It's been just over a week since we introduced two new forums -- I'd like to get your opinion on one of them

[EarlG]

The forum I'd like to discuss is this one:

Latest Trump BS

Discuss the late-night social media rants, unrealistic policy proposals, and ridiculous trial balloons floated by Donald Trump. This forum is intended to separate the nonsense that Donald Trump spews on a daily basis from actual Trump Administration policies and actions. For example, if Donald Trump uses Truth Social to call for an invasion of Mars, it would be appropriate for this forum, whereas if the Trump Administration orders the Joint Chiefs of Staff to draw up plans for an invasion of Mars, it would be appropriate for General Discussion or Latest Breaking News.

The first action in the Trump Administration's War On America has been "Shock and Awe" -- they are flooding the zone with so much bullshit that it's overwhelming people's ability to handle it. That is their strategy, and so far it appears to be working.

One highly recommended thread yesterday contained some advice for dealing with this, and it is in line with the reason I proposed this new forum in the first place -- to try to better separate the "noise" from the "signal" by compartmentalizing stories about Trump's non-newsworthy trolling and gaslighting, in order to make those stories seem a little less overwhelming (or make them easier to ignore by trashing the forum).

When we opened the forums last week, I said I wanted to give it a little time to see how they develop naturally, so I asked the Forum Hosts to take a hands-off approach. However, after observing how this has played out in Latest Trump BS for a week, I think it's only going to work if we act to enforce the Statement of Purpose and start locking off-topic threads. If we don't, we're just getting a mix of content in GD and Latest Trump BS, which makes Latest Trump BS redundant.

Currently, the Latest Trump BS forum is full of stories about actual real world concrete actions taken by the Trump Administration -- banning transgender people from serving in the military, firing Inspectors General, exiting the WHO, a guide to Project 2025, etc. etc. etc. These are exactly the type of stories that should *NOT* be in that forum.

Meanwhile, GD is still home to many threads about Trump's gaslighting, trolling, and lying BS -- Trump posting on Truth Social that he ordered the military to turn on the water in California, Trump attacking Bishop Budde, Trump calling Spain a BRICS nation (it's not) and threatening to put 100% tariff on them, etc. These are exactly the type of stories that would be more appropriate for Latest Trump BS.

So the question is, do you want to let this all hang out in GD, or do you want stricter compartmentalization?

If the former, we will likely close the Latest Trump BS forum because it is simply redundant. If the latter, we will have to start locking threads which are in the wrong forums, and asking OPs to repost in the appropriate forum. Bear in mind that this could cause some friction. First because people don't like getting their threads locked, and second because there may be some arguments about topics which could be considered overlapping, or borderline.

Again, I'm focusing on the Latest Trump BS forum here. I think the above issues are currently far less of a problem in The Way Forward. If necessary, we can have a separate discussion about The Way Forward after we've talked about this.

I'm curious to hear your opinions. What do you think?

71 votes, 1 pass | Time left: 8 hours, 42 minutes
	Compartmentalize threads: Keep the "Latest Trump BS" forum and strictly enforce the Statement of Purpose by locking off-topic threads and asking OPs to repost, on the understanding that this may cause some friction
	28 (39%)
	No compartmentalization: Retire the "Latest Trump BS" forum as it is too confusing, and there is naturally too much overlap with GD, which would make enforcing the Statement of Purpose too annoying for people
	43 (61%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Native]

1. Considering it took 10 paragraphs to ask your question kind of answers your question

And as president, all of his words have consequences, intended or unintended. So, in my mind, nothing he says is truly BS.

[Mike 03]

2. I very reluctantly voted for "No Compartmentalization" and this is why

First, at every opportunity I have encouraged these forums. I still think it is a good idea in theory.

The problem is one of timing. We are going to be subjected to nonstop Trump news. I often cannot distinguish between what is Trump "BS" and what deserves to be discussed in the General Discussion, and a lot of times it's not the fault of the poster, because only time will tell if certain of his actions are "BS" or gravely serious. Because he is POTUS, damned near everything seems important--or potentially important--to me. But that won't be true for many other DUers who are much clearer at making this distinction.

Because half the time I can't tell, I can't expect a moderator to always make this call either. Too many of the shock and awe actions are ambiguous. People like me, who are fearful, probably tend to think all of these actions are serious and not "BS". But that opinion will vary enormously from DUer to DUer.

I really think it places too much of a burden on moderators to make this call dozens, or maybe hundreds of times a day.

Yes, some of Trump's actions are obviously BS and I would hope people could make the call, but even his social media posts right now, if one takes them seriously, are serious.

But as I always say, I will go with whatever the majority of DUers decide.

[berniesandersmittens]

3. I still think enforcement will be extremely difficult

Plus having TFF name on the main forum page makes me wince when I go to open GD or LBN.

IMHO folks should learn how to filter his name if they're tired of seeing his shit. I completely understand not wanting to read his mean tweets and ruminations. However, in this moment I think it's important for DU to be a safe place for discussion of the day's events. General Discussion has always been a space for all of us.

Just my 2 cents

[newdeal2]

4. A bit too complicated to have two forums

And there's too much judgement involved to decide what is BS noise vs. concrete actions. Many of his actions are novel so it's hard to know whether it's illegal and will get overturned (in which case, it's rhetoric) or not.

[leftstreet]

5. I honestly never go there because I figure it's just Trump BS

[MineralMan]

6. Compartmentalization is going to be too complex to maintain.

I've been watching that new forum, but haven't been participating. GD works just fine, in my opinion. I won't go to a different forum and have to figure out which forum to look at to learn people's thinking about new information. I'm not interested in splitting my DU time between forums.

But, it's your website, so...

[Beastly Boy]

7. I would rather keep both and enforce compartmentalization.

There are too many threads in GD that have to do with Trump. Personally, I am not interested in any Trump BS and I find filtering out these threads in GD tiresome. But I can see how the topic may appeal to other DUers who find it tiresome to search GD for Trump's BS. By keeping the two forums separate and apart we all get what we want, and those who are interested in all things Trump can always partake of both forums in whatever manner they find suitable.

[Polybius]

8. I'd replace it with something called Elections - Present & Future

In it, there's only discussion about elections, whether it's the 2025 Virginia Governor's race, the 2026 Senate elections, the 2028 Presidential race, or anything else.

[Bantamfancier]

9. Compartmentalization.

I realize it will be a job to keep them separate but please give it a try for several months. My mental health will improve if I don’t have to scan past every last utterance that asshole makes.

[Lulu KC]

10. I really love the idea of the Latest Trump BS

but can see the confusion.

Honestly? What I'm thinking we need now is a "Wins" forum. Not saying these things can't be posted elsewhere, but every time I read about a court blocking one of his ridiculous EOs or someone standing up to him, it warms my heart. These things get buried in all the misery and give us a sense of "nobody's doing anything about this." Things are happening.

The problem is centralized; the fights and wins are decentralized and hard to follow. This has been my epiphany for the day. It's damaging our morale so if we could centralize the wins our strength can find fuel. We need our energy! The scoreboard may not be in our favor, but our side is not empty.

Anyway, thanks for all you do to keep this ship afloat.