Hi
I'm the founder of Wishadoo! and saw this thread yesterday. I come in peace.
I'm posting here since this is where Wishadoo! is mentioned, though I think there is at least one older thread where it's been dissed.
Trust me, I get it. The initial reaction to Wishadoo can be nauseated and off-putting to people of all political and ideological stripes, not just conservatives. In my experience, nearly anything that attempts to be positive and GET SOMETHING DONE, rather than just bitch and moan, is a rarity online. I love the Internet, but most messageboards I'm familiar with have devolved into a cesspool of whining and dissing other messageboards. That's the case across the political spectrum.
I wrote the board admin yesterday, asking if it would be okay if I join; I've copied and pasted what I wrote, as a means of introduction here:
"I grew up with a father (whom I adore, now passed) whose idol was Archie Bunker, so I've heard all the "treehugger, moonbat" yada yada disses from those with conservative views my entire life. LOL. I can take it.
My family is largely comprised of Glenn Beck fans, and as you guys may have noticed, Glenn Beck dissed Wishadoo on his show in the fall.
Yes, I personally identify as a progressive but I've always hated the labels and misuse of words and BS all the way around that happens on all sides.
I think we're at a point where we can't afford -- on any level -- to be so divided as a country, so I often post at different sites, asking where we can find common ground.
Working together as human beings can't be a bad thing. Connecting one on one -- using personal responsibility -- is one of the goals at Wishadoo. Yes there are people who will take advantage (and they can usually be found out rather quickly 'cause they post EVERYWHERE online, asking for the same thing, repeatedly), but that's why we need to take personal responsibility to do whatever it is we need to be comfortable if we decide to help.
But at least Wishadoo provides the space to do that without having to go through agencies and other red tape-oriented organizations.
However, Wishadoo is about much more than just the Wishlist. It's about gathering to brainstorm and get things done, and try to find some common ground to see if we can agree on what needs to be done and find a way to do it ourselves, as individuals, not relying solely on legislative means.
Anyway, I'd really like the opportunity to respectfully engage about things -- not politics -- but just life, with your members, if they'd be open to the same from me. Wishadoo wasn't created to be political or religious.
I am indeed on a mission to make words like compassion and empathy and community and cooperation GOOD things, not something people shy away from because they don't want to be dissed by conservatives. I want to get beyond all the stupid labels and misuse of our language and try to get something DONE that helps people help themselves. I haven't had much more luck in this regard at progressive sites than I have at conservative sites.
I don't think conservative is a bad word any more than I do progressive.
Discussing things is the first step, so I'd be grateful if I had the opportunity to do so with your members, unless I'd be too much of disturbance in the force, in your opinion.
"
I haven't read here much, to be honest. And, no doubt there are some members here with whom I could find common ground, and others who interact in a way that I have zero desire to engage. Again, that's no different than any other site, though I definitely find those (usually in the smaller groups) with whom I share a similar worldview at progressive sites. No doubt about that. Plus, trolls don't tend to go into the sub-groups.
Today is really hectic for me, so I probably should have waited until later to even post this since I may not be able to respond to any replies, but I have to act on things right away or I forget easily. Old age, don'tcha know.
The main things I'd really like some insight about from an anonymous conservative messageboard perspective, is why so many tend to loathe the words Compassion, Empathy, Cooperation, Community, etc. Again, I understand the knee-jerk reaction that has been fed by the likes of Limbaugh and Company -- and if you really want to vent and spout all the liberal disses, have at it -- but I'm asking if you could please sit with it beyond that initial reaction. Are they REALLY such bad words? They don't have to be. We can be smart and practical and strong and still be compassionate, want to help our local communities and cooperate more to get things done, for us to see how to help ourselves more effectively. Honestly, I don't see how we can turn things around unless we do. So, my hope is to get beyond all the labels that take us back to junior high and pit us all against one another into nasty cliques.
I can hope....(oh yeah, that's another word that's dissed universally these days -- progressives, conservatives, everyone in between. Hard to say much of anything that won't be demeaned, making the whole gist of one's post missed because of the use of a word or two. I think it's pathetic all the way around.)
Thanks for reading.
