DougPhresh Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 We've all seen threads go rapidly downhill, so I was wondering if we could get general guidelines on: Clean Wehrmacht Clean SS Holocaust Denial Major Warcrimes denial Nazi/Imperial Japanese apologia I like this place and the community that has formed around it. I know, as most of you do that military history is itself often contentious and WW2 history in particular attracts certain types of people. I'd rather not have this go the way of the axishistory forums where whenever I want to look up a unit history I have to read past David Irving quotes at best, and outright Nazi propaganda at worst. I don't think this is an issue of "political correctness" I'd just rather not read about how unfair Nuremberg was when someone's Opa was fighting for Volk und Vaterland. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchy56 Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 Listen, Wehraboos and such are insufferable, sure, but god how boring WW2 forums would be if they weren't around... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 BF would establish guidelines and pretty much already has. Is there some particular recent thread that is causing you angst? In short this s**t won’t fly on this forum. Steve would bounce anyone for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 55 minutes ago, DougPhresh said: I don't think this is an issue of "political correctness" I'd just rather not read about how unfair Nuremberg was when someone's Opa was fighting for Volk und Vaterland. I got a telling off for posting images from Belsen, a mess that my family were directly involved in clearing up.....So I don't take too kindly at all to seeing videos of fascist f**ks pontificating about what a jolly rotten time they had on the eastern front, getting a free pass. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artkin Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 (edited) Its totally BF's right to deny discussion of politics/this content on here. It's a little disappointing though considering there are many bright individuals on here. I'm entirely content with transparent, uncensored discussion. However this is a forum for a game. It's pretty off topic. Then again I'm not making another account on some random dumb forum just to discuss these things. More than likely their opinions will already be biased one way or another. Mixed feelings. Edited June 15, 2019 by Artkin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinHarry Posted June 15, 2019 Share Posted June 15, 2019 If US, CW and russian warcrimes are concerned as well, I´m in. Oh... one moment....they didn´t do any (just a lil bit of "minor" ones, so it does not count at all). Forget about that. To hell with all those nasty german Nazi apologists, past, current and future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockinHarry Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 just in case it got missed by anybody. Nothing to add on that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artkin Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 None of us were born in WW2 era. To play off all these countries not committing war crimes is a joke. Doolittle raids? Nagasaki and Hiroshima? Please. I hope that's sarcasm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sequoia Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Another thread heading for a lock. @DougPhresh as you see those types of threads developing just ping someone at BF. Easier than trying to argue with someone. Just have Steve shut it down. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletpoint Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 I think all war crimes should be discussed openly, and I find interviews with the people involved interesting, no matter if they are with the SS or the crew of Enola Gay. The main point is - how do people explain to themselves that they did horrible things? But I've yet to find an interview with anyone admitting he was wrong, or expressing remorse. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 The policy, as such, has existed for a long time. Anybody trying to justify warcrimes, genocide, racial discrimination, etc. is just asking to get banned from this Forum and not just have a post locked up. Neo-fascism of any sort is a special source of irritation for people that aren't intellectually broken, so I don't see why the majority should have to put up with the extremes of defective Human thought. That's the easy part and I think we've been VERY consistent about that over the last 20+ years. Where things get tricky is the fine line between explanation and justification, discussion and promotion. In my view it is perfectly fine to point out that not everybody serving in uniform on behalf of Germany was a crazed mass murderer just as it is to point out that not everybody who served in the Allied forces was a poster child for everything good and wholesome. The reason is both positions, if stated properly and in context of some relevant topic, is factually correct. Trying to shut down someone making such a point falls on the bad side of censorship (i.e. Political Correctness). It is not possible to fully learn about and understand history if some facts are selectively excluded based on standards of a particular viewpoint. Do I have a problem with someone posting an interview with a WSS soldier talking about his experiences in combat, even if I don't feel they are fully accurate or representational. Listening to why an ardent Nazi felt justified in doing horrible things is also important to be exposed to, though not likely in this Forum. Can't defeat an enemy if you don't know how he thinks, right? Therefore, blocking a primary source just because someone doesn't like the broader organization he served in is a really, really, really bad way to study history. Really bad. All of that said, these Forums are here to discuss topics directly related to Combat Mission. The more a topic moves away from that focus, the more likely it is off topic and should be shut down. Doesn't matter if it's talking about why the Nazis were just good but misunderstood Christians or diving into the details of the inner workings of a 1966 Ford Mustang's engine in a thread talking about Mustang aircraft. Off topic is off topic. Separate, but related, is a type of behavior that is also explicitly a no-no on this Forum... and that is what we call "axe grinding". Someone who shows a clear pattern of breaking Forum rules in order to push an agenda is just asking for banishment. Whether it's regurgitating revisionist/neo-Nazi talking points or someone who just won't let it go that Combat Mission doesn't simulate the differences in Fatigue levels due to style of boot worn, it's boorishness at best and a deliberate distraction at worse. We all have better things to read than the same people harping on the same tired talking points over and over again. Finally, there is an inherent problem with talking about genocide, war crimes, and other things on this Forum in that they can never be anything other than off topic right from the start. As with all discussions, a bit of off topic discussion can be acceptable, but if it starts to go down the paths such discussions usually take, then a thread padlock is the least that should happen. Hopefully that clears things up. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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