Chris Peterson53 said:Wait, what promise? When did that even happen, Morgan Rodriguez57?
...
Look, Morgan Rodriguez57, if you’re really that unhappy with how the Religion sub-forum is set up—like, truly dissatisfied—then just lay out your vision for changes right here. Be specific, make some solid arguments, stay neutral, and maybe skip the extra bitterness... this is the place for it, and then the admins can actually look over your suggestions.
Regarding those debates about religion in this specific section... they actually rejected the idea for separate sub-forums, but they did open things up for specialized topics... if those discussion threads haven't been wiped from the archives yet, everything should still be searchable and readable...
I am, yeah, I'm unsatisfied. This whole forum feels like it's run by hardcore atheists, and anyone who doesn't fall into the specific group the moderators favor ends up totally unprotected... I feel like I'll just end up getting banned simply because, for some reason, I've been labeled a "fundamentalist," while the "progressive" and "enlightened" crowd gets all the special treatment...
As for my actual views, they're already laid out in those other threads I mentioned earlier...
So, I just got a ping from one of the religion sub-forum mods saying my post was flagged as spam... I guess I should just be grateful they didn't go ahead and ban me entirely... 🙏
They’ve certainly set up their appeals process to follow their own little set of rules... honestly, it feels like the whole thread is just there for show, since any complaints that don't fit their narrative just get wiped away... I can't recall a single time one of my actual appeals wasn't just deleted...
Since I'm basically being silenced over there, I might as well just repeat what I wrote right here:
On a few different occasions, groups of users on this site have asked for dedicated religious sub-forums for various faiths—you know, to keep things organized—but they were turned down... back during those discussions, it was suggested that as a middle ground, we could open special threads for specific audiences (like for Catholics, for instance)... these topics would be clearly labeled in the title, and the mods would make sure the threads stayed clean from the usual trolling, spamming, and insults that tend to clutter up the "mainstream" threads...
But it looks like that possibility—and that whole promise—just sort of slipped through the cracks, and when Lutnja finally tried to make use of it, they suddenly found an excuse to shut the whole thing down...
And of course, after posting all that in the appeals section, the religion mod crew is calling it spam here too, telling me I should be happy I haven't been kicked off the site yet... 🙏 👍
So, my post on this same thread got wiped out for absolutely no reason—like, totally out of nowhere—and all I was doing was pointing out a few basic facts...
Is sexual identity something that exists independently of our surroundings? To put it simply: absolutely...
And honestly, the same logic applies to gender too...
Nature is incredibly driven to produce men and women—it’s practically hardwired into our bodies and brains from the very beginning... there isn't an environment out there powerful enough to just override that... of course, when you have such a massive biological process at play, you get variations in certain circumstances—I wouldn't even call them mistakes, really...
Samuel Bennett60 said:Are you actually watching the games, or just getting all your info from those Jergović essays?
I used to watch every single game—getting all worked up and stressed out before this whole "just show up" era of the national team... but honestly, I can watch today's squad like I'm in total Nirvana, mostly because I already know exactly how things are going to play out...
I honestly just don't get the people who constantly sing the praises of Balić and Červar...
Balić is such a spoiled prima donna—just this guy who refuses to mesh with the team dynamic—and every single coach has to go through hell trying to keep him in check, though very few actually have the authority to pull it off...
As for Červar, he’s basically just a political appointee from the party elite... you saw how they operated back in the day with the Republican Party, treating athletes like disposable assets just to plant their own pawns in power... but the lack of results spoke for itself immediately... sure, some people will bring up those old gold and silver medals, but if you ask me, that’s a total distraction because we had a roster capable of winning it all regardless...
The national team played its last truly great game back during the era of Čavar and Kljajić... everything since then has been a mess. The US lost that signature, fluid, inspired style of play we used to have, and now everything has just devolved into these failed individual improvisations without any actual cohesive plan...
It’s a case of the rot starting at the top... the political parties and other special interest groups really need to take their greedy hands off the sport, and once they do, actual talented people can step in and bring success back to American handball... if they don't, we're just looking at more and more decline...
Lisa Ward52 said:Alright, I’m probably gonna sound like a total newbie here... 😁 But what’s actually offensive about calling someone a Miami local? She didn't call you guys idiots—if she had, I’d get why you’re mad—but just saying "Miami"? And honestly, feel free to call any Washington, D.C. local a Washington, D.C. local... it isn't an insult. We’re actually pretty proud of where we come from. 🙂
If you ask me, all of it feels a bit insulting—calling someone from Miami, or a Miamiite, or an idiot... even things like Dalmatian or being from Miami... it all feels a bit much...
Sandra Wilson38 said:I honestly can't get over how much everyone from the West Coast seems to be on the exact same page here—it’s actually kind of wild how unified this group is... 😍 It’s honestly kind of wild when you think about it—it really has reached the point where Ivica is just... well, an average skier... 🤣
I mean, I honestly don't get why people are acting so surprised by Vlašić—skiing is such a specific skill, right? He basically picked it up in just two weeks... it's kind of wild when you think about it... 😵
I honestly don’t get how you all can be so unified regarding the HOO decision—it’s kind of wild to me... I mean, does nobody want to just be honest and admit there's something a little fishy about this whole thing? Like, they're actually claiming that someone needs to snag two gold medals at the WC in a single year just to somehow surpass those two silvers Ivica grabbed... it just feels a bit off, doesn't it? 🙏
George Robinson43 said:The USOPC responded to Vlašić.
Olympic silver = world gold by USOPC criteria.<
And honestly, that’s really all there is to it...
she should probably grab two world golds to actually be considered better... and since there are like 10 different world athletics championships organized every single year, it shouldn't be much of a struggle... 🙏 🤣
Anthony Jackson2 said:I mean, those examples aren't really hitting the mark... these are teams managing like 20 or 30 different athletes at once, whereas here we’re just talking about one person. Plus, you have someone like Wenger who actually calls the plays and gives advice both before and during the game. Did you see Blanka checking in with Joško while she was competing? Nope. Not a chance. That’s exactly why I think Marinović should be the lead—he’s the one actually handling the high jump itself, while the guy with the beard focuses more on conditioning and the "extra" stuff... so, if they were actually going to give an award to Blanka's coach, my vote would be for Bojan to take it home.
Haha, let's see who's actually on Blanka's team anyway:
Anthony Jackson2 said:only the trolls actually catch the main point here☕
but anyone being serious and constructive around here can see there's a whole other side to the post☕
from what I gather, people always focus on the head coaches rather than their staff... but any award given usually goes to the entire organization, not just one guy... you know someone like Jerry Jones, but do you really know all the specific coaches at Arsenal besides Wenger, or over at Bayern aside from Van Gaal, and so on?
darkwolf61 said:this is easily the best post on this thread. I especially appreciate how you don't hold back when saying how much Blanka rubs you the wrong way. it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who feels that way....
I mean, just the fact that we're talking about the US Olympic Committee right after the Olympics ended speaks volumes... it's pretty obvious. This athlete won two medals at the Games. End of story.
the "best post" ever, whose entire logical foundation is basically just that he doesn't like Joško or Blanka, so they shouldn't get an award... 🤦
just so you know, the USOC is the governing body for all sports and federations here—they aren't just focused on the Olympic cycles...
Daniel Cooper40 said:The whole point here is Joško versus Gips—not Ivica and Blanka.
Well, I'd argue Ivica and Blanka *are* the topic, because they represent the actual results achieved by Gips and Joško... I mean, think about it—if one athlete climbs to third in the world rankings for the year, while the other isn't even on the map, doesn't that naturally make the first coach better for that season? It just follows the logic, right?...
Blanka is actually ranked as the third best athlete in the world when you look at the mixed categories—men and women combined... so I have to wonder, where does Ivica land on a list like that? ☕
I think Vlašić is spot on about this year... for some people, it seems like their horizons barely stretch past the limits of a small town like Des Moines... ☕
It’s fine... I mean, I can already see it coming—tomorrow I'll probably be flooded with posts about religion, specifically how some old-school politicians used Christian values just to mask their own corruption, or stories about how certain high-profile assassins are practically forced to say their prayers before bed, or how people in power trample over everyone else because they think "Christian principles" somehow give them a pass to be reckless... honestly, I'm almost looking forward to it... 👍
Chris Peterson53 said:The real question here is whether they were driven by pure fanaticism—or maybe just some kind of mental health struggle—fueled by that intense volatility and a total misunderstanding of Christian teachings, which ultimately led to such a terrible act.
I mean, the Chapman case seems pretty straightforward to me—trying to link his motives back to Christianity feels like a bit of a stretch, even if we don't know everything about him... he did it out of pure hatred, and the outcome was nothing more than an inflammatory post... it feels like you religious mods are just avoiding facing that specific reality...