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[Jim Lane]

122. The reason for the difference is that DU is largely a place for discussing public affairs.

We pay the most attention to government actions. Private actions (e.g., here's how some big corporation is screwing over its workers) are taken up primarily in the context of what government should do (e.g., this is why we need card check). Sometimes, DUers analyze private actions to inform us in our role as consumers (this is why you should boycott that company).

Note the posts just in this thread about whether the police acted improperly and which police department did what. There are legitimate differences of opinion on the government’s conduct vis-a-vis Dorner. Pursuing those differences makes sense because we have some control over the police and we can expect that similar situations will recur; when they do, we want all law enforcement agencies to act appropriately.

We discuss those questions because we have some influence over them. There’s not much point to a discussion of whether homicidal maniacs should kill innocent people. We all agree on the answer, and furthermore our opinions on the subject won’t influence the future conduct of any psychotics who are contemplating whether to go on a murder spree.

This was well put by La Lioness Priyanka in the first paragraph of #77, though I don’t agree with her charge that other DUers are being intellectually dishonest.