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In reply to the discussion: I believe there is merit to the argument... [View all]Generic Other
(28,979 posts)to remind the complacent and complicit that you aren't just going along to get along.
I have been on DU long enough to have discovered I do not like sycophants. I don't like two-faced people, liars, bullies or people who always feel the need to purge someone from among our number for unorthodox thinking. The tactics of these individuals include intimidation, acidic mockery, extreme self-righteousness (ready to cast the first stone and every one thereafter if need be), and eager willingness to brutally attack vulnerable people when they are down. All of those sound like Republican qualities to me.
The ease in which the principles and beliefs of the left have been cast aside by those who once called the left allies saddens me. And it's not because we were beaten to a pulp in battle, but because we didn't surrender fast enough before the fight began. Or because we were rude and impatient, then disgusted and resigned, and sometimes even angry as hell.
To be honest, I have begun to feel like I don't belong here anymore. I didn't fight the Bush regime with every ounce of my being to see their policies become institutionalized by my side. I didn't post here thousands of times about things I cared about only to give up because it was clear that no one else cared that much when push came to shove. When it came time to stand up for something, there were those who stood up for the wrong ideas as long as they were promoted by the right people. And who would allow no criticism of those who deserved some. And much criticism for those whose positions hadn't really changed at all.
I feel like I am lighting matches in the dark now.