Please leave your politics at home

On the surface I agree with Bamboo. However after thinking about it I have to disagree.
One of my favorite things to do when I'm at the coast is to walk the Docks and Bait shops and listen to the Scuttlebutt. It is very entertaining and informative. You have to have a little of each in order to have the whole.
Yacht Forums allows me to enjoy that exchange of sea stories, knowledge, and personal opinions from fellow lovers of the Yachting World. Sometimes You have to interject Politics into a discussion to fully understand the effect it has on that subject.
I hope I explained this ok. I am not a word smith like a lot of others.

In the absence of discussion that involves the truth, we instead must pretend that we are ok. (a lie).

It's similar to the idea of keeping religion out of the schools. By default, we become atheists.

In both scenarios, by leaving out the truth, we are in fact, being something else.

It's like somebody who says "no" to all ideas suggested at a business meeting. The person saying "NO" feels like they are just keeping the status quo and not making a change. But ... just like the person who votes YES for change, the person saying NO is now running the show.

That's ok with me though. I'm just an observer.

I think that a little politics has to be involved in certain stories.....Such as to answer "why hasn't the boating market totally rebounded". But for the most part people go way too far, and I have been guilty of that in the past. However, the discussion in the 14 in the water and so many killed discussion, it totally was irrelevant to the subject, and I stayed out of it and simply posted an arrrrrrgggh. But I agree, everyone should stay more focused on the subject matter.....

When the discussion goes to things like taxes on yachts, the price of yachts, the slump in segments of the industry, yards laying off their workers, the price of fuel, refugees drowning, etc. it's very difficult to leave politics out of it. Politics are what drive these things. Then there's also the question of what constitutes politics. Is it talking about the human condition or is it talking about particular political parties, candidates and agenda's. I also agree with BaysideBert's statement that:

I think we all do a very good job of sticking our heads in the sand and keeping our mouths closed for the most part, but sometimes it is part of the story. Sometimes though it can become the story. As for what constitutes politics I think it's one of those 'I can't define it, but I know it when I see it' type of things. However we can't all make that decision for the whole membership. We have very good moderators here at YF. I think it's best to leave it up to them to decide when a thread has gone off track. I think we all know that when we include the name of a politician or party we've probably crossed the line. Beyond that I'll leave it up to the Mods, and abide by their rulings. I think they're in the best position to make those judgements.

Trust me, we'd prefer to stay out of it! Between Lars, Kevin & myself, we spend a lot of time anguishing over decisions to remove certain posts or entire threads. On the rare occasion, even a membership.

No doubt politics play a role in things that effect our interests. I think all of you guys do a great job of conveying helpful information, but some of us are more passionate than others. We don't want to stifle this, but it's important that we all remain respectful.

I was a member of Young Republicans in my early twenties. I soon realized I couldn't make a darn bit of difference. Nowadays, it's about peacefully coexisting, then going postal on spammers!

That's why you get the big bucks. You guys have done an excellent job of keeping hands off and letting things flow when prudent, stepping in when needed, and coming down like a ton of bricks when necessary. Much appreciated, even when I'm the one that needs to be reined in.

Whose version of the truth? That's the problem Just the facts, ma'am. Now opinions on yacht issues, yes. But when we're talking an issue like the deaths of refugees at sea, it's really easy to separate. Facts, they died. Facts, there are lots of refugees endangered at sea.

However, the whys and wherefores, and the solutions. Those become opinions. There is no perfect solution. In fact, to call one side truth and another side lie in such expressions of opinions is rather narrow minded. I believe all my opinions are right and others wrong, but I don't choose to attack others for theirs or say they're idiots for having different opinions than mine. I wish it was all simple. Seems like we should just be able to say, "everyone get along" and end all wars.

To say that if we don't express those views here on a yacht site we're endorsing something is just not true. Some of us just prefer to express those in other ways in other venues. I have views that I feel very passionate about. One thing I have to do in life however is compartmentalize. I can't think of the world's problems, the economy, the war, the poverty, health and other such issues on which I'm very passionate all the time. Frankly, if I were to allow them to invade my every moment and all aspects of my life, I'd find myself pretty miserable. That's not being uncaring. That's just finding a balance, the one right for me. I've been involved in certain charitable causes that are tremendously important to me but also have times that they rip my heart apart. I'm fortunate that I have a wife who is so much better than I at balancing because I've had times she and I were involved in something and we then drove away and all I wanted to do was scream or cry but even though she felt just the same way, she made sure we got ourselves out of it, sometimes with extreme but effective measures in the pleasurable side of life.

In fact, right now, Belle is pulling me away from the computer and I am going to go join her in seeing what kind of trouble we might get into in Key West this afternoon and evening.

I read this twice just to view it from both sides
Very well written Mate!

Be grateful you are born and live in a country where you are PRIVELEGED to have an opinion and a say, then remember it's value and use it with the grace to accept opposing views.

Another reason why it is so very important to keep politics out of this Forum.
Thanks Carl and the Moderators for this.

So, how should "14 Dead Refugees " be discussed here? As a navigational impediment?

Hi,

As a news item and tragedy which it is primarily more than a hazard to navigation, not by banging your drum about what the current and past occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave have or haven't done.

FYI. The petty sniping did it...

As 14 refugees that grossly overloaded a boat, which in turn took on water, capsized, and sank. Whereas if they only had 10 people on the boat (or less), we wouldn't be here talking about them and they'd be working in a restaurant kitchen near you!

I don't find Bamboo's post that you quoted. Am I correct that it was pulled for being too blatantly political? This from the person who started the thread
"Please leave your politics at home".

Which brings me back to BaysideBert's statement:

Sounds like someone doesn't want political views stated unless they match his own. What the devil does how NY politicians lean have to do with yachts?

Evidently this thread was started, not to avoid political views, but to foster them. So here it is (with no reference to politicians, political parties or even nations):
YES, we are our brother's keepers. We do have a moral obligation to help those less fortunate as ourselves, even when they bring their misfortune on themselves. Greed and envy are too of the most disgusting qualities a person can have. No, greed is NOT good. Yes we are entitled to everything we earn, but not when it's gotten through the suffering of others. THAT'S the American way, that's the civilized way, and that's God's way no matter what religion you belong to or what you call him. Even animals understand that.
So maybe this thread has run its course.

Too funny.


Typed in true NYCAP123 style.


P.S.- Beating someone down on their price = greed.

We seemed able to look at the drug smuggling incident and arrests without jumping into political diatribes regarding the war against drugs and it's history or the Coast Guard or other countries and their supplying of drugs or the US as being the consumer. It was simply a discussion of the illegal use of a yacht and of Coast Guard activity.

We looked at a cruise ship run aground and discussed the tragedy of the loss of lives as well as the issues surrounding the accident specifically and the obligations of captain and crew. We didn't get into a deep discussion of the cruise industry nor of all the issues of flagging of cruise ships, avoidance of taxes, or avoidance of other laws.

Yet, we just can't seem to focus on the refugee situations and the simple tragedy of lives risked and lost not in this one incident but many we've seen lately around the world. The fact that people are seeing a need to get aboard boats ill prepared to safely carry them and head out to sea. There we turn it into ugly political diatribes and first find discussions of the political issues directly surrounding refugees but soon then attacks on various parties and somehow discussions leaping into totally unrelated political issues.

I'm an acquaintance of a congressman, to whom every issue, every topic, every discussion is political. He's committed certainly. Now I'd never vote for him, because I don't share his views. I respect his passion, but I can't imagine living in such a one dimensional world as he does. Thinking politics every waking hour would drive me insane. Now his wife is a wonderful woman who just stands beside him looking good, could care less about politics, and enjoys raising their kids, now their grandchildren, working with charities, and shopping. They're funny to watch. A subject is brought up and he reacts with political fervor while she just smiles and asks if anyone would like some cake or something to drink.