is Discussionist the end of DemocraticUnderground?

[Liberal_in_LA]

As people move over there - will DU fade away? Like DU1 did? Who wants to log into two sites?

[RKP5637]

1. hmmmm... same thing I was wondering too. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Nope, it is NOT the end of DU.

And I log into three sites, so there!

It is a different sort of beast than DU, and I think it will do well.

Time will tell!

[Agschmid]

26. Totally agree!

Hey Peggy!

I love that you are just as polite over there as well, means you are a class act!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

28. Aw, thank you, my dear Agschmid!

[hrmjustin]

3. No. this is home.

[Capt. Obvious]

4. Myspace already killed DU

[ancianita]

5. Skinner and I say no worries.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. I completed the exercise of signing up for Discussionist

but after taking a good look around, I decided that there are at least several hundred things I'd rather do than exchanging barbs with freepers and their ilk. On second thought, I won't go to Discussionist. T'is a silly place.

[davidpdx]

83. I would guess hitting yourself over the head with your own shoe might be further up on the list

[greendog]

106. ... or watching a video of a toilet being flushed...

...over and over and over and...

[BainsBane]

7. No way

But it is becoming clear that it acts as a safety valve.

[Agschmid]

27. Yup.

[cantbeserious]

82. Exactly - The Freepers Are Now Distracted - DU Is Already A Quieter, Calmer Place

eom

[RobinA]

125. Oh...

I thought it was calmer because I trashed every thread with "privilege" in it.

[Ikonoklast]

137. Honeypot Trap.

Seems to be working.

[Squinch]

8. If someone here yells "Benghazi" now and then, we won't feel like we're missing anything over there.

Seriously, I peeked in and the first thread I read was some doofus making like Issa.

I think my IQ fell a little. I won't be joining.

[kelliekat44]

11. I joined just to be able to get some "truthiness" out there. When you have been kept in the dark

a little bit of light can't hurt once the blind spots fade away. Maybe leading a horse to water won't make him drink but at least the horse will be at the trough.

[Squinch]

14. I'll check in now and then and see if something changes my mind.

I fear it would make me want to beat my head against the wall, but hey, I though putting a camera on a phone was a stupid idea, so I'm no oracle.

[DJ13]

13. BENGHAZI!

carry on.

[Squinch]

16. Thank you! Now I don't have to go over to Discussionist and I can finally do some laundry!

[CatWoman]

44. HODOR!!!

[winter is coming]

61. That was the awesome. It made we wish I'd thought of that for a username. n/t

[CatWoman]

100. well

why not use it at Discussionist?

[winter is coming]

112. There's already one.

http://www.discussionist.com/1024975

[Cha]

36. Yeah, some people can take that shite and others have

better things to do to help our country.

[immoderate]

43. Benghazi has already established itself in the vernacular, as in expressions like...

"He was full of Benghazi," or "a steamy pile of Benghazi," or "it went Benghazi all over me."

--imm

[onehandle]

9. Meh. nt

[Jesus Malverde]

10. One is growing the other is shrinking...

One is dynamic, the other is static.

One has potential to make skinner a lot of money, the other doesn't.

Which one is which...

[Squinch]

19. Seriously, is DU shrinking?

[Jesus Malverde]

32. Poke around the sub forums see the engagement and page views.

GD is active, but it's not really growing in the sense of attracting new younger users. It's the same group of users churning over and over.

The culture and memes reflect the demographic.

The site is going on 14 years old. When it started, it attracted an older audience, that audience is 14 years older.

Issues that appeal to young people rarely resonate here. It's a great place to hang out, but it's not growing the way internet sites do. There is a huge tech boom going on, Discussionist Media will make skinner a millionaire one day because he and his team have written some of the best forum software on the internet. He deserves it.

People seem to forget these are actual businesses. Log out of DU, notice the banner directing people to the future. The future is bright and exciting, it will be full of epic threads, new memes, dynamic subgroups and devoid of 14 yo cliques and the baggage of safe havens and topic segregation.

Jesus

[MADem]

52. All that counts is page views to advertisers. nt

[minivan2]

79. Well, I'm 18

So at least I'm young?

[DemocraticWing]

85. And I'm 23.

I wonder if we can figure out how many other people under 25 are on here? There's got to be quite a few.

[Jesus Malverde]

131. I think thats great.

When you stick around a while you may notice some of the trends I mention.

You are the future, that you are politically engaged is awesome.

[LittleBlue]

84. Agreed. I've never been to an internet forum so heavily populated

by older people. When I see polls about Medicare, it's truly shocking how many are that age compared to the other parts of the internet I visit (dominated by 30s and under). DU is by far the oldest forum I've ever seen.

There isn't anything wrong with it, but that demographic isn't very valuable to advertisers.

[MADem]

87. Are you kidding?

Boomers as a group HAVE MONEY. They may not spend it on PS4s or headphones, but they do have it and they do spend it. Sometimes, they even spend it on their kids and grandkids.

[Jesus Malverde]

132. Yes and No.

People who are nearing retirement or retired, have generally bought that house. have cars that last a long time. Don't need to update their work wardrobe, spend less on personal grooming, etc.

When they do buy things for their kids or grandkids they are often listening to their kids wants, which was came from marketing directed at the children/youth.

When you do brand awareness to create lifelong customers, does it make more sense to advertise towards someone starting out their work life or ending their work life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_marketing

Here is an interesting article. the graph says a lot. It confirms what you're saying as far as wealth but it confirms the reality of advertising towards this demo. The article linked below is a good read.



http://adcontrarian.blogspot.jp/2013/10/battle-for-worlds-most-valuable-consumer_30.html

[MADem]

138. Look at travel--that's geezers, not kids, and a big sector.

Same deal with CARS. It's the old people buying the "good" ones...pricey and sturdy. The One Percenters go for the crazy flash ones, and they come in all ages.

And a lot of grandparents do the sensible thing and give the kids some green. If it's not an XBOX or a PS4 or something that can't be screwed up, they'd as soon give 'em a gift card loaded up--saves tears.

The gents don't spend as much on the personal grooming, on average (but they'll spend plenty in the pro shop at the golf club), but go into any high end department store and check out the prices of the stuff at the make up counters...and then look who's buying that crap. They're all in the sixty plus club, and they are dropping hundreds at a pop on a product or ten that is marketed towards women in their thirties and forties, and sold to them by children in their teens and twenties whose only epidermal crack is on their asses. It's a competition amongst some of 'em, which elixir they can buy that will magically take away that Rand-McNally Road Map look on their faces...

Advertisers are starting to realize that they've been sold a bill of goods--millenials are damn hard to reach and their promise has not been realized; it's not just cheesiness that results in so many "I've fallen and I can't get up," "Step - In Tubs," the "Stannah Stairlift," home security systems, foot powder and shoe inserts, burial insurance, grandchild educational programs and insurance, and cruises to everywhere making up such a huge chunk of the ads on TV....never mind Fred Thompson and Henry Winkler shilling reverse mortgages so people can have even MORE money to take that Viking or Holland America cruise. It's low hanging fruit.

They haven't quite figured out how to cross that divide, either, and sell the stuff that crosses generations, like jeans, and shampoo, and even foodstuffs in a way that makes it clear to whom they're offering the product. They stick to far too many 1950s/60s era paradigms. Good thing those boomers are just overgrown kids...!

I think your cite is right about the list of geezer assets, I think he's lowballing his advertising percentage, though--I see more and more advertising directed at thirty somethings as well as forty and up every day. Thing is, most people who are in their fifties FEEL like they are in their thirties--see, they aren't "like" those "other" "old" people. That might account for some of the slippage with regard to targeting ads. Ads ostensibly targeted towards the "thirty somethings" are going to find resonance with people pushing sixty...because they're all a buncha Peter Pans. Advertisers KNOW this, or they are starting to realize it. It's not all ham handed "stupid old people" Swiffer ads (Waaah Morty, how does this woooork? Ugh!).

Granted, too, the article is half a year/plus old, and change of this type happens fairly rapidly:

Here’s what I have found.
People over 50 have about about 70% of all the wealth in the country
They are responsible for about half of all consumer spending
They buy 62% of all new cars
Despite the fact that many are retired, they still have 55% higher annual income than some other adult demo groups.
And on average they have a net worth about 3 times that of the rest of the people
They dominate 94% of CPG categories.
They are the internet’s largest demographic constituency.
They are much easier and much cheaper to reach than any other demographic group.
And, according to Nielsen, they are the target for 5% of all advertising.
Let me repeat the key fact here. Despite the fact that people over 50 are responsible for about half the consumer spending in the country, they are the target for 5% of all advertising.

Those fifty year olds, though, are finding something to like in those beer commercials, those fashion sales blared out from those GAPpy, Old Navy, Kohls, JCPenny, etc. retailers...and they just don't realize the ads aren't meant for them.

[Skidmore]

95. When this site started it attracted people from all ages who responded to the theft that

was the 2000 election. Let me also suggest to you that there is a whole range of issues that young people need to get concerned with because those issues are life span ones. Regardless of the technology out there, every individual experiences the human condition. Technology is a tool, a means. It is not always the answer.

BTW, I have registered and participated on Discussionist. I like the platform. Thus far it is reasonably civil. Hopefully it will stay that way and some of it that will transfer back to DU once again.

[seaglass]

115. Interesting that you think Discussion boards - especially politically based boards appeal to

younger users. I don't.

[dionysus]

118. huh? i was 23 when i signed up for DU in 2001...

[Lil Missy]

12. not hardly. I, for one, have no desire whatsoever to argue with freeper idiots.

I can't be the only one here with better things to do than that.

[greatauntoftriplets]

17. You're not the only one!

I seriously don't believe that anyone will be converted there.

[one_voice]

25. I agree none will be converted...

that being said, there's something cathartic about slapping a winger with a two by four (figuratively speaking) of information.

[Bobbie Jo]

33. LOL

From the little bit that I've seen so far, they're getting their asses handed to them a serving at a time.

[greatauntoftriplets]

38. Their heads are too thick for it to penetrate.

[winter is coming]

20. I've been over there some, but I don't see myself spending much time there in the long run.

Why on Earth would I want to re-hash the same debates about abortion or homosexuality I participated in twenty years ago?

[etherealtruth]

136. Exactly

I hope the site is a great success for Skinner , Elad...

...but, I agree with you wholeheartedly ... why, why , why would I want to rehash

[TeamPooka]

15. if it leaves us with a more progressive forum im all for it

[Squinch]

18. This is what I am hoping.

[winter is coming]

21. I don't see that happening, although it would be nice. n/t

[CK_John]

22. I think so, families are growing and these great people need to get more and more stuff.

Good luck with Discussionist. DU is getting kind of long in the tooth as they say.

[Warren Stupidity]

23. only if hanging out with homophobic misogynist racist idiots is your

idea of fun.

[JTFrog]

29. Exactly. n/t

[RKP5637]

30. I like coming into DU and closing the door locking them out! n/t

[IcyPeas]

24. I keep wondering...

How are people, besides us on DU, going to even find out about Discussionist?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

31. Word of mouth will work, and eventually Google will have it too.

Actually I just checked Google, and there are several references to the site.

I'm sure some folks will find it that way.

[Electric Monk]

34. and how did so many conservative assholes end up there so quickly?

Answer: They were here all along, pretending to not be quite as odoriferous as they are in real life. Not that they were really fooling anyone who has been paying attention for more than a few minutes...

[Jesus Malverde]

49. Theres an active thread about it on CU. I assume the FR probably has had a thread or two as well.

DU and D have the best forum software on the internet. People will use what works.

[totodeinhere]

98. I searched the term "Discussionist" on Google and the third link that came up

is a link to a thread at Freeperville telling the folks at that site about Discussionist.

[MADem]

55. Of course they were--we've been infested with Paulbots and wingnuts and Libertarian

"Screw Social Programs" fools for a long, long time now--to say nothing of the cavers and the frigging trolls. Now they're able to express themselves freely.

Let them!

OVER THERE!!!!!!

[MADem]

88. +1,000 nt

[Rex]

104. Noticed that too right away. I will be lurking over there but not posting.

I hope the admins can compare IPs. Maybe catch some of the assholes from FR and CC that have infested this place for so long.

[msanthrope]

110. Bingo. nt

[Capt. Obvious]

113. IT'S COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE

[liberal N proud]

35. Not leaving

[Liberal_Dog]

37. I Don't Think So

I, for one, plan on staying right here.

[whatchamacallit]

39. It's actually kind of staid over there IMO

Maybe not enough traffic yet...

[Aristus]

40. I'll leave DU when Skinner closes down the site.

And not before.

I don't think I'll take more than a peek in Discussionist now and then, though.

The freephead who inaugurated Discussionist with the term 'libtard' got booted after one day. But that's still longer than he should have been permitted in a place that requires 'civil' discourse.

I've never seen so much projection from such deluded people. They accuse us of 'living in a bubble'. As if they weren't the ones plugging their ears and going 'la-la-la-la' when the subject of climate change or something comes up.

[SheilaT]

41. I went over there once and I'm not sure I'll bother to go back.

It was amazing how quickly there were lots of threads and comments that would not be tolerated here.

[Scuba]

42. No.

[TexasTowelie]

45. It's a trap!

A great way to capture the IPs of people that infiltrate DU.

[longship]

57. Now, TexasTowlie, you ought to know you can't get away with that without the graphic.

It's obligatory, you know.

[TexasTowelie]

58. I know,

but I was posting from my cellphone while eating dinner--turkey club sandwich, fries & a cherry cola.

[longship]

64. Yum! ;-) nt

[totodeinhere]

99. I was thinking the same thing. However an experienced troll knows all about using proxy servers

and VPN's in order to remain anonymous. But comparing IP addresses might be a way to catch a few of the casual ones.

[GReedDiamond]

46. Don't know...but what I DO know is...

...discussionist.com is almost like freeperville with "libruls" allowed to post.

Too many freepers, baggers, and wingnuts over there to make it tolerable to me.

Engaging the far-right freaks in "discussion" is a useless waste of time.

[HeiressofBickworth]

47. I like the description given in another post

about DU being 14 years old and the members being 14 years older. There is something satisfying about having a place to go where people may more reflect my own experiences. For example, I'd hate to discuss the effects of the Vietnam War with kiddies who can't even spell it. I took a brief look at Discussionist and conclude that I won't be spending time there but will be sticking close to "home" right here on DU. Perhaps the more right-leaning people on DU will find a more comfortable fit with the new website.

[octoberlib]

48. Nope. DU is still my home.

[madfloridian]

50. Lordy I hope not. Saw the DUmmie folks there already.

They have crucified enough of us....now they get air time over there?

[MADem]

51. No--that's where the people here who hate Democrats will go.

Maybe we'll see a little less "ODS," and a little more "Let's elect MORE Democrats and FEWER Republicans to public office."

It would make for a change. Don't get why people who hate Democrats bother with this place--now they have somewhere else to go...!

And as time goes on, and more people from the right join Discussionist, they'll get some REAL arguments--they'll have to see how far their Libertarian views take them when they're butting up against tea partiers, instead of people who have committed the "sin" of supporting the POTUS.

[Fumesucker]

91. It certainly won't be for people who think the Democrats should be further to the left

And that's who gets "ODS" aimed at them the most here on the DU.

I wasted far too much of my time and energy arguing with wingnuts back 2001-2008 to care to do it again.

[Nay]

97. Agreed. We who think Prez Obama should be urged to be less corporate sure

aren't going to bother with Discussionist. I fall into that camp, and I see nothing useful coming out of discussing shit with RWers. It never worked in the past (in my experience) and it won't work there. I'm more interested in getting Democrats to act more like classic Democrats. I consider RWers to be a complete lost cause and ineducable.

There really aren't very many thoughtful conservatives left; for the past 30 years, Rove and Fox have made sure that RWers are mindless bots jerked into action with RW soundbites and lies. There's no talking with such people. I'm old enough to be done with that shit, and I suspect there are plenty of DUers who feel just like I do.

[Capt. Obvious]

116. I wouldn't sell yourself short

You'll find plenty of people to accuse of ODS regardless of who migrates to the new board.

[MADem]

117. Fear not...!

I don't ever "sell myself short."

As for ODS, I know 'em when I see 'em. They can't help themselves; no matter how hard they try to disguise their viewpoint, their jaw-grinding bitterness and visceral anger seeps through even the most lighthearted attempts at snark or derision.

[steve2470]

122. question if I may

Were you ever on a debate team ? You seem pretty good at this. Innocent question, honest.

[MADem]

123. Naw, I'm just old.

Been there, done that, bought the tee shirt, wore out the tee shirt, tore it up, used it to clean hubcaps and dust the furniture!

I've also dealt with a lot of excuse-making sailors down the years. I've heard most, if not all, of the "But...but...!!!!" excuses in the book!

[steve2470]

53. nope

plenty of market space for both.

[JaneyVee]

54. Going there made me love here even more.

[flamingdem]

56. There's no place like home

[Habibi]

59. I thought I'd sign up for the hell of it.

But, my desired screen name was "taken," so I said "meh."

Really, I hang out on a newspaper board with a variety of opinions. That's enough. I spend too much time on the net as it is.

[winter is coming]

63. Your DU handle was reserved so a troll couldn't take it. If you want to sign up with the same

name over there, send Elad a PM.

[rrneck]

60. I don't think so.

It doesn't seem designed for weighty discussions.

[Hekate]

62. No. In fact it might help clean DU up a bit. At the moment the erstwhile trolls are having a heyday

...over there.

Don't worry about the homeland (DU).

[VanillaRhapsody]

65. I left South Carolina to get away from "those people"

why in the world would I go to a forum and engage them further. I certainly have nothing left to learn about their positions. I think the only folks that would find Discussionist interesting are those that have not had alot of exposure to 'baggers.

As for me....put me down in the "meh" category.....

[jwirr]

66. I hope not. I don't think my nerves could handle what is going on over there. I get depressed just

reading about what is going on this site. I would probably go into major depression if I had to argue with a bunch of rethugs.

[cyberswede]

67. Maybe I'll embark on a mission to correct the RWers' spelling and grammar.

Just to be a thorn in their side.

[winter is coming]

71. To dream the impossible dream...

Godspeed and pace yourself; it's a big job.

[struggle4progress]

68. I doubt it

[morningfog]

69. I think it is the beginning of the end. The admins have been trending towards allowing more

here at DU. Now it is clear why. They think they can get a larger audience by not restricting who signs up. Posters who do move likely will end up in one or the other as their regular place. The new site is in competition with DU for clicks and posts (and even advertises on DU!).

It's too bad for DU, IMO.

[winter is coming]

70. Not sure I'd agree with that. The "time out for 5 hides" feature was added last fall,

and we recently upped juries to 7 people. Both of those are moves toward limiting poor behavior. According to AtA, the admins are also considering lowering the number of hides that hosts can have and remain as hosts, so it sounds like they're still willing to tweak things to be more restrictive, not less. I recently came off of back-to-back MIRT terms, and don't remember being instructed to ban fewer newbies.

If anything, I'd say DU may be trending towards being more restrictive of antisocial behavior. Discussionist might be intended as a counterbalance for people who can't/won't live within those boundaries.

[steve2470]

75. I see Disc. as draining off some of the trolls

Also, those of us who wish to argue with the right wing. As long as Disc. doesn't turn into another Yahoo/YouTube comments section, it should do ok. I do think somehow the Meta-type attacks on DU'ers need to be curbed. How that can be done is the challenge.

[winter is coming]

121. I think it will draw people who want to engage with the right wing,

but I'm not sure how effective it will be as troll flypaper. After all, for most trolls, the point of being a troll is to be a shit-disturber, so unless they want to shit-disturb across the political spectrum and Discussionist gives them one-stop shopping, they'll likely remain here. It could be that most of our caver trolls will spend more of their time as Discussionist rather than here, simply because they can last longer.

I'm not sure how or even if the Meta-style threads could be curbed, unless there's community consensus for that. There do seem to be more people willing to enforce civility there than there are here; whether that's the "new car" effect or the early adopters of Discussionist have consistently higher expectations is hard to say.

[MADem]

86. I agree with your assessment.

At the end of the day, it's all about page hits. Those of us who are Democrats and who like associating with like-minded people will spend most of our time here; those who like to fight and scrap and roll in the mud will go to the other place.

The admins can grow their brands, put food on the table and a roof over their heads, and still keep a site where there's principle in play. It's a win-win.

[seaglass]

119. Yeah, I am really hoping the current DUers who are acting like assholes over on the

Discussionist don't come back. It's obvious who a bunch of them are even with name changes. Many have distinctive voices and topics that get them all hyped up.

I don't know how I feel about DUers bashing Feminists and others over there and then washing the stink off and coming back here all innocent.

[MADem]

120. Here's the bottom line.

We can't tell who's who in the zoo...but the admins can.

I doubt they're going to actively run around "checking up" on people, but they do have that tool in their toolbox, should they need it.

As we get closer to election season, they'll probably need it!

[morningfog]

89. That makes sense.

[Renew Deal]

72. No

They are for different crowds

[Mosby]

73. the jury system barely works here

Once the rwers sign up in significant numbers over there the jury system will not be able to control incivility and bigotry.

[steve2470]

76. agreed

I think Skinner is going to have to overrule some of the juries there. I can easily see Stormfront bringing all its idiots there.

[avebury]

74. I sure hope not.

I am just not that wowed by Discussionist. I don't anticipate spending much time there. I like DU's greater number of discussion groups, topics and subtopic groups that help you hone in on areas of interest. With only 11 discussion areas, it seems like Discussionist could become cluttered pretty fast. Who wants to wade through pages and pages to find a thread that catches your attention enough to click on it?

[seaglass]

96. I am not promoting Discussionist because of who it attracts on both the left and right BUT I do like

the idea of Tags. If you click on a Tag it is sort of like being in a Group or Sub-forum - it's just not protected. So if you have a particular interest you can see posts related to that interest in one area. Of course it is up to the OPs to tag their posts appropriately.

[Dawson Leery]

77. No.

[applegrove]

78. I very much doubt it. It hets awfully

tiresome and emotionally draining to talk to republicans and politicos pretending to be regular folk... spouting propaganda all the time.

[Raine]

80. I signed up (under a different name, as recommended) but

I don't really care for the place. I like DU so much more, this is home.

[Shandris]

81. No, but it -might- be the end of so many people accusing each other of being...

...right-wingers or believing like a right-winger. I see that a lot, usually with very little actual resemblance.

[eridani]

90. I see it as sort of a troll nature preserve

--where we are allowed to tease the wildlife if we want.

[Hugin]

92. A horror movie petting zoo. Novel idea.

Also, there's the fact that merely looking at the crap software at FR made the DU Admins cry tears of blood. Discus is an act of pity, IMHO.

[northoftheborder]

101. that's the way I see it. DU should become more civilized with the taunters over there having their

sadistic fun.

[marions ghost]

130. !ha ha

"troll nature preserve..."

Yeah these are two very different animals--DU and Disc.

DU is still my number one news and opinion source, even if I go to Disc for the occasional zoo trip.

I think they may support each other actually. Remains to be seen.

[GeorgeGist]

93. Yes, because logging into two sites would be a unfathomable burden.

[Hugin]

94. Given that the Admins work in irony the way most artists work in paint or clay...

I think, not. Discus is a thing of awesome beauty like a killer whale eating a seal.

[TheKentuckian]

102. A site with more conservatives than DU plus radical regressives and Birchers? Not super appealing.

[Liberal_in_LA]

128. nope

[The Second Stone]

103. Based on the OP I checked it out and won't be going back

I truly disliked it. I don't care for the direction the DU has taken, but that is worse.

[Rex]

105. ...

[BarbaRosa]

107. End of DU? I don't think so.

For the time being I go there to see what the freepers are saying. I long ago gave up listening to them, I swear between Big ED and Tweety I'm about to wear out my mute button. I find after the first two or three repug callers in Washington Journal I know pretty much the rest of them are going to say.

I don't get to hear much freeper here --THANK YOU SKINNER AND EARLG--, I will not go to freeperville, so for now I'll wander over every so often just to see some of the convoluted thinking on their part.

Besides there are already some pretty sharp DUers not at all hesitant to take on the crazy, which leads to some interesting discussions to follow.

Nope this is home, but a visit to the zoo now and then is kinda fun.

[City Lights]

108. I am logged into both as I type.

Discussionist will not kill DU.

[HughBeaumont]

111. I think it's supposed to make us appreciate DU more. Or something.

I ventured over there . . . damn. The Teabaggerati's defense of Laissez-fail, the wealthy, meritocracy, free market Fuckovernomics . . . . how does one even take that seriously? "Hey, let's all defend a 33 year failure because supersize your skill set and fuck the poor and abolish the minimum wage and I don't have facts to back my idiotic assertions up and I don't give a fuck."

Ecccccccch, if that's what passes as high discourse . . . no empathy, no inch given on failed policies, no limits to red-baiting, victim blaming or false dilemmas . . . yeah, count me out.

[Liberal_in_LA]

127. DU version of Freerepublic?

[ecstatic]

114. Don't think so. I have little to no tolerance for

republican thinking, even if they are being polite. I used to enjoy the back and forth, but not anymore.

[NCTraveler]

124. Shhhhhh.

Don't tell anyone....the internet has an extremely large amount of discussion board users. I am thinking their are enough discussion board people using the internet to keep both floating.

[Liberal_in_LA]

126. I like this group. Would hate to see it split up.

[mylye2222]

139. me too.

Especially the prospect of saying farewell to DUJK and its golden archives.

[Warpy]

129. I sincerely hope not. Mixed discussion groups just don't work well

with spiteful people who do online and sometimes offline stalking. I know of two cases where jobs were threatened and lawsuits followed.

I won't do mixed political discussion groups any more.

[etherealtruth]

133. I am actually hoping Discussionist allows DU to return to a place ...

... that serves as a safe haven for Democrats and liberals. My hope is that if one wants to post from right wing hate sites, that it is done there .... and discussed there. My hope is that those that can relate to some of the issues associated with more right wing thought (or Libertarian thought) will seek a place that welcomes all idea from all over the political spectrum.

[mylye2222]

134. It can happen. Yes. But Discussionis is made by OUR ADMINS

to provide an all opinions open places for the trolls from here and other places.Its an indirect cleaning of DU operation. We will all come back here it we feel the need to be progressive only. The same with the cons. They have Freerepublic.

Here its home. Freerep is neocons home. Disscussionist is the public square.

[RedCappedBandit]

135. Highly, highly doubt it.

If anything it help help attract the right wingers and keep them away from DU! (We can hope)