Originally posted by: Jzero
I like how when people don't understand something, they automatically draw a random conclusion that sorta makes sense (until you actually think about it). That's you. Yeah, I'm scared...scared of something, but definitely scared. Why? because I respond to the "usual gang of hateful Christians on AT."
If you didn't care, you'd keep your trap shut, just like so many of the others who don't feel the need to contribute to flame wars in HD. You care enough to engage in and perpetuate the discussions. Why? You are as bad as the people who are trying to save you - are you trying to save them from themselves or what?
You still have yet to substantiate your claim that I'm scared of something. Otherwise, you're just talking out of your a$$. ...you'd might as well stipulate that now because I don't expect you to come up with anything good.
2) True, however I contest the point that it would improve the intelligence level. If the community here had some intelligence, we wouldn't be having this discussion - the event would have never occurred either because the poster would have thought better, or the respondents would have.
If you're not happy with the intelligence level on, you're free to leave. Don't let me stop you. But to address the issue, you compare two scenarios: 1) ATHD + religious threads and 2) ATHD without religious threads. You have already mentioned that the content of religious threads decreases the intellectual level of HD...therefore, by removing them, the overall intelligence of ATHD should be higher. qed.
But either way, your point is irrelevant. This is AnandTech, not IntelliTech. The HD forum is about hot deals, not intelligence, and you have no right to demand that we do things to improve the intellectual level of the forum to your liking.
Valsalva
Naturally, if we're going to ban religious deals, there should be consequences for knowingly breaking the rules, as with any other rules. I disagree with your reasoning:
A) as has been said, all freebies are just trying to "spread the word." Whether it's a church or a company makes no difference.
That is incorrect. When people post a genuine HD, it's to "spread the deal" -- that is, to let other people know there's a hot deal so other people can get in on it too. It's a good-natured gesture that people have to help others out and it's a matter of reciprocity, since we get hot deals from other people too. In sharp contrast, in the so-called religious HD, the poster is just trying to spread the word about God 'N Friends. He does it because he thinks it'll earn him brownie points with Jesus and because he has been instructed to help plant the seed. This should NOT be permissible based on 3 premises that have already been set by precedence:
a) Deals for personal gain are NOT permitted. (i.e. someone posts a deal, but with a referral link so the poster gets benefits from other people's purchases). Similarly, when people capitalize on a religious poster's hot deal, the poster gets glorified with Jesus 'N Friends, etc.
b) Deals from a company promoting its own deal is not permitted because it is biased, self-serving, and constitutes free advertisement. (i.e. the owner of Bob's Discount Monitors cannot post a so-called "deal to his own website). Similarly, the Christians should not be posting "deals" that constitute recruitment efforts for their own religion.
c) This is a private forum. The mods have the right to allow and disallow certain items/deals based on community standards and their own discretion. They have already banned religious deals ONCE, but lifted the ban later. Thus, a "church" deal is not just like a hot deal from an ordinary person for a consumer product.
Valsalva
B) never hot to you, doesn't mean never hot to everyone.
C) I agree with that.
D) This is also not CondomTech. Shall we ban all non-technical deals? That's been discussed before when some ladies from mycoupons started flooding the forum with deals on diapers and pantiliners.
No, it should just be to silence the flamers.[/quote]
