PhD Thesis on DU and Free Republic

[RainDog]

67. DU has two daddies!

The "nurturing parent" model for liberals and progressives, versus the authoritarian "discipline daddy" of those with arrested political development, is the overwhelming finding.

That parental or governing style is evident in the philosophies of those on DU, for the most part, those who run this site and in the Democratic Party at its best. And we see, in our nation, our lives, our DU community, that this nurturing rather than punishing power results in greater creatively, more problem-solving and tension diffusion through humor, more compassion and a stronger community.

Why would someone want the other sort of experience?

The other factor that precluded closure at Democratic Underground was the focus on the rhetorical, which was simultaneously playful and competitive. There was no privileging of elite voices. They were always present but in the DU environment they were often completely drowned out by the shouting of multitudes. Anyone could submit to the competition. Originality and creativity were respected and rewarded rather than loyalty and orthodoxy. If the rhetorical ecosystem of the Internet is going to reach its full democratic potential, it will be in providing space for the regular exercise of rhetorical muscle by ordinary citizens. The daily practice of active citizenship can only serve to contribute to a more robust “rhetorical Republic” which could “reform the practice of public reasoning” (Ivie, 2005a, p. 25) and produce a more democratic debate.

...To return to Mr. Nietzsche for a moment, if there is one major contribution that the Internet can make to democratic practice, it is in preventing the “forgetting” of these citizens who demand to be heard.