Well, as a long time member of both TFL and THR, and someone who logs on every day, and read quite a few posts, I don't think that there has been the amount of deterioration that you indicate.
Yes, there are threads that get "outa control", and sometimes irrelevant threads. But I think the Moderators do a pretty good job of policing. There's gonna be a certain amount of that on a public board. I've also seen some VERY heated discussions, that went along for 5 or 6 pages, and while there may have been the occasional inapropriate comment, most were ignored, and the discussion went back on track quickly. When I say "heated", I mean that there were obvious HUGE disagreements (we see this in L&P the most.) Yet most posters stated their opinion, stated relevant facts, if any, and generally conducted themselves well. Again I think the Mods do an exceptional job in letting people express opinions, even if unpopular, up until the point where it becomes totally unreasonable (and I thank them for it!) I've personally been involved in a few of these heated debates, and was always allowed to give my opinion. If I disagreed with one individual, I was allowed to address their post, give my opinions/reasons/facts. Some would call that a personal attack. It's not, it's simply me stated my opinion. I've had others do the same to me. No harm, no foul. If they can't do it in a civilized fashion, well, that doesn't reflect on me, it just makes them look stupid. I'm a big boy, and all that. Sometimes I LIKE to see this type of debate, as I want to see what motivates people towards certain opinions.
In short: both TFL and THR are far and away the best gun forums around....I rarely visit others. Any issues that I see are A) to be expected and B) handled very appropriately by the moderators (and other members).
Yes, there are threads that get "outa control", and sometimes irrelevant threads. But I think the Moderators do a pretty good job of policing. There's gonna be a certain amount of that on a public board. I've also seen some VERY heated discussions, that went along for 5 or 6 pages, and while there may have been the occasional inapropriate comment, most were ignored, and the discussion went back on track quickly. When I say "heated", I mean that there were obvious HUGE disagreements (we see this in L&P the most.) Yet most posters stated their opinion, stated relevant facts, if any, and generally conducted themselves well. Again I think the Mods do an exceptional job in letting people express opinions, even if unpopular, up until the point where it becomes totally unreasonable (and I thank them for it!) I've personally been involved in a few of these heated debates, and was always allowed to give my opinion. If I disagreed with one individual, I was allowed to address their post, give my opinions/reasons/facts. Some would call that a personal attack. It's not, it's simply me stated my opinion. I've had others do the same to me. No harm, no foul. If they can't do it in a civilized fashion, well, that doesn't reflect on me, it just makes them look stupid. I'm a big boy, and all that. Sometimes I LIKE to see this type of debate, as I want to see what motivates people towards certain opinions.
In short: both TFL and THR are far and away the best gun forums around....I rarely visit others. Any issues that I see are A) to be expected and B) handled very appropriately by the moderators (and other members).
