Proposing a Latin American Forum; that's right, *Forum*, not Group.

[mcscajun]

We have an expatriate forum (Democrats Abroad) and separate forums for Australia, Canada, and the UK. Why not start a Latin American Forum for all the stories from South of our border? What happens to and with our neighbors to the south clearly has impact on us.

DU has thousands of threads in a year on Chavez, Castro, Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, et al. There are clearly a great many DUers interested in what's happening there on a current events basis. I think the stories from Mexico, Central and South America are deserving of their own focused area. With a Latin American Forum, there'd be need to slog through LBN, GD, and wherever looking for them.

Certainly, DU couldn't possibly have a forum for every country on the planet, and generally, we don't get too many stories coming out of Burma, Romania, or Burkina Faso. It seems to me only natural that we have a dedicated forum for our southern neighbors, in the same way as we have for Canada.

So, I'm asking DUers: Want a Latin American Forum? Speak up. :hi:

PS: If there's a more appropriate name for the proposed forum, please make a suggestion.

NOTE: I've already asked Skinner about this; it's all dependent on your interest.

[billyoc]

1. Yes, definitely. n/t

[maddezmom]

2. great idea

:thumbsup:

[RB TexLa]

3. Why not just have the stories and discussions in this forum?

We are part of this hemisphere. I know nationalism is in vogue right now and it's considered unAmerican to include others from the Americas with us, but we could.

[maddezmom]

5. I don't think having a dedicated forum would exclude discussion in GD or LBN

:shrug:

[arcos]

6. Because no one reads them...

Whenever I post about Latin America in GD, it seldom gets more than a couple of replies.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[arcos]

7. I think it is a great idea

Sign me up :)

[Gold Metal Flake]

8. I assume that such a forum would have to be comfortable with...

...multiple languages, no? This would allow articles and speech text to be presented and discussed without Babelfish-style quick translations, and could bring to DU new members and new outlooks able to discuss ideas freely. This would require mods facile in multiple languages, natch.

If the above would be considered, it would justify the forum over keeping S.A. discussions in GD or GD-P.

Edit: Spelling.

[mcscajun]

10. No, it would still need to be in English. General interest must be served

after all, and English-only speakers/readers would be left out of such a forum.

I'll wager somewhere out on the 'Net, such a multi-lingual forum exists, but I'll also wager it's a bear to administer and/or moderate.

[eridani]

48. Why couldn't it be multilingual?

Surely anybody who posts would realize that they wouldn't reach everybody by posting Spanish or Portuguese only. It would probably be beneficial to have articles in the original Spanish or Portuguese checked out by people fluent in those languanges, no?

[muriel_volestrangler]

50. Moderator coverage of other languages would be very difficult

There is a Francophone group, with a couple of volunteers to monitor everything posted in French, but it has little traffic, and is not particularly controversial. This forum would have a lot more posts, and would be quite political - Cuba and Venezuela are 2 of the most controversial topics on DU.

There wouldn't be anything stopping posting links to original articles, or giving excerpts in the original language - but translations would be needed too, and the comments by DUers would need to be in English. If it was declared multilingual, we'd have conversations in Spanish or Portuguese which the mods couldn't realistically monitor for personal attacks etc. (believe me, I've learnt a few new American slang insults as a moderator here, which I've had to have explained to me because I'm British - doing it in a foreign language demands complete fluency).

[Celeborn Skywalker]

9. Thatt's a great idea.

[Robbien]

11. I dearly miss our foreign affairs forum. A Latin America forum

will help lessen the loss.

A big YES vote here.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Would adding the Caribbean into it be a good idea?

That would include Haiti, Jamaica (from which we don't get much news, admittedly, though we do have at least one active member who lives there), and other islands - which do, for instance, come up during hurricane season, as now. It would also 'complete the hemisphere' for the near neighbours of the US, since the Canada forum already exists.

[arcos]

18. I would say yes...

In Spanish it is frequent to hear the phrase "Latinoamérica y el Caribe".

[mcscajun]

34. Oh, absolutely. I don't envision leaving any nation in this Hemisphere out of it.

I agree with your point about "complete the hemisphere" exactly. :thumbsup:

[flamingyouth]

13. Count me in n/t

[Fenris]

14. For the love of God yes.

[Book Lover]

15. Please count me in

[EFerrari]

16. Yes!

:thumbsup:

[L. Coyote]

17. Will it allow quotes in Spanish w/o getting the post deleted?

[mcscajun]

35. I'd imagine the occasional short quote in Spanish wouldn't be a problem

We already see a fair amount of that in many languages here at DU.
I'm open to correction by the Admins, of course. I do not speak for them.

[Behind the Aegis]

19. Sounds interesting.

But, Latin America usually means Mexico to Panama (sometimes it includes the islands). I know it sounds silly, but what about something like "southern neighbors" or "Latin American, South America and Caribbean Isles"?

On edit: BTW, count my "star" as one of the ten needed (if still needed).

[arcos]

24. No, Latin America goes from México to Argentina...

And it includes Brazil too.

[Behind the Aegis]

33. You are correct. I was thinking "Central and South."

Latin America is inclusive of all points south of the US, with the exception of non-Latin based speaking countries (according to some definitions). My bad.

[greatauntoftriplets]

20. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

21. Looks interesting. I'm for it. -nt

[Canuckistanian]

22. How can you ignore the whole southern half of America?

There's LOTS going on.

Venezuela, Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia...

I'd say that merits a major forum.

[mcscajun]

36. Precisely.

:hi:

[ronnykmarshall]

23. Great idea!

[iamthebandfanman]

25. is it necessary

do we hafta seperate the forums into ethnicity ?
what about other minorities?
i dunno.

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. It's not really a question of a 'minority'

it's about a region (though I suppose you could say the threads concerning Latin America are a minority in DU). You may notice there's quite a lot of support amongst the moderators for this - possibly because we frequently see threads concerning Latin America, which are of particular interest to some people, and which also often benefit from specialised knowledge. This is often the reasoning used behind creating specialist forums.

[mcscajun]

37. This isn't about ethnicity, but geography.

What goes on in the whole of this hemisphere ought to get far more attention.

"Minorities" doesn't enter into it.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[terrya]

27. Great idea

An enthusiastic yes.

[MagickMuffin]

29. Another vote for YES

I was in a discussion just a few hours ago about this very topic. I think it's an excellent idea.

And with Several Mods on board I think Skinner will make the correct decision :applause:

[tkmorris]

30. I have an issue with that

I am concerned that it would be used to remove controversial threads from the more highly visible GD and GD-P forums, thus decreasing the number of people that see these threads.

Events that take place in Mexico, Venezuela, etc affect everyone. I do not want to see threads about Chavez (c'mon, you know that's what we're really talking about) moved to a forum few people visit. or threads about the Luis Obrador in Mexico, or Cuba. These issues are important to me and reducing their visibility would be very troubling.

There is a benefit to having forums devoted to specific topics. They enable people with a focused interest on a given topic (cooking for example) to have meaningful conversations about topics that would drop off the more general boards in less than an hour. I don't see that this is the case here, but if it is perceived that it is I am fine with it as long as threads aren't forcibly moved there against the OP's will.

As long as posters are permitted to continue to post about issues in Latin America in GD or GD-P if they feel it is warranted in order to be viewed by a wider audience, then great. Go for it.

[Bongo Prophet]

32. This is a good point, and why I am unsure about it.

I assumed a group might not be a FORCED ghetto - one could post in GD or GDP if one thought it best. The use of a group would be for more detailed discussion, with tighter rules and less trollish behavior.

If mods have to force threads to the LA ghetto, the idea of people learning about important issues as they come up would be diminished. But that is already happening right now, unless one just ignores the haters and cherry picks the rest.

So I am still undecided.

Another way to look at it--
It seems a forum might be more likely to stay under radar until it gets 5 recs this way, so if it is a good thread that is easy enough.
Trash threads made in bad faith (you know the ones) that start off with attacks would just get no recs and should be ignored rather than taken as flamebait.
So in a way that could be a good thing.

[1932]

63. I agree with that. If this is about sending Chavez discussions to Siberia, I'm agianst it.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rjones2818]

38. How about....

Western Hemisphere minus the actual rogue country?

Just a thought!

[LeftishBrit]

39. Sounds like a great idea!

[Vincardog]

40. I support it. I want a place to go to find out how and where to move in S America.

[mcscajun]

46. You might start here.

http://gosouthamerica.about.com/od/relocation/Relocate_Work.htm

[Call Me Wesley]

41. Great idea!

I'm all for globalization on liberal and progressive ideas! ;)

:thumbsup:

[asthmaticeog]

42. I'll reiterate my "yes" without the wisecrack this time...

... so I don't go getting my enthusiastic thumbs-up deleted. :blush: Sorry 'bout that, mods.

[Richardo]

43. Si! Es un idea muy bueno

:thumbsup:

[mcscajun]

44. Kicking for the evening crew.

:hi:

[mcscajun]

47. Another kick - for the late night shift.

:hi:

[Xipe Totec]

45. I'm all for it!

Speaking between us equals...

León Gieco & Carlos Núñez - De igual a igual

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcJT4n4XhZE

I’m a Bolivian in Italy,
a Colombian in New York,
a South American in Spain
and a Paraguayan in Asuncion.

I’m a Spaniard in Argentina
and a German in El Salvador
I’m a Frenchman gone to Chile
and a Japanese in Ecuador

The world is furnished
with woods from Brazil
and there’s big holes
in the missionary jungle

Europe has forgotten
the ships she sent this way
People wounded by the wars
were rescued by this land

If you ask me to go back where I came from
I’ll ask you to take your enterprises from my country
and that’s the way it’s going to be, speaking between us equals
and that’s the way it’s going to be, speaking between us equals

Tico, Nica, from Borinquen,
Arjo, Mejo, from Panamá
form a line at the embassy
to achieve their dream

While the Thief
full of precedent
asks for immigration papers
demanded by the president

If you ask me to go back where I came from
I’ll ask you to take your enterprises from my country
and that’s the way it’s going to be, speaking between us equals
and that’s the way it’s going to be, speaking between us equals

Those so-called illegals
that have no documents
lose their faith
without work or hope

The illegals are those
That let Pinochet get away
While England boasted
of its honor and it’s laws

If you ask me to go back where I came from
I’ll ask you to take your enterprises from my country
and that’s the way it’s going to be, speaking between us equals
and that’s the way it’s going to be, speaking between us equals

[arcos]

49. kick nt

[Forkboy]

51. I think it sounds great.

I also have to laugh at the fact there's two deleted posts in this thread.A harbinger of things to come,perhaps. :)

[BlueCollar]

52. I'd like one dedicated to Latin America n/t

[arcos]

53. Tuesday kick! nt

[mcscajun]

54. Wednesday morning kick

:kick:

[mcscajun]

55. Wednesday night kick.

:kick:

[mcscajun]

56. Thursday night -- anyone interested?

:kick:

[maddezmom]

57. was just about to kick myself

another idea here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1650238

[Flabbergasted]

58. Kick too late to R.

[maddezmom]

59. and just gave your new OP a Rec

:hi:

[Flabbergasted]

60. Danke.

[mcscajun]

61. Kickin' for TGIF

:kick:

[mcscajun]

62. Early Saturday morning Kick. When the week is up, no more kicks.

:)

[mcscajun]

64. Last day kick.

:kick:

[LeftishBrit]

65. kick

[mcscajun]

66. The new Latin America Forum is here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1689019

[Cleita]

67. It's a done deal.

I haven't been around that much at DU and just noticed it today. How does it differ from this? Is this supposed to be the chummy group and the forum for more formal discussion? Will they let us talk about Hugo Chavez?