What I've learned on DU

[patrice]

44. I didn't mean to imply that, but my point is that sanitized environments aren't good for people.

They get weak, because they don't have to stand to stress, sort it out, and come up with an effective response one way or another. People don't learn without challenge and, thus, errors.

I looked at the examples and think pretty much what I said in my last post about the use of that or any word as a stereotype about whole groups of people, or even just one person whom one does not actually know enough about to come to a summary conclusion in one label.

If I went down through each of the example threads, I'm sure I'd find people I think could be saying whatever they're saying in order to get their jollies in on women, or Republicans, or Ann Romney. Their posts are probably not about anything much more than that, though they do also sometimes throw in tidbits of something like information that might be more or less interesting, to me, but I'm not as likely to involve myself in their jollies, one way or another, I guess because I don't like giving them what they want. I'll have to admit a bias toward the assumption that about the worst thing you can do to anyone around here is to turn them into a 0.

In those same example threads, I would probably also find posters who are trying to say something they think, something they understand about an issue/topic, they may be trying to do that & happen also to include naughty words (or this or that -wing talking points, but that's a related issue). If the whole gestalt of a post reveals something that might be more or less useful or interesting, I don't care about naughty words, or possible thrill-seeking, as much.

Yes, it is a balance, but I CAN tell the difference between the conditions sketched out in my last two paragraphs and I urge everyone to think about it too, for the benefit of the WHOLE movement. I have been known to "slap" some posters around a little for ridicule and disrespect (or for patterns of dishonesty for which I requested remediation and never received any), so I should be more sensitive to anyone who is trying to get their buzzzzzzzzzz on by insulting women.