4 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I agree but you didn't explain why the last sentence in my post was wrong. Should moderators delete posts based in the fact that is was reported? I never claimed it was easy to be a moderator and just stated that deleting post that are reported is not a good policy and stupid IMO.

I didn't mean to suggest that what you wrote was wrong. More that it was perhaps harsh, when considering the reality of implementing a more, shall we say, fair system.

So I would not have used the word, silly, as I'm sure that Admin are doing their best. In fact, everyone is doing their best, even if it seems terrible on the surface.

On 8/11/2026 at 11:59 AM, PhilipHabib said:

I've noticed what feels like an uptick in repetitive, hostile, and bigoted posts here lately. Curious if others are seeing the same thing, or if this is just a loud minority making the whole place feel worse than it is ?

Genuinely asking — has the community changed, or is this a smaller group posting a lot? Would like to hear from others

A word is just a word. Means nothing without emotional attachment.

5 hours ago, IsmeUno said:

I cannot agree that that one person is generating much of the ill will. The truth is closer to people simply not liking each other. That is normal and that is real life. To pretend otherwise and to try to buck nature is doomed to failure.

There is no ill will created on forums. A computer is an optical illusion. Words are made up. Usernames are all fake. Switch off the screen the comments disappear.

There are posters on here that constantly Bait members its the same gang that have moved from site to site. Post a video they bait you about the source or tell you its a propaganda platform and that you fall for it and believe it, mocking you and making it not worthwhile posting on that thread. Maybe they do it in the hope you will get that annoyed and post a drogatory message to them incurring the wrath from a mod and in some cases you are banned for a while, they then move onto there next target. Thats why older members with years of posting behind them have turned away from this site now.

16 minutes ago, BarraMarra said:

There are posters on here that constantly Bait members its the same gang that have moved from site to site. Post a video they bait you about the source or tell you its a propaganda platform and that you fall for it and believe it, mocking you and making it not worthwhile posting on that thread. Maybe they do it in the hope you will get that annoyed and post a drogatory message to them incurring the wrath from a mod and in some cases you are banned for a while, they then move onto there next target. Thats why older members with years of posting behind them have turned away from this site now.

Does it really matter? What you do in the real world does. Food, exercise, reading books, music, activities etc. Forums will never been all love and peace.

On 8/12/2026 at 8:12 AM, CallumWK said:

Yeah the newly recycled MAGA members have trashed it

Recycled MAGA members trashed it" is just the modern version of "the new people ruined my clubhouse". Or the second the forum stopped being a safe space for your preferred flavor of cope, it suddenly became trash.

2 hours ago, Rockyroad said:

There is no ill will created on forums. A computer is an optical illusion. Words are made up. Usernames are all fake. Switch off the screen the comments disappear.

Total garbage. Those meaningless words you speak of turn you into an angry, abusive, rule-breaking fiend on a daily basis, and you repeatedly get warned, then removed by the moderators for it.

Your latest ban has just been lifted and now you’re pretending you’re some detached, well-balanced observer who is above it all. Bipolar, self-important, attention-seeking detritus.

And let’s not forget what you actually did today. You spent the day not as the wise sage. No, you were silently running around this topic, handing out at least 19 thumbs-downs to other people’s posts, plenty of which were perfectly on point. Just another form of childish outburst.

So much for it all being meaningless. You were clearly bothered enough to spend hours keeping score over words on a screen that you could simply ignore. But not you. Never.

After countless user accounts, your behaviour never changes. The bans, the abuse, the sulking, the thumbs-down campaigns and the constant need to be nasty to others are all very real.

Three days banned and you’re already back at it again. Clearly nothing has changed. It’s only a matter of time before you’re back in the dock again.

to be honest i tend to get much of my thailand info and advice from chat GPT or Gemini...

Big members.

Think to mut.

12 hours ago, ArchieBunker said:

It’s this kind of rhetoric coming from liberals that results in feedback like delusional, anti social, followers of the media, commie and more. This is because a lot have thrown their common sense out the window and jumped in the herd mentality of taking orders from the media and turned you into extremest. You have literally lost, or more accurately gave up your minds.

I've been a far-left liberal, a socialist, for more than 50 years now, so maybe I'm just not in the herd, but near the head of it. What bothers me the most about today's situation in my home country, the USA, is not so much Trump, but the fact that so many of my fellow citizens support him. This is despicable. 🥺

2 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

I've been a far-left liberal, a socialist, for more than 50 years now, so maybe I'm just not in the herd, but near the head of it. What bothers me the most about today's situation in my home country, the USA, is not so much Trump, but the fact that so many of my fellow citizens support him. This is despicable. 🥺

That is your problem. You label them and yourself. Your own mind is creating distress with labels and attachments.

10 hours ago, atpeace said:

I agree but you didn't explain why the last sentence in my post was wrong. Should moderators delete posts based in the fact that is was reported? I never claimed it was easy to be a moderator and just stated that deleting post that are reported is not a good policy and stupid IMO.

First, this has nothing to do with you as you've been a decent member all along. Most of us get a warning now and then for minor rule bending.

Mods are only going to remove posts that break the established rules. Reporting is necessary if they are doing that.

The mods travel from topic to topic, looking to see that things are going along peacefully, and when a member gets out of hand, insulting others instead of having a decent conversation, they'll be warned and their replies, along with others responses, will be removed. They don't have the time to read every reply so depend on members to help them when a troll starts their insulting.

A member who is trolling has only themselves to blame if their replies are being removed, reported or not. A lot of members have a lot of opinions and things get heated here at times, where some can break a rule without knowing it or intending to, but it's still the same result, removal.

There are a lot of topics here daily and it isn't easy for the mods to follow every reply, so reporting when those select few act like children is a part of keeping this forum clean, and warning and banning those that consistently break the rules.

Everyone here knows who these select few are, although one tries to deflect everything said, thinking they'll have others not notice, and possibly become his flying monkeys, but the behavior will never stop, as that's his MO, in all 10 aliases.

You want a good forum where people come to give and get advice, have discussions on topics without getting personal and bringing up another's lifestyle or being prejudiced, sharing thoughts and experiences, then do what you can to point out the few who are ruining things for everyone, the bickering will stop, and those who are not going to stop, will be removed.

5 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Most of the personal comments are made by left wingers. They operate in gangs. Then reporting people. Labelling people trolls for not agreeing with their world views.

Paranoid MAGA fan. Delusional as well. You give out more personal insults daily than anyone on here.

watch this space.................................................................................

Marin appeared. Hello. Nice to see you.

11 hours ago, atpeace said:

So you do nothing until it is reported? That is the most ridiculous manner to handle moderation. I never report people and there are a few people here that don't represent the vast majority of members that report other users incessantly and moderators then delete posts that they report. Do you understand how silly this approach is?

That is not what I said.

I said that in many cases we only become aware of problems when members report them. Moderators obviously deal with breaches they encounter themselves, but with thousands of posts being made, they cannot possibly read every post in every topic.

The report function exists to bring something to our attention. A report does not mean a post is automatically removed. A moderator reviews it and decides if it breaches the rules.

If a small number of members report more frequently than others, that does not give them any greater influence over the decision. A reported post either warrants moderator action or it does not.

You say you never report posts. That is entirely your choice, but if you see something you believe breaches the rules and choose not to report it, you cannot reasonably complain that moderators failed to deal with something they may never have seen.

That was precisely the point of my original post.

11 hours ago, atpeace said:

Understood but rewarding members that abuse reporting other members isn't the solution and in many cases eliminates participating in a thread because many members just don't want to hassle with thin skinned members that report members at every disagreement. We know those that do it and avoid the threads they are participating in.

You are making assumptions about information you do not have access to.

Reports are confidential. Unless you are part of the moderation team, you cannot know who is reporting particular posts, how frequently any individual reports posts, or what proportion of their reports result in action.

Nobody is "rewarded" for reporting another member. A report simply asks a moderator to look at something. The moderator then makes an independent decision based on the content and the forum rules.

If no breach exists, the report changes nothing.

You are of course free to avoid discussions or members you do not wish to engage with, but assumptions about who is reporting whom cannot form the basis of a complaint about moderation.

46 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

First, this has nothing to do with you as you've been a decent member all along. Most of us get a warning now and then for minor rule bending.

Mods are only going to remove posts that break the established rules. Reporting is necessary if they are doing that.

The mods travel from topic to topic, looking to see that things are going along peacefully, and when a member gets out of hand, insulting others instead of having a decent conversation, they'll be warned and their replies, along with others responses, will be removed. They don't have the time to read every reply so depend on members to help them when a troll starts their insulting.

A member who is trolling has only themselves to blame if their replies are being removed, reported or not. A lot of members have a lot of opinions and things get heated here at times, where some can break a rule without knowing it or intending to, but it's still the same result, removal.

There are a lot of topics here daily and it isn't easy for the mods to follow every reply, so reporting when those select few act like children is a part of keeping this forum clean, and warning and banning those that consistently break the rules.

Everyone here knows who these select few are, although one tries to deflect everything said, thinking they'll have others not notice, and possibly become his flying monkeys, but the behavior will never stop, as that's his MO, in all 10 aliases.

You want a good forum where people come to give and get advice, have discussions on topics without getting personal and bringing up another's lifestyle or being prejudiced, sharing thoughts and experiences, then do what you can to point out the few who are ruining things for everyone, the bickering will stop, and those who are not going to stop, will be removed.

I agree for the most part but the implementation has been terrible IMO. I don't manage this forum nor claim to have all the answers. I just feel the warning and deletion of posts condones complainers. Many are abusive and have the herd mentality that even further complicates the issue of reporting. Independent thinkers are penalized because the herd reports and uses bully tactics. During Covid it almost made conversation impossible unless you agreed 100% with what the herd was selling.

In the end it has gotten better the last year and hopefully they can figure out a better system or just ditch banning deleting posts that aren't extremely offensive. I've had abusive posts directed at me but I get over it like a "man" and move on. Even when the abuser is witty and is having some fun at my expense. Hard sometimes :)

26 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

You are making assumptions about information you do not have access to.

Reports are confidential. Unless you are part of the moderation team, you cannot know who is reporting particular posts, how frequently any individual reports posts, or what proportion of their reports result in action.

Nobody is "rewarded" for reporting another member. A report simply asks a moderator to look at something. The moderator then makes an independent decision based on the content and the forum rules.

If no breach exists, the report changes nothing.

You are of course free to avoid discussions or members you do not wish to engage with, but assumptions about who is reporting whom cannot form the basis of a complaint about moderation.

I get where you are coming from but your perspective as an owner is not the same as a user. Your last sentence, "You are of course free to avoid discussions or members you do not wish to engage with, but assumptions about who is reporting whom cannot form the basis of a complaint about moderation", is where I have an issue. WHy do you need moderation if members can just ignore other members? THere are extreme situations where posts should be removed but it should be extremely rare IMO.

An "idea" that would save money but sure you already looked into: AI tools can moderate forums automatically without a large human team. Top tools include AutoMod for Reddit-style setups, ModSquad for managed digital safety, Spectrum or Discord bots like Dyno for chat-heavy forums, and API-based platforms like Hive Moderation or OpenAI Moderation API that plug into custom forum software.

13 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I agree for the most part but the implementation has been terrible IMO. I don't manage this forum nor claim to have all the answers. I just feel the warning and deletion of posts condones complainers. Many are abusive and have the herd mentality that even further complicates the issue of reporting. Independent thinkers are penalized because the herd reports and uses bully tactics. During Covid it almost made conversation impossible unless you agreed 100% with what the herd was selling.

In the end it has gotten better the last year and hopefully they can figure out a better system or just ditch banning deleting posts that aren't extremely offensive. I've had abusive posts directed at me but I get over it like a "man" and move on. Even when the abuser is witty and is having some fun at my expense. Hard sometimes :)

Humans are pack animals. They hunt in packs. But herd animals are miserable. Eagles in the sky are masters of their domain. Human misery is self made. Only physical pain comes from the outside world.

6 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I agree for the most part but the implementation has been terrible IMO. I don't manage this forum nor claim to have all the answers. I just feel the warning and deletion of posts condones complainers. Many are abusive and have the herd mentality that even further complicates the issue of reporting. Independent thinkers are penalized because the herd reports and uses bully tactics. During Covid it almost made conversation impossible unless you agreed 100% with what the herd was selling.

In the end it has gotten better the last year and hopefully they can figure out a better system or just ditch banning deleting posts that aren't extremely offensive. I've had abusive posts directed at me but I get over it like a "man" and move on. Even when the abuser is witty and is having some fun at my expense. Hard sometimes :)

Abusers are witty, as that's the way they can get away, at least temporarily, until they're stopped. Using smiling emojis after an insult is a veiled way of insulting even more. Passive aggressive behavior by those with an NPD dosorder. That they get away with so much damage is because they fool people so long, going from victim to victim until they are removed from the equation.

No one is going to report someone unless they feel they are being abused, and flaming is a rule.

Some here go after others, remembering everything they say, then using it against them later. Instead of sticking to the topic, they come in, as trolls do, and divert attention from the topic to their low self esteems, degrading others to make themselves feel better. The more they are called out, the less chance they'll repeat their behavior, and eventually will be removed completely.

Kidding around and mild stabs aren't the problem, as we can all take those. Getting personal, and using what you've said against you is a tactic used by disturbed people that have never been taught respect for others, and they simply don't belong. Arguing a topic isn't the same as insulting a person's character. This is what they do, and it has nothing to do with the person attacked.

5 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I get where you are coming from but your perspective as an owner is not the same as a user. Your last sentence, "You are of course free to avoid discussions or members you do not wish to engage with, but assumptions about who is reporting whom cannot form the basis of a complaint about moderation", is where I have an issue. WHy do you need moderation if members can just ignore other members? THere are extreme situations where posts should be removed but it should be extremely rare IMO.

An "idea" that would save money but sure you already looked into: AI tools can moderate forums automatically without a large human team. Top tools include AutoMod for Reddit-style setups, ModSquad for managed digital safety, Spectrum or Discord bots like Dyno for chat-heavy forums, and API-based platforms like Hive Moderation or OpenAI Moderation API that plug into custom forum software.

Ignore feature does not work well. I have 20 on ignore. 5 still read me regularly. They blame me for their miserable life. I have never met them.

3 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I get where you are coming from but your perspective as an owner is not the same as a user. Your last sentence, "You are of course free to avoid discussions or members you do not wish to engage with, but assumptions about who is reporting whom cannot form the basis of a complaint about moderation", is where I have an issue. WHy do you need moderation if members can just ignore other members? THere are extreme situations where posts should be removed but it should be extremely rare IMO.

An "idea" that would save money but sure you already looked into: AI tools can moderate forums automatically without a large human team. Top tools include AutoMod for Reddit-style setups, ModSquad for managed digital safety, Spectrum or Discord bots like Dyno for chat-heavy forums, and API-based platforms like Hive Moderation or OpenAI Moderation API that plug into custom forum software.

I think you're overlooking something important: you don't see what we see, precisely because the forum is moderated. ( like the 30 posts that have been removed from the last 3 pages alone")

Members arrive in a topic and see what remains. They don't see the large amount of pointless off-topic material, petty insults, personal attacks, baiting, spam and other content that has already been removed.

On a forum of this size, that adds up to a considerable amount of work, handled by a very small team of volunteers who give their time to keep discussions usable. It's largely a thankless job, because when moderation works well most members never see the material that required intervention in the first place.

The ignore function serves a completely different purpose. It allows you to choose whose posts you personally don't want to see. Moderation determines what is acceptable for the community as a whole.

You believe moderation should be extremely rare. That's a perfectly reasonable opinion from a member's perspective, but it is based only on what you can see after moderation has already taken place. We have the benefit of seeing what happens without that intervention.

As for AI moderation, we're very familiar with what AI can and cannot currently do. It may have a useful supporting role, but context, sarcasm, member history, baiting and the difference between robust disagreement and personal attack still require human judgement.

2 hours ago, Yagoda said:

you dont critisize, you hate. thats all you have

16 hours ago, Yagoda said:

you mean you spewing vile nonsense. got it

If i remember your last conversation with you correctly,it was you who said you hated me!

Why? You also called me a nazi among other things,am i the one hating and spewing vile nonsense?

Any way my dear friend,try to find some love and have a great day!

7 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Abusers are witty, as that's the way they can get away, at least temporarily, until they're stopped. Using smiling emojis after an insult is a veiled way of insulting even more. Passive aggressive behavior by those with an NPD dosorder. That they get away with so much damage is because they fool people so long, going from victim to victim until they are removed from the equation.

No one is going to report someone unless they feel they are being abused, and flaming is a rule.

Some here go after others, remembering everything they say, then using it against them later. Instead of sticking to the topic, they come in, as trolls do, and divert attention from the topic to their low self esteems, degrading others to make themselves feel better. The more they are called out, the less chance they'll repeat their behavior, and eventually will be removed completely.

Kidding around and mild stabs aren't the problem, as we can all take those. Getting personal, and using what you've said against you is a tactic used by disturbed people that have never been taught respect for others, and they simply don't belong. Arguing a topic isn't the same as insulting a person's character. This is what they do, and it has nothing to do with the person attacked.

I get it from your vantage point but from mine it seems ridiculous. Let discussions happen and let other determine if the poster is a jerk. THere are many jerks and let them be jerks. You get caught up in defending yourself incessantly and I have myself at times. IMO, you would be better served if you learned how to walk away from discussions that are going nowhere and most members would appreciate your maturity. Let's be honest - you have a hard time letting go and certain members know this. Moderation is only going to make this flaw more apparent to us and detrimental to you.

During Covid, I was like you and let the herd bully me. I was weak and and own my weaknesses but I've learned over the last few years to walk away from confrontations that are going nowhere and that includes the debates where I feel I'm 100% in the right but the other member doesn't care in the least about working through our disagreement in an adult manner. Also, like you, I'm often wrong or at a minimum my believes are flawed. We aren't perfect :)

2 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I get it from your vantage point but from mine it seems ridiculous. Let discussions happen and let other determine if the poster is a jerk. THere are many jerks and let them be jerks. You get caught up in defending yourself incessantly and I have myself at times. IMO, you would be better served if you learned how to walk away from discussions that are going nowhere and most members would appreciate your maturity. Let's be honest - you have a hard time letting go and certain members know this. Moderation is only going to make this flaw more apparent to us and detrimental to you.

During Covid, I was like you and let the herd bully me. I was weak and and own my weaknesses but I've learned over the last few years to walk away from confrontations that are going nowhere and that includes the debates where I feel I'm 100% in the right but the other member doesn't care in the least about working through our disagreement in an adult manner. Also, like you, I'm often wrong or at a minimum my believes are flawed. We aren't perfect :)

I agree with free speech.

4 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

I agree with free speech.

Then post under your real name, with your real address on display.

19 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I think you're overlooking something important: you don't see what we see, precisely because the forum is moderated. ( like the 30 posts that have been removed from the last 3 pages alone")

Members arrive in a topic and see what remains. They don't see the large amount of pointless off-topic material, petty insults, personal attacks, baiting, spam and other content that has already been removed.

On a forum of this size, that adds up to a considerable amount of work, handled by a very small team of volunteers who give their time to keep discussions usable. It's largely a thankless job, because when moderation works well most members never see the material that required intervention in the first place.

The ignore function serves a completely different purpose. It allows you to choose whose posts you personally don't want to see. Moderation determines what is acceptable for the community as a whole.

You believe moderation should be extremely rare. That's a perfectly reasonable opinion from a member's perspective, but it is based only on what you can see after moderation has already taken place. We have the benefit of seeing what happens without that intervention.

As for AI moderation, we're very familiar with what AI can and cannot currently do. It may have a useful supporting role, but context, sarcasm, member history, baiting and the difference between robust disagreement and personal attack still require human judgement.

OK, it is your site and I respect your view and have no idea what goes down under the hood. I still think moderation isn't being implemented correctly and is extremely flawed but that is just from my perspective. All the baiting and whatever posts are obvious to us and you feel we need to be protected. We are adults and those that are abusive are obvious to us. If we choose to play their game, it is on us.

You have been at this for a while and know which members are exceptional. Why not send a message to them and ask them about ways to improve mederation. My bet is they would tell you to just let us communicate and ditch moderation. I definitely could be wrong....

5 minutes ago, atpeace said:

I get it from your vantage point but from mine it seems ridiculous. Let discussions happen and let other determine if the poster is a jerk. THere are many jerks and let them be jerks. You get caught up in defending yourself incessantly and I have myself at times. IMO, you would be better served if you learned how to walk away from discussions that are going nowhere and most members would appreciate your maturity. Let's be honest - you have a hard time letting go and certain members know this. Moderation is only going to make this flaw more apparent to us and detrimental to you.

During Covid, I was like you and let the herd bully me. I was weak and and own my weaknesses but I've learned over the last few years to walk away from confrontations that are going nowhere and that includes the debates where I feel I'm 100% in the right but the other member doesn't care in the least about working through our disagreement in an adult manner. Also, like you, I'm often wrong or at a minimum my believes are flawed. We aren't perfect :)

Yes, I did defend myself too long at times, and should have just nipped it in the bud when they went off, as they'll never stop unless fed, which is why I don't interact with a couple anymore.

Nothing again wrong with discussions but there is something wrong with a trolls behavior and mindset and the best policy is calling them out, so the mods can decide if what they are doing is against forum rules, and if they don't stop, removal so other members can have those discussions without being insulted. Adults don't act like a few here do, and they have no place here.

If you're often wrong that's okay, but some others only go by actual experiences, which are factual, and the facts themselves, and some disprove them because they aren't as well versed in particular subjects. This is why it's best not to argue about things you aren't knowledgeable about and just listen. That's how you learn, along with reading constantly.

You are right that arguing with a troll gets you nowhere, so it is best to avoid it if possible. When they direct insults at you or your family, assume things about you that aren't true, make guesses how you live your life, you don't let anyone get away with that, and that's what the mods are for.

12 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

I agree with free speech.

Better to use Facebook then

7 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Yes, I did defend myself too long at times, and should have just nipped it in the bud when they went off, as they'll never stop unless fed, which is why I don't interact with a couple anymore.

Nothing again wrong with discussions but there is something wrong with a trolls behavior and mindset and the best policy is calling them out, so the mods can decide if what they are doing is against forum rules, and if they don't stop, removal so other members can have those discussions without being insulted. Adults don't act like a few here do, and they have no place here.

If you're often wrong that's okay, but some others only go by actual experiences, which are factual, and the facts themselves, and some disprove them because they aren't as well versed in particular subjects. This is why it's best not to argue about things you aren't knowledgeable about and just listen. That's how you learn, along with reading constantly.

You are right that arguing with a troll gets you nowhere, so it is best to avoid it if possible. When they direct insults at you or your family, assume things about you that aren't true, make guesses how you live your life, you don't let anyone get away with that, and that's what the mods are for.

Good post but I disagree with your last sentence. Let us determine if the poster is a fool that is insulting you. I have personally sent private messages to members asking them to stop abusing you. Many other members have been disgusted with certain individuals that have taken advantage of your inability at times to let go.

They are ruining their rep and that needs zero moderation. Many members like you Freddy with all your flaws ( I have too) and asking a moderator for help is less than manly IMO. I noticed how you refrain from responding to one member that won't leave you alone and we all respect this attitude!