While We're In This Moment Of Introspection... I Have Another Question...

[WillyT]

There are thousands of posters here at Du...

In the old days as the site was growing, the views/members/posts numbers were in the home page.

And there were millions of views...

They would also post about DU Meet-Ups around the country...

I went to several... and NOBODY had a harsh word to say to one another.

When you are face to face... a different set of rules kicks in.

Everybody laughed, told stories of family, friends, and personal history... even politics.

That said.

Currently... I am tempted to divide many of these DU conflicts into two wildly general groups.

People like me... Tends to wear his/her heart on their sleeve.

People not like me... Tends to be even-keeled, evidence based.

And while I tend to not need evidence, just patterns that my gut tells me are true (NSA/TPP/Etc.), the even-keelers need the evidence, and a consensus before declaring where they now stand.

And while anger and passion has informed my politics since I watched my mom sobbing on the couch when I came home for lunch in the 3rd Grade... in November of 1963...

I tend to envy the even-keelers... they seem to be calmer... and will probably live longer than me.

I post this because none of us here want to insult fellow DUers, but The Rude Pundit Said EXACTLY what many of us were thinking.

When you are mad... you say things... and not necessarily to regret.

Does this make any sense ???

[ZombieHorde]

1. What is the question?

While We're In This Moment Of Introspection... I Have Another Question...

I like your post, but I am not sure if you had a specific question in mind, or if we are expected to form our own question from your train of thought. Both are fine; I was just wondering.

[WillyT]

3. LOL !!! - I Should Have Added... "Does This Make Any Sense ???"

Will do now.

[ZombieHorde]

4. Aha! Yes, your post makes sense to me. nt

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. k+r

[wyldwolf]

5. "I tend to not need evidence, just patterns that my gut tells me are true..."

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

[WillyT]

6. I Didn't Need To Know Richard Nixon Was A Crook BEFORE The Evidence Came In... You ???

[wyldwolf]

7. I was only 6 years old but... yeah

due process, innocent until proven guilty, all that stuff.

[WillyT]

8. Millions Killed... But Yeah... You Are Correct...

BTW - His own party came to him and told him he was gonna be impeached and lose.

He resigned the Presidency and bailed.

So... he's still innocent because he never faced justice ?

[wyldwolf]

11. Leon Jaworski, special Watergate Prosecutor, says Nixon implied his guilt

... by accepting the presidential pardon:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1291&dat=19751024&id=Z2IzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Lo0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6121,6240338

Some say he admitted his guilt to Sir David Frost in 1977.

As for your statement 'millions killed,' I assume you're referring to Viet Nam, and if you are, then LBJ, JFK and Eisenhower were guilty as well... right?

[Armstead]

9. Not always the case. Depends on the issue and the gut reaction.

[wyldwolf]

12. I believe it's always the case

[hfojvt]

10. passion vs. fact?

I am not sure that is the divide.

I see more tribalism. Causing some of the conflict. The tribe loves itself and hates those who are not part of the tribe. Disagree with the tribe and you might be told (or just suspected and hinted) that "you are NOT of the body". Try to discourage the tribe from hating, and once again, you probably are just pretending to be a Jet.

Or, instead of being a true, loyal Jet, you are a Shark-lover.

Of course, when the tribe is righteously hating, then nothing is out of bounds for those three minutes. Cheney? "I want to waterboard that SOB, only using hydrochloric acid instead of water. That's what he deserves, that pusillanimous pustule on the posterior of humanity."

Or something like that. The cruder and more horrific the imagery, the better.

Other people, of course, while being part of the tribe and perhaps wanting to join in the hate, have also a dedication to the principle of eliminated certain slurs from the public dialogue. Being sensitive to the feelings of others, after all, is supposed to be a key liberal principle. Especially when the "others" are also part of "our team".

[WillyT]

14. Here's The Problem... If You Cannot Tap Into Anger For The 2014 Mid-Terms... You LOSE...

The wonderfulness of logical Spock like thinking, ain't gonna get anybody to the polls.

Right now the Congress has something like single digit support across the country.

And last polling I saw... to the old saw about everybody hates Congress, but loves their Congresman...

That was at 5% this time around.

[Boom Sound 416]

13. Great post

[WillyT]

15. Thank You !!!

[arcane1]

16. Having that "common enemy" didn't hurt either.

I try to think of how many weren't around here back then, and only know DU from recent years. There's probably different perspectives that weren't apparent before.

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, WillyT.

[WillyT]

20. Anytime... Uncle Joe, Anytime...

[Uncle Joe]

22. WillyT

[lovemydog]

18. Yes, it makes sense WillyT. We need both types

to vote for the most progressive candidates available in every election.

[Dragonfli]

19. I prefer to combine the two

One can sense danger, just ask any woman that has ever been in a room with a skeevy guy up to no good, it does not have to be apparent, but it is felt in the stomach.

When your instincts tell you something is evil, become passionate while seeking the evidence to prove your feeling, but always be prepared for the occasions when your radar is off and proven to be off by the facts, i find instincts are seldom wrong but they can be.

Of course, in the case of immanent personal danger, trust your instincts and get the hell out of there, even if you are wrong you can figure that out once you are in a safe place.

When combined it is quite powerful, passionate direction of a truth or danger that can be proven is far more powerful than either is alone, just my two cents (from a Gemini that has both qualities).

[WillyT]

21. Most Excellent Example...

[Dragonfli]

24. .

[Uncle Joe]

23. I believe it's more shades of gray for most people versus a black and white determination.

I can't imagine that people would function well if they are too extreme to one side or the other.

Having said that, I have no doubt some people do fall toward the extremes of those poles.

[Dragonfli]

25. I am sure you are right, oddly for me I am extreme on both poles.

It often confuses people, it is also why I have to combine them just to remain sane.

[Uncle Joe]

27. Is it something like this?

[Dragonfli]

29. LOL

Something like that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. Willy I recommend you balance your heart with facts

and I do not mean reporting by oh NYT. You can find a lot of the documents that are relevant for free on the web. Right now going over the Report of Economic Advisors to the President, 2014 edition, and Picketty's book. You would be amazed at the parallels there.

[WillyT]

28. NB... I've Always Been Bad At That... When TPTB Lie With Impuinty...

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Yeah but things like the Natioanal Bureau of Statistics,

or the NEBR are not exactly where they lie. That be the NYTs.

[WillyT]

31. C'Mon... You're A Journalist... I'm Just Some Dude On DU With An Opinion...

Serioulsly... You and I can play by different rules.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. True, that is why I get to read that crap

and you don't.

LMAO

Actually the syncronicity between Picketty's book regarding economic inequality and the Report to the President is down right ... scary.

I was reading the NEBR report, and then decided to open my copy of Picketty's book (ok the kindle version). There will be an article on this next week. I need to check some more data on this, but it is less a journalist, and more of a historian detecting a trend in language.



Let's just say, if this keeps up, I will have to conclude this inequality scares the powers that be.

[WillyT]

34. Better You Than Me ... LOL !!!

You are one of the BEST posters here... no question.

Don't let anybody get you down.

[BootinUp]

33. "I post this because none of us here want to insult fellow DUers..."

Insults of fellow DU'ers is so common, that I do not understand how you can even type that!

[WillyT]

36. So... Was That Heart On Sleeve, Or Even Keeled ???

Just curious.

[BootinUp]

38. My armour is down these days, heart on sleeve I think

[WillyT]

39. Mine Too...

[frazzled]

35. Thinking with your gut tends not to work so well

Remember, that's what George W. Bush was famous for doing. Why don't you try stepping into the "reality-based community" (remember that?) over here for a while. It takes a bit more work to read through all the facts, but at least it keeps you off the street and out of trouble.

I can't imagine a life without facts and evidence. It's how I roll. Though I do have gut instincts in the area of character, and rely on those instincts to assess public figures. I think I have a pretty good track record, too, for smelling out the stinkers and phonies long before others catch on. Call it woman's intuition.

But on policy and events? Facts, baby, facts.

[WillyT]

37. I Hear Ya... Do You Think The NSA Is Violating The Constitution ???

I have no proof... yet.

[jeff47]

42. Not the guy you replied to...

...but the folks claiming the NSA is violating the Constitution insist they have fantastic evidence proving it.....that hasn't been released yet.

Shouldn't that last part do something with your gut? If we changed "NSA is violating the Constitution" to "Iraq has WMDs", would that do something with your gut?

[ancianita]

40. Makes total sense. For this year, fewer purity tests, less snark, more unity and GOTV tactics.

[WillyT]

41. Agreed !!!