Call it a meta discussion if you want. Isn't meta discussion part of the "slippery slope" you are trying to avoid by allowing no discussion on your site? I think most people can see the double standard apparent in not allowing discussion in your backyard but participating in discussion in someone else's, call it what you will.
There have been discussions about e-bikes on the crazyguyonabike forums. I don't automatically shut them down, but I do generally re-state my policy that the site is for non-motorized bicycles only.
Well, what would be the point of having any discussion (meta or otherwise) if the end result is that you have already made a decision to not allow discussion. What kind of discussion would that be? Again, it's one of those things you say which sounds good until one really thinks about it. Then it sounds like window dressing to mask the plain fact that you come from one site that does not allow discussion to another that does so you can discuss the subject.
You could go into the most logic filled, meta inspired, computer programmer designed argument you want but you can't avoid the fact that you are having it here.. on Bike Forums and not on your own website. That speaks volumes.
"...especially if a debate arises where people with a point of view that mirrors my own are being labeled as trolls and asked to leave the room."
No one was asked to leave the room. Only one poster (Big Aura) was addressed by a Mod and then simply asked to not tell other people to leave the room. Funny eh? It would seem those that mirror your POV do so by trying to silence discussion. I could multi quote the examples but anyone can see the whole thing unaltered on Pages one and two.
I stated that I hoped, when the time came, that the mods would only lock out the poster who was blatantly trolling instead of locking the whole thread which would, in effect, achieve his overall goal. It appears the mods did not intervene and let the discussion develop. The fact that there have been 197 posts on the subject only speaks to the credit that BF so far is a place that allows discussion - by both sides. If you had your way, it would not be.
Last edited by Happy Feet; 07-18-16 at 04:24 PM.