Riots in France?

[Devastatin Dave]

Can we stop the anal references in this thread?

I'll stop when you stop posting your masterbation material (Abu Grad pics). Deal?

[Geoffrey S]

Edit: not the right place.

[Redleg]

Lets see a thread about France and my honest question about the news report I saw on CNN for a brief second.

Lets see el_slapper and Meneldil give what seems an honest personal opinion on the story - and someone who is not french decides to argue using New Orleans as a comparision.


Talking about the wrong approach - especially since this thread was not about New Orleans and the United States - but the riots in France,

Oh well it seems that some people just can not leave the United States out of a discussion - even when its not about the United States.

Oh well I got at least two honest answers in the thread before it degenerated into something else.

[Geoffrey S]

Thinking about it, agreed. Removed my off-topic post.

[Adrian II]

Oh well I got at least two honest answers in the thread before it degenerated into something else.

You're nothing but a pop-up in your own thread. Live with it.

[Redleg]

You're nothing but a pop-up in your own thread. Live with it.

Whats wrong Adrian you don't like being called on using a strawman approach.

By the way you need to wave your ass in your own direction since your making one of yourself.

[econ21]

Why does every other thread in the Backroom have to turn nasty recently? Speaking not as a mod (I have no responsibilities for the Backroom) but as a patron, I think we really need to raise the standard here, people. Is it really necessary to start off a rebuttal by saying what you are rebutting is a "pile of excrement", Seamus? That's just effectively ensuring the person you are trying to rebutt will not engage with you on the substance of what you are saying. And personally, I think it is a pretty cheap way of trying to get around the "foul language" rule. Dave's post in the same vein was not even redeemed by having any substance. Adrian, your "smilie" to Redleg was just fighting fire with fire - and arguably targeting the wrong poster.

There was a time when I could read these threads without my blood boiling, maybe even post and get a decent exchange with Redleg, Adrian or whoever. This thread was informative, until people started being discourteous. I'd like to enter into an exchange with Menedil and El Slapper on the substance of this thread, but right now the bad vibes I'm getting from this thread are literally making me queasy and is putting me off attempting to do so. Similar things have been going on in the Iranian photo thread, the godless Brit thread where I might have liked to have posted but the tone of some of the posts just lowered the quality of the threads to the point where I was happier to see them die. It's just ugly and we should do better.

With these kind of issues we are likely to find the substance of what some others say ugly, even if they express themselves perfectly civilly and respectfully. We owe it to ourselves to try to respond to it in a polite civilised way if any. If we try to debate it in the ugly style displayed here, we may as well just be blowing raspberries at each other.

Maybe I am just being delusional, but I think we used to be better than this. I know we can do better.

[Redleg]

There was a time when I could read these threads without my blood boiling, maybe even post and get a decent exchange with Redleg, Adrian or whoever. This thread was informative, until people started being discourteous. I'd like to enter into an exchange with Menedil and El Slapper on the substance of this thread, but right now the bad vibes I'm getting from this thread are literally making me queasy and is putting me off attempting to do so. Similar things have been going on in the Iranian photo thread, the godless Brit thread where I might have liked to have posted but the tone of some of the posts just lowered the quality of the threads to the point where I was happier to see them die. It's just ugly and we should do better.

[Papewaio]

Be polite to each other and attack the arguement not the person.

[Adrian II]

Why does every other thread in the Backroom have to turn nasty recently?

Dear Simon, you are dead wrong. Some of us are having quite a bit of fun lately. For instance Devastating Dave and me. Many others take themselves too darn serious to appreciate a joke or laugh at themselves. Too bad.

Meanwhile, the only two who actually have a discussion going in this thread are Meneldil and me. Care to join, anyone? What do you think of his proposal to shoot each and every inhabitant of the French immigrant quarters?

[econ21]

Dear Simon, you are dead wrong. Some of us are having quite a bit of fun lately. For instance Devastating Dave and me. Many others take themselves too darn serious to appreciate a joke or laugh at themselves. Too bad.

Yes, it may be fun for some people to throw anal references and scatalogical "humour" at each other (and non-participants). However, you did not seem too thrilled about it earlier in this thread. Moreover, it is not fun for some others who at least take the topics seriously, whatever their own self-regard.

As you observe, people have different levels of sensitivity to the form of communication but in the Backroom, it is not the lowest level that sets the minimum standards. The forum rules are that discussion be civil and courteous.

In a potentially explosive topic like this - dealing with race and real deaths - I think we have an extra responsibility not to be crass and to try to unpick the issues with care. And being crass will tend to derail others actually having a discussion. This post is just an illustration of that - I am arguing with you over form, when I want to be arguing with Menedil over substance.

[Slyspy]

Why does every other thread in the Backroom have to turn nasty recently? Speaking not as a mod (I have no responsibilities for the Backroom) but as a patron, I think we really need to raise the standard here, people. Is it really necessary to start off a rebuttal by saying what you are rebutting is a "pile of excrement", Seamus? That's just effectively ensuring the person you are trying to rebutt will not engage with you on the substance of what you are saying. And personally, I think it is a pretty cheap way of trying to get around the "foul language" rule. Dave's post in the same vein was not even redeemed by having any substance. Adrian, your "smilie" to Redleg was just fighting fire with fire - and arguably targeting the wrong poster.

There was a time when I could read these threads without my blood boiling, maybe even post and get a decent exchange with Redleg, Adrian or whoever. This thread was informative, until people started being discourteous. I'd like to enter into an exchange with Menedil and El Slapper on the substance of this thread, but right now the bad vibes I'm getting from this thread are literally making me queasy and is putting me off attempting to do so. Similar things have been going on in the Iranian photo thread, the godless Brit thread where I might have liked to have posted but the tone of some of the posts just lowered the quality of the threads to the point where I was happier to see them die. It's just ugly and we should do better.

With these kind of issues we are likely to find the substance of what some others say ugly, even if they express themselves perfectly civilly and respectfully. We owe it to ourselves to try to respond to it in a polite civilised way if any. If we try to debate it in the ugly style displayed here, we may as well just be blowing raspberries at each other.

Maybe I am just being delusional, but I think we used to be better than this. I know we can do better.

Hear hear.

[Tribesman]

This site looks like some extreme right stuff
Not at all , what ever gave you that idea ?

Would it possibly be this.....
and to champion causes which further conservatism in America. And we always have fun doing it. Hoo-yah!

It is a reliable unbiased account
Still at least it isn't Skrewdiver eh

[bmolsson]

France need to go through some humiliating changes to survive. Their earlier dominant position in Europe is no longer there and it's hard for the ordinary french citizen to accept that. Viva la France is not so elegant any longer.....

[Adrian II]

France need to go through some humiliating changes to survive. Their earlier dominant position in Europe is no longer there and it's hard for the ordinary french citizen to accept that. Viva la France is not so elegant any longer.....

What has that got to do with the immigrant riots? And by the way, France's greatness as well as many of her tribulations have often been marked by tremendous riots - several revolutions come to mind...

[bmolsson]

What has that got to do with the immigrant riots? And by the way, France's greatness as well as many of her tribulations have often been marked by tremendous riots - several revolutions come to mind...

It has everything to do with the immigrant riots. The high unemployment among immigrants as well as the concentration of them to certain areas creates a tense situation where the "socialist ideals" currently rather strong in France can't live up to what it has promised. You can't be a socialist in one moment and then just ignore the people in the other.
France needs to get unions as well as red tape under control and promote the entrepreneural spirit often found among the immigrants. This would create commerce and lower un-employment.