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Many moons ago when I first got a computer and as I wandered around in the Twilight Zone of the internet I found myself on a website with chat or discussion rooms. Within that site was a room for Harley riders and not only did I end up in it, but I ended up being asked to be a moderator by the room owner. Now you have to imagine a Harley room with members from gangs and lone wolfs and even ladies of the night. It could get pretty wild in there and few words were verboten, yet there were times it got out of hand and with the hit of a button someone was sent into the abyss to cool off. However despite how wild this room was there was one rule, no discussions about religion or politics. Why? Because they would turn into 1800's Tombstone on a hot night!
But lets be honest, one of the major problems with the internet can be the anonymity. Yes I know, it can be a necessity, but in real life, most people wouldn't say what they say in here to most other people's faces.
As much as I enjoy a good discussion about religion or politics and in real life that is no different, I find the internet brings out in people a darkness that no one wants to hear or see.
This site belongs to eBay, it's their bar and they can make the rules. Granted those rules can be vague at the best of times but nonetheless it's their bar. Can religion or politics actually be discussed without it turning into a war zone? Maybe. The other problem is, the 'typed' word can be misunderstood or taken as something else. We do much better listening to someone and at the same time seeing their face or hearing the inflections in their voice. For instance "did you notice all the wars are in countries with Islam" can be taken several ways depending on who says it and how they say it.
I said in here long long ago, do not let religious or political discussions, they never turn out well and there are an endless long lists of sites on the internet to go to for that if one wishes. Also the reality of it all is, in the end, no one really changes their views.
And just a word about moderation. In the past it was really bad in here. Things disappeared and you never knew why. People were sent on vacation and you never knew why. Discussing it with a mod was near impossible although I often did through pure persistence. But this new moderation seems to be better and you can talk to someone in a reasonable amount of time. I spoke to one just yesterday and although she couldn't go into details (company policy) she was very amicable and understanding. It was a pleasant change from the past.
Like Les, I don't come in here much anymore. A lot of the people have left. Some just gave up on eBay for assorted reasons, others died, for some the thrill was gone and for others Facebook became their world. It was like the family left the farm and when you came back the weeds were overgrown and someone had built new buildings. It just wasn't the same. Change at first can be hard to get use to but eventually you do and move on. Photography has always been my hobby and I came across a person on the internet with his own website, so I'm starting my own as well. It will have my photography and that of others (with recognition). The other fellow has a comment section and we discuss photos and even religion and politics but it's never turned into the 'wild west'.
I'll still keep coming back here (I wouldn't want valve to feel alone) and maybe one day, things will get back to the way they were. After all, it's still home.
Im sure that member will be watching his posts from now on.
Im so glad I live in Toronto. We have zero tolerance for that kind of talk over here. 
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