Two reasons I'm against the political threads here:

1. They create a hostile atmosphere, unfortunately, because so many of the products offered are offensive to one side or the other. What should be a relatively fun and friendly bargain forum becomes one where members are at each others throats.

2. Even if you ignore the sometimes deeply offensive political content, most of them aren't hot deals at all. As someone else pointed out upthread, $20 t-shirts and $10 boxes of waffle mix are not hot. This is a hot deals forum, and the basic standard should be that if it's not a hot deal, it shouldn't be here. What bugs me most about the threads is that the original posters more often than not have an ax to grind. They clearly don't care about the mission of this forum; they just care about putting forth their agenda.

As a result of political threads, the forums become less useful and less friendly. Frankly, I wish people that started those threads would spend some time in the probation corner for a while, if not being outright banned.

Even in a thread asking about political "hot deals", there are people who can't resist getting partisan and then bickering.

Do you really need any more proof that these alleged "hot deals" should be locked out and prohibited?

.

Lock them.

This website has rules, why are you asking us whether or not you should enforce them? Lock all political threads!

shopliftinginva said:IF it's a hot deal, and the discussion pertains to the deal and not political discussion, why not? I LOLed at the Obama Waffle deal. Waiting for the McCain frozen fries reply to it.

IAWTC.
If I ran FW I'd monitor said threads closely and beat users who get off the topic of whether or not it's a hot deal.

The political deals are like an old-school AOL chat room: "Hey guys, press 11 if you like McCain!!!" The only thing that's missing is the pedophiles and teenagers asking "A/S/L?"

By the way, I'm still waiting for the perfect opportunity to post a Hot Deal for my "I support genocide" t-shirt, or perhaps a "Repeal universal suffrage" t-shirt.

Set up a forum for politics, religion, and similar "deals" where by the product's nature it's virtually certain discussion will generate more heat, than light.

Deals involving cigarettes, guns (and I'm a certified firearms instructor, not an anti-gunner), fattening food, reduced bus fare to the big anti-abortion rally, inducements to enlist in the armed forces, discounts on genuine psychic astrology, etc., could start in "Hot Deals," assuming they truly are hot deals. But often (although not invariably) will merit eventual removal to the "Controversial Deals" forum.

This way, people who for some reason get off on pointless arguing, unimaginative and unfunny "jokes," or trolling, will have a corner of FW where they can play and be happy.

GophIsCheap said:
If people don't like a politically related deal, because they don't agree with this party or that, they need to get over it!

Easier said than done.

Is this just a conniving way for FatWallet to test out their new "Poll" functionality...hmmmm.

4FREEORBUST said:If someone finds a deal about Governor Palin's clothing being 90% off, I want it posted.
That would be a hot deal! Are you sure you're looking for a 90% off deal or is it a 90% off clothing photo?