Of civility, freepers & post counts...

Sitting down to DU every day is a respite from the constant feeling that the world has gone mad. As some might remember from an essay I wrote in April, I've lived out of the country for years, and this community puts me back in touch with a nation I often miss and often mourn for.

A number of this morning's threads have been beyond depressing, not only for their venomous subject matter, but for the utter lack of civility shown by some representatives of both sides of the arguments.

It also disturbs me profoundly that people are denigrated for such ludicrous things as their number of posts. There are some DUers with 1000+ post counts whose banal opinions add nothing to The Progressive Debate. By the same token, I often see brilliant, thought-provoking comments from people with fewer than 10 posts.

Post counts do not equal credentials or credibility. It's about the quality of a person's ideas. For that matter, while I don't like disruptors or freepers, I'm confident enough in my own beliefs not to feel threatened by their opinions.

What I do find threatening, daunting and depressing is what has been done to America and the world by an illegitimate administration. DU is not simply a place where progressives can gather and gab. It's a building block to a better country. With everything at stake, why on earth should a slanging match about - pardon the example - Bob Hope have any relevance here? There are real issues to discuss, issues about America's future, and hence the world's.

I'm not going to plead, "Can't we all get along?" But I will plead for a little focus, a little more empathy for new participants, a little more inclusiveness, a little less arrogance.

It'd be nice to see this thread kicked, but I don't see a need to turn this little screed into a Socratic forum. As I said, there are bigger issues to discuss. Thanks for reading.

Jeff Rosenzweig

For the heck of it, good post.

A thread recently brought back from the archives by nothingshocksmeanymore, you may be interested in taking a look:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=92329&mesg_id=92329&page=

I needed that.

and a kick for civility.

(or is hear,hear!) Awesome comment... I get a little fed up with the people who seem to almost entirely publish socialite and banal posts in addition to those who are obviously freepers.

Thanks :)

and start calling a spade a spade... i have to go to class now but what do others think of starting a 'caution thread,' to help the monitors and ourselves who we think the trolls and disruptors are sooner... some of them are very good at being subtle and subversive.

Mainly because of some posts directed at me in the past. It is always a danger to engage in witch hunts.

Sometimes people don't understand that just because someone disagrees with them on a particular issue that they might feel strongly about, they seem to think it means the person disagreeing is a right-winger.

particularly if you're subtle about it. i mean it's one thing to ban people who are just being blatantly obnoxious. but, i've got no problem with subtle subversion. and i think DU is better off without a thought police vigilante squad.

Even though low post-number folks may have much to contribute, they are pushing their luck when they come in with a post count of 12 starting threads like "What has the democratic party ever done for blacks?". It's dishonest, uncivil and presumptuous. Come in here with low posts with a blanket smear of our party? Not on my watch.

And welcome.

:)

:toast:

All people who take offense at a post need to do is send an alert.

Problem solved.

I find it pretty hard to resist when they're really obvious.

:hi:

I too think it's petty and counterproductive to attack new-comers. However, I enjoy a lively debate and wouldn't want to see the abundance of ideas that make this site so lively diminished.

...thank you very much and welcome form a fellow low poster. i am new to the site, i had never heard of it before i followed a buzzflash link to a forum on the freeper site where they were disgruntled with the boy king. some of their comments to one poter accused him of being a mole and they told him to "go back to du." i had no idea what that meant until farther down that thread where it was explained. that was last week and i have been here since, it's nice to have a place to express opinions instead of just reading the progressive news sites.

i can't wait to see my first freeper, i am always too late and they are eliminated. i think that it may be fun to debunk these idiots. i had a thought about this site. while i love it so far, aren't we all preaching to the choir?? are there centrist sites where we could go periodically to try to convince middle of the roaders the error of the bushie ways and maybe get them to take a peek at this site?? i have no idea how many du-ers there are but if each one could convert just one of the uneducated masses per day or per week would that not help the cause?? in light of the thread posted this morning about 72% of americans still believe sadaam was in cahoots with al quaida it would seem there is much work yet to do.

great post, jeffr. :kick:

Many think that because their face can't be seen, then all the barriers are down, and they are free to wreak havoc at will. They completely fail to realize they're doing nothing more than assuring that noone takes them seriously at any time in the future, no matter what they say. It's depressing, and it happens in virtually every thread at some point-- someone seems honor bound to toss in an insult, most likely because they can't think or something relevant to say, and they can't control their keyboard. And you're right-- some of the MOST obnoxious insults have come from those with well over 1000 posts.

It's like rednecks at a library-- the poor simps are out of their element, and it freaks them a little, but they can't stop the impulse to speak loudly and attract attention in any way possible. They just have no clue that they're in a place they really shouldn't be. The only real way to restore order and quiet to the room is to call a cop and get them kicked out before they do real damage.