Important news regarding moderation team....

[EERecordist]

Personally I think the @amirm post on tariffs was appropriate. It was a post about ASR operations.

People sending equipment negotiate that by PM. ASR can refuse to schedule a shipment for which it would require ASR to pay tariffs. But the thread informs the community that buying a new interesting piece of equipment with the expectation it can be tested if it needs to cross a border is very uncertain now.

Maybe on tariffs, testing could be handled by the carnet system?

 

[dasdoing]

So the »Terms and rules« (Click!) will soon be modified, accordingly? If in doubt, my already very limited understanding for this ASR »Tariff Syndrome« will be null.

Technically, no forum rules have been broken. That post is not a discussion

 

[sceptical1]

Good on the mods for taking a stand. Maybe things will work out when someone realizes that economics is political.
It seems unlikely on both counts.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

I'm ambivalent on allowing tariff discussion. I lean slightly toward allowing it because audio people buy a lot of imported gear. The danger of subjects related to politics in a forum dedicated to civility is a problem. It's a tough call.

 

[Biagiod]

@amirm I was rather suprised you taking this road.
Shutting threads down or blocking comments is not really your style

Each of us has his own view on Trump actions (take it from an European..), but this has nothing to do with this forum

Tarifs and presidents come and go, ASR is here to stay

 

[Muddywaters]

I'm saddened and disappointed I’ll leave it at that

 

[DVDdoug]

Sorry to hear this happened.

If I was a moderator and it wasn't Amir, I would have locked or deleted the thread. But It's Amir's forum and he can draw his own lines and even break his own rules! I guess the problem is, members responding might also end-up breaking the rules.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

I fail to see how a mention of tariffs is inherently political: it's a practical taxation matter. I am not directly affected by these specific tariffs as I live in the EU, but if every imported item to be reviewed is going to be affected then a comment seems reasonable. But then I don't care much about politics, and especially don't care about politicians, who are poorly regarded everywhere AFAICS. I was disenfranchised many years ago!

Because in the US, at the moment, tariffs are a big political issue. When government gets involved in the economy it's almost always a political issue. Because tariffs are associated with, umm, a very controversial figure, it's a dangerous subject.

 

[amirm]

@amirm I was rather suprised you taking this road.
Shutting threads down or blocking comments is not really your style

It is not. And creating that closed thread was certainly not my preferred path. It was the only solution I could think of to at least approach the topic. But that was still a bridge too far for the team. I know for sure I would have learned more about the topic by having members contribute....

 

[Mark617]

I suggest that we all take some time to think about this event in a larger perspective and as an example on how reasonable people can become polarized. We should not second guess the conversation between Amir, James, Adam and Brad lest we risk trivializing the motivations that lead each one of them to their respective decisions. Let’s provide some peace and quiet to this team.

 

[Tell]

I'm strongly in the camp of not allowing politics and religion on forums like this, but seeing that these tariffs really do affect ASR directly I do see why you are keen on talking about it Amir. But of course it's a slippery slope and I do understand the mods decision to leave! Thanks for your service though guys, appreciate it

 

[Somafunk]

Tarifs and presidents come and go, ASR is here to stay

Perhaps they won’t go, that is a genuine fear, and I imagine the silencing of dissent in educational institutions is also a concern for Amir along with deportation's and increasingly fascistic tendencies being implemented.

It’s not just a worry for the U.S either as this behaviour also engenders other regimes to decide “if they’re doing it, then I’m doing it”, the U.S. - home of supposed free speech and liberty is looking rather unstable which is a genuine worry.

 

[D2013]

Did take long for political view points to show up, are we allowed to respond?

 

[Martin]

Sorry to hear about the change in moderation. It's go to be tough running a site like this, especially with the explosive growth and impact to the industry over the last several years. As one who complained about the political nature of that thread I can understand the impact tariffs have on our hobby. But they are a political issue used by our current president in a political manner and are a highly divisive topic. I see them as a very short term issue that will sort itself out in the coming weeks and not worth worrying about. Just my 2 cents. Although we're on opposite sides of the topic at hand, if you're looking for new moderators, I'd like to offer my services...

Martin

 

[Multicore]

ASR is here to stay

So long as Amir chooses to do the work.

We can all contribute, if we choose, to making that easier for him by focusing on making high quality posts and encouraging others to do the same.

 

[Somafunk]

Did take long for political view points to show up, are we allowed to respond?

If that's in reference to my post then I'll delete, apologies if it upset you

 

[Keith_W]

The former moderators have proven themselves to have the best interest of ASR at heart. They need to be reinstated pronto.

 

[LionIT]

Hard to say why it should be more important to talk about tariffs than deaths in wars wanted by politicians.
I understand the difficulty of the moderators honestly. If the law is not rigid it becomes a subjective question.
And we know the subjectivism how problematic is. Audio world is just an example.
But it is also true that rigid laws have caused invaluable damage to humanity.
A real dilemma.
I believe that reason is always on the side of the human good, the collective one.
The hope is that we can join for this purpose, and not be divided by questions of principle.

The reason why I and I think many others have landed here is for the technical quality of the content. I hope moderators retirement does not adversely impact this.

Thanks for your contribution.

 

[svosprey]

It is with deepest regrets, and immense appreciation for the work that they have done to inform you that Adam, Brad and James have decided to step down from their moderation duties. I respect their decision and have removed them as moderators. So yes, it is just me right now as the only staff member.

I can't understate how indebted I am to them for the hard work, dedication and care they have provided to support me in growing and nurturing the forum to where it is today. I considered them family and continue to have a warm place in my heart for them.

Sometimes the best relationships hit a rough spot and boy did we hit one on the issue of allowing or disallowing discussions around the tariffs US has imposed on the entire world. They feel allowing this means we are violating our rule of no political discussion. I feel that the human aspect of this is so immense that it garners discussion. Heck, I think it demand discussion lest we look like we want to turn a blind eye to incredible suffering that we are causing for many people both in US and around the world. There can always be another place where people can go and discuss audio. But damaged lives can't be repaired.

Normally I don't consider discussion of politics in a forum like this to make a difference. But here, I think we can influence people by bringing better understanding to the issues at hand. And with it, effectuate change. This is already working in real time with government backing off from the strong actions of a week ago.

For their side, the mods feel like I am violating the rules so they can no longer enforce them. I see their point of view.

I always say there is no rule book for running a forum. Every decision is subjective and has a possibility of being wrong, massively wrong. Or the right one. Ultimately you have to trust the wisdom you have accumulated in running such entities and live with the consequences.

So please join me in thanking the team for the incredible work they have done. I will leave this thread open for a while.

Please, please try not to create more threads on these topics. It is just one of me and I need to test stuff as well as running the forum.

Completely agree. When our politicians and their supporters need to be called out for damage they are doing to our country ALL talk becomes political regardless of "rules". This was the right decision. When fascists raise their ugly heads they need to be called out and knocked down by all who cherish our constitution. If we can't discuss anymore, the guns come out. Not the preferred option.

 

[OctoEmu]

I think it is a good discussion to be had. It does affect the community, politics does have its place. However, I think it warrants a change in rules. We can't have a rule and decide to follow it as we do or don't please.