A while back I went to a Youth camp run by a youth pastor from my church. (Family Worship Center, actually)
While I know that these people love God, I will NEVER return to another youth camp for the rest of my life.
The rules were deathly strict and we had these two guys who were roomed with us that couldn't shut up when it was time to sleep. Agh. Man, I hope to forget that week.
In the Youth camp, you HAD to be awake at a certain time, you had to go to ALL services and BE ON TIME, and you had walk in orderly fashion with the rest of the students (I say 'students' because this was more like a third-grade field trip) AT ALL TIMES.
I can't emphasize enough how restricted and closed-in I felt. The smugness of some of the. . . I can't think of a word for them. They are basically one level higher than a mere 'camper,' and they make sure people are in the right place at the right time.
They were some of the worst.
The entire experience was like living in a police state.
Once you got to know the teenagers, however; you understood why it was so heavily handled. You don't send wild, disreputable teenagers out to a camp without severe supervision. (AH! That's the name; supervisors)
But what did this tell me? Me, a kind, courteous, generous young man? One who doesn't lie, cheat, steal, murder or so much as tease people?
It said, "You're a potentially bad person, and need to be controlled in every manner of your life."
And, oh sure, when I was a little late or not quite on the ordained path, the supervisors were immediately there, ushering me into line like a stray during the Thousand-mile death-march.
But when my roommates kept me awake all night? When they swore constantly and persistently? When they spoke vulgarities? When I asked to be moved?
Silence.
Because they didn't really CARE about me. They were 'busy,' I am sure. They were concerned only with being certain they did not get sued or lose a kid or what ever.
I was so controlled-- agh!
And the whole time I wondered, "Are people so terrible that we just ASSUME they are evil and should have every faucet of their life controlled?"
Then I came to the writer's forum.
I saw the topic about wanting to make a debate thread, and IMMEDIATELY I was dismayed to see that the general consensus amounted to:
"We are all pugnacious, rude, argumentative lunatics. If we had sub-forum for simple debate, there would be animosity, anger, flame wars and hate because we CANNOT BE CONTROLLED! So instead, let us opt to not have the topic at all, because everything that can potentially be bad in some regard should automatically be either heavily policed or terminated preemptively."
I just feel like there is no FAITH! I understand the arguments for why there should not be one, and honestly, I don't care about a debate sub-forum, necessarily. What DOES annoy me is that we all just ASSUME that everyone here is a raving madman with nothing better to do than stalk people, hack into computers and hate everyone out of sheer malice because there's a debate forum.
Incidentally, 'debate' and 'argue' are mutually separate words. (And don't give me the SECONDARY definitions of 'debate' which mean 'to argue,' because you know that those definitions are not the ones I am referring to)
debate >noun 1 a formal discussion in a public meeting or legislature, in which opposing arguments are presented.
That is the kind of debate sub-forum which should be issued.
Calm, rational discussion of apposing viewpoints. Debate.
That's all I wanted to say.
- Atari
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