Animation Source Forums

The Members vs. The Mods

Balto Fans vs. Lion King Fans

Wolf Lovers vs. Wolf Haters

…and so on!


I come to this forum everyday, 2-3 times a day to basically the same thing. FIGHTS. Honestly, it’s like a Texas Cage Match in here 24/7!

There’s a fine line between a debate and an argument; a line which is crossed everyday of the year; be it this forum or other forums.

Here’s an example of a debate:
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User1: I think foxes are cute. I’d like to have one as a pet!

User2: I disagree; though they may be cute, foxes are wild animals who have a scent to them that makes them unsatisfactory house pets.

User1: The scent glands are easily removed. I’ve known a lot of people with foxes who say they make great pets!
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Now, it turns into a heated debate…
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User2: Foxes belong in the wild; end of story. You shouldn’t keep wild animals as pets.
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Notice that User2 is getting frustrated that User1 won’t listen to reason. Rather then come up with a better reason why User1 shouldn’t get a pet fox; it comes down to a “because-I-said-so” argument.
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User1: I don’t have to listen to you! What do you know? I’m getting a fox and that’s that!
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Enter a new opinion….
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User3: I agree with User2, wild animals shouldn’t be kept as pets because they wouldn’t be happy without their freedom. If you really love foxes, User1, you should enjoy them from a distance.

User1: Why is everyone picking on me? All I want is a fox to raise and everyone says no! Maybe I’ll just get a goldfish instead! Will that make you all happy?
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Topic Locked.
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WAIT! Now the Mods are “bad people who don’t do their job” because they locked innocent User1’s topic for no reason (or, on the contrary, they didn't do it fast enough)!! Let’s make a bunch of topics on how bad the Mods are! Who knows? A topic like that might be more popular then the “TLK doesn’t get the respect Balto does!!” topic!

People: debates are great. That’s what forums are for, right? To debate with people all around the world; to learn about their opinions. But when it gets to the point where you actually become ANGRY with someone because they don’t agree with you, then it’s clear that you’re not mature enough to handle debate topics and should stick with discussion topics. It’s not a debate unless someone disagrees with you.

A debate is also useless unless some of the people with whom you are debating agrees with you; without that, you’re alone preaching to folks who will never understand your point of view. I’ve learned that from my many wolf/wolfdog topics in the Animals forum. I’m alone in my arguments, because the people who I’m trying to reason with have never owned wolves or wolfdogs, therefore they don’t understand my reasonings (as I do own wolfdogs), and I am alone in the debate. Rather then continuously flood the forum with my opinions (2 topics isn’t flooding ), I’d rather just keep them to myself; I know wolfdogs make great pets, even if I’m the ONLY one who knows that. It'll be my little secret.

A debate is a discussion in which some of the people involved believe one thing, while the others involved agree and disagree with certain points. Agreement and disagreement = a debate. If you can’t handle that; don’t debate. That simple.

Don’t blame the Mods; don’t go around hating the other members and flaming in the ShoutBox. Be mature and act like adults rather then the primates Darwin thinks you evolved from. There’s no reason to hate anyone you’re debating with, and there’s no reason to hate the Mods because they didn’t ‘do their job’. And, for pity’s sake, WHO CARES ABOUT HOW MANY FANS BALTO HAS AND HOW MANY FANS THE LION KING HAS? They’re both great films with great characters. TLK fans need to accept that this is also a Balto fansite, and Balto fans need to stop telling TLK fans to go to another site. (I don't think Steet would be pleased by the idea of his members leaving his site ).

In the Spirit of the Holidays and life in general: Can’t we all just get along?

Can I live with you for all eternity?

I love you for this topic.

Though debates can get pretty tense sometimes, they should never end up with people being angry and getting people upset, that's the outside world, we come to forums to escape that, not to swim in it.

What you say is totally right, debates are for opinoins, there is no "you're wrong" and "I'm right", there is only opinoins and presenting them as "False Facts" is generally irritating and sad.

...another rant in reply to a member being unhappy about a debate they participated in...
You know what? If people want to say those sort of things, fine. In this case I'd say User1 is overreacting. To say it's not a debate unless someone disagrees with you... well, false. People can agree with you on some points and not on others, you know.

XD Sure there's plenty of room

Heated debates are always interesting, whether you participate or not. But arguments are just completely immature on a forum, especially over something stupid (like the Balto vs. TLK thing).



This topic was to showcase MULTIPLE things that I've noticed on this site. It was written to show what I've personally experienced and witnessed on several topics; not just one. So, don't assume.



It's not fine; maybe if people behaved more and didn't overreact, the mods wouldn't have to work so hard and become available for other things that need tending to on this site.



That sentance is contridicting. It is a debate only when someone disagrees with you.....when they're NOT agreeing, that means they're DISagreeing. If everyone agrees, it's just a discussion.

That was my point?


What I meant was, you worded it as if they had to disagree with everything in your post for it to be a debate, but they don't have to disagree with *everything* for it to be a debate. Got it?

If there's still more room I'll move in too :B

Anyways, I have to say that this is a Topic we've needed for a VERY long time now.
Now "Poor Innocent" User1 needs to realize that they were only trying to reason with him. And that the mods locked his topic for a reason.
Now if we had mods that were like most people like User1 thinks they should be this forum would go to TOTAL disaster and total h*ll.

And what's up with Lion King fans lately? This is a Balto site too. Us Balto fans have accepted you, until you felt that it was all fake.
That's when Balto fans started defending themselves.

Cobalt, that is seriously being fussy about his post and not focusing on the point of the matter.

Besides, arguments come here all the time, like that old debate over the PS3 and the Wii

An ex-friend who was a big member in the argument freaked when I suddenly relised I prefered the Wii and told me I was not allowed to change my opinoin. Why? Because it didn't suit him.

People want to force their opinoins down people's throats so that they have "won" the debate, so they feel a winner.

Debating isn't about forcing people to believe what you believe, it's about a discussion over what you and other people believe in and sometimes, especially the younger member and less "experienced" members seem to forget that.

Correct! Here's MY opinion:

I think that killing simply for the pleasure of killing is sick and very wrong. And the more you post about it, the more wolf lovers on this site are going to resent you for it (Notice I did NOT say hate; you seem to confuse many words with 'Hate'...it's not what I said. Resent: Indignant at.
Indignant: Showing displeasure at what seems unjust or unworthy).

You call it freedom: I call it murder. That's MY opinion.




Exactly: If they want the site to be improved, the members have just as much responsability in that area as the mods do. I think the members are turning them into their scapegoats....



I never once said that they have to disagree with everything. One simple disagreement causes a discussion to turn into a debate. I dunno where you thought I said 'everything'



Nope...still don't see it.



I'm on over 300 acres +1100 acres of privet forestland....still plenty of room for everybody! (well, mostly everybody XD...how many members does BS have again?)

I know; Everybody is so uptight lately. Calm down, peoples! It's only a forum....a CARTOON forum. You shouldn't take petty things so seriously.

The things I take seriously are senseless murdering of any species and the disheartening fact that people still believe that wolves are dangerous animals who seek humans to kill them. It's easy to see why I take things like that seriously, though.

But the whole TLK vs. Balto thing....ridiculous.




So very true. I believe whoever has the most experience in the subject matter should be taken more seriously then the person who is just saying whatever they heard on TV or read in a magazine.

I'm 20 years old and I'm starting to get really annoyed at these children talking down to me as if I were a 10 year old.
Believe it or not: I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. I'm not right about everything, but give me SOME credit at least.


And a quick FYI for everyone: I'm a girl. Maybe I should re-draw my fursona so I don't look so masculine XD

I was about to make a topic about this and you just stole it. XD


yup, I'm so leaving this place unless these nonsense fights stops. 4 years ago it was better than this. why are many people so immature? sure! I'm not 18, yet. but I'm mature enought to know what I should and shouldn't do or post in a big site. and big site where everybody from all over the world can see you, and your childish acts.


I'm now in a site where 90% of members are under 18. yet, everybody is mature enough to follow the rules and listen to other's opponents without YELLING at each other.


oh, this must be the decline of humanity.

I am only 15 years old, yet I am getting frustrated as well, though I may not the smartest person around, I know that you clearly know what you talking about and you remind me somewhat of an old member here who sady I have not seen in a long time.

But to the point, arguments here will have to stop, but the moderators do need members help to calming point these topics out so they can be dealt with. Better to help the moderators then to bad mouth them.

I beg to differ, the one who has the best (valid) arguments should be takes more seriously. You have to remember that we're waging debates here, not engaged in a hands on task. In debate, good arguments trump bad ones, regardless of experience - you can have all the experience you want and still use faulty arguments (as in "I have experience so I'm right per definition" - that's a faulty argument at it's best).
That said, I get where you're going at; if you have experience in a field, you'll be more likely to use correct arguments in stead of just resorting to populist one-liners you've heard proclaiming on the six-o'clock news.


True. However, if you have the right to say "I want to hunt this or that", other members have just as much right to say "I disagree, I think you're wrong and your reasoning makes me sick." Free speech works both ways; you might not like what is said, but you can't forbid the other to say it (with notable exceptions possible, of course).

I'm not going to say anything more as I feel this whole topic is ridiculous and everyone is acting extremely arrogant and shouting down at everyone to listen to them, which is rather ironic, and yes, I also feel you're all trying to force your opinions down my throat, which nobody likes.

This topic's just asking for a flame war as well, which only further makes me not want to say more.

Then why are you saying anything? Complaining about a topic where nobody has insulted anyone yet is not built for flaming until someone makes a big scene and has to tell everyone that they are not responding, maybe in future you could just leave the topic and not make a big song and dance about it?

Just an idea for the future.


And Cogitor, I think what she was trying to say was that inexpereinced members are usually the ones who have been put out as examples, such as the comment about being a wolf hunter, yes you can say it, but it's like going into Germany when Nazi's were in power and start ranting about how great the Jews are, it's going to end in people either ignoring you or doing something worse and then the person who commented originally about being a "wolf hunter" starts complaining about not being excepted into this community when we are a community about wolves. People can speak their mind, but don't expect for people to even listen to them.