Please Boycott Hobby Lobby

[indy1936]

Can politics please be kept out of the general dino toy section? Religion, politics, abortion, views on the president, etc can bring out some strong opinions both ways and open things up for arguments that go way off topic from dinos which we all love.

[stargatedalek]

Can politics please be kept out of the general dino toy section? Religion, politics, abortion, views on the president, etc can bring out some strong opinions both ways and open things up for arguments that go way off topic from dinos which we all love.

Is your concern truly that you don't want distracting off-topic discussions, or do you simply dislike seeing your own beliefs challenged?

In either case, than shouldn't dedicated topics like this focused on very specific causes that are actually relevant to us, even as figure collectors, be a good thing? A topic like this allows foremost to spread the word about the actions of a corporation very relevant to some of us, but by its very nature it also serves to allow users to let off steam about very serious issues without clogging up the forum with off-topic or otherwise distracting discussion, and while focusing on the misdeeds and wrongdoings of an individual corporation, without encouraging anyone to place blame on an entire ideology.

I would argue that what Hobby Lobby has done is not truly "relevant as a religious issue". What they've done is they've used their faith as a shield to cover up their own unjust acts. I know when people use my belief systems to justify acts of bigotry I feel insulted, even used, and I expect many Christians feel the same way about what Hobby Lobby is doing. Their acts of hate are their own, and are only a religious topic if you allow them to make it a religious topic.

Nothing about what Hobby Lobby has done is related to abortion, it's about women's right to medical care, notably including contraceptive medication which is the single best way to prevent abortion.

[indy1936]

From the limited articles I saw HL was against emergency contraception which they claimed was abortion as it ended human life after conception.  This isnt about my beliefs, which I haven't stated, but about bringing politics into collecting and other hobbies. Just last week some dude brought up their support for far right leaning politicians on a subreddit for game collectors that i frequent. Really quite frustrating. There is no escape from it even in pastimes that are supposed to be an escape/outlet.

[stargatedalek]

From the limited articles I saw HL was against emergency contraception which they claimed was abortion as it ended human life after conception.  This isnt about my beliefs, which I haven't stated, but about bringing politics into collecting and other hobbies. Just last week some dude brought up their support for far right leaning politicians on a subreddit for game collectors that i frequent. Really quite frustrating. There is no escape from it even in pastimes that are supposed to be an escape/outlet.

It doesn't matter what they claimed to be the specific reason, because they don't pay the otherwise mandated health care to female employees for a large range of problems, including all forms of contraceptives and most pregnancy related medical needs. And many times in the past they've been accused (by credible sources) of harassing LGBT customers (which is a crime). All of this is something that people who potentially would be shopping there have a right to know about.

Nothing they have accomplished is "pro-life", only anti-women.

Many members here have mentioned shopping at Hobby Lobby in the past, so this was a valid topic of relevance to this forum. This wasn't brought up randomly or arbitrarily.

Forums like this also function very differently from reddit, here if you don't want to be exposed to a topic you can simply not read it. It isn't a wall of branching responses like reddit is.

[Simon]

  *SNIP*
Forums like this also function very differently from reddit, here if you don't want to be exposed to a topic you can simply not read it. It isn't a wall of branching responses like reddit is.

Well, I don't know what reddit looks like, but you're mistaken here stargatedalek.

I would wager that the way many (most?) members log onto the DTF is via the "Recent" tab.  And that tab will then give, chronologically, from most recent to oldest, the posts on every single topic on DTF.  Exactly like a posting "Wall" on those ancient (say, circa 1996) internet posting sites did.

So members really can't avoid seeing stuff like this thread without risking missing a whole bunch of other stuff that they are interested in.   

Something to think about when you're tempted to post about something that has nothing to do with dinosaur toys or paleontology .... 

[indy1936]

I understand and am behind you on getting the word out in not supporting businesses with practices we disagree with. Just hoping we can stick to posts that aren't pushing a political agenda. Posts such as support/boycott Target, which sells some battat reissues, due to their new bathroom policy; boycott/support Walmart, which sells some dinos, for past politics, etc and similar could also be made. Maybe they should be? I'm just going based on the forum rules and other forums where political/religious debate has gotten between members and their shared love for a hobby. I love catching up with you guys and reading all your cool dino info and opinions.

[Neosodon]

I agree with indy. The thread turned out ok but the original post was a little too political. We get that stuff forced on us every day by the news and people are always arguing about it over social media. I'm not offended or anything but it just gets tiresome and would be better avoided on the forum.

[Bucklander]

May I make a suggestion? Whilst I appreciate that many, perhaps most people, prefer to not discuss politics and religion on this forum, they do occasionally pop up. I have not ever gotten involved in any debates/arguments about either, but have often wanted to. Usually because someone makes a flippant comment, I imagine, with the underlying assumption that nobody on the forum disagrees with them.

My suggestion is that a new section of the forum be set up where those who wish to discuss politics and/or religion can create threads to do so. Sure there are many forums for such discussion, but it might be valuable for those of us who share an interest in paleontology and prehistoric figures to discuss these subjects amongst ourselves. Basic rules of courtesy and mutual respect should of course be observed, and those who wish to avoid these subjects can simply never visit any of the threads on this part of the forum.

What about it DTF?

[Simon]

I second Bucklander's suggestion about a new section of the forum for this purpose.

I also seem to recall that there is an option somewhere in the tools for members to choose to not see certain sections of the DTF forum so that they do not come up in the "Recent" feed.  The problem comes when an off-topic thread is posted in one of the forums that we do want to see in the "Recent" feed.  Then it can become annoying having to sift through off-topic posts while looking for the ones that are of interest ...

[Quen]

I also support Bucklander's idea. Seeing as politics has its tentacles wrapped around every aspect of our lives, political issues that affect how forum members engage with this hobby are inevitably going to come up from time to time. A section devoted to discussing these issues would allow members to speak their minds about topics that are important to them, while those who do not wish to see political topics can more easily avoid them.

[tyrantqueen]

Can politics please be kept out of the general dino toy section? Religion, politics, abortion, views on the president, etc can bring out some strong opinions both ways and open things up for arguments that go way off topic from dinos which we all love.

I agree. I'm here to collect and discuss dinosaur toys- I have Facebook for discussing politics.

Inevitably, when these debates happen, people end up arguing and bans are handed out. We've been through it before and nothing good comes out of it.

[tyrantqueen]

If the forum staff find it necessary to add another section to the forum to discuss politics, that's a step too far for me. In that scenario, I'll jump ship to STS I think.  Keep politics away from our dinos.

[Simon]

Can politics please be kept out of the general dino toy section? Religion, politics, abortion, views on the president, etc can bring out some strong opinions both ways and open things up for arguments that go way off topic from dinos which we all love.

I agree. I'm here to collect and discuss dinosaur toys- I have Facebook for discussing politics.

Inevitably, when these debates happen, people end up arguing and bans are handed out. We've been through it before and nothing good comes out of it.

I agree with tyrantqueen 100% here.  No good purpose is served by allowing the nonsense that we already can't get away from everywhere else on the Internet to seep into the DTF and poison discussions.

BTW, tyrantqueen, I have to chuckle regarding your FB comment - politics is the one thing that I NEVER discuss on FB, and, by choosing the "don't show me these types of posts" long enough, I have eliminated almost all of it from my "newsfeed" there...

[Reptilia]

I keep myself away deliberately from general news (and social media) to avoid politics, sports and other stuff. So it'd be nice if the DTF would stay politics free, as far as I'm concerned.

[stargatedalek]

I'm just going to say that everything was not only peaceful but constructive until people started questioning "whether politics should be allowed" and brought with them the aggression they claim they're trying to prevent.

[Simon]

I'm just going to say that everything was not only peaceful but constructive until people started questioning "whether politics should be allowed" and brought with them the aggression they claim they're trying to prevent.

...Or until people started getting tired of seeing off-topic posts popping up all over their "Recent" feed as they were looking for information relevant to dinosaur toys...

..got to 'think outside the box'... 

[stargatedalek]

I wasn't going to reply anymore, but I'll make an exception because there is already a feature you can use to accomplish what you want. Just use the unread topics on the left side of the main page, I use that so that I don't have to see things that aren't relevant to me. It's organized, clearly legible, and allows anyone to easily ignore something they don't want to see.

[Simon]

I wasn't going to reply anymore, but I'll make an exception because there is already a feature you can use to accomplish what you want. Just use the unread topics on the left side of the main page, I use that so that I don't have to see things that aren't relevant to me. It's organized, clearly legible, and allows anyone to easily ignore something they don't want to see.

Intriguing feature - thank you for the suggestion (we technologically challenged older folks appreciate all the tips we can get!)