Code of Conduct Update: Be Awesome

Well said and greatly appreciated. There are plenty of other places for those conversations. Having a place where we can leave that behind makes BeerAdvocate a unique and welcome experience.

Thank you.

 

A rule that is kinda difficult to monitor, though, isn't it? Just looking at the most recent "Beer News" threads, the closing of unionized Anchor plus the attempt by workers to buy the brewery, the "Ultra Right Beer" thread (of which, IIRC, there were two other threads on the topic), the 2 "Biden's alcohol czar" threads, 2 labor related threads (Leinenkugel strike, Teamsters voted in at Elysian) and the thread on the National Black Brewers Association - they're all "political" in the broader sense.

By some industry criteria, Bud Light has been replaced by the Mexican import, Modelo Especial, as the #1 beer in the US (dollar sales). But AB-InBev owns Grupo Modelo and has the rights for the beer worldwide except for the US - because of anti-trust laws in the US and the agreement between the US DoJ, AB-InBev and Constellation. Can't get more political than that (well, you can but... you know). Oh, yeah, and there was also this boycott ...

Topics like licensing and other alcohol regulations on the local, state and Federal level are all political at their root. Talk US brewing history and Prohibition will come up.

And how does one discuss the situation in the Trappist brewing industry and the lack of monks to oversee their facilities without mentioning religion?

 

I understand and appreciate the spirit behind this rule, and I know this is your world, @Todd, and we are just living in it—but I have to agree with @jesskidden as a practical matter. (And I’m well aware that I’m a serial offender of the “no politics” rule, despite my best efforts—not that this is any kind of excuse, but BA is the only social media I participate in, so it’s currently my only online outlet to exchange these kinds of thoughts and views; I’ve never been interested in joining any of the “big” social media platforms, so I really don’t know what other options are out there.)

I know many people will disagree with this, but I’ve found the political discussions to have been some if the most thought-provoking threads on BA. I think the problem starts when people stop being respectful and civil, which is reflective of the political dynamics outside of BA these days. And I’m afraid that’s only going to get worse in the next few years.

Anyway, I for one will try to comply. I’m just not sure how we completely divorce politics from beer when politics basically permeates every aspect of life to some degree, whether we like it or not. I think some of us just view things more through a political lens, based probably on what we read, watch, and listen to, and it’s hard to screen out that way of thinking in our conversations, even on matters that aren’t directly political.

 

Not much to add to the above responses, except, yes, this is really tough to enforce in a practical way. Even saying "no politics" is a political move. Both religion and politics are too intertwined with many people's everyday identities to prohibit them completely. Over the past few years, some of the most interesting discussions here have been those mentioned above, or the beer #MeToo moment, or the Bud Light trans debacle. We're really not going to talk about those things anymore?

 

This is welcome news.

Thank you Todd and to the entire Moderation Team for keeping this a welcoming place to enjoy beer discussions and share beer experiences with our community.

 

What if beer is your religion?

 

Thanks, Todd. I hate politics and would like to avoid it here. Even the threads @jesskidden mentioned are threads I avoid and won't read because of the politics. I know there are places where beer and politics intersect, but I won't be reading any comments about them from BA'ers.

 

So if you can easily identify and avoid threads where the (very many) political dimensions and implications of beer and brewing are discussed, why does there need to be a rule banning those discussions?

Users who don't want to talk about politics can avoid threads where they pop up. Banning all such discussion is impractical and will strip these forums of many otherwise informative conversations. Under this rule, would discussing accusations of sexual misconduct against a major pioneer in the brewing industry be prohibited? Would we be barred from talking about how corporate consolidation is affecting the availability and distribution of beers we have enjoyed for years or decades? Both conversations are necessarily political.

If the answer to those is yes, then this place is going to lose a lot of its value.

 

I agree with pretty much everything you’ve said. But I’m also going to give @Todd and the mods the benefit of the doubt here. They have to manage all the conversations and constantly steer things in a direction that is friendly and welcoming to beer lovers of all stripes, from every corner of the globe (but, let’s face it, probably mostly North America and Europe). I assume they considered the likelihood that, for some, this decision will detract from what makes BA an engaging site, and they are willing to take that chance. It’s a balancing act to be sure.

Maybe some of us will find ourselves coming here less often if the discussions are only about piston vs. gravity dispense (gawd, I’m so lost in that thread, I don’t even know where to start). I genuinely don’t know of a discussion-based site like BA that is focused on current events, politics, etc., but that’s probably just my own ignorance.

But the main thing for me is, when I get together with friends for beers, these are the kinds of things we usually end up talking about—politics, news, current events. And it’s always respectful. So it seems natural to extend that to my online beer-drinking life too. I guess we will see how it goes.

 

Then may Molson-Coors have mercy on your soul…

 

How is everyone going to know that I'm right and they're wrong?

I think this is a good idea. I'm on another site where they banned politics. Civility can go downhill real fast when politics is brought up, it has become an incredibly divisive subject.

 

Hey, nobody mentioned devil worship.

 

Like others, I’d like some clarification on how you’re defining “politics.” Is it just a prohibition on discussing elections? Or is it a broader prohibition on all “political” discussion — calling out sexist brewery owners, debating brewery strikes, talking about proposed aluminum tariffs, etc?

 

Well, this place just got a helluva lot more boring.

 

Seems reasonable, I always appreciate your flexibility

 

Seems like a good compromise.

 

If I might offer a perspective with the best intentions and utmost respect, perhaps a solid start would be for BA itself to end the posting of obviously divisive news articles for open comment. In the past several years, the site has posted stories that hit on the most polarized subjects going. All sides think they are correct in their views - so let the bludgeoning begin. This doesn't seem to be a place where minds can be changed, but only where opinions can be expressed. They always devolve into rhetoric and insults to others' world view.

Successful social groups adhere to the rule of "don't discuss politics, religion, sex, or money in mixed company." We have a world-class social group, let's act like it.