Is anyone watching the D&D

you fools need to drop in the GARM,
where some people think Tracy McGrady is better than Bird, Magic, Dream, Jordan, Kareem, and Wilt

 

pgabs, in case you missed it, Bush has been compared to Adoph Hitler on a weekly basis since 2002 in the D&D. Sorry, but that's far worse that what you are complaining about.

You are obviously more sensitive to Obama being insulted due to race. Just call it like it is.

 

pgabs, you just need to settle down and keep it real.

 

I've actually changed my mind after reading some of the more reasoned posters in the D&D.

Just because you don't change your mind due to discussion doesn't mean other people don't.

 

You change your mind sure, but I don't think hardly anyone is going to change their core beliefs or set of morals or lack of morals or what have you. I am not against debate and discussion, if presented in a civilized manner. In real life face to face conversation I will listen to someone's opinion and discuss it in a calm fashion as long as that person maintains the same courtesy. I am not trying to censor everyone from myself. I am simply saying the D&D forum is mostly a quagmire of ad hominem where finding a discussion that isn't heated and filled with hatred and bias against the opposing side is about as likely as finding an intelligent discussion in the GARM.

 

I really am not trying to pick a fight with you, but this is ridiculous. What kind of insane standard is that? If I approach any debate with less than "life-altering-change-my-attitude-on-everything" openness it's mere farce? That's totally unrealistic I think.

I'm looking for debate and interesting opinions. A lot of what's in the D&D does not meet even that modicum of intrigue, or is clouded by anger at various well-known instigators of thread meltdown. You are correct in that regard.

But it's still fun to take part in because every now and then some information is posted that I was totally unaware of. Or someone posts something deep or thoughtful.

Are my fundamental convictions changing on daily basis because I read the D&D? No. But that's hardly the motivation.

 

Wow, you guys need to, uh, take your arguments to D&D.

 

Wow. It pretty hilarious how you are just totally missing my point every time, which is not that hard for me to comprehend I guess considering where you spend most of your time posting.

Let me try this again.


I am not going to argue with somebody over things like religious, politics and race for the sake of arguing, because for the most part, most people are set in their ways in that regard and will not offer any rebuttal other than party line status quo. I personally don't think it makes sense to argue about things that are going to be pretty much given, so I avoid the D&D forum because most of the threads turn into a pissing match where no actual questions get brought up and are addressed with an unbiased perspective.

I do believe debate and discussion can be done properly, but the D&D seems for the most part to just be hot-headed liberals and cartoon-ish republicans bashing their heads against stone walls.

Trader_J and bigtexx drone on and on and on and by now the liberals should be able to know exactly what they are going to say about an issue, and yet (and this amazes me) they are so stubborn that they actually continue to fan their flames with constant rebuttal to their over-the-top banter day in and day out. You think they'd continue if you guys would just chuckle at them like the farces they are? I think not.

You feed the trolls and thats why they keep coming back, no matter how many of you are determined to somehow win an argument against someone with a completely irrational mind.

That being said I've wasted enough time in this thread, and it feels like the D&D in here now, because I just expressed an opinion, and had it chopped to bits by a wanna-be spin doctor.

Adios.

 

The D & D is good fun I've had some solid discussions and have had the opportunity to bust out some dumb jokes -- you just have to pick and choose which threads are worth offering a serious opinion.

The GARM is no different at all.

 

dude, if you take D&D away from them, the GARM will go further south.

It's like flies to poop. Sometimes it's best to let the flies have some place to go.

Maybe they should add a warning label though.

 

I think you are missing the point if you think the D & D is about changing minds or if it is totally useless if you don't change anyone's mind. While there are trolls and a lot of BS on the D & D there are also a lot of very smart and sharp people with interesting backgrounds. Just because we don't agree doesn't mean you can't finds something very interesting by debating someone with different experiences. For instance I doubt I will ever convert due to D & D posts but I have learned quite a bit about Christianity from the D & D and often find threads on Christianity to be very interesting and some of the most ardent self-declared Jesus freaks to be fairly respectful and open people.

At the same time debating someone who strongly holds an opposing viewpoint helps to sharpen my own arguments and often spurs me to find out more about the subject we are debating.

The mistake people look at the D & D is that people should somehow be convincing each other and gradually everyone should be in agreement. To me that would be awful and as bad as if everyone in the GARM became Y-O-F. The D & D is, or should be, about intellectual conflict where you confront those who don't share your beliefs. That some can't do it in the most respectful way is to be expected but that's not something to dismiss the whole forum as there are probably more uncivil and juvenile comments thrown around in GARM, Hangout or any other forum.

Also for what its worth I've been on a few political forums and Clutchfans D & D IMO is much more civil and substantive than many others. The NY Times political forums got so bad that they shut them down and that's the NY Times not just a bunch of crazy Rockets fans.

 

Members like MadMax are such an asset to the board and his posts in D&D always worth reading, so I would say he's a good example of what you're talking about. While I haven't changed my core beliefs from debating and discussing things there, I've been influenced by folks like Max to amend my position on Choice (for example). Now, I think they shouldn't be allowed during the 3rd trimester, unless the health of the mother is at risk. That's quite different than my previously held position, one I'd had for decades. That's an example of the forum being worthwhile, I think. So sure, it can be absurdly crazy there, but at least for me, it's a net positive. It's the only place online where I discuss some of these issues. I enjoy D&D. It may seem like I'm not, sometimes, but people aren't seeing me grinning at my keyboard.

 

It helps when I try not to take things too seriously in there. I also have a sick sense of humor that I see in some other members.

I don't read partisan blogs in my spare time, but there are a handful of informed and good posters who do, and they contribute a lot.

Then again, part of my sick humor is laughing at the blatantly racist Balack Osama jokes. Maybe it's my racism, or the blatant stupidity that forces me to laugh. I just don't think correcting a known internet character will serve some greater cause in combating ignorance. To me, it's a diversion like watching Chappelle Show.

Some of the popular topics are ugly, but closing up the D&D won't kill the ugliness. It would make us or me, at least, more ignorant of the dirty issues politics loves to offer.

And I have at times changed my opinion on some topics of matter after reading the D&D. They're not always right in the long run.

 

LOL. As much as I hate to say it, TJ has a point.

That said, it's a leap year. Why are people so surprised about D&D heating up?

 

Your misanthropic attitude says more about your dislike of argument than it does about the quality of any given discussion. Pretending that "real" debate it some utopian discourse between perfectly impartial parties is just that: utopian.

Agreed.

I have gone out of my way to advocate this in the D&D. I believe their threads should be ignored completely, and I'm not alone in that opinion. If you actually *gasp* visited the D&D you'd be aware of this.

Cute. Again, you reveal more about your own inability to deal with discussion than you do about my "tactics" . In this thread you've accused me of everything you don't like about the D&D - yet you're the only one getting all bent out of shape and refusing to concede even the smallest portion of your self-righteous and ludicrously grandiose standards.

No wonder you stay out of the D&D.

 

I thought you'd find this funny, given our banter...

 

Is this the new D&D??