Just got axed from the $HRC$ group for posting a sarcastic comment.

[Binkie The Clown]

16. My observation on DU members:

The ones that agree with you think you are a fine person and an asset to the group.
The ones that disagree with you think you need to be arrested and charged with high treason and sent to Guantanamo. Or failing that, at the very least you MUST be silenced. (This is usually accomplished with a flood of insulting accusations extrapolated from, but often unjustified by what you actually posted. Things along the lines of "You disagree with me, then you must be a ____ (select from: racist/Republican/misogynist/child molester/Nazi/troll/other).&quot

My solution is to treat DU as largely read-only. I find a lot good information here, and links to articles that are interesting and informative. But posting seldom accomplishes anything except attracting hostile reactions from people who fall into the second of the two aforementioned categories. Sometimes I go months without posting. In fact, at one time, long ago, I went so many years without posting to DU I forgot my username and password and had to create a new one. (A shame too. I had tens of thousands of posts by then.)

The important thing is not expect to change anyone's mind. Speak your piece, and let the outcome take care of itself. A good way to practice that discipline is to post something and then NEVER go back to look at that thread to see how people replied to your post. You said your piece, you don't need to care what anyone else thinks of it. (You may care, but you don't really NEED to care.)

Remember, while you are trying to show somebody the error of their ways, that same person is trying to show YOU the error of YOUR ways. That's how flame wars get started. Life's too short. Shake it off and walk away.