| This place is fooking awful at the moment 11:09 - Sep 17 with 6523 views | Dubtractor |
Truly unbearable.
Parking the question of who is right or wrong, it is a perfect microcosm of the way that we have all been divided into tribes by the people with hands on the levers of power in recent years. Brexit is the most obvious example here, but there are loads more, and it's very evidently a deliberate ploy to divide populations into things they disagree about rather than unite on the things they agree on. The USA over the last decade is obviously another good example.
I try my hardest not to get sucked in, but it's becoming increasingly hard to just ignore stuff that I find almost upsetting at times.
Think im going to go football only on here for a bit. Which is a shame, as I do value seeing different views to challenge my world view.
Appreciate that this is a bit of a look at me post, but wanted to be able to vent a bit.
[Post edited 17 Sep 11:11]
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:15 - Sep 17 with 1052 views | DarkBrandon |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 11:31 - Sep 17 by blueasfook |
I think its social media algorithms that is radicalising people one way or the other. Once you click like on a post of a certain nature, you get more of the same and the journey down the rabbit hole begins! |
I agree.
The algorithms these companies use usually work out for themselves what keeps people on the site, and what keeps them clicking. You'd think that what would keep you logging on would be funny videos, jokes, nice stories etc. But the thing that really works in rage and anger. If you get angry with the world you are more likely to stay online and consume content.
So that's what these social media companies feed you. They make you angry, supply you with ever more partisan and extreme content and never never show you anything from a different viewpoint just to make you think.
This is changing the world, but the SM companies don't care (Nick Clegg gave an absolutely pitiful defence of this recently), and governments either don't understand, or can't/won't address this.
I think this goes a long way to driving the polarisation in society, and the lack of empathy with people with different views.
The exception is where a social media company has an explicitly partisan feed by design, such as X, where Musk directs his staff to promote more RW content.
Something similar (I'm - ahem - told) is happening in the world of pr0n, where people are gravitating faster and faster to more explicit and extreme content. This has more hidden effects, but they are becoming clearer now. [Post edited 17 Sep 13:19]
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:15 - Sep 17 with 1055 views | J2BLUE |
If I am work and write out a political post then get distracted; by the time I come back to it and read what i've written I think what is the point?
I do agree with your point. I have thought about using a randomly generated password I won't remember to lock me out of my account until I want to go to the effort of resetting it again. Last time I did that I didn't post for something like five weeks. |  |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:16 - Sep 17 with 1053 views | bsw72 |
I find it quite reassuring coming here that actually there is polarized debate but the large majority is not a personal attack. Things can go too far occasionally but the level of sarcasm and humur significantly outweighs the really unpleasant stuff.
I personally like to challenge statements that I feel are wrong, but have to be big enough to accept that while I may feel something or even back it up with facts, someone can have an opinion that differs, and they are welcome to be wrong ;-)
This board is certainly the most amicable social media debate and conversation area I see online these days . . . |  | | |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:18 - Sep 17 with 1031 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:15 - Sep 17 by DarkBrandon |
I agree.
The algorithms these companies use usually work out for themselves what keeps people on the site, and what keeps them clicking. You'd think that what would keep you logging on would be funny videos, jokes, nice stories etc. But the thing that really works in rage and anger. If you get angry with the world you are more likely to stay online and consume content.
So that's what these social media companies feed you. They make you angry, supply you with ever more partisan and extreme content and never never show you anything from a different viewpoint just to make you think.
This is changing the world, but the SM companies don't care (Nick Clegg gave an absolutely pitiful defence of this recently), and governments either don't understand, or can't/won't address this.
I think this goes a long way to driving the polarisation in society, and the lack of empathy with people with different views.
The exception is where a social media company has an explicitly partisan feed by design, such as X, where Musk directs his staff to promote more RW content.
Something similar (I'm - ahem - told) is happening in the world of pr0n, where people are gravitating faster and faster to more explicit and extreme content. This has more hidden effects, but they are becoming clearer now. [Post edited 17 Sep 13:19]
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It's why Phil is always busy running the troll accounts on here and starting all the arguments! |  |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:30 - Sep 17 with 944 views | Vic |
Did the same a year or so ago and have been much happier on here. I very seldom dip back onto the 'General' part now, but ventured to glance in to see what chaos was ensuing since the dreadful Charlie Kirk murder.
I wish I hadn't as I can see so much rubbish and untruth. How do I know this? Because no side has a monopoly on truth and falsehood. But the way things are portrayed these days is that if you're 'pro' one thing you must be 'anti' something else. Truth is always somewhere between those extremes.
I'm back off to the footie side and will try to resist the temptation to come back here to see if anyone has replied to this! |  |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:30 - Sep 17 with 945 views | BlueForYou |
I'm on quite a few social media places, I have very varied interests. Only this one has the sheer amount of political posts & the nastiness they bring. Not sure how it has been allowed here? If it has to continue, just put every political post in a Politics tab & let them all scratch each others eyes out, while everyone else carries on supporting a football club. |  | | |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:31 - Sep 17 with 941 views | RIPbobby |
Well said my friend. Exactly the reason why I wish to move to another part of the world. |  | | |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:34 - Sep 17 with 915 views | Vic |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 11:40 - Sep 17 by DJR |
For what it is worth, I am not on social media and don't need anyone to tell me what to think.
Indeed, even when it comes to YouTube, I'm never logged in and only watch music videos. [Post edited 17 Sep 11:44]
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I never log in to YouTube, but it's staggering how often I seem to get related stuff pop up on the side thumbnails.
I started to watch Matt Armstrong a while ago, now I get loads of car salvage sites calling out to me. So I think the algorithms get you one way or another. Or can i stop that? | |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:35 - Sep 17 with 896 views | blueasfook |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:18 - Sep 17 by Nthsuffolkblue |
It's why Phil is always busy running the troll accounts on here and starting all the arguments! |
That is nonsense.
Phil |  |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:41 - Sep 17 with 859 views | reusersfreekicks |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 11:49 - Sep 17 by Luk38644 |
Completely agree, and I said as much on the recent Charlie Kirk thread – regardless of viewpoints & beliefs, there was a huge lack of sympathy for a husband & father who had been brutally murdered in front of his family – I’m the same age, have a wife & son and also share views to the right of centre, so to see people almost claiming ‘he deserved it’ made me feel a bit weird. I like a debate as much as the next person but this place is relentless at times, and no one ever concedes or is open to changing their view, they just want to prove they’re right which rarely ever happens.
Debate should be encouraged at every possibility to challenge people’s views and make them think about perspective, but the vitriol that comes with it on here at times is not worth the trouble. |
But by exaggerating what people said, claiming he almost deserved it you are just upping the ante - not sure anyone said that.
And it seems you are completely unaware of his views and past statements - to the right of centre doesn't cover overt racism, lack of empathy and some very very extreme views.
Doh - I know this contradicts the nature of the thread
Apologies Dubbers - one of the many good people on here |  | | |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:45 - Sep 17 with 822 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 11:49 - Sep 17 by Luk38644 |
Completely agree, and I said as much on the recent Charlie Kirk thread – regardless of viewpoints & beliefs, there was a huge lack of sympathy for a husband & father who had been brutally murdered in front of his family – I’m the same age, have a wife & son and also share views to the right of centre, so to see people almost claiming ‘he deserved it’ made me feel a bit weird. I like a debate as much as the next person but this place is relentless at times, and no one ever concedes or is open to changing their view, they just want to prove they’re right which rarely ever happens.
Debate should be encouraged at every possibility to challenge people’s views and make them think about perspective, but the vitriol that comes with it on here at times is not worth the trouble. |
Bingo. It wasn’t even within 12 hours and people were on their calling him a c**t and at times suggesting worse.
The board has been going the way for a while but essentially it’s centered around 15 very active rather angry opinionated posters that have no interest in even talking about football. It’s just reposting article after article so a bunch strangers can help their insecurities and confirmation bias. It’s not even to encourage debate because it’s not like you’re charging anyone’s mind. It’s more to actually “out” someone that doesn’t see the world the same way. Surely there must be a sub reddit for all that.
Doesn’t even really feel like an ITFC board anymore.
Phil needs to do more than just have a General/Football section in my opinion. Some people enjoy sport as an escapism from all the crap in the world, especially when trying to follow their team from afar.
I know TWTD has always been a board that discusses all kinds of issues but it’s too far the other way now. Surely others users might feel the same whatever their politics. [Post edited 17 Sep 13:48]
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:49 - Sep 17 with 758 views | textbackup |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:45 - Sep 17 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Bingo. It wasn’t even within 12 hours and people were on their calling him a c**t and at times suggesting worse.
The board has been going the way for a while but essentially it’s centered around 15 very active rather angry opinionated posters that have no interest in even talking about football. It’s just reposting article after article so a bunch strangers can help their insecurities and confirmation bias. It’s not even to encourage debate because it’s not like you’re charging anyone’s mind. It’s more to actually “out” someone that doesn’t see the world the same way. Surely there must be a sub reddit for all that.
Doesn’t even really feel like an ITFC board anymore.
Phil needs to do more than just have a General/Football section in my opinion. Some people enjoy sport as an escapism from all the crap in the world, especially when trying to follow their team from afar.
I know TWTD has always been a board that discusses all kinds of issues but it’s too far the other way now. Surely others users might feel the same whatever their politics. [Post edited 17 Sep 13:48]
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Should be a
- just for fun
- politics
- non ITFC football
- ITFC |  |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:53 - Sep 17 with 739 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:49 - Sep 17 by textbackup |
Should be a
- just for fun
- politics
- non ITFC football
- ITFC |
What do you do for fun around here?  | |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:54 - Sep 17 with 741 views | bartyg |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:45 - Sep 17 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Bingo. It wasn’t even within 12 hours and people were on their calling him a c**t and at times suggesting worse.
The board has been going the way for a while but essentially it’s centered around 15 very active rather angry opinionated posters that have no interest in even talking about football. It’s just reposting article after article so a bunch strangers can help their insecurities and confirmation bias. It’s not even to encourage debate because it’s not like you’re charging anyone’s mind. It’s more to actually “out” someone that doesn’t see the world the same way. Surely there must be a sub reddit for all that.
Doesn’t even really feel like an ITFC board anymore.
Phil needs to do more than just have a General/Football section in my opinion. Some people enjoy sport as an escapism from all the crap in the world, especially when trying to follow their team from afar.
I know TWTD has always been a board that discusses all kinds of issues but it’s too far the other way now. Surely others users might feel the same whatever their politics. [Post edited 17 Sep 13:48]
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Don't really know what your problem is here- if you don't want to read general/current affairs threads then the filters should work quite well for you?
I have enjoyed the insight from many posters on a wide variety of issues. Yes it gets aggressive a bit too quickly in some cases when a thread devolves into a rehash of arguments between the same few members but I'm not sure there's a better way to deal with that past the current policies. |  | | |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:54 - Sep 17 with 736 views | Luk38644 |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:41 - Sep 17 by reusersfreekicks |
But by exaggerating what people said, claiming he almost deserved it you are just upping the ante - not sure anyone said that.
And it seems you are completely unaware of his views and past statements - to the right of centre doesn't cover overt racism, lack of empathy and some very very extreme views.
Doh - I know this contradicts the nature of the thread
Apologies Dubbers - one of the many good people on here |
I’m fully aware of his views, he’s a typical traditional American Christian conservative who I watched alot of prior to his death – I didn’t say I hold the same views as him, I just said I’m to the right of centre and some of my views align with his on certain topics, so when he’s being called a fascist/racist/bigot etc; upon his death for holding certain views I agree with along with being the same age and same position in life as I am, it’s a bit of a worry.
That’s exactly the sort of language that needs to stop because to me & you, we can differentiate between right and wrong and, but all it takes is one nutcase to feel ‘justified’ for it to turn into a murder. |  | | |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 14:02 - Sep 17 with 693 views | Luk38644 |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:45 - Sep 17 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Bingo. It wasn’t even within 12 hours and people were on their calling him a c**t and at times suggesting worse.
The board has been going the way for a while but essentially it’s centered around 15 very active rather angry opinionated posters that have no interest in even talking about football. It’s just reposting article after article so a bunch strangers can help their insecurities and confirmation bias. It’s not even to encourage debate because it’s not like you’re charging anyone’s mind. It’s more to actually “out” someone that doesn’t see the world the same way. Surely there must be a sub reddit for all that.
Doesn’t even really feel like an ITFC board anymore.
Phil needs to do more than just have a General/Football section in my opinion. Some people enjoy sport as an escapism from all the crap in the world, especially when trying to follow their team from afar.
I know TWTD has always been a board that discusses all kinds of issues but it’s too far the other way now. Surely others users might feel the same whatever their politics. [Post edited 17 Sep 13:48]
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That thread at times was borderline disgusting - no one overtly said they were glad but blimey, you read the comments about a barely cold father & husband and you'd think he was Hitler or Stalin!
The fact that some on here won't like is that quite alot of people resonate with what he said/believed, so to just shout anybody down as a fascist because they're to the right or hold similar views is exactly why these things happen and why murderers/attackers feel justified in doing so. | | | |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 14:14 - Sep 17 with 622 views | textbackup |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:53 - Sep 17 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
What do you do for fun around here? |
I do have a question for fun - since the porn ban where are people sourcing their fix? Logging in with personal details, or found any way around the ban? | |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 14:17 - Sep 17 with 606 views | waveneyblue |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:14 - Sep 17 by textbackup |
I’m cancelling the kids season tickets and upgrading to an adult so I can take you with me.
Basically brothers now 🙂 |
😂 see you there |  | | |
| Someone I know told me that.... on 14:19 - Sep 17 with 593 views | Bloots |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 14:14 - Sep 17 by textbackup |
I do have a question for fun - since the porn ban where are people sourcing their fix? Logging in with personal details, or found any way around the ban? |
....Proton VPN works really well, is free, and you don't have to sign up or provide them with any details.
Apparently you just install it and click one button to immediately move to Holland, USA or Japan.
Apparently.
Other than that I have no idea what you're talking about. |  |
| "Trite Sixth-Form Politics” - TWTD User (Sept 2025) |
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| No, the filter.... on 14:23 - Sep 17 with 546 views | Bloots |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:54 - Sep 17 by bartyg |
Don't really know what your problem is here- if you don't want to read general/current affairs threads then the filters should work quite well for you?
I have enjoyed the insight from many posters on a wide variety of issues. Yes it gets aggressive a bit too quickly in some cases when a thread devolves into a rehash of arguments between the same few members but I'm not sure there's a better way to deal with that past the current policies. |
....doesn't work like that.
It's "Football only" and "everything else".
If you want to discuss sport in general, music, TV, films, food etc then you have to see "politics" too.
I've been saying for years that "Politics" needs to have a separate section, but to no avail. | |
| "Trite Sixth-Form Politics” - TWTD User (Sept 2025) |
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| No, the filter.... on 14:29 - Sep 17 with 524 views | Mullet |
| No, the filter.... on 14:23 - Sep 17 by Bloots |
....doesn't work like that.
It's "Football only" and "everything else".
If you want to discuss sport in general, music, TV, films, food etc then you have to see "politics" too.
I've been saying for years that "Politics" needs to have a separate section, but to no avail. |
People could just not click on stuff though. |  |
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| No, the filter.... on 14:31 - Sep 17 with 509 views | FBI |
| No, the filter.... on 14:23 - Sep 17 by Bloots |
....doesn't work like that.
It's "Football only" and "everything else".
If you want to discuss sport in general, music, TV, films, food etc then you have to see "politics" too.
I've been saying for years that "Politics" needs to have a separate section, but to no avail. |
Maybe - and work with me on this cos I've literally only just come up with it and haven't thought it through at all - a lesson could be learned from another, now defunct, forum I used to be in for English Civil War re-enactors, who can get into a slanging match over wool colours at the drop of a Monmouth Cap.
There was a subsection called, not without reason, The Bear Pit. You posted there in the full knowledge that the level of debate was likely to be much more vitriolic and spiky. Sounds insane, I know. But some people actually enjoyed it, occasionally mods would move threads there when they got overheated and, in general, the rest of the forum was a happier place for it, including more posts from members who had shied away because of the way some people would start a fight in an empty room.
As I say, I haven't thought it through but it did, anecdotally at least, work. [Post edited 17 Sep 14:32]
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 14:35 - Sep 17 with 493 views | Ryorry |
Find it strange to be an outlier on this, as a few years ago I’d probably have agreed with you.
Now, however, I find most of the old sh1t stirrers gone, and the board comparatively pleasant.
The key thing is probably that I’m way, way too busy in my life outside TWTD to join in most of the same old same old sociopolitical threads; a substrata of that being I think I know from previous experience what’s going to be said, and who’s going to say it anyway, which makes them extra easy to ignore.
X is the only other platform I’m on, but also now use that far less than I used to.
Just be selective about what you choose to read folks! |  |
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| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 14:35 - Sep 17 with 482 views | Illinoisblue |
| This place is fooking awful at the moment on 13:30 - Sep 17 by BlueForYou |
I'm on quite a few social media places, I have very varied interests. Only this one has the sheer amount of political posts & the nastiness they bring. Not sure how it has been allowed here? If it has to continue, just put every political post in a Politics tab & let them all scratch each others eyes out, while everyone else carries on supporting a football club. |
So you’re not on Twitter? |  |
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| They could indeed, but.... on 14:37 - Sep 17 with 466 views | Bloots |
| No, the filter.... on 14:29 - Sep 17 by Mullet |
People could just not click on stuff though. |
....the intention was obviously originally to separate "football" from the rest, so there's no real reason (other than workload) to not do it with politics, particularly for Phil's sake.
If there was a separate tab for politics then people would have no excuse or reason to moan about it.
Also if you are using "thread mode" then you can't really avoid the threads at all.
And finally, as others have said earlier it's difficult and human nature to some degree to not read all the tosh that gets posted.
A separate section for politics is obviously a solution that should be accepted by all, other than those that enjoy the arguments and love the attention.
The question should really be "why wouldn't you have a separate politics section?" | |
| "Trite Sixth-Form Politics” - TWTD User (Sept 2025) |
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