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In reply to the discussion: Silence Makes White People Racist [View all]Major Hogwash
(17,656 posts)What good does it do to enter into a discussion and then start demanding questions about how someone spends their time?
I've seen other people say that to other members here, and almost to a man, they were rightwing trolls that eventually got booted.
Trying to shut down discussions on a liberal forum is not liberal, per se, nor is it effective.
I've been on forums where the admins were, shall I say, "less than liberal" and although they claimed they were liberals, their actions spoke volumes about how not liberal they truly were.
I have no problem with ignoring conservative sites, there is nothing to be gained by posting my opinions on them, as far as I'm concerned.
Yet, on DU, there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what constitutes being liberal, or being conservative.
It's like asking someone their opinion on a painting, and they say, "well, I don't know what good art is, but I know what I like."
That's fine and jim dandy with me, but when they start espousing jim crow-type opinions of who can speak here, or what subjects should be discussed, or for how long, that is where I draw the line.
The American mindset about debating issues seems to be more along the lines of black and white, right or wrong, a dichotomy that makes no sense to most of the other people that live on this planet.
Other people see shades of grey, and they also understand a concept of ethics that doesn't always end up with "just right", or "just wrong", but contains an element of justification that leaves some of the questions unanswered, or left in a limbo state and doesn't always add up to a 100%.
The Eastern mindset follows along the same path as the quote of the American Indian Code of Ethics you just posted, it is considered rude to try and stop someone else from speaking their mind about an issue.
Lao-tse, among others, taught a way of living that looks for making more friends, not looking to make more enemies.
We Americans have much to learn about compromise and negotiation.
And so, during the next 2 years, the Republicans are going to be taught a lesson from a man who lived in Indonesia as a youth and understands the way of negotiating, President Obama.