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When did PT get so political?

As much as I like political discussions, that is not why I come here daily. I understand that there is an election at hand and people are very emotional about their opinions. But again - that is not why we all come here. Most of the active threads right now are about politics. I've heard of groups that break up over poltiics. What is the deal? What happened to the diet, exercise, and fitness chat? Last time I checked, the way I vote or you vote does not influence my lunch choices or whether or not I got off the couch and went to the gym.



Mon. Nov 6, 9:33pm

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It's probably not even real PT members..paid publicity people out to get us stirred up...every person that I've meet on PT is nothing like the people starting these posts!!

Monday, November 06, 2006, 9:35 PM

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i am very interested in politics and like to stay involved and well-informed, but i stay away from political discussions because it usually fits one of three categories

1) i agree with the others and feel silly when we sit around and pat each other on the backs
2) i disagree with the others but they are uninformed, so why waste my time
3) i disagree with the others but they are well informed and chose their positions after much thought, so there is no point in trying to change each others minds.

i think you'll see that most of the political threads here fit into those groups as well.

Monday, November 06, 2006, 10:04 PM

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i'm sure we'll be back to normal by next week.

I think it's really interesting and really cool how passionate people are about such different issues. For some people it's all about abortion/choice, for others the war, for others the economy.

Reading through, I do get a little disturbed at people's tendency to marginalize facts presented which they disagree with, or opinions with which they disagree. Or worse, people with whom they disagree. I don't mind the argument, more the failure to engage in an argument by dismissing another's input as "spin" or "spam" or "diseased." (Did I really read that?) I think it is all peertrainer folks posting -- probably even people in the same groups who don't know they are talking to each other on the community! Keeping that in mind, it would be best to be respectful.

Monday, November 06, 2006, 10:51 PM

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I totally get that many people on PT are not into discussions about politics or, if they are into such discussions, they don't want to have them here on PT.

I do find it kind of interesting, however, that on a variety of topics - from politics to what to do if you find your husband's pornography to whether or not now is a good time to take a break from school - is that people chose to have these conversations here on PT. It may just be a comfortable (and on the community threads, anonymous) way for people to discuss what is on their minds.

I do find it helpful when people posting off-topic (i.e. not diet, exercise, fitness, health, etc.) threads begin with the phrase "OT" in the subject line to let people know that the thread is going to be about something other than the main reason most folks get involved in OT. If I am not interested in (a) reading about the OT discussion; or (b) contributing to the OT discussion, I just move on.

Anyway . . . that is my two cents on OT discussions generally and OT: Politics discussions specifically.

Monday, November 06, 2006, 11:36 PM

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PT to me is like grocery shopping. You go in, buy what you want, and leave the junk. Obviously there's more to it - we come here to get support, but also to give it. But life is full of "fluff"... things that we'd rather not consider, discuss or read. My opinion? Just don't open the thread. Start another one that is related to health topics, or whatever. If others find those political threads stimulating, that's cool by me. I just ignore them. I'm not American, and I find the bipartisan political mud-slinging quite bizarre. But each to his own...

Tuesday, November 07, 2006, 8:11 AM

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I love that we have non-Americans here. I wish we had more. Imagine having a global discussion of issues, with all sorts of perspectives? I agree that non health topics are interesting. That is especially true because there is truly intelligent discussion here. Despite the occaisonal acrimony (isn't life full of that), many of these discussions are very interesting.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006, 8:47 AM

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FYI, of course it's real members. I am a member, I like to spend time talking about diets and exercise and I also have a brain that thinks about many things. WTF? I love this about this place. I love asking you guys opinions about anything and everything.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006, 9:30 AM

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Funny, Off-topic threads tend to be quite a bit more interesting and tasteful than on topic threads. I do like this aspect about peertrainer.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006, 9:54 AM

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I am American, and I find the bipartisan political mud-slinging very tiresome and annoying. I can't even watch the news anymore.
And I also stopped reading the political threads here. I mean, it is ridiculous to think that someone's vote could be swayed by reading a message posted on peertrainer I'm sure most people have an idea of who they are voting for, and even if they don't, why would they listen to a person ranting on an anonymous message board?

Tuesday, November 07, 2006, 10:42 AM

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The last comment is completely idiotic. I am not calling you idiotic, I am calling your comment idiotic. I have come across highly intelligent banter within message boards. A well constructed argument is worth reading regardless of where it is posted and who posted it.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006, 11:02 AM

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Wow, someone at the top of the thread has a really bad conspiracy theory complex, with the political PR machine targeting a site with maybe a few hundred people who would read their message. I'll bet it's the same person who thinks that postings about books or videos or supplements are marketing spam.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006, 11:30 AM

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