<p>Since we can’t discuss politics, the parents forum is becoming dull and boring. Just look at the thread titles. Is it just me or others feel the same?</p>
<p>I don’t need the cafe to be “exciting.” I do miss certain posters though.</p>
<p>Yes, boring - there is hardly any activity in the Dressing Young thread… Zzzzzz…</p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>I miss the politics forum and the spirited debate between people of varying opinions, educated people, I might add. I found it rather insightful and changed my mind a time or two on certain things.</p>
<p>But, I understand why they closed it. I think it got too nasty over there for some people and they kept having to moderate it and that really isn’t the point of the site. The cafe seems to same to me as it always was since I got here. Genial.</p>
<p>I love the cafe…it’s entertaining and a great place to get info…just post a query here and within minutes someone will have at least one answer to your question. I LOVE the “best buy of the day” thread and “the bragging thread”…and “sinners alley”. Threads like the mega thread come up every so often that just tickle my funny bone.</p>
<p>yes, it tends to be boring without political discussions.</p>
<p>I don’t think it is boring at all. It and the rest of CC meet my needs just fine!</p>
<p>I must be a boring person as I love the cafe. As thumper said, just ask a question and you will have answers in minutes. It like hanging out with your girlfriends chatting; good old fashion fun!</p>
<p>Nope - I must be easily amused. In recent weeks folks have come to my rescue when I needed advice on shopping for a dress, daughter relocating after college, and caring for aging parents. Maybe my life is a little boring? I really appreciate the collective wisdom found here and I enjoy stopping by and chatting with my virtual pals.</p>
<p>I hadn’t noticed a difference in the cafe between now and before, so I guess not for me, but then again I am really only a partial grown up. I just appreciate the opportunity for mature conversation, which I don’t find so much on the parts of the board that are dominated by 16-20 year olds.</p>
<p>I do find it less interesting lately. I suppose I am just not interested in the recent discussions. </p>
<p>I also miss some old time posters.</p>
<p>I have shared CC with many people I know as I do not know any other place to go for intelligent and respectful conversation about a myriad of topics. </p>
<p>I liked the politics forum. Most people really went to great lengths to back up their stances and I learned a great deal about how and why others viewed some issues much differently than i did.</p>
<p>Haven’t had a good cat thread in ages…</p>
<p>Not boring to me.
The BESt place to post a question and get almost immediate insightful replies from some pretty bright folk.</p>
<p>I’m never leaving!</p>
<p>Still fun, but more boring than it used to be, yes. It was great to be able to speak freely and openly. I worry about that being a disappearing thing. It was also good for my aging brain to debate with smart people whose world view is vastly different than my own.</p>
<p>I love the cafe. Have had such good help from people here over the years - and I agree that when I’m stumped on something, I come here and have always - every time - had wonderful help. Thank you Cafe! I suppose we could always start another thread on vaccinations for some fireworks?</p>
<p>I love it too. I must be a drip!</p>
<p>I never visited the Politics forum, though I appreciated it being there, because there was a place to direct the political threads. Today it seems as though political threads are quickly closed down, which is fine with me, because I’m looking for intelligent and/or amusing conversation about anything other than politics. Perhaps the CC forum was different, but IME there’s almost never any benefit to a political conversation - people on each side simply reiterate their own beliefs, often becoming progressively louder with every exchange.</p>
<p>Wasn’t someone going to organize a politics forum for CCers on an invitation-only basis? Maybe someone can direct the organizer to this thread, and he or she can include the folks who miss the political talk?</p>
<p>I had lately started to try to avoid the politics forum, not always successfully. I have less and less stomach for contentiousness as I get older, which surprises me somewhat, as I have the same ability to hold (overly) strong opinions as ever.</p>
<p>If there is an invitation only board, I didn’t get one. I’m guessing it’s because I used to be a moderator, but who knows? Probably better for me not to get back into it.</p>
<p>PC seems the same as always. I great place to collect info, and some good conversation; I especially like the books threads.</p>
<p>“It like hanging out with your girlfriends chatting; good old fashion fun!”</p>
<p>The election and politics forum had a lot more men; the cafe tends to be overwhelmingly female, which is great if you prefer emotion to logic, and like every sentence to end with an exclamation mark.</p>
<p>I am especially amazed by the threads in which the OP shares some heart-wrenching story (cat died, parent has cancer, kid’s classmates killed in accident, etc.), and most subsequent posters seem to be competing to express the most sympathy. I keep asking myself, “Don’t they realize that condolences from someone they’ve never even met are of negligible comfort?”</p>
<p>Ok, commence male-bashing.</p>
<p>Essentially a wimp, I never felt all that skilled at the debate on the political threads. However I think that the lack of venues and skills in political discourse are rather a sad feature of the USA. The ability to discuss, and hash out details of political matters are part of democracy, though unfortunately, people tend to be so polarized that discussions tend toward rancor too easily these days. My impression is that in other countries some of this debate is relished, and part of the game of interaction, less an alienating experience.</p>
<p>On my mind this AM, after reading this on my Ds French semester abroad blog regarding visiting a French family in Paris.</p>
<p>“We spent a lot of time just talking with them, and I love how French people will tell you their opinions on politics and whatever else so freely. Conversations here are so much deeper and thought-provoking than most of the conversations I have in the US.”</p>