Why was this question about hot button issues in Star Wars closed?

Question

Why was this question about politically hot button issues in Star Wars closed? It seems little different than other questions about sprawling works, yet those questions remain open.

Answer 1

I voted to close because I felt that it was not a real question asked in good faith.

Are there any instances of [random controversial issue in real world politics] in [random science fiction or fantasy series] ?

This is not a good question. It's more about the wedge issue than the science fiction. It's never asked because there is reason to believe that there would be in that work, nor is it asked because it seems notably absent from the work. The question may even be asked to poke fun at the work in question. Certainly no one learns anything of significance from it.

In the worst case scenario, I think this might even happen because someone is trying to hijack this SE for their own propaganda purposes.

If it had been asked in a way that suggests that it was a good faith question (new BSG instead of Star Wars), I would have answered it and I'd be voting to reopen. (Abortion being a real issue on the show after all, not to mention other similar subjects.)

Answer 2

This question, whilst it's asking about the same sprawling works as various other question on star-wars, this one in particular seems to be asking about several, loosely grouped topics.

Consider:

• Is an answer which states only examples of abortion able to be correct?
• Would an answer of just 'Yes', or 'Yes, in book X' be sufficient for the OP? Would it be satisfactory for the community?
• Is an answer that states more examples more correct?

A few of these points, and some more mean that the question

...will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion.

For instance, arguments over which book in which answer gives a clearer answer, what constitutes a good answer to this.

This question is, of course still able to be edited, clarified, improved and possibly re-opened.

It might be worth noting that, as it stands the question it shows zero research or effort on the part of the asker, which is likely why it garnered the downvotes, and also why people may have been more tempted to close it.

Perhaps narrowing it down to one subject, giving some reasoning behind it, and showing some more research effort would convince the community to reopen.

Answer 3

umm... It's just the inverse of a list question. It and any other question like should be closed because it still has all the problems of a list question. We shouldn't take a "Did George R.R. Martin ever write about topic X" or "Does topic X crop in this stable of works?" and here's the reasons why.

All the problems of list questions still apply, if not quite as bad. Every single example can be a valid answer. At least they aren't effectively infinite like most list questions, but they are still likely to generate a ton of junk answers.

They generate subjective answers Sometimes you think a topic is being addressed when it really ain't. George R.R. definitely addresses incest in the world of Westeros. George Lucas didn't address it in Star Wars, but you could wedge it in there if you didn't actually know the back story to how some changes got made.

Stack Exchange (and this community in particular) doesn't deal well with answers that are NO This medium is just not good at taking a no. Anytime the answer should be just a flat no, you basically have to prove the negative. It's always three paragraphs of "Here's everywhere I looked, it's a no" and even that well qualified answer can turn out wrong.

There's a difference between asking about a topic as it relates to a work and asking if a topic shows up in a work. See, when you have to describe the topic in the context of the work, you have to lay out the framework with which good answers are built. That's why the site encourages people to ask about problems they have actually had. When you actually have a problem, then somebody can probably come up with a solution. Basically, one makes you describe how you see topic X in that work, while the other is idle curiosity at best.

The final straw These questions are effectively infinite. They are plug an play. They are literally only constrained by the number of topics and the number of Sci-Fi universes. That is not okay. There is a reason good questions should show research effort and it's so the site doesn't get overrun with easy to ask crap.

Answer 4

While it's not the greatest question on the site, and it's not elaborate, setting quality aside I think it's a valid question. Yes, I know no one else agrees with me. That's all right, I'll take the hit. :P

I read the FAQ and it says that the correct type of question to ask on the site includes questions that address the historical or societal context of a work. This question does not meet the criteria for questions that should not be asked. I'm not sure why abortion, same-sex relationships, or ... whatever the third one was ... should be considered off limits in one universe but not another, or more controversial than genocide, slavery, the use of weapons of mass destruction, religion, homicide, the death penalty, subjugation, or politics. All of these topics are present in Star Wars.

That a user is personally offended by a topic is, or should be, incidental to the validity of a question. Either a topic is present in a work or it's not. If it's present, it will be within a specific context. It's simple to just answer the question with canon facts.

The OP did not demand that any user disclose what his/her personal opinion on these hot topics are; the OP asked whether the topics are present in the Star Wars universe. That it elicited a reactionary response in some users does not speak to the question, but rather reflects social distaste.

I myself asked whether Shmi Skywalker was a virgin when she conceived Anakin and that question received pretty solid support.

I'm wondering if perhaps there was a bit of a reactionary, kneejerk response to this, both due to the topics and the perceived tone of the question.