Yes, we readily change subjects when asked. Now, I'm going to speak personally - as a player - since I can't, y'know, speak for anyone else. As I said below, I understand what it's like to feel really uncomfortable with any political chat and feel marginalized because I might not always hold beliefs that people might agree with, and I might feel like my point of view might be unwelcome. So when I'm in the OOC chat for a pretendy-fun-time hobby, I really, really don't want politics to come into it, where I feel like I'm in a situation I need to speak up to defend my point of view.
The point of a blanket ban is to remove subjectivity. If someone says, "can we talk a little bit about politics?" Well, how much politics is a little bit? "We can stop if it turns into an argument." When does a heated debate or discussion turn into an argument? If we set a new line, does a mod need to be in the chat at all times to make sure that the new line doesn't get crossed?
Do we make it a question of newsworthiness? People here are having a revolution and being killed, can't we talk about that? Well, say I'm a huge activist of womens' reproductive rights and I see a bill meant to limit abortion up in the Senate; maybe I feel that this is just as important as any revolution. And if I can't talk about it when the other guys can, then I'm going to get offended.
For that matter, every different mod would probably have different opinions on what was okay and what was not okay depending on who you asked. So even if a mod was in chat at all times, it might still be unclear.
The moment we get subjective is the moment a huge can of worms gets opened that I would personally rather stay unopened. When I'm in transchat I want to be able to goof off and chat about things without having to worry about the topic turning political in an instant - which, as we've seen, can happen.
And that's also why a poll wouldn't help either, I feel. Say we poll, and 60% want to repeal it, but 40% don't. Is that enough? What if it's 50/50? What if 60% of players want it to stay in place; would that be enough to convince everyone to stop arguing for it? It's subjective, and it'd only just make EVERYONE unhappy in the end.
The solution we came up with - where news can be announced but politics is still off-limits, and where there is a permanent chat for people who want to discuss politics - is the most fair compromise any of us could think of. Those who don't want to have to deal with politics don't go to the new chat. Everyone else can be in both.
It has nothing to do with us thinking that players aren't mature. Maturity has no bearing on this, actually. You aren't less or mature for not wanting to talk about politics.
no subject
The point of a blanket ban is to remove subjectivity. If someone says, "can we talk a little bit about politics?" Well, how much politics is a little bit? "We can stop if it turns into an argument." When does a heated debate or discussion turn into an argument? If we set a new line, does a mod need to be in the chat at all times to make sure that the new line doesn't get crossed?
Do we make it a question of newsworthiness? People here are having a revolution and being killed, can't we talk about that? Well, say I'm a huge activist of womens' reproductive rights and I see a bill meant to limit abortion up in the Senate; maybe I feel that this is just as important as any revolution. And if I can't talk about it when the other guys can, then I'm going to get offended.
For that matter, every different mod would probably have different opinions on what was okay and what was not okay depending on who you asked. So even if a mod was in chat at all times, it might still be unclear.
The moment we get subjective is the moment a huge can of worms gets opened that I would personally rather stay unopened. When I'm in transchat I want to be able to goof off and chat about things without having to worry about the topic turning political in an instant - which, as we've seen, can happen.
And that's also why a poll wouldn't help either, I feel. Say we poll, and 60% want to repeal it, but 40% don't. Is that enough? What if it's 50/50? What if 60% of players want it to stay in place; would that be enough to convince everyone to stop arguing for it? It's subjective, and it'd only just make EVERYONE unhappy in the end.
The solution we came up with - where news can be announced but politics is still off-limits, and where there is a permanent chat for people who want to discuss politics - is the most fair compromise any of us could think of. Those who don't want to have to deal with politics don't go to the new chat. Everyone else can be in both.
It has nothing to do with us thinking that players aren't mature. Maturity has no bearing on this, actually. You aren't less or mature for not wanting to talk about politics.