Vote in poll. At one point I loved it, when I was younger and I didn't think there was as much venom being spilled (or maybe just didn't notice). But lately it's just sad reading this board. Maybe I'm just getting old, disenchanted and soft
It's a little different in that we used to have more moderate Republicans. Their party has effectively killed the concept of a moderate so we just have the Beck, Palin, Levin disciples now. The ability of any crackpot to blog has really hurt political discourse the last 10 years. The tactic of conservatives to troll for attention has gotten pretty old as well.
They aren't real posters. I'm suspect that neocon "think tanks" hire people to spout wall street talking points on social media. They just want to demoralize progressives in the hopes it suppresses political donations and voter turnout. It would be an easy way for young college Republicans to earn some beer money without having to leave their apartment. They can study for exams, punch in their talking points, and surf hook up sites all at the same time.
The liberals around here do a tremendous amount of making personal insults. Those have increased in the last few years, likely correlating with frustration around Obama's awful presidency. I personally have thick skin so the insults don't make me feel bad, but let's be honest -- so many liberals around here need to learn how to debate rather than just insult. It's a sure sign they have lost any argument.
It makes me feel good to school certain people. But sometimes, it is a bit frustrating, because rather than being thankful for being educated, they think they can try to argue.
Is this serious? Anyway, the D&D is a cesspool of s***. Anyone who thinks they're doing anything of value in here is a fool.
I haven't been posting on the D&D as much as many people here, but even in that short time span I've watched moderate republicans become extremist republicans, and I've watch democrats become moderate republicans. That saddens me. You even have some of these new democrats calling themselves liberal, and that is sickening to me. It has become quite irritating in general, but now I just ignore the people who charge the polarization on the board. On the other hand, I see that there is a new pack of posters developing who are trying to rebuild a mindset that was annihilated in America in the 70's and re-buried post 9/11. That gives me some hope that Americans will go back to their roots as a politically diverse and multidimensional progressive bunch of humans.
Heathcare reform. Two progressive SC Justices. No war with Iran. No invasion of Syria. I had hoped for more, but it's better than McCain and Romney by a mile.
bwaaaahahaha if that's your evidence, you just reinforced my point oh by the way -- on your list you forgot that he avoided all wars with Martian invaders Obamacare is such a smelly turd that Obama himself decided to delay the employer mandate since he has no confidence it will work
I'm with you and look at how the very first reply by CometsWin is just another example of the nanny-boo-boo finger pointing this place is really all about now. Peeps need to feel their views are superior and any opposing viewpoints inferior to their own. "Waaaa-waaaaaaa, it's the Republicans fault." "Waaaa-waaaaaaa, it's the Democrats fault." That's almost all people can agree on that it's someone else's fault when the truth of the matter is neither party has a moral high ground and they both suck big, hairy donkey balls. I miss reading the really thought-provoking discussions that seemed to occur in the past with decent frequency. There are some great posters in here, like rhad or Major, who typically stay above the fray and articulate their thoughts in an insightful manner.
The irony in this thread. Posters immediately start putting the blame on everyone else and take absolutely no responsibility for their own actions. Its not that people have different point of views or even their point of views that has made the D&D a cesspool. Its the attacking, blaming and arguing just for the sake of arguing. Some of the data people pull out to justify their warped logic just makes me shake my head. Here in the D&D, nobody is wrong and everybody is right. Or is it the other way around?
I can't vote in the poll. Why? This place is all over the map. You have an excellent thread, here and there, if it isn't derailed, but mostly the forum is littered with troll threads from the far right, most coming from people I have on ignore now, and I don't post in threads started by someone I have on ignore, regardless of the topic. So I don't post nearly as much down here. Bummer. Most of the reasonable moderates and progressives, from either party, have given up attempting discussion in the current environment. Reasonable liberals frequently lay off posting for the same reason. Hopefully, things will eventually change for the better, given time. There are members here who should be thrilled that I don't moderate this forum.
The disturbing thing about this forum is realizing how many crazy people are actually out there that have views that are simply out of touch with critical thinking. the problem exists on both sides, but it is far worse on the right. guys like treeman and bigtexxx are examples. At first I thought they were trolls, but now I realize the actually believe in the stuff they spew. Their minds have been twisted around and when confronted with the contradiction in their thinking, they simply resort to insults or disappear rather than address a point. There's a backwardness to this world, where fundamentalists type unable to engage in critical thinking essentially have been indoctrinated and brainwashed. You see this across religions - it is often the most religious that are the most conservative and rigid in their thinking - whether they be Christian or Muslim.
I miss the old days. Today's adversaries can't hold a candle to the old Trader_Jorge vs. Batman Jones days.
Yeah, throw Achebe in there even. Some old school HayesStreet too. I thought treeman I was pretty interesting. I still like reading just to learn how other people think and feel; it actually helps me prepare for my conversations with my family. But I'm trying not to post here much. No sense in that. So much of it is trolling now, and yes, as Raven said, I'm convinced people are (or at least were) paid, probably per thread. Sad but modern times. Everyone has a "social media outlay" now, including political orgs.
It is really telling. It's like they don't even realize they are doing it. It's just the auto-pilot reaction for any thread in the D&D.
"Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings.” --Walt Disney At least DisneyLand and DisneyWorld are still open.
It's actually all pretty funny when you realize the age of some of the guys posting. Bunch of older guys venting things they won't actually say to your face. Imagine if everyone that posted anything in the TM thread was dropped into a room for some face to face debating. And just to make it interesting we were all told that at some time during the evening our families and friends would come in and be able to read some of the things you've posted pertaining to the TM case and the D&D. How many do you think would actually own up to their moniker and posts? I bet you'd see several people sneaking off.
