EtcetEra can often be somewhat of a bummer to browse

[Red]

Impressive that criticism on the avoidance of negative headlines—in this case, infants being detained away from parents—is being spun as shaming someone to care about every issue in the world. Truly a standout moment for you fellas.

"Please stop talking during my entertainment, I just want to enjoy the Shoah show"

 

[MrH]

You have a filter system: look at threads and choose the ones you want to open.

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They still clutter the OT whether I open them or not, that's why a filter would be good as they just wouldn't exist. Having to scroll through 50 threads on why America is a god awful country every day isn't ideal.

 

[astro]

They still clutter the OT whether I open them or not, that's why a filter would be good as they just wouldn't exist. Having to scroll through 50 threads on why America is a god awful country every day isn't ideal.

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It's not ideal? Think of the people affected by this shit.

It's not hard for you to scroll past them, and it's better that you remain aware of how bad it is.

That's like the very least you can do.

You don't have to engage in every discussion, but heads in sand is how we get to bad places.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

This thread is literally waxing nostalgic for threads about socially awkward dipshits that they can mock and make memes and SunhiLegend gifs of.

 

[Deleted member 19066]

You have a filter system: look at threads and choose the ones you want to open.

Click to shrink...

I dunno, after a few months here I'm starting to wonder if the brain can be molded to reward depression the way it can reward anger. :/

It's not ideal? Think of the people affected by this shit.

It's not hard for you to scroll past them, and it's better that you remain aware of how bad it is.

That's like the very least you can do.

You don't have to engage in every discussion, but heads in sand is how we get to bad places.

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And I think posts like this don't help any matters. I can't help those people discussing how shitty everything is on an internet forum; I can help them by engaging in the outside world. This is just giving people a reason to wallow in misery more.

 

[Vex]

If you don't like the sort of threads that get lots of activity in ETC, be part of the change - post / reply to the sillier, more light-hearted threads so that they get more visibility and become a larger part of the ETC community vibe. As others have said, those threads do get posted, they just fall off faster.

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What if I told you that those light-hearted, humor based threads get locked? What then? hmmmm?

 

[Jacknapes]

I'm not in the US, but it's certainly interesting reading about the stuff going on over the water. Makes a change from reading about what the Conservatives are doing to Brexit.

 

[Holundrian]

Is there anywhere or anytime now that one shouldn't have to be reminded of what a terrible state the world is in?

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Literally the gaming section, the community gaming section. But this is the general (life) section and sadly politics bleed into general life so here we are.
Not like I don't empathize to some extent but honestly imagine being part of the group of people that can't shut down and escape somewhere cause these policies might directly affect them in some way. So the least I feel us more privileged people owe here is awareness and not to avert our eyes. One of the most shitty things privilege induced myths is that politics are just opt in opt out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvd2AJ_oXM0 kinda relevant on this type of attitude.

 

[Enzom21]

I'm sorry? ERA is not the sole source of news or information on politics or social issues in my life, and I will assume other posters lives as well. I'm informed about these things outside of ERA already. I'm expressing my opinions and feelings about how it's taking up a huge part of a forum which I (falsely) believed to be primarily about pop culture and the like. But even so if it's about random topical things, everything is just shit it seems from looking at the number of threads. I'm not saying it ought to change to this or that, I was asking if it's a good or bad idea to change up some things. It can be a healthy discussion.


"Head in sand", "cowardly" etc... interesting question: Is there anywhere anytime a person could get a break from hearing/reading these news and issues? Why and why not? When is it cowardly? Should it be on top of mind every day all the time?

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What is this based on, the old place? Because that certainly wasn't primarily a pop culture board.
Why does anything need to be fixed? Why can't you just not click on threads about the horrible shit going on that you don't care about?

 

[Heart_Attack]

Agreed. It's been like that since the last couple of years at the old site.

 

[yogurt]

What if I told you that those light-hearted, humor based threads get locked? What then? hmmmm?

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I haven't noticed that happening - am I missing something?

 

[Strangelove_77]

What if I told you that those light-hearted, humor based threads get locked? What then? hmmmm?

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And this thread will eventually get closed too. Either we'll be told to message the mods to complain to or someone here will lose their shit and start personally attacking people.

I'm curious which will happen first.

 

[Vex]

I haven't noticed that happening - am I missing something?

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Oh it does. Trust me on that. It does. On my mamma.

And this thread will eventually get closed too. Either we'll be told to message the mods to complain to or someone here will lose their shit and start personally attacking people.

I'm curious which will happen first.

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Im surprised it hasnt happened yet. This almost feels like minesweeper rn lmao. Wondering when this is gonna blow up.

 

[yogurt]

It's not ideal? Think of the people affected by this shit.

It's not hard for you to scroll past them, and it's better that you remain aware of how bad it is.

That's like the very least you can do.

You don't have to engage in every discussion, but heads in sand is how we get to bad places.

Click to shrink...

I post in many of those political threads, but I dispute that needing an escape from the ills of the world is the same as burying your head in the sand. I read the news and am very politically involved outside of ERA. We can't carry the weight of the whole world 24/7. We all need a break. Self care is important to staying active in the long run. So sometimes I just want to read a thread on movies or every day life stuff.

As I said in my earlier post, I don't think political threads should be banned or relegated to their own section, but I think we could all do more in developing the less serious side of ERA. It'd help us have a sense of cameraderie that, in my opinion, has been missing since the old place went off of the deep end a couple of years ago.

Oh it does. Trust me on that. It does. On my mamma.

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Can you link me to some examples?

 

[astro]

I post in many of those political threads, but I dispute that needing an escape from the ills of the world is the same as burying your head in the sand. I read the news and am very politically involved outside of ERA. We can't carry the weight of the whole world 24/7. We all need a break. Self care is important to staying active in the long run. So sometimes I just want to read a thread on movies or every day life stuff.

As I said in my earlier post, I don't think political threads should be banned or relegated to their own section, but I think we could all do more in developing the less serious side of ERA. It'd help us have a sense of cameraderie that, in my opinion, has been missing since the old place went off of the deep end a couple of years ago.

Click to shrink...

Take a break then, don't visit the threads for a while.

If you want more "fun" threads, make some.

Asking for these threads to be filtered out = burying your head. If you don't like seeing all these threads, you can bury your head (use the plug-in) or take a break from the forum.

 

[Strangelove_77]

Literally the gaming section, the community gaming section. But this is the general (life) section and sadly politics bleed into general life so here we are.
Not like I don't empathize to some extent but honestly imagine being part of the group of people that can't shut down and escape somewhere cause these policies might directly affect them in some way. So the least I feel us more privileged people owe here is awareness and not to avert our eyes. One of the most shitty things privilege induced myths is that politics are just opt in opt out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvd2AJ_oXM0 kinda relevant on this type of attitude.

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Except for all the sexism, racism, toxic masculinity, oversexualization, etc. threads that happens in gaming. That stuff is over there to "deal with."
But it's ever so often and I do think a good thing to do. Those kinds of things arent as widely covered anywhere else.

Yet over here there's a Trump thread seemingly every half hour. Basically every time he takes a dump or eats. That doesn't happen on the gaming side.

 

[yogurt]

Take a break then, don't visit the threads for a while.

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I do. I just meant to say that I see how it can be exhausting for some of the posters in here, and don't think that's an out-of-bounds, head-in-sand feeling. We all need a break sometimes, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[StallionDan]

You can use this to hide threads and keywords you don't like to see.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/by-popular-demand-the-return-of-hide-forum-threads.35590/

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No mobile :(

 

[Enzom21]

Except for all the sexism, racism, toxic masculinity, oversexualization, etc. threads that happens in gaming. That stuff is over there to "deal with."
But it's ever so often and I do think a good thing to do. Those kinds of things arent as widely covered anywhere else.

Yet over here there's a Trump thread seemingly every half hour. Basically every time he takes a dump or eats. That doesn't happen on the gaming side.

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Why is it so difficult for some of you to simply ignore threads that make you uncomfortable?
Since you can't seem to ignore these types of threads, what do you think should be done here?

 

[astro]

I do. I just meant to say that I see how it can be exhausting for some of the posters in here, and don't think that's an out-of-bounds, head-in-sand feeling. We all need a break sometimes, and there's nothing wrong with that.

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It's a privilege that you can filter these threads and not feel their effects.

I've already acknowledged taking a break is fine, but there's a thin line between that and resting on your privilege to bury your head.

 

[fleeting]

What is this based on, the old place? Because that certainly wasn't primarily a pop culture board.
Why does anything need to be fixed? Why can't you just not click on threads about the horrible shit going on that you don't care about?

Click to shrink...

Both the old board and this board are gaming boards with an "off topic" section. I don't think it's that otherworldly to think that the OT section might be about pop culture, tech and related topics, typical for people who engage in gaming related discussion online, and with some random/normal topics as well. But it's like 50%+ depressing politics now. But yes, as people have explained, because of the situation in the US now it's only natural it is like this now.

 

[Strangelove_77]

Why is it so difficult for some of you to simply ignore threads that make you uncomfortable?
Since you can't seem to ignore these types of threads, what do you think should be done here?

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Oh, I have absolutely no solution. This is the identity of the place.
I'm just venting. I know it's pointless, but I rarely get the opportunity.

 

[onadesertedisland]

Is the problem that negatives exist or is the problem that you don't want to look at negatives? America is in crisis mode right now and awareness of negatives might be the only hope that the country doesn't slip away into totalitarian fascism.

 

[yogurt]

It's a privilege that you can filter these threads and not feel their effects.

I've already acknowledged taking a break is fine, but there's a thin line between that and resting on your privilege to bury your head.

Click to shrink...

I do feel the effects. Trump's policies have already devastated my family and friends. Even my family members who are banned from traveling try to have good humor about it and keep living. Our struggle is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to pace ourselves and take care of ourselves or we'll burn out and give up. That's been true of every social change movement that I know of, and I see it as a human need, not a privileged need.

Not that we don't have privilege just by virtue of posting on a gaming forum, we do, but you know what I'm saying. You're right that there's a line between taking a deserved break and head-in-sand. I'm willing to give people the benefit of the doubt for wanting their gaming forum to lighten up a bit.

 

[StallionDan]

Is the problem that negatives exist or is the problem that you don't want to look at negatives? America is in crisis mode right now and awareness of negatives might be the only hope that the country doesn't slip away into totalitarian fascism.

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If I wanted to see every Trump tweet I'd follow him on Twitter. Don't need a thread for every one.

 

[fleeting]

Impressive that criticism on the avoidance of negative headlines—in this case, infants being detained away from parents—is being spun as shaming someone to care about every issue in the world. Truly a standout moment for you fellas.

"Please stop talking during my entertainment, I just want to enjoy the Shoah show"

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lolwut, please explain this. I don't understand.

 

[FUME5]

This thread is literally waxing nostalgic for threads about socially awkward dipshits that they can mock and make memes and SunhiLegend gifs of.

Click to shrink...

Those are pretty great though.

 

[astro]

Trump's policies have already devastated my family and friends. Even my family members who are banned from traveling try to have good humor about it and keep living. Our struggle is a marathon, not a sprint. We need to pace ourselves and take care of ourselves or we'll burn out and give up. That's been true of every social change movement that I know of, and I see it as a human need, not a privileged need.

Not that we don't have privilege just by virtue of posting on a gaming forum, we do, but you know what I'm saying.

Click to shrink...

Said multiple times now taking a break is fine.

You know very well the difference and how thin the line is between that and burying your head.

 

[onadesertedisland]

If I wanted to see every Trump tweet I'd follow him on Twitter. Don't need a thread for every one.

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Don't click. It's that easy. I don't want to see any threads about anime, so I don't click them.

 

[Doskoi Panda]

There are days where the Off-Topic forum reads more like some sort of Gaborn News Network

 

[TyrantGuardian]

ResetEra aside, your country is literally being turned into a fascist dictator state. You should be more worried about that than about being stressed out at work due to reading the thread titles. Go on strike, block the streets, protest loud as fuck and bring the economy to it's knees. If you're not prepare to do that the least you can do is offer support to the people actually fighting that fight for you by not ignoring what is happening.

There are days where the Off-Topic forum reads more like some sort of Gaborn News Network

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RIP and salute <3

 

[yogurt]

Said multiple times now taking a break is fine.

You know very well the difference and how thin the line is between that and burying your head.

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Yes, I do. Edited my post to reflect that. Apologies for misrepresenting your post.

 

[TheRuralJuror]

Kind of the norm here and I think it's problematic. I think it's great to be informed, but not obsessed. It's really no wonder why so many who spend their time here are always on about depression or anxiety and I remember seeing it a lot in that one thread about there still being good in the US. Constant doom and gloom isn't good for anyone.

I'm black, I'd like to see a better nation. Vote every election and do my part in schooling fellow shooters on the dangers of the nra and their messaging. Even still, I know well enough to not mire myself in constant negativity. It's bad stuff for anyone, especially those prone to anxiety.

As nothing's gonna change here in that regard, your best bet would be to take a break when it gets too heavy.

 

[StallionDan]

Don't click. It's that easy. I don't want to see any threads about anime, so I don't click them.

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Scrolling doesn't really work when thread order is constantly being moved about with each new page. Currently 7 Trump threads on first page, and several trump caused issues on top of that. Why not a consolidated "Trump's fuck ups" thread.

 

[astro]

Yes, I do. Edited my post to reflect that. Apologies for misrepresenting your post.

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I understand how hard it is. I suffer from clinical anxiety and depression. 95% of my posts here are typed out and deleted and I have a mini-panic attack after hitting post most of the time.

Seeing this shit on the daily is hard, especially if you're part of one of the groups effected and you see some of the awful replies in many of the threads, but I also know it's necessary to keep the conversations going no matter how hard it is.

 

[onadesertedisland]

Scrolling doesn't really work when thread order is constantly being moved about with each new page. Currently 7 Trump threads on first page, and several trump caused issues on top of that. Why not a consolidated "Trump's fuck ups" thread.

Click to shrink...

Can we also consolidate the numerous threads about movies I don't care about into "Shitty movies thread"?

 

[The Grizz]

I was just thinking the same thing, OP. I miss the times when we had epic threads about Italian meals, wondering if my sister heard my watching porn, stock photo guy, etc. Why can't we have more threads like those instead of turning EtcetEra into a political thread.

 

[Deleted member 11637]

It's a privilege that you can filter these threads and not feel their effects.

I've already acknowledged taking a break is fine, but there's a thin line between that and resting on your privilege to bury your head.

Click to shrink...

It's infuriating to see people tune out like this.

If you'd rather do a deep dive on some TV show that acknowledge the horrors around you, I can't stop you; but you should feel awful for doing so.

You *should* be depressed and angry at the news.

You *should* feel overwhelmed by how much things have changed since Trump was elected.

You *cannot* "see no evil, hear no evil" your way out of this, because it's only gonna get worse, sunshine.

Sanitizing and self-curating the information you see is exactly how we got here in the first place. Don't be a part of the problem, OP.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

The script will come in handy, thank you. I feel like half the threads here are "Trump did this bad thing", "Trump said this stupid thing" or "someone related to Trump did this bad thing or said this stupid thing". Obsessing over Trump all day every day isn't healthy so I'ma filter that shit out from now on.

 

[sonofsamsonite]

Hey, it's just like reading a newspaper. It reflects the real world, and the real world kinda sucks lately.

 

[yogurt]

I understand how hard it is. I suffer from clinical anxiety and depression. 95% of my posts here are typed out and deleted and I have a mini-panic attack after hitting post most of the time.

Seeing this shit on the daily is hard, especially if you're part of one of the groups effected and you see some of the awful replies in many of the threads, but I also know it's necessary to keep the conversations going no matter how hard it is.

Click to shrink...

Respect to you for that. Anxiety and depression are awful. I appreciate your efforts to keep the conversation going even when it's uncomfortable. I really mean that.

I was just thinking the same thing, OP. I miss the times when we had epic threads about Italian meals, wondering if my sister heard my watching porn, stock photo guy, etc. Why can't we have more threads like those instead of turning EtcetEra into a political thread.

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Those threads do get posted, but they fall off quicker than they used to. Be the change you want to see - post more light-hearted ETC threads and respond to those that do appear.

 

[Deleted member 9486]

There is a script that let's you hide threads

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This is a godsend! I wish it was available for mobile though as I do more browsing there. I just mostly stay out of Etcetera when not on PC for that reason. I read newspapers and stay informed, I have no interest in discussing in with randoms on line though and there's a lot of those threads that thus clutter the forum up.

I wish they'd either make thread hiding/filtering an official forum feature, or that they hadn't just copied the GAF layout here and had created a separate news/politics sub forum.

 

[Plywood]

Yeah, I try to counter it by putting up silly threads or bumping a thread I like. There's nothing wrong with being informed, but sometimes you just need a break from being reminded of the shittiness this world can offer.

 

[Deleted member 9932]

The board is kinda dull yeah. Especially next to the good times of gaf.

 

[Mechanized]

I would say just stop visiting EtCetera. Take a break. This is an American-centric forum and that's going to be the brunt of the news thanks to that. Too much bad news can be depressing, and people want to discuss it here. So I just avoid it when it's too much. We get inundated with awful news 24/7 from every other media source thanks to the mistake America made so its not easy finding a respite sometimes.

You can be informed and outraged but you also don't have to drown in this shit.

 

[Vex]

Can you link me to some examples?

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Now, I want to start out by saying my issue isnt that the trump threads exist, my issue is something completely different: The humor/light hearted threads get locked or taken down. The reason? "There are too many humor threads of this type already." So I am told anyway.

I'll only pull one of my own to show as an example, but there are others:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/if...g-you-are-not-wiping-your-ass-properly.49521/

This was recent. A thread designed to evoke laughter. Obviously. Of course not everyone will find it amusing, but some did. In fact, I was surprised that many posters decided to join in. That made me happy. Instead of letting the thread run its course and slowly fall off the front page, they shut it down. Again, their reasoning was:

"There are a number of threads on Era about proper bathroom habits, I don't think we need another one."

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I'm not upset about it btw. Please dont kill me mods.

 

[Kyrios]

I fully understand where you're coming from, OP.

It's just an ugly time in current events. I mean I hate all the increased negativity too, but I also don't want to create a bubble around me, I still want to be aware of what's going on, despite how ugly or despicable it can be.

Best thing I can offer would be to glance over topics here and then head to Hangouts. Breaks are good too if you need them.

 

[onlySpicySalsa]

The board is kinda dull yeah. Especially next to the good times of gaf.

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The good GAF times was before Trump fucked up the world. If we didn't transition over GAF will have been full of the same stuff.

 

[acheron_xl]

We live in garbage times. It's only natural that the discourse reflects that.

 

[astro]

Respect to you for that. Anxiety and depression are awful. I appreciate your efforts to keep the conversation going even when it's uncomfortable. I really mean that.

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I'm part of he LGBTQ+ community, I don't identify with my birth gender, but most of the time you wouldn't know this so I get to walk around unnoticed (unless I feel like dressing how I want to) so most of the time I get the privilege of being invisible.

Thank you for your words, but I don't deserve praise for doing this. Imo this is basic level decency, and I know many other posters here suffer from similar and still keep involved as best they can.

We all have a responsibility to look out for those worse off than ourselves. Those weaker than ourselves, those with less privilege. We can't afford to look away.

Unless you really can't take it to the point it's affecting your mental health so badly it's causing you serious harm, you really need to keep looking, keep the conversations going, keep the awareness raised and lend voices to others who aren't being heard.

It's hard, I know, but many others have it far worse and we can help by keeping these conversations flowing even if only a little.