Little, I don't think we should remove our comments, though I've also thought of doing so. There is a small minority of people who use the chit chat in this way, I suppose because they feel this is their place. It's only these posts that cause friction. Concerns are valid, given it comes a few weeks after the forum nearly collapsed due to conflicts that were personal and bitter. It's mostly the same few people causing these issues, out of a need to share their views. Why they don't share them in other places and stick to fish keeping and plants here I am unsure, but I doubt the off-topic channel was invented for this kind of 'debate'. For sure, sometimes the points are interesting, or valid, and it's perfectly true to say that any forum can be a place where people debate, but these threads are also the one place discord comes into this forum. That will continue to happen. It is off-putting. There's a balance to be struck between people who happen to feel they have a need or right to have debates, in whatever forum they happen to feel invested, and people who would like to ensure the forum thrives. It is a fact that sometimes it is damaging to our comradely discussions when people push forward their opinions about irrelevant topics. It's absolutely fine to insist on that freedom, but disingenuous to pretend damage will not be done.
