To our new members here: Why are we often too quick in calling new posters trolls?

[Warren DeMontague]

37. A few things. One, like you, I've been here a long time, and I've been called all kinds of shit, too

Most people seem to imagine that everyone who disagrees with them, at some point, on some issue, is a "troll", and not just someone who disagrees. Same as it ever was.

As to the sort of rough and tumble to which new members are invariably subjected, here- yeah, it exists, but the fact of the matter is (as anyone who has been on MIRT can tell you) low-count posters are treated suspiciously as if they may be trolls because this place gets a LOT of trolls. It's about the only thing you can reliably count on.

Then take a major election, and multiply that number by twenty.

In my experience, the vast majority of bleating from new people about "why are you treating me like a troll when I'm just expressing my concern/pointing out that this Clinton scandal has legs/questioning whether James O'Keefe has a point" etc etc-- well, it comes not from horribly misjudged and mistreated future good would-be community members, but yes, from actual fucking trolls. And then invariably what they do is some version of "gee, whiz, since everyone here is so mean to me, maybe I don't want to be a Democrat after all -sniff sniff-"

...

As for your removed section, I'm gonna address it anyway, since it's the elephant in the room and anyone can read it in the edits if they're curious enough, anyway. And I'll do that by saying: You cannot compare the primary period to the GE election period. The rules are different. Sort of how you can play football and soccer on the same basic field. The basic dimensions are the same but the games are very, very different.

There was shit said during the primaries about ALL the candidates- like Bernie Sanders, for instance- that in no fucking way would fly now. Nor should it.

We've moved on, we're unified, that's how this deal works.

DU is rough. Get a helmet, or find a mutual admiration support group. If you wander in here a week before the election, be prepared to meet some suspicion at first. C'est La Vie.