I know it's happened to other people, many of whom I respect but I never it thought it would happen to me. Now it has, and I know that it won't make any real difference, but I've gotten a little tired about arguing politics. I'll bow out of those threads for now. It has more to do with disillusionment with the current state of our govt. and people's attitude towards it in general than it does with anyone on the board. It really kind of has me depressed, and I dont' want to indulge that depression. I'll still read the threads, but Batman Jones, and Oski, Timing, and others usually say most of the things I would. I can't count how many times I've read Batman Jones' posts and sworn that is what I was about to write. Of course now that I say that, I'll probably read a thread tomorrow, get fired up and join back in the fray. Anyway keep on fighting the good fight people.
This is the only forum, out of the 3 BBSs I post at, that I simply cannot even stand to read the political threads. The ignorance is dripping off the walls. So in other words, take some tyelonol, get some rest, let your blood pressure fall back down to earth.. and realize that the rest of the world is not like this place.
Come on walls. Jeez! Even you should know that your opinions don't really start counting in the Hangout until you have 200 posts. Now go post some dribble in the buy, sell, and trade **** forum and get that count up, up, UP! then come back and we will read it.
FB, I feel your pain. As many here know, I bowed out for a while as well in early 2001. There were alot of hystrionic threads going on here regarding the 2000 Presidential Election, and also some funky Middle East related threads that seemed to bring out some anti-Semitism in some. It was at that time that I had felt I had burned out, so I quit posting for a few months. I still viewed threads from time to time...I just didn't post. A thread about blues music brought me back. Since then, I've tried to be more careful in what I post, even though I know I still piss some posters off around here from time to time. The secret is to not take anything posted here personally, or very seriously. The internet allows people to hide behind their BBS personas, and it sometimes gives people the false sense of security to post things they normally wouldn't say to someone face to face. Keep in mind the important things in life...health, family, relationships, friends, acting humble, doing good things for people...and then reading these threads won't make you angry. You'll chalk it up to normal human behavior instead.
FranchiseBlade -- While it may be convenient for you to use the 'disillusionment' and 'I'm tired' reasons for bowing out of the political threads, the truth is that there are no legs for the liberals to stand on. Bush is enjoying massive popularity, his foreign policy has been a rousing success, the stock market indices are at 11-month highs, unemployment growth has slowed, energy prices have come down, and the Democratic party is so fragmented right now that they have no voice. Patriotism is linked with the Republican party, and rightfully so. This frustrates the liberals more than anything else, because there is no counter-argument to it. None. Just ask Batman Jones. FB - When you regroup and are able to come up with some new material/talking points, please rejoin the debate. Until then, BYE BYE
FB...I have to tell you that I empathize. I have also, at times, lost a lot of hope while reading versions of " We Decide Because We're Better!" in here...I have spent a lot of my time outside the US defending America against accusations of jingoism, arrogance, ignorance and imperialism; telling people that maybe a few people think that way, but not many...and I have been saddened at seeing those exact kinds of attitudes relected in here on many occasion. Statements which, had critics of America proposed as accurately reflecting the view of an American previously I would have laughed at as ridiculous before this period have been declared in here with pride, to my astonishment. But RMTex inadvertantly mentioned why I feel that this kind of place is valuable; because people's anonimity allows them to state things which they would normally keep to themselves, or at least would have before the less than spontaneous flag days which accompanied this war ...and I don't find that a reason to not take it seriously. No, quite the opposite. That people in here are willing to say things which they really believe, but would not say otherwise is a very good reason to stay involved in here; this is where the real truths are being spoken. It is because of the veil of pretension and political correctness that I, and others like me, have been fooled about what many real Americans are thinking...I was, as I said, dumbfounded when people in here made statements which seemed to me right out of a Victorian Englishman's mouth when discussing the need to civilize the savage African. At least now I am no longer living in ignorance of the reality of the thoughts of many Americans, however ugly I find that reality. So, just like I said to MadMax, I hope you don't give up because it seems that all the arguments have been made...because people are unwilling to address facts which don't fit into their version of how things work, and because it often seems that people's positions are pre-ordained, not because of the rightness or wrongness of an action, but because of which side of the political fence that particular actor stand on. I sympathize with your feelings of weariness...I just hope it doesn't become apathy. PEACE JAG
LOL. Dude, youve been part of this BBS for less than a month. Gimme a freakin break. You dont know **** about what goes on here.
I contemplate not posting here anymore virtually every time I log on. Then glynch or MacBeth or Timing posts something that I simply cannot let go unanswered... usually glynch.
btw FB, before you get disillusioned about the state of politics in the United States, remember- people like you and me are MUCH more alike than different. These forums magnify our differences, and pay little tribute to our common goals. We all want to be safe, we all want good healthcare, we all want American children to have a first class education, etc. We just propose different routes to similar solutions (in most cases). MacBeth's assertion that "at least now I am no longer living in ignorance of the reality of the thoughts of many Americans" smacks of elitism. Don't become one of the cynical elite, and you won't feel isolated.
Speak for yourself Pinko. I think all Healthcare should be thrown out the window. We should go back to Civil War era medicine. Ingrown toenail? Amputate. Influenza? Put some leeches on 'em. Headache? Bleed 'em.
I was cynical when I told people that Americans don't think that they're better than everyone else? I was cyical when I refuted claims that America thinks that there is one rule for them, and another for everyone else? I was cynical when I said that Americans, in general, would never allow it's own sense of superiority to override her commitment to the sovereignty of global will over individual superpowers as advocated by the UN, and stated clearly by Eisenhower vs. G.B./France/Israel over the Suez issue... If anything I wasn't cynical enough.
this is one of the people on the board that can piss on your leg and tell you with a straight face that it's raining.
