Calm down everyone..take a deep breath and chill....
It seems that from one particular post, some members feel offended, and that this kind of content be removed, yet other's feel the need to post for freedom of speech, and the fact it happened in their home country maybe. The various people involved, who have been accused of being bully's or part of the witch hunt have vented their frustrations within the forum, to maybe get a reaction. People do these things in anger, and I ask that you take a deep breath for a minute. Every year there is a committee meeting, where all of you have the option of becoming a committee member , and pushing the club forward or making changes. But over the past 16 years there has been very little change in the committee, people come and go, some offer more than others in terms of content, and maybe they feel their contribution allows them to be right in their views I am on the fence as an observer, So lets be realistic here. What brings people from different creeds, backgrounds, colour, religion or political stance together..ONE CAR !.. Last year I went to Germany to visit a factory of a company that we are agents of, there were 6 of us, Me a Brit, a Pilipino, Japanese, Danish, Lebanese and a Australian. As I walked down the street with all of them we all had a common interest, these machines we were selling. It then dawned on me that we were all from different cultures and religious backgrounds, yet we were all sharing our thoughts about these machines, having a laugh and joke. I then thought if ordinary people can get on like we all were, on our way to have a meal, why the xxxx can't the world just all get on. Over the two days we all chatted about ourselves and the market we were selling in. but neither having an opinion on the other. If we did or got into the nitty gritty on other topics, maybe a debate would developed and we may have started arguing about human rights, politics or whatever. Whilst the atrocities in France were bad, this shit happens everywhere on a daily basis, so does it warrant a post every time something happens ? If I posted stuff about people being shot here in Bahrain, who would actually give a xxxx !..no , because it doesn't affect you. So does a post Je sues charlie need to be posted on the GWOA...not really, but I chose to ignore it and look elsewhere, am I bothered that someone belongs to some anti monarch forum that spews anti royalism..nope it doesn't bother me at all, everyone has an opinion, but do we need to know about it, what reason is there to advertise this is your belief ?...support ? to encourage others to follow suit ?. Thats how ISIS started. I'm pretty sure if there was a member on here that had the ISIS flag in his signature you would all kick up a stink, this is also freedom of expression and speech, but I bet there would be more opposition to this member than any other. So how far does freedom of speech and expression go within the club ?..and who determines what is Ok within the club ? I'm my opinion, the GWOA is for topics on G wagons and the politics outside the G Wagen arena should be expressed elsewhere, but because most of you are familiar which each other, friends then maybe you feel comfortable in making it a "social network" site to express your thoughts, and others will reply by saying i agree..but then one member might say.. I am a muslim and I feel Mohammed should not be made a cartoon character...so what next..a whole can of worms and abuse would follow..and here we have the proof why its better to keep that stuff elsewhere. To call someone a pathetic bully is uncalled for, and the subsequent resignation, along with members wanting to leave, and saying this publicly has only shown to other members that this club is full people that can't be grown up about this, that things can't be resolved off the forum, its got way out of hand. However, if it takes these comments to make the committee to listen, then is it a bad thing ? Let this be a lesson for the future, keep the GWOA close, give advice, encourage people to the club, keep members that give useful info and at least listen..instead of defending a friends comments when the bigger picture needs to be adhered to for all members, and not just the core ones, to prevent such instances such as these. Its a forum about a car we all have a common interest in..I don't wanna know if you are an alcoholic and believe in child sex, that don't cure my window screen leak !
But it's amazing even aft this couple of weeks of brewing, that the admin havn't come online and drawn a line in the sand.
As you say, this is a G forum, so maybe there should be NO association with clubs/beliefs/religions or whatever at the bottom of peoples posts.
Ian, comparing a group that is anti monarchy and ISIS is ludicrous, and a wee bit offensive. However I am not easily offended so I'll just put it down to you being yourself. Most of what you have written is valid and eminently sensible, the problem though is that everything in life is political with a small p and none of us can do anything about it, nor can we prevent it creeping into debates.
Religion and politics creep in too though most subject focused forums do try to limit their effect and have rules relating to racism, sexism or other personally abusive behaviors. I belief the outrage against my link to republic is phony, why would a proud Irishman like Eddie be offended, what interest is it to Axel a Dutchman, none at all would be my best guess, nor is the organisation party political, it has members from all political parties. The reason why its been raised though is definitely political with a small p, There are people on this forum running businesses that promote diesel conversions, I am not hostile to this as such, but I have some concerns that they are using the forum to promote their work, especially if they themselves are also Committee members. Placing an advert promoting a business side by side with being a Committee member implies endorsement by the GWOA this poses risks, probably not significant risk but a risk non the less should a dissatisfied customer decide that they went to this business because of what they saw on this website. Even a small legal bill could destroy this organisation.
Axel is Dutch ?
if I'm wrong my apologies to Axel,
As you well know I have had that moniker at the end of my posts as long as you have had your offensive message on yours. I suggest you read my post again, I have criticized no one nor have I complained about anyone either up front or behind peoples backs, all I have drawn attention to is "potential" risk. Just accept that you are incorrect on this as you are on so much else
I agree with Peter's post generally and with the "take a breath and chill" specifically; after all "Je Suis Charlie" is about tolerance (and not about politics).
As I said in another post... maybe the sensible thing, would be for NO links in peoples threads, unless it's G or mechanical or MB related.
Yes, you might complain it quashes your "freedom of speech"... tough, get over it. How about our freedom of not wanting to read it?
don't click it, you don't have to read it, its been there far longer than you've been a member, I find your flag offensive, it implies UKIP or BNP or Britain First, is that where you are coming from?
agree with you jim, i really do not want to pay 25 pounds a year to read someone elses political b/s.
this is a mercedes g wagen forum for g wagen owners to discuss g wagens - it is not some sort of free for all .
clubgwagen do not allow anything other than g wagen related chat and business and you never hear anyone bleating about freedom of speech or suchlike and that is an american based site / land of the free etc etc.
So does your disparaging remark about people you call tree huggers, your real problem is that you are not equipped to argue on the subject
ian...remember when we had that day out with the boys and mark scoffed most of the dolmas !! :))) i remember a member at the time coming up to me and saying..." hey, i thought you werent mates with ian?? you guys are always digging each other.." i said " no way man....ian is a blinding geezer ! we love a qaurrel, and yer hes english, but hes still a nice bloke...hahahaha...! "
i go along with what ian says, i am a practising muslim. proud of it too. but not extreme. i ignore critics on religion and even the imam at the mosque if i think hes talking crap..!
two wrongs dont make a right...we can all make mistakes. and im sure i do too. but the signature below my threads means alot.
i truely believe that personal stuff should be kept personal. or pm the shit out of each other if you want to. but dont do it here. its a shame...i miss the good times we had on the forum. and the members that have left us, like tim , and bill and many more.
admin and commitee should act a bit quicker. and be very strict on certain discussions.
i personally would like to see eddie back on board. and i dont want to prwales to be offended by ian's points. and i dont believe fred made a mistake putting up that post either..lets just all be helpful and calm in our actions.
may ALLAH keep us on the right path and protect us from evil.
WHERE THERES A WILL THERES A WAY...
rgds hus
don't click it, you don't have to read it, its been there far longer than you've been a member, I find your flag offensive, it implies UKIP or BNP or Britain First, is that where you are coming from?
this is a forum created and managed for g wagen owners / this political /pedantic material has no place on a small car club forum .
i really think you are showing yourself up as being obsessive and more importantly embarrassing those who have chosen to support you in this frankly ridiculous demonstration of proving how you have the absolute right to promote your personal beliefs on a (i repeat) small car club forum.
do you really believe any of the g wagen enthusiasts who frequent this forum are a willing audience for this ???
are you really advancing your causes by doing this on a (i repeat) small car club forum?
take your politics and related links to the appropriate forums that are better placed to 'air' your points of view because this is as i repeat for the last time this is a small car club forum not 'speakers corner' .
not many of the members want to pay £25 a year to read content like this on a g wagen forum - they come here for as the gentleman on a nearby post pointed out help and advice with owning and running their pride and joy g wagen they i feel sure are not wanting to know your opinion on the honesty of the uk police force or how the royal family should be removed .
sadly you seem unable to grasp the point and as you said- you refuse to remove your link and as you are backed up by the committee hence it is very likely you will haunt us all with your politics forever more .
what a nause.
Saw this
Thanks Huss your comments are the only sensible one put forward on this thread.
Ian has always laid claim to being the rudest person on the forum, what he has shown is that he can dish it our but can't take it.
Axel your comments border on the intemperate, this is not a political thread, if you want to discuss your beliefs post a dedicated thread and I'll happily accommodate you, if you find the situation so unbearable, just leave, I for one won't miss your boring and never ending self promotion
Thanks Huss your comments are the only sensible one put forward on this thread.
Ian has always laid claim to being the rudest person on the forum, what he has shown is that he can dish it our but can't take it.
Axel your comments border on the intemperate, this is not a political thread, if you want to discuss your beliefs post a dedicated thread and I'll happily accommodate you, if you find the situation so unbearable, just leave, I for one won't miss your boring and never ending self promotion
hmmm.....
i sense a hurricane coming....
:(
3 feet of snow expected today and tomorrow on East coast of America.
Perfect weather for a G.
don't click it, you don't have to read it, its been there far longer than you've been a member, I find your flag offensive, it implies UKIP or BNP or Britain First, is that where you are coming from?
this is a forum created and managed for g wagen owners / this political /pedantic material has no place on a small car club forum .
i really think you are showing yourself up as being obsessive and more importantly embarrassing those who have chosen to support you in this frankly ridiculous demonstration of proving how you have the absolute right to promote your personal beliefs on a (i repeat) small car club forum.
do you really believe any of the g wagen enthusiasts who frequent this forum are a willing audience for this ???
are you really advancing your causes by doing this on a (i repeat) small car club forum?
take your politics and related links to the appropriate forums that are better placed to 'air' your points of view because this is as i repeat for the last time this is a small car club forum not 'speakers corner' .
not many of the members want to pay £25 a year to read content like this on a g wagen forum - they come here for as the gentleman on a nearby post pointed out help and advice with owning and running their pride and joy g wagen they i feel sure are not wanting to know your opinion on the honesty of the uk police force or how the royal family should be removed .
sadly you seem unable to grasp the point and as you said- you refuse to remove your link and as you are backed up by the committee hence it is very likely you will haunt us all with your politics forever more .
what a nause.
common decency prevents me from entering into further comment apon this member 'prwales'
i hope i speak for the majority of gwoa forum and 'red banner' full members when i ask the committee to make a rapid but workable change to club rules so there is no repeat of this disgraceful episode ever again ,the rule changes will make it straight forward and easy for a moderator to be able to stop any attempt to make political or religious posts on this g wagen forum.
i personally do not want to read political or religious threads on a g wagen forum and i hope you feel the same.
Could not agree more and just feel very sad that it has come to this, but inaction in any shape or form was never going to solve the problem as was painfully discovered
+1
common decency prevents me from entering into further comment apon this member 'prwales'
i hope i speak for the majority of gwoa forum and 'red banner' full members when i ask the committee to make a rapid but workable change to club rules so there is no repeat of this disgraceful episode ever again ,the rule changes will make it straight forward and easy for a moderator to be able to stop any attempt to make political or religious posts on this g wagen forum.
i personally do not want to read political or religious threads on a g wagen forum and i hope you feel the same.
Mike
I find it quite ironic that you now want to be seen as the voice of reason when it was you and your obvious dislike of prwales that started all of this nonsense off in the first place.
Unfortunately because some of your supporters on the committee decided to selectively release information onto the forum when they were not getting their own way GWOA members are now left wondering what is going on or are making assumptions with out being in possession of all the facts.
A proposal is being put to the remaining committee members to amend the written terms and conditions of the forum so that political or religious posts and links will no longer be allowed. This is the correct and fair way to make changes to the way the forum is moderated.
The principal behind the moderation of this club forum is that the moderators must act in a fair and even handed way guided by the written terms and conditions that every one has to agree to when they sign up. They should not be called upon to censure a member simply because that person may have a different opinion to the rest of us. I am sure that is the only way the GWOA membership would want the forum to be run.
Doug.
Doug.
common decency prevents me from entering into further comment apon this member 'prwales'
i hope i speak for the majority of gwoa forum and 'red banner' full members when i ask the committee to make a rapid but workable change to club rules so there is no repeat of this disgraceful episode ever again ,the rule changes will make it straight forward and easy for a moderator to be able to stop any attempt to make political or religious posts on this g wagen forum.
i personally do not want to read political or religious threads on a g wagen forum and i hope you feel the same.
Mike
I find it quite ironic that you now want to be seen as the voice of reason when it was you and your obvious dislike of prwales that started all of this nonsense off in the first place.
Unfortunately because some of your supporters on the committee decided to selectively release information onto the forum when they were not getting their own way GWOA members are now left wondering what is going on or are making assumptions with out being in possession of all the facts.
A proposal is being put to the remaining committee members to amend the written terms and conditions of the forum so that political or religious posts and links will no longer be allowed. This is the correct and fair way to make changes to the way the forum is moderated.
The principal behind the moderation of this club forum is that the moderators must act in a fair and even handed way guided by the written terms and conditions that every one has to agree to when they sign up. They should not be called upon to censure a member simply because that person may have a different opinion to the rest of us. I am sure that is the only way the GWOA membership would want the forum to be run.
Doug.
Doug.
Thinking of the bigger picture, discounting personal and emotional feelings etc, I think this is good start and as a relatively long standing member, and has my support in trying to fix whatever has gone wrong to date.
Spider1V
Axel,
As a fellow member of the Tuffty and Spectre club, no one is blaming you, all I see is that the remaining committee members are trying to clear up the hotch-potch over the recent weeks. Now there is a space for a new southern rep, why not apply? It would be a great addition to both the technical help as well the the great work you have done helping members not get ripped off by 'dodgy dealers' (current count is 8 in the last 9 months alone!).
Would allow some good input to the GWOA for the future.
Spider1V
Mike
I think you can at least admit you didn't like prwales or what he had to say, you have already said as much in your other posts.
Yours was the only complaint about the link in his tagline in the seven years he has had it. It was only after the moderators didn't support your complaint that all this kicked off.
Lots of people didn't like him or what he said but as long as he stayed within the rules he was entitled to his opinions. The forums has survived for 16 years without the need for a lot of rules and heavy handed moderation and now because you are apparently 'outraged and offended' by a ridiculous link that no one had ever even noticed before we have all of this crap going on.
Mike wasn't the only one to complain,he had a go about diesel jim's union jack and a few other members, I'll put a liver bird up and ill get shot down by a Man utd fan, lets get to the point is its a small car forum, im not here to be poked at by some tit with a lap top hiding behind his couch, let close this bollocks now, talk cars for God sake
Mike wasn't the only one to complain,he had a go about diesel jim's union jack and a few other members, I'll put a liver bird up and ill get shot down by a Man utd fan, lets get to the point is its a small car forum, im not here to be poked at by some tit with a lap top hiding behind his couch, let close this bollocks now, talk cars for God sake
Mike was the only one to complain in the first place, which is what started all of this off. That is the point I am making.
I am more than happy to get back to normal but not with Mike walking away from this as if it had nothing to do with him.
I prefer his other quote..... "you can eat it, but it tastes like sh!t"
Axel,
As a fellow member of the Tuffty and Spectre club, no one is blaming you, all I see is that the remaining committee members are trying to clear up the hotch-potch over the recent weeks. Now there is a space for a new southern rep, why not apply? It would be a great addition to both the technical help as well the the great work you have done helping members not get ripped off by 'dodgy dealers' (current count is 8 in the last 9 months alone!).
Would allow some good input to the GWOA for the future.
Spider1V
this was down to poor terms and conditions that were not 'fit for purpose '
the irony of being picked out for complaining about a post and a link that the rules are being changed as we speak to prevent being on the gwoa is just absurd .
enjoy .
, i think you will find your mate 'bigblock' is blaming me if you read his posts .
this was down to poor terms and conditions that were not 'fit for purpose '
the irony of being picked out for complaining about a post and a link that the rules are being changed as we speak to prevent being on the gwoa is just absurd .
enjoy .
That is actually my point, the only reason that they are having to be changed is because you made such a fuss about them in the first place which is what started this whole sorry episode.
I am not having a go at you for the sake of it I just think that you need to take some responsibility for the events that you set in motion which caused the disagreements we have all been dealing with.
Decent people have resigned and friends have fallen out because you would not accept the moderators decision about a foolish link from a foolish person and this whole thing was then blown completely out of proportion.
Decent people have resigned and friends have fallen out because you would not accept the moderators decision about a foolish link from a foolish person and this whole thing was then blown completely out of proportion.
Well if said person was so foolish, then it doesn't really give much weight to the moderators decision does it, not to do anything until it was all too late.
Decent people have resigned and friends have fallen out because you would not accept the moderators decision about a foolish link from a foolish person and this whole thing was then blown completely out of proportion.
Well if said person was so foolish, then it doesn't really give much weight to the moderators decision does it, not to do anything until it was all too late.
Oh dear someone is disagreeing with me on the internet I better complain to the moderators
Off you trot then
Oh.. and if anyones interested..i belong to the Long hairy balls group, we believe in hairy genitals.