The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: Ballygrl on December 07, 2010, 08:53:55 PM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=437x1162
TheWraith Donating Member (1000+ posts)
Mon Dec-06-10 08:00 PM
Original message
So...
...Now that we've established that with lower standards against posting flamebait and Democrat-bashing, DU turns into a swamp of misinformation, hate, and bile, is anything going to be done about it?
The new lower standards allow a very loud and very angry 15% of the party to basically take this place over, scream venom at the top of their lungs, and drive away the other 85% of the Democratic Party who doesn't want to be subjected to constant ridicule, abuse, and steeping in an environment filled with nothing but disgust for the party we've busted our asses for.
I've been here almost 7 years, and have nearly 14,000 posts. I've been here through the worst DU has seen, from the primary wars to the aftermath of 2004 and back. In that time, I've never done the swan song routine, and I've never even put anyone on ignore, except by accident. And now I'm seriously considering locking DU out of my web browser, because coming here now simply makes me sick. I started contributing here for the sake of having a bastion of being among like minded people, people who actually thought about the issues, the world, and understood the Democratic Party--whatever it's disappointing members and annoyances--to represent the best and only chance for advancing real social progress and a better future.
What I wasn't interested in and never will be is a left-wing equivalent to Free Republic, where Democrats exist to be attacked, loyalty and party cohesion are treated as tantamount to treason, and fact-free smears of all sorts are given wide and uncritical audience--including the work of right-wing plants, such as a recent article making the rounds advocating a primary challenger for Obama, which was written by a man who had previously written a column that equated Glenn Beck to Martin Luther King Jr.
If anyone seriously thinks that the right isn't working overtime to spread dissent and misinformation among the left, that alone should be a wakeup call.
In the last three days, I've seen President Obama called a Manchurian candidate, Neville Chamberlain, a traitor, DINO, and saying everything short of that he deserves to be impeached right now. I've seen President Clinton called "Slick Willie," Secretary Clinton called a war criminal and a thug, and on. Any thread attempting to correct any of the dozens of pieces of misinformation floating around is unrecommended into the floor, while even the most unhinged and fact-free criticism of Obama and the Democrats gets on the "Greatest" page within seconds.
So here's my question: Is DU going to come back and return to something where, if not peace, then at least a semblance of it reigns? A place where Democrats can gather and have friendly discussions without being constantly berated and immersed in an environment of disgust and rage toward what we have worked for?
Skinner ADMIN Donating Member (1000+ posts)
Tue Dec-07-10 10:22 AM
Response to Original message
1. If you think something crosses the line, please alert.
Some of the examples you provided would be deleted, and might even earn the poster a tombstone.
We are deciding whether we need to institute a "left limit" and write it into the rules. To be honest, we're not sure it's the best approach. If someone really wants to impeach President Obama, or thinks he's the same as Hitler, or thinks he's a secret GOP Manchurian Candidate or some other nonsense, then I'd rather that they just come out and say it so we can ban them, rather than tell them "Here is a bright line, and if you don't cross this line then you can post whatever the hell you want."
We have been aggressively banning the worst-of-the-worst, and we will continue to do so. We have been shutting down any posts about DUers rather than about issues. But I do not think it is realistic to insist that DUers share my opinion of President Obama. Take a look at the people who are disappointed: They are not all trolls, disruptors, or malcontents. Many of them are long-time Democrats and long-time DUers who have supported the Democratic Party and Democratic Underground for years. I can't make people put on a happy face if that is not what they are really feeling. I know that almost everyone will do the right thing at election time, but right now they are angry. I'm not about to ban half of my members.
If you can't stand reading the things some of these people are saying, you should start putting people on ignore, rather than waiting around hoping I will do it for you by banning them all. Our ignore function allows you to just hide discussion threads if that is your preference.
The problems you see on DU are not caused by me, or by the way I run DU. The problems you see on DU have everything to do with the fact that President Obama decided to extend the Bush Tax Cuts for the rich, which were a terrible idea when they were first passed, and remain a terrible idea today. Earlier this week, a columnist for the New York Times said that President Obama suffers from Stockholm Syndrome. When that is acceptable language from a columnist from the Times, I think it is unrealistic to expect a bunch of people on a public discussion forum to hold themselves to a higher standard.
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Oh Skins. :-)
Sometimes the jokes just write themselves!
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TheWraith
...... who doesn't want to be subjected to constant ridicule, abuse, and steeping in an environment filled with nothing but disgust for the party we've busted our asses for.
BOO HOO HOO!!!!
What a bunch of weenies.
Sound like Skin's isn't too happy with Dear Leader either. Then again, no one's ever claimed Skin's understands economics either (other than how to snooker money out of a bunch of kooks).
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SO instead of being a liberal forum, Skinny wants it to be full of Obamatons... sounds er fun.. (not)
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...Now that we've established that with lower standards against posting flamebait and Democrat-bashing, DU turns into a swamp of misinformation, hate, and bile, is anything going to be done about it?
DUmbass TheWraith implies that at one time the DUmp was NOT a swamp of misinformation, hate, and bile.
That in itself is misinformation.