Discussions of politics

Hey all,

Politics has been a bit of a hot topic for being partially allowed here on TG, both inside and outside of our community. It was allowed because we do believe that having a variety of perspectives allows one to make informed decisions and this applies as much on Therianthropy as it does on other subjects that might be important to people who frequent TG.

And while many of you have said that taking part in these conversations on politics has taught you interesting and useful life skills, it has also hurt a lot of people along the way and culminated in an implosion fitting of 2020.

The cause of this we believe was because as people, we often fail to see things from other people's perspectives. And given our experiences with this to date, it seems there is no quick fix to this, other than to simply avoid discussing politics altogether.

Therefore, we are now changing this policy and banning all discussion of politics on TG (this is the way it used to be). If the outcome of elections impacts you personally, you are allowed to vent about it by making a thread in the Life issues & support forum.

However discussing politics or politically charged topics elsewhere, especially in Discord, will result in a warning. 4 warnings result in a temporary ban, and we will enforce this strictly.

We do consider gender identity politics or cancel culture to be politics.

I extend a public apology to all the people who have been hurt by the politics debates. I would ask that nobody make assumptions about people on TG because of political reasons. We all have very varied perspectives and opinions and there is no way to describe everything we believe in with a camp or color.

LP,
Dusty

For clarification:

It's arguable that most every aspect of our lives is politized to some degree and that "no politics" is somewhat vague and including "gender identity politics" has already caused some confusion.

For those who were not around in the old days:

Topics of candidates, politicians, parties and public policy are things we want to avoid. Basically hot topics and hot-button issues which cause division where there need be none.

Gender identity, for example, isn't inherently political unless we're talking about the role government should or shouldn't play in gender discussions.

Covid-19 is another topic that's not inherently political unless we're talking about it in the perspective of how it should or shouldn't be managed.

Firearms are not a political topic unless we're talking about them from the perspective of "right to bear" vs "public safety".

Basically, if it has something to do with the government or political system, we should steer clear. That said, without writing out, hashing out and agreeing to a massive, nuanced dissertation on what we regard as being political and what's not these lines are somewhat subjective and we'll be addressing them on an individual basis.

I refuse to get trigger-happy with warnings. If a discussion seems to cross a line we don't want crossed, I'll ask the topic be changed or be brought to an end just like we do with everything else and just like with everything else, if our requests are not respected, then we'll consider warnings if needed.

I don't like the concept, personally, of placing limitations on speech or expression but I've drawn the conclusion over the past few days that politics serves no end but to divide and that's not what any of us are here for. We came here for community, not conflict and we should keep it that way.

I know a lot of us have been severely impacted by the events of 2020, some of us devastatingly so and we'll maintain our support for members who are struggling with issues or hardship for whatever reason. I believe we can accomplish that end without letting the poison of the mainstream corrupt and compromise our consideration and compassion for one another.

Thanks

Lyc