DU, Please help us understand the apparent aversion to actually DOing something on DU?

Yeah, it's Friday night, a bad time to ask, but is it always Friday night around here?

I've learned that the kiss of death for an OP is to use the word "responsibility" or "do." "You" is always good because we love to talk about ourselves and DU loves to talk about DU, so that gets eyeballs.

Plenty of informed folks here have their own ways of being engaged and active and may or may not respond to threads here, even when the info is useful to them.

The mystery is, that after several weeks of similar economic topics and multiple threads and offshoot threads that interpret the info as critical of our President, which starts a whole new round of round-and-round.... a nationwide active action is happening on April 11.

It was started grassroots and bloomed quickly surprising the planners and answers the question about the imminent corporate/government shotfun wedding: WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

Yet, when there really is something active and affirmative to DO IRL, the threads fall flat.

I crossposted in GD, GDP and Activist HQ. GDP provided gatekeepers to shoot down the notion based on it somehow insulting our President (not!).

GD had the good manners to R if not K the thing, so at least a broader audience might be informed, if interested.

The Activist HQ peeked and let it lay like a turd at the bottom of a stale punchbowl.

KoKo tried similar OPs and crosspostings and asked the same question I have.

Recognizing that those who are active may not necessarily reply or do more than Rec a thread to be visible on the Greatest Page, what is the deal?

Why won't you DU anything?

The amazing braintrust, passion and energy here, is it just here to mingle and then turn elsewhere to bear fruit from "fruitful" conversation or voluntarily disempower itself and come back to type another day?

If we plant a seed at DU can it grow into something moving and alive that has momentum and power and relevance and form?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5429068&mesg_id=5429068

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8333811&mesg_id=8333811

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=106&topic_id=33327&mesg_id=33327

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5429508

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8334407

It keeps us too pacified.

yeah, binkys and pushbuttons, what more do ya need?

Guess Orwell was right.

"you suck". That's what I get for kicking your thread?

:blush:

Next time use a smiley! :spank:

So relieved.

Before I posted the reply I looked at those four little faces sucking and thought it made sense........

:pals:

Signed up in the beginning of the week. But there seems to be a rather rabid bunch here who shoot down ANYTHING that requires them to pull their asses off their chairs and DO something. Much happier coming up with many reasons why doing something WON'T work, and it's not worth the effort.

:shrug:

"Much happier coming up with many reasons why doing something WON'T work, and it's not worth the effort."

That's how they get us to disempower ourselves FOR them. :think:

and they don't GET the fact that THEY act very much like the group they love to smackdown. Cognitive dissonance goes both ways with some.

These groups have been forming all week. They've actually been pretty good at getting the message out, with FaceBook and Myspace stuff. You'd THINK a large group of keyboard commandos from HERE would be sounding off and getting INVOLVED.

crickets. That's the sound of DU activism. :shrug:

Some seem to feel we should "give up" and just post about what the RW MSM is saying about this. As if Posting on DU would change that. You only CHANGE BY DOING! NOT GIVING UP...KEEPING AT IT...DAY BY DAY...taking BREAKS WHEN TIRED...but coming BACK...time and time AGAIN!

:toast:

:D

:toast:

I left "shotfun wedding" in OP just so some funspoiler could have some fun....... :yoiks:

:D

Nothing going on in my neck of the woods. The only thing I've been able to do is write letters and make phone calls. I see no other way to contribute. Sad.

so much noise. I hope that there is a more concerted effort to get things done..EFCA, the credit card bill, and whatever else is coming down the pike. I've read about lots of bills being introduced but have already forgotten them. So much for that bottom up, 'we the people' thing. I guess hope and change is only expected of one person.

in Many Ways. Calling and Faxing...is the best, I've heard for getting the Congresscritters Attention and Obama might even be more prone to listening to that than Bush II was.

Maybe they even have TWITTER...it's the Soup du Jour for the Media these days. They must all have rights to when the stock goes PUBLIC that they get First Dibs on the price before it opens! The way the Media has promoted and touted TWITTER means they have some big vested interest into a Venture Capitalist taking the site Public and making the BIG BUCKS before it goes public.

INSIDER TRADING? Nah...our media is as pure as the driven snow...aren't they? :shrug:

people, convening in D.C. and NYC, 2002-2008, drew nary a media nod.

Thank You!

for writing those letters and making those phone calls.

I think people should be active. But I do not think DU serves as a vehicle for that purpose. It could, and it should. But it remains a site where people can post, read, and discuss important information/topics.

(living near a city or town involved in active protest) just get out there. Good commeraderie...but if one lives in the netherlands then Faxing, Phoning is really good effort to get their attention.

Gotta work day and night and around the clock to beat those Lobbyists we can't seem to get rid of even with our beloved Dems in power. The power is the power and they see themselves as the most "nobel of public servants." If one complains they will tell us that animal rights, environmentalists, labor rights and every right under the sun...has lobbyists in DC. They say to us: "Would YOU want to give up YOUR lobbying rights just because bankers, defense, oil, anti-environmentalists, wolf and dolphin killers and every other group many of us would see as scurrilous are feeding at the trough with us ANGELS?

And ...there is crux of the problem. Who is to judge the "Benevolent Lobbyist" those we see as fighting for rights we Dems (enviro's, labor, child, elderly plus animal and plant life defenders have the right to access our Congress and write bills for them and twist arms to get the bills passed) as opposed to what we see as the "Detrimentalists to our Society" ..Big Banking, Defense,Big Pharma, Oil, Miniing and Free Trade not Fair Trade Activists, Right to Work (without labor contract)...etc. interests that our US Chamber of Commerce and Special Interests plus Conservative Think Tanks spend their time and Big Bucks working for.

It's not easy figuring this all out. When it comes to whose rights are considered most important or valuable to society. Who is to judge? But, in these dark days...it's getting easier to have some opinions.

It's getting easier to have some opinions, and equally important, it's an important time to speak out. And that can be accomplished in many ways -- participating in a rally, writing a LTTE, etc. But in times such as this, the general public is paying attention. The republican/corporate machine is attempting to up the fear. But we must realize that their attempts to inject fear, creates a heightened awareness, at least for a moment.

We need to strike while the iron is hot. The republicans have nothing positive to offer -- only fear, hatred, and greed. Now, I've mentioned before that I am an old, long-retired boxer. Trained a lot of fighters in my day. And I learned that when your opponent is behaving the way the republicans are now, it's time to increase the pressure. Force them to make mistakes, and then make them pay their dues.

The person making the post typically posts in a condescending lecturing tone making sweeping generalizations and broad assumptions about the people who post at DU.

The fact that perhaps people are not going to go stand at a ra ra rally doesn't necessarily mean they are doing nothing. And I know that (based on past information) the demographics at DU tend to skew towards the upper-middle class white area, but there are still a good number of us who are back breakingly poor, having lost our own homes, struggling at multiple jobs to make ends meet and scrape up enough money to eat on for a week... we get really tired of hearing the frustrated judgment of the middle-class about how we sit on our lazy asses and do nothing because we aren't "marching." Being able to make it to one of these protests is a luxury that not all of us have.

Even now, I know for certain there are some judgmental assholes reading this thinking "you have a computer and an internet connection, you must not really struggle. Of course, this is not my computer, and I don't pay for internet. If I had to, I'd be in the dark because I couldn't afford it. What does this have to do with the OP - its the same sort of presumptive attitude about other people. People didn't reply enough to your posts so obviously they must be disinterested lazy bastards.

Right.

"you suck", I won't so readily kick any more posts pleading for action.

I've just given up a car I can no longer afford. Twenty five miles looks a lot different when you're on foot.

You're speaking truth.

I thot sure you'd get it, so sorry http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5431621#5432138

where we can go out and participate visually. Those of us who can do it...should be encouraged in some way with our fellow Dems to spread the word and keep a post kicked so folks who would want to participate (who might not know about a protest and a way to find one) can go to a site and log in to see if they are interested.

It doesn't matter how we let Congress and our President/VP know how we feel...its that we do it and keep doing it.

I support you if you post an E-Mail Fax Alert about an issue you care about by reading and recommending if I see it here on DU. Would hope that if you can't get out to what some of us feel we need to do you would help us out as fellow Dems fighting to take back our Country. Even with Dems in charge...we can't rest and we do what we can do...even if it seems small it all ads up in the end..

just saying...

I feel like writing does more good on that level. Writing to my Idaho congressional representatives does exactly fuck all. Even Minnick is a tool, though I'm glad he beat Sali.

But mostly I work on social justice issues as my career. I don't mean this to be a comparison to anyone else - but I took the idea of fighting to make my community and society the kind of place I could believe in seriously enough to quit work as a program manager in a fortune 100 company, and go do community organizing, work as a campaign manager against Idahos marriage amendment, go back to school and get my MSW, work with at-risk children advocacy services in our region, and be currently looking for jobs that will allow me to pursue community development and public policy advocacy.

I wanted to do more than just call my representatives or write letters. And I feel like my experiences in poverty give me perspective.

the choices you made to work for what you believe in. Those of us who care about the direction our country is headed are still trying to work in whatever ways we can...all different..but all important if we are ever going to get ourselves out of this mess and give those after us a future that's better than it's looking for them and the rest of us these days.

Some of us can't do directly what you've accomplished so we try to do what we can in ways that we can, too.

while I detested my old career I did take a HUGE paycut in order to do something I'd feel better about doing when clock off time finally came (after usually 12 hour + days) it's really annoying hearing the tawdry insinuation that because my insomnia (and today too tired to go out this long weekend because I just came off three 14 hour days in a row) drives me to idle away on the internet sometimes that I must do nothing.

My activism (and this is beyond my paid job) has come at a pretty high personal cost, I don't need to get lectures from the bourgeois about not going to a rally.

that the projections of those reading onto the intentions of those posting create a negative feedback loop that ultimate justifies..... INACTION.

AND it's someone ELSE's fault!! It's a Lose/Lose!!!

Things usually aren't either / or, but for my part I will certainly accept the projection element as being a barrier.

:toast: no more

s and Trolls will pick it up and organize counter actions? + + - = 0.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't be active; just that we should be careful about whom you share the details of an action with before it is completed and maybe not even then.

I have to live up to the standards set by my friends.

There has been a big snit in the LGBT forum about "how dare you ask us to actually get off our butts and do anything. We do enough just by existing." :eyes:

I've been too busy planning my next elitist getaway, and distracted by the anticipation of the red carpet that will be rolled out the moment I arrive.

Is this the moment we inform the knee-jerkers that scholarships are available to attend these elitist events, or should we just let them continue to feel indignant in their sweatpants?

ThomCat, you forget, though, that it is easier to be openly gay where we live.

Nothing ever happens to openly gay people on the East Coast.

Interestingly enough, with several banker friends in tow. The people who pay attention know that we are being robbed and they are are mad as hell. The rest of the people will wake up to this theft in a few months and ask "How did we let this happen?"

It's Iraq deja vu all over again.

:toast:

Anyone, everyone, any occasion, whatever connection you can possibly make to the issues.

Keep it short.

Keep it friendly.

Keep it factual.

Humor helps.

Overcome you reticence to talk about things that are social taboo. Be brave. There is NO!!! good reasons not to talk about things that ARE HURTING PEOPLE.

I told a young fellow today about the estimated total of all of those Derivatives he's been hearing about. Took 15 seconds. I asked him what effect a hole that size might have upon any fix. His eyes got real big.

My post about last weekend's protests in NYC got 3 responses and 4 recs.

As if you haven't noticed, the vast majority of people, DUers included, have gone autopilot politically now that Obama is in power. They trust him to just do what's best on his own and think that posting on DU is enough criticism to actually push him to the left.

You can see how effective that's been. :sarcasm:

My Damn Speaker said "impeachment is off the table," the deal was done.

"the vast majority of people, DUers included, have gone autopilot politically now that Obama is in power. They trust him to just do what's best on his own and think that posting on DU is enough criticism to actually push him to the left."

(or that it is TOO MUCH criticism..............................)

"Effective"? That word is SO 20th Century :eyes:

:shrug:

get a Dem elected by not holding the previous admin accountable; once s/he's in, everything's ducky, go back to :boring:

I should prolly put the Yuengling down.

and sometimes I just view and am too awed to reply.

It does seem that there's less support here for those who go out and protest. There was some trashing here early on when those of us participated in the early Iraq Invasion Protests. Folks thought we were supporting "radical groups" that most Americans and the MSM didn't want to see because folks yelled at the podiums. Thousands of folks did what they could...but after awhile many here on DU didn't want to see and those who did complained about folks screaming "Free Mumia."

I still bet you got lots of view...or hope you did. Or this place is really just about posting "FaceBook/Twitter Stuff" and many of us working for the Dem Party for change just should move on somewhere else?...:shrug:

:hug:

Things DO get a lot of views here, and gods know I have been too lazy to login sometimes to give a rec or reply!

As far as activism, I've gotten a lot of things together on DU but it's been over PMs rather than outright threads.

Maybe you have planted a seed. Next time, I hope you can do it in GD&P as well and not get locked.............

K & R

that's a total non sequitur.

I already know where to go to DO something, have been doing it for years. That's simply NOT what I come to DU for.

I've been active for a long time in Palestinian issues (had dead rats sent to my home and been spat at in the streets because of it so I guess someone figured I was active enough) refugee issues (and had to argue for some time to get clearance to go to detention centres so I guess the Howard government at least thought I was doing something) and 15 years of union activism got me a job in the movement (so I guess my boss thought I was doing something)

I don't think discussion boards have anything to do with activism, never have. I come hear to share info and "meet" people I generally wouldn't.

Can't speak for anyone else but I can think of many many reasons why activism threads die a quick death that have NOTHING to do with the activism displayed by people who post here.

"Plenty of informed folks here have their own ways of being engaged and active and may or may not respond to threads here, even when the info is useful to them."

why post a thread which has a whinge about 'activism' threads dying?

he mystery is, that after several weeks of similar economic topics and multiple threads and offshoot threads that interpret the info as critical of our President, which starts a whole new round of round-and-round.... a nationwide active action is happening on April 11.

It was started grassroots and bloomed quickly surprising the planners and answers the question about the imminent corporate/government shotfun wedding: WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

Yet, when there really is something active and affirmative to DO IRL, the threads fall flat.

i found out about this action this morning on the NCBlue blog by way of the Washington Post via Mudflats. i never saw a word about it on DU, though obviously it was here.

this is what i do on DU: i go to the home page. start reading. after that i flip between the latest news and the greatest page. i think i need to broaden my DU horizons!

for what it's worth, there's a rally in Raleigh at 2pm and i do plan to be there.

The most read and argued threads are about . . . wait for it . . . DU, ITSELF! just as you rightly pointed out.

A lot of folks are putting in a lot of hours blogging here, and the percentage that, as you say, actually DO as opposed to DU seems very small.

Everytime I've pointed this out, the few who DO get very huffy and bring that to my attention. Actually, they should get very huffy about how many people DON'T do much of anything. Or even take the ridiculous position that posting here is doing something.

As Mark Twain said about actual sex versus beating off, "it's like lightning to the lightning bug."

But beating off is so much easier, heh . . .

:think: