war topic

[Samcro]

any chance of a covid style war topic for all the "are we going to war " threads please.

Where would a post about Sweden joining NATO go?
Or worries about Finland and invasion?
Or talking about Putin?
Or discussing people in Russia ?

It's not to do with the Ukraine so where would it go?

Maybe a thread called European geopoliitcs?

@cakeorwine

Where would a post about Sweden joining NATO go? Or worries about Finland and invasion? Or talking about Putin? Or discussing people in Russia ?

It's not to do with the Ukraine so where would it go?

Maybe a thread called European geopoliitcs?

True, although then you might want to do a thread on Biden ;

I don’t mind what it’s called but would prefer a less emotive topic as I think we’re a bit heightened as it is and would like to see a few measured posts

Something like 'Ukraine Situation'? Or 'Russia-Ukraine Situation'?

There's already a Politics board btw.

I agree we need a separate topic for Ukraine. MNHQ also need to be more watchful for the fearmongering threads that pop up.

Another good thing about a separate board is that if threads attract the people who are genuinely interested as opposed to just anyone who happens to stumble across them, it might help keep the non-daft ones on track. Someone started a (perfectly reasonable IMO) thread yesterday about how horrifying it was to think of civilians in Kyiv being handed guns and basically told 'good luck', but because she unthinkingly ended with "Anyone else?", the first 40 or so replies were all snarking about competitive virtue signalling and "no it's literally just you, you're soooooo special and empathic". After a "FFS I didn't mean it like that" response the OP understandably didn't bother coming back. That could actually have been an informative discussion if it hadn't descended into the usual AIBU/Chat drive-by sniping - obviously no guarantee the same thing wouldn't happen on a dedicated board, but I think it's less likely if people have to intentionally seek out the topic.

@SpinningTheSeedsOfLove

Something like 'Ukraine Situation'? Or 'Russia-Ukraine Situation'?

There's already a Politics board btw.

Along with the Brexit board.

Yet lots of conversations intersect.

What are the actual metrics? Out of the hundreds of threads started here over the last week how many are about the Ukraine? And how many have been about cost of living/fuel prices or MiLs or wedding nonsense?

Its rarely worth moving/hiding stuff in a separate topic just because its in the news. At least give it a few weeks.

Perhaps we could solve the perceived problems by having a Grief Vulture topic instead.
All threads of competitive empathy and grief on any topic could be moved there. Threads remaining would be actually discussing the Ukraine rather than performative empathy and making other people's tragedy all about the grief vultures.

Agree it makes sense to be able to hide threads without opening them for any thread, then those who fear being triggered can avoid them.

Daft idea. It's more important than which handbag?

MNHQ please don't.

Perhaps we could solve the perceived problems by having a Grief Vulture topic instead.

It’s not just grief vultures, it’s the number of new threads that seem to be about something somebody heard on Facebook about nuclear war.

Also ‘Am I being unreasonable’ will always sound a bit arsey.

Fine if you are talking about parking or a wedding, but there have been a few ‘AIBU not to care about Ukraine’ threads and the thread title is immediately combative.

@AndAsIfByMagic

Daft idea. It's more important than which handbag?

MNHQ please don't.

Nobody is asking for the threads to be hidden for everyone. Keeping all threads in AIBU and chat just means they appear randomly depending on when the last post was.

@AndAsIfByMagic

Daft idea. It's more important than which handbag?

MNHQ please don't.

Threads about handbags go in style and beauty, it’s hardly like we have 5 threads a day in chat on handbags

Threads about handbags go in style and beauty, it’s hardly like we have 5 threads a day in chat on handbags

And the benefit is that it’s much easier to find the threads.

Threads about handbags go in style and beauty, it’s hardly like we have 5 threads a day in chat on handbags

We get a lot more than 5 a day about MiLs. Yet to see someone suggest an MiL topic.

Big news items will always generate threads. Mostly the numbers diminish quite rapidly and would leave a tumbleweed topic with people posting in AIBU "for traffic".

Wait a few weeks and then decide.

@C8H10N4O2

What are the actual metrics? Out of the hundreds of threads started here over the last week how many are about the Ukraine? And how many have been about cost of living/fuel prices or MiLs or wedding nonsense?

Its rarely worth moving/hiding stuff in a separate topic just because its in the news. At least give it a few weeks.

Perhaps we could solve the perceived problems by having a Grief Vulture topic instead.
All threads of competitive empathy and grief on any topic could be moved there. Threads remaining would be actually discussing the Ukraine rather than performative empathy and making other people's tragedy all about the grief vultures.

Agree it makes sense to be able to hide threads without opening them for any thread, then those who fear being triggered can avoid them.

We definitely need a Grief Vulture topic. They could all rend their garments in a kind of synchronised howl.

This is the first time I've checked since Wednesday where there haven't been any related threads in Trending, so perhaps things are already calming down somewhat? There also seem to be fewer ridiculous "will we all be sending out children to die in a Ukrainian trench" threads (or maybe I've just hidden them all!) As I said yesterday I agree with waiting til the news is less completely dominated by the topic before making a decision, as there's no point making a separate board if it's going to be dead in two weeks anyway.

We get a lot more than 5 a day about MiLs. Yet to see someone suggest an MiL topic.

Yes, but they aren’t usually ‘somebody was saying on Facebook that my MIL is threatening a nuclear war’.

@merrymouse

We get a lot more than 5 a day about MiLs. Yet to see someone suggest an MiL topic.

Yes, but they aren’t usually ‘somebody was saying on Facebook that my MIL is threatening a nuclear war’.

Maybe the solution is to have a separate Nuclear War board, to cover both Putin and people's Very Unreasonable mothers-in-law

Yes, but they aren’t usually ‘somebody was saying on Facebook that my MIL is threatening a nuclear war’.

It's all relative. My MIL at her most formidable form can easily hold her own against Putin. Biden she'll have for breakfast.

Mil threads are different because people are posting their own individual situations.

They aren't posting generally about the war in Ukraine. All of them are the same.

Also mil threads aren't full of

Mils will be the end of life as we know it
Planes will fall out of the sky
Mil threatened to nuke us
I am scared Mil will make my 16 year old join the army and go to war

And other such ridiculousness.

Mil threads are different because people are posting their own individual situations

The main rationale for creating a new subdivision on a site or forum is usually volume of traffic to sustain a discussion. The subjective importance of the individual topic is irrelevant. Any topic in the news will generate threads for a while. Most die away after days and weeks and a separate topic would become tumbleweed.

There is no topic which won't generate its share of batshittery.

@C8H10N4O2 I was meaning to talk about the reasons why people don't ask for a separate topic about it.

The geopolitical instability will probably continue for some time in either an acute or lower-level way.

It would be good to have a sub-board ready to sweep everything into because the number of threads on this is absurd. A fair number are subsequently deleted and those that remain have some useful discussion but not always.

"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"--Vladimir Ilyich Lenin.

There is no topic which won't generate its share of batshittery.

Almost all the threads on Ukraine are batshittery at the moment. I wouldn’t know how to find an informed thread.

Topics only become tumbleweed if nobody posts. A thread isn’t more easy to find because it is on page 3 of AIBU.

It’s also sometimes difficult to distinguish between a genuine concern that might be a bit batshit and trolling. (See numerous Covid threads).

A separate topic allows people to hide the whole thing if they want to avoid the subject, while still giving space to a genuine poster obsessing about nuclear war.

@ClaudineClare

I agree we need a separate topic for Ukraine. MNHQ also need to be more watchful for the fearmongering threads that pop up.

Yes, it’s getting ridiculous. People need to get a bloody grip.

‘AIBU to be sobbing and shaking and terrified’. Yes, grow up.

See also the eleven million threads asking why Russia and Ukraine are at war.

@CecilyTheWake

‘AIBU to be sobbing and shaking and terrified’. Yes, grow up.

Agree with this. Unless you are in Ukraine or Russia right now, why the fuck are you sobbing shaking and terrified? Attention-seeking narcissistic behaviour at its worst.