MFP fail

TeeDeezy

I love how we can have a conversation about rating the person from the previous post on a hotness scale from 1-10, but we can't have a logical conversation about childhood obesity (which is a major problem facing this country) without MFP deleting it and modding it out.

It seems the mods answer to any post that gets people stirred up and forces them to consider why we are by FAAAAR the most obese country in the world, is to delete it (i.e. sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened). As a site that supposedly supports good dieting and responsible eating habits, I find that very disappointing.

TooTatToTrot

I think the mods delete/lock it because people get rude as hell for no apparent reason. Having a logical conversation is one thing, but when people can't get their point across without being rude, then that's when they get deleted.

rentrikin

It is a huge problem. it is not wonder, do you even see kids outside anymore?? (evil video games) When I was a kid and when my children were young.. we were outside from the time we got out of school until it was dark.. We were moving: running, riding bikes etc.. We are rearing kids to sit in front of the TV and eat fast food. No wonder there is a problem.

126siany

I think the mods delete/lock it because people get rude as hell for no apparent reason. Having a logical conversation is one thing, but when people can't get their point across without being rude, then that's when they get deleted.

This^^

oOMusicBabii

I love how we can have a conversation about rating the person from the previous post on a hotness scale from 1-10, but we can't have a logical conversation about childhood obesity (which is a major problem facing this country) without MFP deleting it and modding it out.

The problem is the manner in which these topics come up...they are not set up as nice, logical conversations to be had amongst people and what can and should be done to change it. They usually start in a condescending tone and become rude and aggressive very quickly between all parties and mods shut them down.

rompers16

I believe it was more about the way it was presented and the fallout that occurred from that. I think if the OP would have just started a conversation like "What do you think we could do as parents to help prevent obesity?" it would have been much better received.

Tickateeboo

It is a huge problem. it is not wonder, do you even see kids outside anymore?? (evil video games) When I was a kid and when my children were young.. we were outside from the time we got out of school until it was dark.. We were moving: running, riding bikes etc.. We are rearing kids to sit in front of the TV and eat fast food. No wonder there is a problem.

Hi,

Yes, I agree. I think there is a certain paranoia now amongst parents (correct me if I'm wrong, as I am not one) that there's murderers and kidnappers around every corner.

As for the food thing, I saw a young lad last year about 11 - 12 yrs old eating an apple walking down the street. What surprised me the most was my shocked reaction. Never see that now.

AJ_Pete

Ahhhhh, the trilogy is complete.

taunto

The mods have respected debates over many difficult topics. They even respected a topic where the mods themselves were getting bashed. The key isn't the debate, the key is keeping the debate civilized which is clearly hard thing to do over the intenet

rprussell2004

I would chalk this up to the prevailing mode of debate in the good ol You-Ess of Ay being a verbal form of "I will stomp on your neck until you stop disagreeing with me."

Also: treating any form of disagreement as a personal attack.

SheRa1964

What a great topic of discussion!

erickirb

It seems the mods answer to any post that gets people stirred up and forces them to consider why we are by FAAAAR the most obese country in the world, is to delete it (i.e. sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened). As a site that supposedly supports good dieting and responsible eating habits, I find that very disappointing.

Not sure you realize but there are dozens of countries represented on MFP, so what do you mean by "we are by FAAAAR the most obese country ..."?

AquaFitQueen

I love how we can have a conversation about rating the person from the previous post on a hotness scale from 1-10, but we can't have a logical conversation about childhood obesity (which is a major problem facing this country) without MFP deleting it and modding it out.

The problem is the manner in which these topics come up...they are not set up as nice, logical conversations to be had amongst people and what can and should be done to change it. They usually start in a condescending tone and become rude and aggressive very quickly between all parties and mods shut them down.

^This. I have never seen an un-biased topic created on childhood obesity and un-biased is how it should begin as it IS a real and huge problem, but people bring morality and their own judgements into the topic.

bradphil87

I love how we can have a conversation about rating the person from the previous post on a hotness scale from 1-10, but we can't have a logical conversation about childhood obesity (which is a major problem facing this country) without MFP deleting it and modding it out.

It seems the mods answer to any post that gets people stirred up and forces them to consider why we are by FAAAAR the most obese country in the world, is to delete it (i.e. sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened). As a site that supposedly supports good dieting and responsible eating habits, I find that very disappointing.

Actully not by that far now, England is catching up rapidly. But I agree, I herd on the news a few weeks ago that for the first time in history this generations life expectancy is lower that that of their parents....that's so crazy. And sad.

DonniesGirl69

I believe it was more about the way it was presented and the fallout that occurred from that. I think if the OP would have just started a conversation like "What do you think we could do as parents to help prevent obesity?" it would have been much better received.

Precisely. Also, people tend to attack when an opinion is offered that differs from theirs. (Finger pointing firmly at myself, even, as I know I tend to get riled up easily.)

Even if they start out as rational, logical conversations, they rarely continue along that path.

JLand918

It is a massive problem today with so much of it being about litigation and legal issues, parents are less likely to sue the makers of Xbox for making their kids fat and lazy, but if their kid goes outside to a local skate/bike park and gets hurt then here comes the lawsuits. We as a society are the reason kids are fat today. Let them be kids make them go outside, they get hurt big deal it will heal.

TNFirefly

It is a huge problem. it is not wonder, do you even see kids outside anymore?? (evil video games) When I was a kid and when my children were young.. we were outside from the time we got out of school until it was dark.. We were moving: running, riding bikes etc.. We are rearing kids to sit in front of the TV and eat fast food. No wonder there is a problem.

I agree that this is the biggest issue. The problem is safety, though. My youngest daughter is 9. Having been molested repeatedly as a young child, I don't feel safe letting my daughter out for long periods of time. My parents have no idea what happened to me while I was outside from time I got home from school till the street lights came on. I think I would have played more video games if my police officer father had any idea.

So we went from the evil we know to the evil we didn't know. My kids are all obese. I hate that. It haunts me. It is part of why I am working so hard to get better, so that they know what it takes and know it can be done.

blueroses_78

It is a huge problem. it is not wonder, do you even see kids outside anymore?? (evil video games) When I was a kid and when my children were young.. we were outside from the time we got out of school until it was dark.. We were moving: running, riding bikes etc.. We are rearing kids to sit in front of the TV and eat fast food. No wonder there is a problem.

Well, consider that a lot of parents are terrified of their neighbors. They don't let their kids out of their sight because they are afraid of something happening (thanks a lot TV and media for making the neighbors out to be perverts), and unfortunately, not every child is lucky enough to have one parents be at home and able to make healthy foods. A lot of the kids, especially the poor kids, get shafted because all their family can afford is cheap food that isn't very healthy. Schools cut the phys ed programs first, and some kids have to work after school (when they are legally able to) in order to save for college or help at home.

So many things factor into the childhood obesity debate, and people get heated because they assume that one person is talking trash about their ability to parent, and others think that the parents are just 'lazy' and it descends into childish name calling and personal attacks. That's why there is no discussion about it.

3foldchord

it wasn't a logical conversation. it was out of hand, judgemental, and rude, all the way around. A logical discusssion would be more like "here are some problems in general and thinggs that can be done to fix them."
not "point fingers at one particular family and judge them or judge the judger."

FTIM2015

I agree. The UK is as bad for overweight kids. Whe I was little we were lucky enough to have horses so every everning and weekend was spent with them, either riding, muck clearing, grooming, etc.

Great as it'd be for kids to be out playing, sadly it really isn't safe a lot of the time. OH's 'step' daughter (long story!) is 10 and although she lives in a very quiet cornish village I'd hate to think that she and her friends were being allowed to play out unsupervised given what the minority of the population can be like, I don't want to see her come to harm, ditto his son when he is a little older (3 and a total terror!).

There are few play parks around, or social clubs for kids to go to and learn to socialise rather than attaching themselves to video games or the TV.

bonniecarbs

Some of the rude answers go on and on and on. Its none of my business but the posts that say "rate the person on a hotness scale", personally I dont like because everyone isn't "hot" in the eyes of people who really think they are "hot". I'd rather read about childhood obesity any day.

jimmeezwyf

I love how we can have a conversation about rating the person from the previous post on a hotness scale from 1-10, but we can't have a logical conversation about childhood obesity (which is a major problem facing this country) without MFP deleting it and modding it out.

It seems the mods answer to any post that gets people stirred up and forces them to consider why we are by FAAAAR the most obese country in the world, is to delete it (i.e. sweep it under the rug and pretend it never happened). As a site that supposedly supports good dieting and responsible eating habits, I find that very disappointing.

People get extremely defensive about their kids even when they are wrong. People don't want to hear they are screwing up their kids health by feeding them garbage so you will be attacked. It's the lack of accountability and responsibility they are willing to take for their children's health. America has become a place where the majority of people like to point fingers and deny any responsibility for their actions. Everybody can do what they want, but as for me and my children, they deserve the best of this life God has given them. I refuse to feed my children garbage, because then yes, I would be responsible for any health issues that may arise and I would rather accept that fact than live in denial as I feed them crap that will eventually lead to diseases that will possibly make them ill. I care about my kids and their future period. Nothing will stop me from giving them the best. If people have a problem with that then that's their problem...

TeeDeezy

Possibly. But, couldn't they just mod out the rude posts? I guess that involves more work, but seems like a better solution to me. It's just frustrating when I see people discussing such an important issue that is so relevant to the purpose of this site, and it just vanishes like nothing ever happened. It's like the epitome of the phrase "Move along, nothing to see here."

I'll be honest, I've seen many people around me make terrible, terrible choices in diet and basically destroy their kids. I have children in my family that are so severely overweight that they are at an incredible risk of health related problems. And, I've watched their parents, grandparents, etc... feed them copious amounts of sugars and calories with no thought or regard of what their doing to their own children. I just can't understand how you can look your child in the eye at 10 years old and 165 lbs. while handing them a bag of chips and a Dr. Pepper and not know that you're doing something very, very bad. And, I can't understand how you can then condemn someone when they actually have the guts to stand up and say so.

Granted, the conversations could have been more constructive. But, emotion can often spark change.

DonniesGirl69

Many parents now are a bit over protective, I think, and that seems to play some role in the decreased activity of children as a whole, but my own daughter rarely goes outside and plays anymore and it's nothing to do with video games. She's a reader and a singer....those are the things she enjoys doing. It's not as if I can say "Reading is bad for you."

When she was younger, however, she was more active. I'm NOT one of those over protective parents. She never owned knee or elbow pad, a bike helmet, our yard wasn't fenced in and I certainly didn't go outside to "watch" her play. She played like I played as a child....unsupervised and she just knew to come inside before the streetlights came on.

WickedBean

The threads get locked/deleted because of all the douchefaces on here that get heated and butt hurt because someone doesn't like what someone else says and then they report the post. If everyone would stop wearing their effin douchepants and realize that some of the threads are not attacking threads but more debatable threads where people just want to talk about important pressing matters the threads wouldnt get locked or deleted.

Personally I stick within the group forums for the most part because these forums usually end up with me getting in trouble - there is a debating group if that is what you want.

So in short... its not exactly the mods fault - well it is because 9 times out of 10 I am sure they don't actually read the threads they just go "Oh ... post reported... delete/lock" ... but its really the whiney cry baby people who interpret the thread to be attacking and mean... it is also the reason we end up with 150 posts a day about how mean everyone is on this site.

SheRa1964

Really? I think the rate the hotness is just for fun and most people get rated by their eyes and smile. I think it's fun.

RainHoward

It's already been said a couple times, it's not the subject that is the issue, it's the nature of the conversation and comments that result. I have read some of the silliest threads on MFP that degenerate into verbal boxing matches (or urinating contests if you will) between a handful of members trying to convince everyone that they are the only one with a viable opinion. It's really rather disturbing and in all honesty I at time wish the mods would nuke more threads than they do.

Birdie

It is a huge problem. it is not wonder, do you even see kids outside anymore?? (evil video games) When I was a kid and when my children were young.. we were outside from the time we got out of school until it was dark.. We were moving: running, riding bikes etc.. We are rearing kids to sit in front of the TV and eat fast food. No wonder there is a problem.

I don't think it's the video games. It's the world we live in. My child can not go out in this neighborhood and play safely like we did as children. The school keeps them in because even out at recess they are in danger of getting hit by a random bullet. Kids go missing here all the time. It's not safe to play outside and not everyone can afford extra activities like karate or dance classes. I wish we lived in 'leave it to beaver' land, but we don't.

Birdie

It's already been said a couple times, it's not the subject that is the issue, it's the nature of the conversation and comments that result. I have read some of the silliest threads on MFP that degenerate into verbal boxing matches (or urinating contests if you will) between a handful of members trying to convince everyone that they are the only one with a viable opinion. It's really rather disturbing and in all honesty I at time wish the mods would nuke more threads than they do.

Maybe they should start deleting accounts instead of threads.

SheRa1964

My kid that was the gamer is skinny and the one that went outside to play got my metabolism. Also my great smile. LOL

WickedBean

It's already been said a couple times, it's not the subject that is the issue, it's the nature of the conversation and comments that result. I have read some of the silliest threads on MFP that degenerate into verbal boxing matches (or urinating contests if you will) between a handful of members trying to convince everyone that they are the only one with a viable opinion. It's really rather disturbing and in all honesty I at time wish the mods would nuke more threads than they do.

Maybe they should start deleting accounts instead of threads.

Or people could ignore the threads and not let them live when they get out of control... its pretty easy to walk away and not comment back (at least it is for me)