I am still very active in the outdoors and value this forum very much. While I may not post a great deal, and sometimes it is only a brief response or a weak attempt at humor, I read daily and I have learned much from the discussions.

I too like Ken K's comment. Discussion should not be stifled. That being said, there are different areas for different types of discussions and this seems to work for me. I value the very objective and qualitative nature of Aksar's posts, and the experience from other members. Different perspectives are valuable.

There are times, although it is minimal on this forum, when people do discuss things without being critical or checking their facts. That is human nature and I don't think it can be avoided completely.

I for one would miss this forum greatly if it were not available.

Montanero saved me a lot of typing,thats my response to all this word for word.

Communities change. This one certainly has. I find that I have largely pulled back from it. But why is that?

I think this forum was at its finest when most of the members shared an overarching common cause. We were on a mission to educate and encourage others to develop knowledge and skills in wilderness safety/survival, disaster preparedness, and general self-sufficiency.

To achieve that, we had to have a "big tent" mentality. The forum had to be open and welcoming to everyone. We were opening the door for people who would be instantly turned off by the typical nutbar rubbish in most "survivalist" forums. And that meant the way we communicated (civil and respectful tone) was as important as the content -- it signalled that this was a place where reasonable people could discuss these topics in a rational manner.

The moderators got involved, certainly, when threads went off the rails. But with most community members on board with the common purpose, there was often self-correcting feedback when posts and threads strayed from the high road. We all recognized that the tone was at least 50% of the message.

So, from that point of view, it doesn't work to say "ignore the threads you don't like." A few toxic threads, with insults, baiting, political undertones, and an "us-vs-them" mentality, taint the entire well. Every post on every thread either opens the door or slams it shut.

My 2c.