General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI left DU nearly 3 years ago and it took me 3 days to remember why.
This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Sissyk (a host of the General Discussion forum).
A lot of the same juvenile behavior, being accused of being a "hater" if you don't agree or support some Democratic political figure, having an OP where people are told to "shut the fuck up" when it's not liked what they said.
But for me the line came today when it is not only acceptable to make fun of the mentally ill and then to be told to "lighten up" when you complain about such treatment being belittling and disrespectful to them, but such behavior is condoned. What next, making fun of those skinny AIDs people or how some disabled don't walk so well? How this is anything but sad I don't understand and neither do I understand the smug attitude about it.
I've scrubbed the site of all of my recent posts. If there were a way I could simply delete my membership I'd do that as well.
But now I remember why I left, now I remember. Unless Alzheimer's creeps in (how about a good humorous thread about Alzheimer's while we're at it?) I won't forget next time.
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nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)and it is the same folks. Yup.
Happy to see you, but I understand why you would want to leave. As to the Alzheimers thread. there was one in the morning on breaking research that might actually play a critical role in early diagnosis.
Happy holidays.
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)should be a banned phrase. It's used mostly by clods who leave turds in the punch bowl and act surprised that no one is drinking from it.
or jackasses that think they're clever
Kurovski
(34,657 posts)It's still good to see a DUer from Christmases past. Take care, elocs!
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)You could have left quietly again.
Did you think people might be more receptive to the message now than they were three years ago?
11 Bravo
(24,310 posts)so clearly indicates.)
demwing
(16,916 posts)falls somewhere between
1. Calling out those who should be called out, because their posts are destructive
2. Giving encouragement to others who might feel similarly, so they know they are not alone
3. The hope that through such actions, DU becomes a better place
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)The purpose of the post could also be to say:
4.- I'm leaving - follow me, the righteous.
ohheckyeah
(9,314 posts)
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)
WCGreen
(45,558 posts)ohheckyeah
(9,314 posts)
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)I warned you...
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:—
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields. A prince's banner
Wavered, then staggered backward, hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle's edge,
And thought, "Had I a sword of keener steel—
That blue blade that the king's son bears,— but this
Blunt thing—!" He snapped and flung it from his hand,
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king's son, wounded sore bested,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down
And saved a great cause that heroic day.
sendero
(28,552 posts)... of battle 
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)
ohheckyeah
(9,314 posts)Just make sure it's hyperbolic poetry. 
leeroysphitz
(10,462 posts)demwing
(16,916 posts)Is that your first impression, that the OP was self-righteous?
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)The message was:
I left this place three years ago because DU was not up to my standards. I came back after three years to find out you're still not up to my standards. Good bye.
A parting insult on the way out the door. Yea, I would call that self-righteous.
AAO
(3,300 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)I personally and publicly told you to lighten up and it's because you are asking way too much of a public discussion board to adhere to every single person's sensibility, regardless of how legitimate it may be.
I hope you understand, I'm trying to help, you have to adjust your expectations to the environment unless you plan to be disappointed, because disappointment is all you will find if you expect people to adhere to your expectations.
In love, sincerely, NYC_SKP.
MindMover
(5,016 posts)
pacalo
(24,857 posts)Discussion boards aren't for those who can't let it roll off their shoulders; constant frustration isn't healthy.
sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)and link it up with a garbage email that you set up simply for this purpose again with a set of garbage.
Once you log out you'll never be able to figure out your password. No matter how hard you try to come back.
All done.
A-Schwarzenegger
(15,813 posts)
Cirque du So-What
(29,732 posts)but in the same way that I stick with the Democratic party and work toward achieving change from within, I have stuck with DU and will continue to strive toward making it suck less. I consider it shameful that an ostensibly 'democratic' discussion board allows the trollish shenanigans you mention - and more - to pass muster among a randomly-selected group that can give a stamp of approval that passes poorly for enforcement of so-called community standards.
But still I return.
Why?
It's because of the news and commentary. Sure, I could find all those articles and opinion pieces on my own, but that takes time. For me, DU is a very convenient location for finding anything & everything of interest in the political world. I've tried an untold number of other websites, but they're lightweights in terms of breadth and depth of content.
In the meantime, I'll continue to make noise when I see a contingent hellbent on making DU suck. At the same time, I express my dismay over good people being run away disgustedly when encountering the sort of crap you mention.
CTCharlie
(7 posts)I agree. There is not a site safe from problem people. But DU is better than most. I left HuffingtonPost and now DU is about all I've got.
Logical
(22,457 posts)ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)so we know what you're talking about?
MrScorpio
(73,772 posts) Demo_Chris
(6,234 posts)
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)Then you won't be able to login again, effectively deleting your membership.
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)is not EVEN funny or tolerable. But being trashed or trampled for not running with the lemmings - that's heat I'll wear like a badge of honor. Let's remember the directive from the top..... "Embrace the Suck"
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)an ecumenical religious site which hosted the joke.
The thread was posted to show the irony of a website professing full of tolerance and goodwill towards all posting a list of Christmas Carol titles altered in a manner to link to various mental illnesses.
The OP of this thread took that post in her/his own direction, which everyone is free to do.
I thought my replies to her/him indicated my own sentiments.
In responses to that thread the OP of this thread repeatedly expressed her/his anger.
I didn't respond angrily to the OP, and wished her/him well.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024228057
She/he has since deleted her replies.
I still wish the OP well.
As a person who has felt the sting of abuse to the mentally myself...as in having somatization of symptoms destroy my heart, producing anxiety that cost me jobs, and having spent days in dark places with self-harm.
I well know the issues.
People on DU who know me, know that of all things I was not mocking anyone with mental illness.
My mistake was in believing my introduction to that thread, and my initial replies to the op of this thread understood my motive in posting it.
maddezmom
(135,060 posts)And unfortunately since they put you on ignore they didn't see the replies in the thread.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)I'm really done.
truedelphi
(32,324 posts)Put me on "Ignore" so I rarely get told to lighten up.
Sorry you have had these experiences. Out in the real world, it seems like making fun of the elderly (especially older women) is quite acceptable, if the KMart commercial running 24/7 is any indication.
In Mainstream lifestyle, the politically correct is in full swing, with good reason. No one is encouraged to say anything rude about African Americans, fat people, ethnic groups, etc, but being elderly is funny for Mainstream folks. Being disabled is fair game also. (The older woman being parodied in K Mart commercial is using a walker.)
Anyway, elocs, I wish you the blessings of the season, and hope things in the rest of your world are going smoothly and with warmth and affection along the way.
graywarrior
(59,440 posts)
madinmaryland
(65,729 posts)
uppityperson
(116,020 posts)
woo me with science
(32,139 posts)http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023359801
Their purpose is to thoroughly hijack, pollute and therefore eliminate public spaces where real discussion and organization can occur. Occupy is disbanded with clubs and pepper spray. Dissent and organization online are disrupted with surveillance and propaganda.
It is no accident that propaganda brigades post new threads on discussion boards far out of proportion to their presence in the community, and that they nearly *always* demand the last word in any interchange.
The goal is to disrupt the important public space for liberal thought, discussion, and organization that these boards offer, to drive people away, and to keep the participants busy instead batting off the corporate lies, insults, and talking points.
States that build surveillance machines also build propaganda machines:
The government figured out sockpuppet managment but not "persona management."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023358242
The Gentleman's Guide To Forum Spies (spooks, feds, etc.)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4159454
Just do some Googling on astroturfing - big organizations have some sophisticated tools.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1208351
The influx will continue
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4216987
The influx is deliberate and unnatural
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3189367
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)hay rick
(9,605 posts)
bvar22
(39,909 posts)...to gather a collection of nostalgic Christmas posts for an OP I was going to post today.
I was immediately sidetracked by how much more intelligent,
Liberal, Policy Oriented, and respectful DU was back then.
I gave up assembling a Blast-From-the-Past DU Christmas nostalgia post for today, and spent the time just reading threads from back then.
I still post here almost daily,
but it is not near the positive community experience that it once was.
So I know what you are talking about.
Go in Peace.
Happy Trails.
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)i go back to 2001 /2002 i fully agree with your first two paragraphs. the last few days have to been disgusting.
but i still show up every day and hope i don`t get shit on my shoes.
Systematic Chaos
(8,601 posts)It doesn't matter if the forum is designed for kittens, monster trucks, kittens getting run over by monster trucks, monster trucks getting run over by kittens, or politics.
Either ignore the assholes or use your alert capabilities with strong and cogent explanations as to why posts need to be hidden. Connect the dots and create irrefutable groupings of links showing how a member is running amok.
Seriously. If you're willing to put forth the effort to compile holiday posts, then you have the time to do that. Even if it doesn't stick right away, at least you can say you tried and didn't just accept the innate bullshit of the internet without a fight.
LuvNewcastle
(17,821 posts)Give yourself some space and put DU on ignore for days at a time. You'll get more involved in your other interests and have more face-to-face time with your friends. I didn't have to leave; all I needed was to take DU in small doses.
I still love to come here sometimes and I enjoy interacting with many of the people here, but I just can't handle following the news cycle from day to day anymore. It's exhausting and depressing. I'm taking plenty of breaks from it now, and I have to say, I'm a much happier person.
cstanleytech
(28,473 posts)by people here and what opinion we should have if we want to be "real democrats".
I mean if I wanted to be led around by my nose like that I would switch parties and join the republicans.
Fearless
(18,458 posts)HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)I am off now to visit my scissors.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)Timmah!
GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)DU has become structurally toxic to me - all the personality-driven bullshit in E/E and GD; the eye-bugging Snowden threads; the porn crusading; the relentless drum-beat of pointless politics; the endless parade of self-satisfied self-deception; the stream of morons who flaunt their mental flacidity as though it's some kind of life skill. The place makes me so fucking angry sometimes. The people in it make me angry, the stuff that gets discussed makes me angry. And that is no way for me to be treating myself - someone I'm supposed to love.
So I'll see in mid-January. Maybe a password-randomizer (the DU version of an Exit Bag) is in my future.
7962
(11,841 posts)If its the former, I've obviously missed several threads.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)just saying.
Though I mostly abstain from OPs anymore and slowly feel drifting away from here.
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)
tridim
(45,358 posts)And supported Democrats.
Oh well.
Rozlee
(2,529 posts)Especially on such a volatile subject as politics. My jaw dropped once when a fellow DU'er called me a racist against Hispanics, not realizing my parents were Mexican nationals who had immigrated to the US illegally. I have a tendency to look at the intent of what the person says, not what they're necessarily saying. I'll laugh at an ethnic joke about Hispanics if I know the person telling it isn't racist. My daughter, who is only half Hispanic and blond and green-eyed, is heavily involved in the Latino community and politics, and people have to walk on eggshells around her. She's always dissecting what people say to look for signs of bigotry. I'm constantly having to tell her to lighten up. And I'm the one that grew up in a rural Texas town and experienced racism. She looks white and has never experienced it. But, she'll just tell me a lifetime of growing around racism has "desensitized" me.
Merry Christmas, Elocs.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)...Strength comes from unity. The toughest steel alloys require different elements. As noted above by woo me with science, that's a threat to the one-percent of one-percent, those who can afford to hire or inspire the disrupter dudes.
Anthea Carson
(7 posts)And I hope you come back
WCGreen
(45,558 posts)DU has a lot of flaws, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else.
DU is about giving the idea of Freedom of Speech as much latitude it can stand.
I learned along time ago to not take anything personal.
Give as much as you take is my motto.
If someone or something seems way over the top, I alert.
In my 10 plus years on the site, not one alert.
madinmaryland
(65,729 posts)When someone says something that is out of line, take them to task and explain why you believe it is out of line.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)but the trash and ignore buttons do.
Regardless, it is the same core group that does this.
madinmaryland
(65,729 posts)photo threads and that was only for a month or two. Even those don't bother me.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)regardless, these days I limit my posting at DU for really stupid shit. For serious shit, I post on my blog, where I have trashed the posts, and IP banned, the same brigade that has made DU what it is, not what it was.
For the record, I miss the lively discussion, but this place is no longer a welcoming place for that.
madinmaryland
(65,729 posts)have swarmed into threads of all kinds. It happens today, and it happened ten years ago. I look back and really think there is more open discussion today than ten years ago. If you remember ten years ago in the early 2000 to mid 2000's DU was united in the fact that Democrats were the minority party. Amazing what happens when that is not the case!!
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)very consistent group.
So, they got their wish, half way there. I do not post any significant thing here. Not even the right now breaking news (thankfully no damage) all over my county. Nature does not care about a slow news day.
Yup, to that point. But I just filed the really minor local shit to the editor. She will love it, since she is actually having a Christmas dinner.
MrModerate
(9,753 posts)
MADem
(135,425 posts)You can always hit the alert button, too, if that floats your boat.
GBCW posts don't usually have the effect that people hope they will. They don't encourage better behavior, and some people find them a bit hubris-laden. They invite mean-spirited "Don't let the door hitcha" type remarks.
People come and go. Take a break, come back another time...or not.
If you don't want to come back, and you're quite sure, change your password to something the cat types running across the keyboard--that'll do it.
I don't care for the Gender Wars posts. They're shit-stirring screeds, many of them, IMO. I've dumped a couple dozen of 'em lately, and I'm happier for so doing.
Season's Greetings....
Xipe Totec
(44,558 posts)I'm getting carpal tunnel from trashing those threads.
But I'm still here, looking at all the good stuff on DU.
My first source for relevant news.
NightWatcher
(39,376 posts)Goodbye cruel world...this time I'm serious?
Logical
(22,457 posts)
riqster
(13,986 posts)So I try not to take things personally.
Hugs.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)The "shut the fuck up" thing wasn't about silencing people, it was about someone outside a certain community being respectful and actually hearing out what that community has to say.
bhikkhu
(10,789 posts)sticking around and being a good example, and letting people know when they are out of line - that has an effect.
ConservativeDemocrat
(2,720 posts)If you expect to come onto a Democratic board and trash Democrats without being called out on your misstatement of fact and mischaracterization, then by all means leave.
I have never called you a "hater" but given by the whiny aggrieved nature of this post, I'll bet that there was more than a dollop of truth in those that did.
- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community
demosincebirth
(12,826 posts)But I agree with you, when you disagree with some, there is no discussion, period.