Originally Posted By bboisvert <<As far as people getting bent out of shape when their world view isn't "meshed with," it seems to me that that is coming mostly from the left-of-center side of WE these days.>> As I am admittedly left-of-center, I have to say that it comes from both sides. I'm just as guilty of it as anyone. The left viewpoint seems more prevalent these days and more "bent out of shape" because it is usually the dissenting opinion. The whole point is that we don't want to be in line with what we don't agree with. We don't want to be "bent" into that other "shape". Then, we get pegged as "rabid" or "angry". Some arguments (and the people that argue them) are more persuasive than others. Some people just like to pick a fight. Some people just like to lob bombs. Some of them we just know are going radiate more heat than light. We all know who they are. Then occasionally, we get a topic that is either apolitical, more centrist, or crosses the "party line" so effectively that we can get a agreement from a larger number of WE posters. But where's the fun in that, eh? ;-) You know, there was this study....
Originally Posted By DlandDug Good points, bb. My bad is that I read so little here anymore. (My wife really, really wants me to just say no to WE.) The few threads I do read (or respond to) tend to be lightening rods for the left. Hence, my assertion that the bent-out-of-shapeness is predominently liberal.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Then occasionally, we get a topic that is either apolitical, more centrist, or crosses the "party line" so effectively that we can get a agreement from a larger number of WE posters.<< Sez you! ; )
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< Any personal attack is against Community Standards. Period. Further, seeing a reply based entirely on the personality of the poster, rather than the content of the post, illustrates how devoid of response the critic is. That's why I find all the complaints about DarkBeer's posts so absurd. >>> What are you talking about? I've never commented on Darkbeer's personality, either online or in person to anyone, in anything but a positive manner. Actually, Darkbeer is one of the few LPers that I've met on more than one occasion and I think he's a great guy and I look forward to spending time with him again someday if our paths happen to cross again. In discussing things political, my best guess is that we're actually from the same political party, so there's probably quite a bit that we actually agree on. In addition to having a great personality, I think Darkbeer is very smart, is well intentioned, and is a valuable member of the LP community. The last thing I would do is attack his personality or him as a person generally. As a point of order, how do you know I'm referring to Darkbeer? Are you saying that what I said in #18 above so obviously refers to his posts that you can assume it without doubt, as you apparently have? <<< Rather than complain about HIM, why not do as I did? Read the source, and offer comments about the IDEAS, rather than the PERSONALITIES. >>> First of all, neither an idea nor a personality have been presented in the messages that I'm referring to - only a link to a mainstream news source where both the stories and the quotes chosen are apparently carefully selected to give a particular impression. Often, no commentary by the poster is given at all. You obviously see the distortion that this sort of thing can cause, as you pointed this out rather explicitly when responding to my #1 in this thread. But, I've not seen you do so in other threads. It's almost as if this is a problem only if it's done in a particular political direction that you disagree with. If you were concerned about this in general, mine would not have been the first message that you called to task. <<< Devoid of ideas >>> That seems to be getting dangerously close to a blanket generalization if not a personal attack. And, for the record, I don't think that anything we do here on WE has much effect on the country at large. Perhaps you can see that my real commentary is on Drudge Report, which does in fact have a non-trivial influence on American popular interpretation of the events of the day.
