@Shokhet Indeed. I was aware that question like: "Where can the sefer Avoday HaMelekh be found" are most probably on topic. The question was whether the question of where to find a garment popular amount Jews, with no indicated connection to Judaism is on topic.
I once attended a bar mitzvah party where the man of the hour had a phobia of public speaking, so they pre-recorded his speech and played it on a projector.
@mevaqesh Right. So see our 14 (13 open) questions about black-hats. The community seems to think those questions are fine.
...we don't mean to shout you down; I hope this isn't coming across that way. You asked a fair question ("Is this on topic?"), the answer appears to be "yes."
@Shokhet That is silly. Unless you can demonstrate that they are only on topic because they are about black hats, the tag is irrelevant. We have many tags for things that would be off topic if they were just about those things. Even were there to be a few question about a topic on the assumption that they are on topic, if they violate FAQs, or meta and haven't been grandfathered I am aware of no policy that renders them on topic and relevant for case law.
After all, it isnt by definition impossible to VTC an old question.
@Shokhet Shouting down would be more akin to ignoring any counterpoints, and reduction ad absurdums, as was done here: judaism.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/262/…, and elsewhere on the page. At most I think you are just being silly. That tag argument is silly for the reason I gave.
And your first link using a question about whether something is a requirement according to Judaism as proof that a practical question about purchasing a garment, with no mention of a connection to Judaism (at most an implicit reference to Jews) seems silly as well (for obvious reasons.)
@Shokhet Your second link is asking whether a rabbi considered something a behavior that Jews should do? This too is pretty obviously connected to Judaism. Obviously none of this demonstrates that a question asking where to buy a garment is on topic. (Although it might some useful background for someone trying to edit the question into an on topic question).
Certainly, I don't mind polite discourse about site policy. There is so much rudeness and abuse online that on some level a polite conversation is always refreshing.
@Shokhet It seems to me that there is no safek that this category of questions is on-topic (though care does need to be taken to make sure objective answers are possible). One could ask whether the practice of wearing a black fedora is on-topic, but I think the community has already been pretty clear about that (black-hats).
...it's not just about the tag, though. It's the fact that there's more than a few of them, and they're all open.
@mevaqesh We must have different definition of the term, then. I imagine "shouting down" to have more shouting in it. I haven't read the full discussion of the Q/A there, but it appears that your comment was merely ignored...
...for whatever reason. I don't respond to every ping, and sometimes one slips through the cracks.
Oh cool: some folks from our local kollel bought some first-time-pregnant donkeys for the express purpose of fulfilling pidyon peter chamor. Two have given birth to females, but the third one hasn't given birth yet so there's still a chance.
@Shokhet I once asked a friend who is a kohen if anybody had ever shown up on his doorstep with a baby goat and expressed disappointment when he said no. He seemed reluctant to give me his address after that. :-)
@Shokhet I would beg to differ on whether site policy should be determined by a single individual, based on trust. We can discuss ideas and their merits...
@Shokhet If you want to develop an argument, fine. The fact that multiple questions mention something, is not in any way an argument that thing in and of itself would render a question on topic, (rather than other features of the question).
@mevaqesh To be clear, I wasn't quoting @IsaacMoses as the be all, end all opinion. I was quoting his reasoning: that the community has decided that black-hat questions are cool.
Anyway, I hate to run in the middle of a conversation, but I have a class that starts soon. Perhaps we can continue this later.
@Shokhet And I have repeatedly noted that having a tag for something does not render that thing itself a reason for being on topic. Questions about the Hebrew language which are considered on topic, are not on topic because they are about Hebrew; a subject that has its own tag, but rather in spite of the fact that they are about Hebrew. Sigh...You don't seem to be responding to this, and I don't know how to state it any more clearly...
