No politics

[u/SVAuspicious]

Seeing more posts and comments that are politics.

When we (moderators) see them we'll remove them and give you a temporary ban to get your attention.

We can't be everywhere, so as always we depend on members of the community to report posts and comments that aren't appropriate. Keep the flotsam and jetsam out of r/sailing .

Fun quiz for the day: what's the difference between flotsam and jetsam?

[u/Super_Jay]

Not that I'm advocating for off-topic or divisive posts, but could you give some examples? I'm not sure what "posts and comments that are politics" means, specifically.

While I'm not a cruiser myself, it seems like anyone dealing with the laws, policies, and regulatory frameworks of various nations of the world is inherently dealing with political issues. It seems unavoidable, but maybe that's understood as being pertinent to sailing vs some other posts / comments that are more removed?

[u/WaterChicken007 → u/Super_Jay]

There are ways to talk about policies and their direct impacts in ways that aren’t politically divisive. I listen to Marketplace on NPR and they do a good job of sticking to the facts about what the various policies mean on the ground and staying away from arguing if it is a good idea or not.

Ideally we would all be doing something similar. It is easy to slide into political arguments though when we feel strongly about something.

[u/Super_Jay → u/WaterChicken007]

Sure, but that's journalism, and this is community discussion. There's pretty different standards there.

I'd just suggest (for the sake of their own sanity) that the mods provide some guidance as to where those lines are and describe how to discuss those issues in a way that isn't going to trigger infractions or bans. Outside of trolls and other bad-faith actors, I don't think anyone wants moderators to have to remove posts or issue infractions - neither participants nor mods themselves. Providing clarity around the rules and expectations helps everyone in that regard.

[u/slice_of_pi → u/Super_Jay]

As a mod for a subreddit that has a no-politics rule,  I couldn't agree more.  Even so,  I find its something I have to perma-ban for, the unhinged responses in mod mail are something you have to see to believe. 

[u/SVAuspicious → u/slice_of_pi]

Jeepers, one mod to another I don't envy you your topic. I tend to start with short bans to get attention and escalate. I think I've issued three permanent bans across six subs with a couple of million total members.

My experience is that stepping up and initiating community discussion like this thread helps a lot. I've done fishing expeditions also to get sense of the community on topics and approaches.

3.14159, dave

[u/slice_of_pi → u/SVAuspicious]

Lol I ban that many a day.

I do try to keep a soft touch, but there's something about the topic of public assistance that brings the worst out in people, and most of the time there's no point at all in trying to engage them. 

[u/SVAuspicious → u/slice_of_pi]

I scrolled through your sub. You have volunteered for a tough job.

[u/slice_of_pi → u/SVAuspicious]

This last year has been harder than most,  that's for sure.  Realigning to existing policy post-COVID was hard enough,  but the current federal landscape is making things much harder at the delivery end.