sj
Staff member
Northwest Arkansas
Recent posts and a request from several members to bring politics back into the main forums of SuperCub.Org has had me taking a historical look about how we ended up with the policies we have today. This also brought to light the fallout we are still living with from a time when SuperCub.Org was a little more like the Wild West than a community of folks with mutual respect for each other.
Although SuperCub.Org is not a democracy, I have always felt it was my duty (and in everyone’s best interest) to try to understand and implement the wants and wishes of the membership to the best of my ability. Because of that I take every request or challenge from supporting members very seriously. In the past we have polled the membership regarding politics in the forums and the response from those who have invested in this community has been nearly unanimous that discussing politics is not why they come here – and further that it would keep them from coming here. “I see it and hear it everywhere, everyday, I don’t want to see it and hear it here too”, is a pretty good summary of the responses.
However, it’s not just that. I mentioned fallout above. I still hear people say frequently they do not post because they are afraid they will be attacked. Many people read the site for years before they feel comfortable making a post. Worse, is that time has not yet healed the notion by many that SuperCub.Org is a bunch of arrogant a-holes who will run you out on a rail if you don’t agree with them.
I think we have come a long way from those days, but the image is still there and I hear it way too often. I certainly don’t want to do anything that might be a step backwards in this regard. When someone does a Google search for Super Cub (we are usually #1 on the search ranking) I don’t think the first thing they want to read about is people beating each other up about politics, or they would have gone somewhere else.
The problem with discussions of politics, religion, etc, is that even amongst the closest of friends with whom we agree, there is always a point where things deteriorate. In my experience here, very rarely if ever has then been a political discussion that remained on the proverbial high road for more than about ten posts. We are simply unable to police ourselves and contain our vehemence when it comes to these topics, which are very emotional for some people.
For me, it also underlines something I have observed over the last few years; that the American conversation has become one of “us and them”, rather than one about “us”. It is in the interest of the politicians to divide us so we can be easily counted. The news, no matter which source or slant, is only feeding this trend to further find ways to separate us into “flocks”. It is in this way that we are becoming more like sheep – white sheep in one pen, gray sheep in another, etc. The various parties each claim to be the champions of the middle class, free spirits, and the American dream, yet they all insist on categorizing and pigeonholing us with their “platform”.
While the above may seem (and may be!) a bit of a digression, I hoped it might shed a little light on why I want SuperCub.Org to be a community that is beyond that kind of small and divisive thinking.
I greatly appreciate the many supportive PM’s and emails, and posts. However, I also appreciate being challenged and I appreciate different ideas and opinions – even if they are sometimes hard to hear. Challenging long standing traditions like this one is important here – as it is everywhere else in life.
I have been complimented by many forum operators and webmasters about how well this forum is run. My response is always the same; “When you get really great people together like we have who take ownership in the community, it pretty much runs itself”, and that is exactly how I feel.
Thank you all
sj
P.S. It will not be the first time I have to move my own post to Rant and Rave, I suppose it is inevitable...
Although SuperCub.Org is not a democracy, I have always felt it was my duty (and in everyone’s best interest) to try to understand and implement the wants and wishes of the membership to the best of my ability. Because of that I take every request or challenge from supporting members very seriously. In the past we have polled the membership regarding politics in the forums and the response from those who have invested in this community has been nearly unanimous that discussing politics is not why they come here – and further that it would keep them from coming here. “I see it and hear it everywhere, everyday, I don’t want to see it and hear it here too”, is a pretty good summary of the responses.
However, it’s not just that. I mentioned fallout above. I still hear people say frequently they do not post because they are afraid they will be attacked. Many people read the site for years before they feel comfortable making a post. Worse, is that time has not yet healed the notion by many that SuperCub.Org is a bunch of arrogant a-holes who will run you out on a rail if you don’t agree with them.
I think we have come a long way from those days, but the image is still there and I hear it way too often. I certainly don’t want to do anything that might be a step backwards in this regard. When someone does a Google search for Super Cub (we are usually #1 on the search ranking) I don’t think the first thing they want to read about is people beating each other up about politics, or they would have gone somewhere else.
The problem with discussions of politics, religion, etc, is that even amongst the closest of friends with whom we agree, there is always a point where things deteriorate. In my experience here, very rarely if ever has then been a political discussion that remained on the proverbial high road for more than about ten posts. We are simply unable to police ourselves and contain our vehemence when it comes to these topics, which are very emotional for some people.
For me, it also underlines something I have observed over the last few years; that the American conversation has become one of “us and them”, rather than one about “us”. It is in the interest of the politicians to divide us so we can be easily counted. The news, no matter which source or slant, is only feeding this trend to further find ways to separate us into “flocks”. It is in this way that we are becoming more like sheep – white sheep in one pen, gray sheep in another, etc. The various parties each claim to be the champions of the middle class, free spirits, and the American dream, yet they all insist on categorizing and pigeonholing us with their “platform”.
While the above may seem (and may be!) a bit of a digression, I hoped it might shed a little light on why I want SuperCub.Org to be a community that is beyond that kind of small and divisive thinking.
I greatly appreciate the many supportive PM’s and emails, and posts. However, I also appreciate being challenged and I appreciate different ideas and opinions – even if they are sometimes hard to hear. Challenging long standing traditions like this one is important here – as it is everywhere else in life.
I have been complimented by many forum operators and webmasters about how well this forum is run. My response is always the same; “When you get really great people together like we have who take ownership in the community, it pretty much runs itself”, and that is exactly how I feel.
Thank you all
sj
P.S. It will not be the first time I have to move my own post to Rant and Rave, I suppose it is inevitable...
Last edited:
8):lol:
