if such immutability is inmately born within us, and therefore, if no one can change faiths, then it would be cruel for God to say do not worship anything or anyone else besides me, you should probably just press the question of why Val0r's faith in Jesus immutable.

Reading the post l, it appears that s/he is arguing a case exclusive to themselves.

That would be quite the dilluded and self-righteous argument. But Valor wrote about the general fact that what you believe is not a choice, there is nothing in his text displaying this level of religious arrogance that indicates he is applying this exclusively to himself and his beliefs.

 

[mckmas8808]

79% of gang members are either black or hispanic, while the incarceration rate of black people is significantly higher than the race representation in the general population, which means black people get arrested proportionally way more than white people. Those things are not one in the same, but they are related. Now, does this happen because they chose to do that or because of the cultural baggage that comes from decades of social marginalization (which you even alluded to in your post)? That's of course a rhetorical question, it happens because of the historical context. The same rules apply for a fuckload of religious people. They don't really choose to be religious, they inherit religion.

Let me phrase it differently: does one really choose to be a gang member or is he kind of forced to be like that because they only know that lifestyle? And I mention gangs not because of the black stereotype, but because it's a specific criminal behavior that's tied to a continuing social construction (regardless of the gang member's race).

I gotcha. The answer to your question is obviously a mixed of both. It's easy to be a gang member when your upbringing is surrounded by gangs and it's a lifestyle that's in your face. And then the society around you doesn't help or protect you enough like it should, so gangs become a great place to socialize, network, and in some cases have a sense of family. But lets not act like at the end of the day there isn't a choice to "join" a gang. It's one thing to be friends with or hang around gang members. It's another thing to literally join one. In most cases those people are choosing to join the gang. Even in the face of the danger of a bad neighborhood, you don't have to actually join the gang.

I'd apply that same thinking with religion. Now I'm "ONLY" speaking in America and most Western-style countries. I have zero clue on what it's like in Asian or Muslim countries.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

Note the difference between believing in and worshiping. One decides whether one worships something, so it could still be argued that punishing someone for worshipping may be OK (though of course, it is quite the offensive thing to do either way).

That would be quite the dilluded and self-righteous argument. But Valor wrote about the general fact that what you believe is not a choice, there is nothing in his text displaying this level of religious arrogance that indicates he is applying this exclusively to himself and his beliefs.

Have at 'em.

 

[Lionel Richie]

I gotcha. The answer to your question is obviously a mixed of both. It's easy to be a gang member when your upbringing is surrounded by gangs and it's a lifestyle that's in your face. And then the society around you doesn't help or protect you enough like it should, so gangs become a great place to socialize, network, and in some cases have a sense of family. But lets not act like at the end of the day there isn't a choice to "join" a gang. It's one thing to be friends with or hang around gang members. It's another thing to literally join one. In most cases those people are choosing to join the gang. Even in the face of the danger of a bad neighborhood, you don't have to actually join the gang.

I'd apply that same thinking with religion. Now I'm "ONLY" speaking in America and most Western-style countries. I have zero clue on what it's like in Asian or Muslim countries.

Oh absolutely, at the end of the day you're still responsible for your actions. You still have to actually do the things you do. It's just tricky to point out a way to fix any problem when it involves something that is embedded in a culture for whatever reason. I'm not sure what's the percentage of homophobic people that are like that for religious reasons, but it's probably ridiculously high which makes it damn near impossible to make it better. Being gay will always have some negative consequence and that sucks. We can probably get over other prejudices eventually, but homophobia will always be around as long as it's a feature in a lot of religions.

There are, of course, plenty of exceptions to anything like that. You can be religious and not be homophobic, you can not even be religious at all despite your backgrounds. But in general terms I think it's bleak as fuck.

 

[EviLore]

Basically, everyone should watch The Wire.

 

[Deleted member 12837]

Basically, everyone should watch The Wire.

That's just SJW garbage / propaganda though

 

[Lionel Richie]

Basically, everyone should watch The Wire.

No truer words were ever spoken. I often talk a lot to my friends about how The Wire is the GOAT when they bring up Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones and they always look at me like I'm crazy, but like where's Omar or The Bunk in BB or GOT?

 

[Deleted member 12837]

No truer words were ever spoken. I often talk a lot to my friends about how The Wire is the GOAT when they bring up Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones and they always look at me like I'm crazy, but like where's Omar or The Bunk in BB or GOT?

I enjoy watching Breaking Bad more, but I think The Wire is a better show. I find Breaking Bad's story to be superior, but The Wire is much more profound in its message and subject matter. It's a close #1/#2 for me, though.

 

[Dr. Claus]

I enjoy watching Breaking Bad more, but I think The Wire is a better show. I find Breaking Bad's story to be superior, but The Wire is much more profound in its message and subject matter. It's a close #1/#2 for me, though.

I need to get back to watching The Wire. Tried watching it with my roommate back in my Freshman year at college, but fell off after the first season. Does it get better as it goes on?

 

[Deleted member 12837]

I need to get back to watching The Wire. Tried watching it with my roommate back in my Freshman year at college, but fell off after the first season. Does it get better as it goes on?

Definitely. It's a show that builds and builds, and the 3rd and especially 4th season are by far the strongest.

The 2nd season is considered by many to be a bit of a slog, though. If you were sort of into the 1st season, Season 3 and 4 really build on that storyline and the narrative moves faster. If you didn't care for S1 much at all, then you definitely won't like S2, and it might not be worth going through 3 and 4.

 

[Future]

I need to get back to watching The Wire. Tried watching it with my roommate back in my Freshman year at college, but fell off after the first season. Does it get better as it goes on?

Seasons 3 and 4 are some of the best television ever made

 

[mckmas8808]

Seasons 3 and 4 are some of the best television ever made

I don't want to make this a "Wire" thread but my favorite season is the first one. Followed by 3,4,5, and then 2. And 2 is really good. It just goes in a different direction that's hard to love until you watch Seasons 3 and 4.

 

[Future]

I don't want to make this a "Wire" thread but my favorite season is the first one. Followed by 3,4,5, and then 2. And 2 is really good. It just goes in a different direction that's hard to love until you watch Seasons 3 and 4.

Yeah all seasons were great in there own way. But the way 3 and 4 builds on previous storylines... such a positive memory of that. I didn’t hate 2, but I’d probably put on the bottom of list like you did (which is still better than most tv)

 

[Death Dealer]

Because I personally feel otherwise, as I described above. I think people are born without a sexual preference, and that develops naturally through puberty.

There is research that shows sexuality maybe determined in the womb. The development of the hypothalamus is influenced by the hormones its exposed to. Also there is a genetic link, so that if you have a gay family member, it increases the odds of others in the family being gay.

As for neogaf, I wasn't around when the forum exodus happened. I first joined around 2006-2007 but lost my password about 5 years ago. I still lurked occasionally and noticed the forum going towards one extreme on the political spectrum. Out of curiosity, I have checked the new forum the agitators set up. There is currently a thread on there lamenting the fact that some poll revealed 98-99% of straight people would not consider dating a trans person. And most of the people replying think that it's sad and bigoted. All I can say is, wow.

 

[Papa]

I love the Wire because it tries so hard to not preach and just present it how it is. Every character is flawed but has redeeming qualities, just like real life. Most importantly, it shows that the people at the bottom of the hierarchy are still people. Bubbles was my favourite character and what happened to his friend/mentee (whose name I forget) is possibly one of the most heart-wrenching story arcs I’ve ever seen.

Btw S4 is the best.

 

[Papa]

There is research that shows sexuality maybe determined in the womb. The development of the hypothalamus is influenced by the hormones its exposed to. Also there is a genetic link, so that if you have a gay family member, it increases the odds of others in the family being gay.

As for neogaf, I wasn't around when the forum exodus happened. I first joined around 2006-2007 but lost my password about 5 years ago. I still lurked occasionally and noticed the forum going towards one extreme on the political spectrum. Out of curiosity, I have checked the new forum the agitators set up. There is currently a thread on there lamenting the fact that some poll revealed 98-99% of straight people would not consider dating a trans person. And most of the people replying think that it's sad and bigoted. All I can say is, wow.

There is some fascinating research coming out about the influence of hormone exposure in the womb. I remember reading a study that came out last year (?) linking autism to pre-natal testosterone exposure.

 

[Lionel Richie]

I enjoy watching Breaking Bad more, but I think The Wire is a better show. I find Breaking Bad's story to be superior, but The Wire is much more profound in its message and subject matter. It's a close #1/#2 for me, though.

While I was watching Breaking Bad I did feel like it was a better show, like the moment to moment hype got to me and it's really impressive television. But after I finished it, most of that feeling didn't stick with me and when I think about it "pretty good" are the words that come to me. The Wire is legendary, I still get the chills when I think about the subdued but powerful ending and a lot of the situations that happened leading up to it. It definitely aged better in my head.

That's probably because Wire wasn't this huge epic HOLY SHIT thing, it was calmer and meditative. There truly are a lot of great scenes on the show, but stuff like McNulty's "wake" to that Pogues song or Avon and Stringer on the rooftop going over their memories together knowing it was FUBAR are unparalleled on sheer storytelling perfection. The other show I ever watched that felt like that was Justified. It was a really good story told really well, one that didn't rely on crescendos and overall grandeur, just a magnificent multilayered perfectly done narrative.

 

[mckmas8808]

There is research that shows sexuality maybe determined in the womb. The development of the hypothalamus is influenced by the hormones its exposed to. Also there is a genetic link, so that if you have a gay family member, it increases the odds of others in the family being gay.

As for neogaf, I wasn't around when the forum exodus happened. I first joined around 2006-2007 but lost my password about 5 years ago. I still lurked occasionally and noticed the forum going towards one extreme on the political spectrum. Out of curiosity, I have checked the new forum the agitators set up. There is currently a thread on there lamenting the fact that some poll revealed 98-99% of straight people would not consider dating a trans person. And most of the people replying think that it's sad and bigoted. All I can say is, wow.

I remember having that conversation with some of those people here. It is unfair to expect most people to be okay with dating a Trans person. It's a personal choice at the end of the day. Just as much as not wanting to date someone taller than you or not wanting to date outside your race or religion.

But the one big difference is (and I told them this before the Exodus) if the cis-gender person wanted to have kids, dating a trans person would be out of the window. After that most, if not all of them agreed with that part.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I think OT just has too much political/social issue stuff at the moment. We need more people creating topics about other stuff and random fun things. It's the internet, so political discussion is going to always be a little heated at times. It just gets a bit draining when most of the threads created are about these topics. The board is much better to post on then prior to the exodus, but still has some growing to do.

Yeah, it's depressing to see that most of engaged people were also the most "political correct". But what can you do...

Come to speak of it.... I think what bothered me most about the old forum (and made me leave the new one a few weeks back for good) is that all this political and social correctness is such... bullshit. I mean, as we've seen people preach this shit all the time and then when you just look a bit closer you find that the very same people preaching (except maybe a selected few) have shit on their shoes on one way or the other. Makes me sick and I'm still upset that this behaviour was tolerated here for so long. The only reason I came back is that I still remember this forum wasn't always like this (so I've seen both good and bad) and therefore I'm willing to give it another chance. But man, it was so infuriating. Being afraid to write your opinion even though you aren't insulting anyone directly... that's not how we should have discussions. Prove me wrong if you think I am, don't just ban me. What the fuck?

 

[Mochilador]

Yeah, it's depressing to see that most of engaged people were also the most "political correct". But what can you do...

Come to speak of it.... I think what bothered me most about the old forum (and made me leave the new one a few weeks back for good) is that all this political and social correctness is such... bullshit. I mean, as we've seen people preach this shit all the time and then when you just look a bit closer you find that the very same people preaching (except maybe a selected few) have shit on their shoes on one way or the other. Makes me sick and I'm still upset that this behaviour was tolerated here for so long. The only reason I came back is that I still remember this forum wasn't always like this (so I've seen both good and bad) and therefore I'm willing to give it another chance. But man, it was so infuriating. Being afraid to write your opinion even though you aren't insulting anyone directly... that's not how we should have discussions. Prove me wrong if you think I am, don't just ban me. What the fuck?

Yeah, I feel you, man.
The forum became too political during that time. Like the other poster above us said, we need more light hearted threads.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

I don't want to make this a "Wire" thread but my favorite season is the first one. Followed by 3,4,5, and then 2. And 2 is really good. It just goes in a different direction that's hard to love until you watch Seasons 3 and 4.

I really thought season 5 was the weakest even if it was a premonition for modern media.

Season 2 gets a bad rap simply because it shifts from the streets to the docks. Season 2 is important because bureaucracy, redlining, and the like has just as devastating of an impact among white middle class and poor populations as the black ones.

And yet the show does well to highlight that the police concentrates its efforts on the streets and Petty squabbles. If they ever went to the actual sources of the drugs, well, that would require complete institutional overhaul. But nobody wants to do that, so it's much easier to maintain the status quo....


GOAT show. Literally ruined TV for me.

 

[RokkanStoned]

Been a bit away from Gaf lately, too much additional work I've done and it's summer, making it harder to take time to write. I agree with your sentiment in regards to thread creation (most people are wary of creating threads, making threads in bad taste stand out), then again posts are much better (so I disagree there a bit) and we have great contributors that are from "the left" and "the right". You yourself also have some posts I've had issue with personally, so I would be cautious in regards to labelling posters too easily, but threads definitely can vary a lot (would've preferred less political threads personally, a good ratio is important). The administration and moderation has been pretty well (especially compared to other places).
But I can understand taking time of, NeoGAF isn't our life and our focus should always be on RL. It's just a nice place where we come to discuss and share our viewpoints. Where we gather information and discuss games and other events. Don't make NeoGAF your life, always prioritize what's in your proximity instead. I hope you get better.

 

[CaliggyJack]

I don't agree with anything you said but I respect your opinion and hope you get better mate!

 

[TrainedRage]