Posts on serious issues in OT forums have never succeeded in changing my mind, largely because of the set opinions you mention. Since most of the prolific posters there are either defending a long entrenched stance and attempting to score points off those who disagree, or just spamming the place up with tangential digressions (not that there's anything wrong with that!
) I find it hard to take much of it seriously. I'm not even sure how much some of the posters on both ends of the political spectrum actually believe what they're saying.
Spam and nonsense threads are far more enjoyable to read
