Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@Ralizah Maybe we could have some kind of federally mandated affirmative action for the police force? I don’t know, just an idea. Of course even such a thing would take years to get through all the channels.

@Th3solution

https://www.npr.org/2014/12/10/369865012/why-police-departmen...

Almost six years out of date, but I doubt the information is too old to be useful.

This article suggests a lot of departments are having a hard time attracting black applicants, and not for lack of trying.

And apparently (circa 2014) 1-in-4 officers were non-white. But in a lot of inner city communities, you get much less of a spread, with primarily white cops servicing areas that are primarily non-white in terms of their demographics.

@Ralizah @Th3solution President Trump says he supports protestors, whilst simultaneously unleashing the immediate police to teargas protestors. To then hold up a Bible for a photo shoot.

What the heck.

@Ralizah Interesting. Well, I guess diversifying the police force may not be a feasible quick fix either. A gradual restructuring of training sounds like a must though.

To the staff the bad comments mean nothing. They want to see an article get 200+ comments be it bad or good. They want traffic and views on a site and by banning people you get less views and traffic. That's why they are so laxed.

@Genrou I don't think they create an article just to have views and bad comments. Pushsquare it's like... a square: many people walk there and those who like it and respect it keep it clean (like we are trying to do now), while others just pass by littering it (users who reveal themselves with stupid comments).
What we can do to help the admin is to report them.
I also consider the ignore button as part of a mini-game: find the idiot and ignore him/her to save the world!

Looks at the article in question

@Genrou possibly, it's often just the big topics which bring the crazies out in force. It is getting worse though.

Wonder if one of the crew fancies becoming a mod for a few months? I know @Tasuki performed this thankless task for years, keeping the forums tidy.

@themcnoisy He supports protestors when they're white supremacists and likely to vote for him. He doesn't care about anyone else. Disgusting photo op simply designed to appeal to his evangelical base.
I've a feeling all our former mod would do is close down our discussion here because it's "politics". But human rights isn't politics. Bigotry is not a valid political position. And staying silent so as not to offend bigots is just another way of enabling the behaviour.

@Genrou This is not true whatsoever. We posted multiple warnings last night, a lot of comments were deleted, and bans were handed out.

@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy I was looking for a similar GIF, of Commander Shepard saying "I want off this planet", when I saw you'd beaten me to it. I can only echo such sentiment.

@themcnoisy A couple times, I've considered volunteering my free services in such a capacity.

The problem is, there are some days I wake up and glance at certain comment sections and, as hinted above, just think "Are you flippin' kidding me?!" Such toxicity actually makes me less inclined to be a part of the positive news, like the PlayStation5's eventual reveal, because the loudest voices will be from the impatient, the selfish and the self-entitled who always seem to scream the loudest. It hasn't reached the forums as much (thankfully) so our semi-stable family is somewhat protected here, but I've been absent for days at a time because I simply don't want to risk getting ensnared in any pointless point-scoring.

I suppose, as a mod, I wouldn't have to; I could simply step in and shut things down. But perhaps having such a thought demonstrates why I shouldn't be granted such power.

@JohnnyShoulder @mookysam @nessisonett @LieutenantFatman Yeah completely. I was really looking forward to the PS5 reveal... been saving up my pennies but at the end of the day, I accept there is a lot going on in the world and I also want the reveal to be a success. It is OK to be disappointed - I was, but come on, its a game console reveal when the world is going through major upheaval. I haven't seen friends and relatives in nearly 3 months. Perspective.

Also, shout out to @LiamCroft and Push Square because there was a lot of moderation going on and this isn't a topic a Playstation site can ignore, even though it would draw the trolls. The problem with trolls is that they will troll and go to great lengths to do so.

@RogerRoger would you do it though Rog? Serious question we could ask the owners of the website. You are wise and I think would do a great job personally. I haven't seen you have a crossed word and your posts when on a contrary point are well thought out and fair. Seems like a perfect CV to me.

I would consider it but I'm too wishy washy and not a great writer or wise or fair. I would be a disaster rofl. There are obviously other top heads up in here who could do a great job. It's weird actually, Taz used to put me back in my box and it was always fair and in retrospect I miss having that reflection on what I have written and becoming a better commenter as a result.

@mookysam But everyone can see it now and yet he still has massive support. I don't understand life, we could of had it all and trust people who would struggle to babysit for the night.

I only saw the article this morning @RogerRoger so I can only imagine what it must've been like when it had only just started up 😧

Like @Rudy_Manchego says on the previous page well done to @LiamCroft, @ShogunRok, @Quintumply, @get2sammyb and all the others of the Push Square staff whom were trying to sort that mess out... Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

@themcnoisy Honestly, I don't think I could (or I could, but it'd damage me). You're very kind to say all those nice things about me, but you're saying them because I only post on PushSquare when I've got the energy and focus to be nice. On my bad days, I stay away; were I a mod, I'd feel obliged to log in every day, good or bad, and if I had power to abuse on the latter... yeah, nobody wants to see that.

I do screw up occasionally, and have (rightly) had to apologise to a couple folks before. One person blocks my posts because I apparently "like the wrong things" as well. Pobody's nerfect, of course, but just the thought of having to get involved in every disagreement is more than a little terrifying.

Perhaps if I were part of a team, or even a pair, of part-timers then I wouldn't mind helping whenever I could. Speaking of, I think you're doing yourself a disservice, by the way, and I'm not just saying that because you were nice to me in your own post; you're a better writer than you think, and you're one of the most down-to-earth folks I've met around here. I'd trust your moderation of any dispute.

All this aside, I agree with Rudy in praising @LiamCroft and the PushSquare staff. Despite everything of late, this place remains one of the internet's very best, most toxicity-free corners.

I think it says more about online discourse, and 2020's downbeat first half, that we've noticed.

Nice to see everyone enjoying a nice friendly chat over here, we really do appreciate it when everyone tries to get along and stay positive.

As for the article in question, we've been doing our best to moderate it and will continue to do so. We've said this before, but please report any comments that are offensive or break any of the site's rules. It's a huge help to us and it's much more effective than engaging with the person who's posting the comment.

Thanks for the kind words!

I can only see this site getting busier with traffic, I think having a team of two or three moderators to assist the staff here is definitely something they ought to consider.
But I understand that itself is something they're likely to be very concerned about. The last thing they want is a mod going power mad, banning members and deleting posts left, right and centre.
It's a big issue of trust.
The last mod we had here was very good but he was deleting lots of posts due to some assumed rules that didn't actually exist. Not the end of the world but you can see how easily things can go wrong.

And as Roger says above, dealing with this sort of thing can be quite stressful. You might find people burn out relatively quickly. Lots of things for them to consider.

@LN78
That was unnecessary.

@RogerRoger Alas... pobody’s nerfect after all 😂😂😂 I’m sorry but that’s one of the funniest typos I’ve seen in a while

@nessisonett Wish I could take credit, but it's a joke from The Simpsons.

@RogerRoger D’oh! Knew I’d heard it somewhere!