The CycleChat Helmet Debate Thread

[newfhouse]

Fine, now how do we make that happen?

I'm against compulsion.

 

[srw]

Fine, now how do we make that happen?

Someone writes an article - or finds one on online - and it's stuck to the bottom of every article in the thread.

 

[Big Andy]

The problem is most of the posts are just petty point scoring and, to be quite frank, childish name calling. Finding the useful stuff in it all is difficult. Perhaps lock this thread completely and start a new one with the first post being links to various studies and articles. Then people can respond from there in a constructive manner and any off topic stuff or uncivilised stuff can be deleted straight away. Perhaps then there will be a relatively concise reference for the merits or otherwise of wearing a helmet.

I appreciate that mods probably have enough to do though.

 

[glenn forger]

Leave this thread but delete all the anecdotes.

 

[lutonloony]

I don't think we should delete the antidotes, what if somebody gets bitten by a snake?

 

[Profpointy]

I don't think we should delete the antidotes, what if somebody gets bitten by a snake?

If you record all the anecdotes then you can process the resulting data in a graph, then we'd have the answer

 

[lutonloony]

On a more serious note, I have random dipped into some of the posts and threads, makes for interesting reading. Anybody got a rough stab as to the %of posts that have some backup vs handbags at dawn? (No I don't want to count them!)

 

[EnPassant]

As somebody who read through it all (admittedly when it was only a miniscule 248 pages) I personally cannot see that a separate forum or sub forum is any more intrusive than a separate thread.

That way you can put the salient points from each camp into a non-appendable sticky (nice job for somebody unbiased ) and the rest is still kept separate from infecting everywhere else in exactly the same way one thread does. Then you could point all newcomers to the sticky and go from there. Would have saved me some work, though personally I quite enjoyed the journey.

Having had nothing better to do whilst being bored to death by bmx time trials on iplayer I have discovered via a circuitous route that I'm still making noob errors. It appears that there used to be such a forum.
Since there now no longer is, I can only surmise that it has already been tried and didn't work either. Ah well.

 

[swansonj]

Thing is, this is an Internet discussion forum. It's not a factual, educational source. It's not even a debate structured to achieve constructive progress towards consensus. For my money, writing an article as an introduction to the subject would not fit the nature of the beast. Nor would too strong an attempt to restrict debate to rational, constructive lines. If there were to be a recognised "summary of the debate so far that you must read before contributing to avoid duplication", I would make it up from actual posts from the live debate, anecdotes (and the responses to them) and all.

 

[srw]

Thing is, this is an Internet discussion forum. It's not a factual, educational source. It's not even a debate structured to achieve constructive progress towards consensus. For my money, writing an article as an introduction to the subject would not fit the nature of the beast. Nor would too strong an attempt to restrict debate to rational, constructive lines. If there were to be a recognised "summary of the debate so far that you must read before contributing to avoid duplication", I would make it up from actual posts from the live debate, anecdotes (and the responses to them) and all.

Wise words - but an intensive job of reading, editing and review. As someone said once "it's long because I didn't have time to make it short".

 

[benb]

I've not no issue with new people who say "Of course you should wear a helmet, and here's why I think that" and I don't mind repeating myself to rebut that.
What I really object to is the people who wade in calling everyone who doesn't wear one a moron and being rude about it, and people who deliberately mislead people about the evidence. Those people should get one mod warning and then a thread ban IMO.

 

[benb]

I think most of us object quite strongly to that, and to the individuals who do that and then go on to accuse anyone who pulls them up on it of rudeness and bullying in return. But a thread ban? How would that help to change attitudes and behaviour?

Not a permanent one. A day or two ban with a clear explanation why, and a permanent thread ban for repeat offenders.
Just my opinion, and I'm not a mod, so don't want to tell them how to their job.

 

[Scoosh]

I've not no issue with new people who say "Of course you should wear a helmet, and here's why I think that" and I don't mind repeating myself to rebut that.
What I really object to is the people who wade in calling everyone who doesn't wear one a moron and being rude about it. Those people should get one mod warning and then a thread ban IMO.

Well, everyone who posts in this thread should have read the Special Rules that apply to this thread only on CC, as given in Shaun's first post in the thread.

Would that everyone had and followed them ...

This little 'interlude' in the thread is very interesting and I am glad that many of you are engaging in how we can make it more accessible to new people.

Thank you.

 

[martint235]

The problem is most of the posts are just petty point scoring and, to be quite frank, childish name calling. Finding the useful stuff in it all is difficult. Perhaps lock this thread completely and start a new one with the first post being links to various studies and articles. Then people can respond from there in a constructive manner and any off topic stuff or uncivilised stuff can be deleted straight away. Perhaps then there will be a relatively concise reference for the merits or otherwise of wearing a helmet.

I appreciate that mods probably have enough to do though.

Oh for the love of the Sky Fairy, NO!!!!! I can't bring myself to join a separate thread of 300 pages. I'd sooner slash my wrists with a helmet

 

[Tanis8472]

Oh for the love of the Sky Fairy, NO!!!!! I can't bring myself to join a separate thread of 300 pages. I'd sooner slash my wrists with a helmet

It would need to be broken, so you have a sharp edge, and then pop it on to save your life