Not much text here, I just want the ability to like mod actions in the same manner as posts.
I don’t know why, I just do.
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Like when Falcor finally closes a post that has become nothing more than an annoyance?
(See the ‘Hilary Likeable’ Thread.)
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That was one of the inspirations, yes.
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My fault for taking the bait…
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My GAWD; that thread was so damn irritating by that point.
WE GET IT, ALREADY; some people really really hate Hilary for various reasons.
That’s fine, but miss me with the same exact arguments and talking points over and over again, ad nauseum.
All the endless conjecture and beating dead horses isn’t going to change anyone’s mind; it just makes the people who perpetually engage in it look like irksome fanatics…
Nah; ‘fault’ is irrelevant.
If it helped get that nuisance post closed, then no harm no foul.
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seconded… i so want to like the time out posts from the mods…
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You know what wasn’t likeable? That topic.
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Sounds like a dogpile feature - a way for a torch and pitchfork wielding crowd to cheer the mod on.
Slashdot has a related feature, called meta moderation, where user post ratings are rated by randomly selected other users. But that is a QA process to see if people are using their mod points properly.
This is precisely why I avoid political debates. I like to call it verbal masturbation – it feels good for a few minutes but all you leave behind is a sticky mess with nothing to show for it.
Can you think of a single politically charged discussion that ever ended with someone going, “wow, you’re right! I was wrong all along?” because I sure can’t.
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That’s not really the goal, though, to completely change someone’s mind. In the ideal case:
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your positions on issues become more nuanced over time as you gain a greater understanding of the complexity involved and realize how many tradeoffs and exceptions and different ways to view the issue there are.
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you can effectively argue the “opposite” site of an issue, even if you don’t agree with it, to prove you understand it.
In the average political discussion, if you’ve added even one data point or narrative that gets to people think a little more about their position and appreciate the nuances of the situation better … that’s about the best you can ever do.
Changing people’s minds? 
that takes decades. Often the whole world has to change around people before they’ll do that.
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That sounds like the way things work in the rest of the world where “religion and politics” aren’t considered forbidden topics and rational debate is possible.
Unfortunately in my experience in America at least these discussions are typically just repeating talking points and trying to see who can speak the loudest. My Fox News loving FIL is constantly trying to goad me into political discussions and I do everything in my power to deflect these because I know nothing good will come of them.
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I don’t know about others here, but I frequently fact check my own claims before posting them, and sometimes what I thought was the case was wrong. So I often learn things that never get posted. So there can still be learning going on that you never see that was inspired by the thread.
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No, I can not.
And despite the contention of the first reply to your query, I think that’s exactly what most people who argue their points ad nauseum to the point of insufferable annoyance want; to have sway over the perceptions/opinions of others.
I also try to avoid talking politics publicly, because it rarely ends well; like sports (or religion) many people have far too much of their identity invested into it, impairing their ability to remain calm and reasonable.
I don’t think it’s actually possible to change anything about another person, but especially his or her mind.
Because change comes from within; it’s a do-it-yourself job, and a damn hard one at that.
Lastly change is hard because it requires first acknowledging that the current ‘status quo’ of oneself is not ideal, no matter how comfortable or familiar it may be to us.
Humans are naturally creatures of habit, and that often leads to complacency.
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So, why do you post? Or argue anything here?
Not everything here has to be a debate or argument.
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Not that it’s actually any of your concern, but for the same reason I that I vote;
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Fuckin’ A.
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Don’t worry, we’ll all be dead soon. And good news, the old racist people tend to die first!
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It’s absolutely possible, just not on the timescale you might prefer. For example, having children changes people profoundly but it takes years, a half-decade at minimum, to see the effect.
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I’d say that’s a dodge.
While I don’t necessarily think that most of your posts are meant to “change minds” I do think that you frequently post with the intent to inform people of things they didn’t know, which, if they accept your information, will give them a new perspective, aka, “change their mind.”
