General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI am appalled at how we Third Way DUers are treated!
A group of intolerant purists has taken to claiming Democratic Underground for themselves. They can't handle those that disagree with them. Oh no. They have to be selfish, and try to drive people out. They're driving wedges and shrinking the party, and will be responsible for the asskicking we're going to get in 2014!
For example, you wouldn't believe the intolerant uproar that ensued when we suggested saving money on education and food subsidies by having poor children work sixteen hours a day in steel mills. Never mind that the economic activity would stimulate the economy. I can handle some disagreements, like complaints about workplace safety. Sure, a few six-year-old children might suffer horrific burns from contact with molten steel, but they're learning important job skills. But some DUers went waaaay over the line, and became intolerant! They called us Republicans, called us heartless, called us cruel child abusers! It's clear that these closed-minded DUers don't want us on the site! They don't understand that the Democratic Party must be a big tent. Talk about making DU suck!
That was just the start. When I suggested that undocumented immigrants be used as target practice for Homeland Security, I was viciously attacked! Never mind that our fine law-enforcement officers need to have firearms training against live targets so they can be ready to defend our country from terrorists. Noooo, they didn't think of that. They cried about people being shot, called me sick, called me a murderer, called me mentally ill. They tried to drum me out of the party and this site for bigotry! I've never seen such intolerance for opposing views!
But that was nothing compared to the flaming we got when we suggested saving money on Social Security and Medicare by rendering the elderly down to extract their fat, and using it to make soap! Never mind that the additional soap made available to the American people would do wonders to improve personal hygiene. We were called Nazis, we were called murderers, we were accused of being bigoted towards senior citizens. People were literally telling me to get off this site and get out of the Democratic Party. I am horrified that people are calling for a purge of my views! I've never been treated so rudely in my entire life! I am outraged and offended that so many people dare to play the role of gatekeeper and tell me that I'm not welcome to promote these views here! I've never seen such intolerance!
And don't get me started on the NSA! If you've done nothing wrong, you've got nothing to hide. But noooooo, I get yelled at even for saying that!
You need to realize that Democratic Underground, like the Democratic Party, has a big tent, so you must be tolerant of those who disagree with you. So stop being selfish! We're a part of your party too, and you must accept us!
quinnox
(20,600 posts)I'm afraid that the NSA spying defenders/apologists are greatly outnumbered on DU, and always have been. This seems to make them very uncomfortable, but the truth hurts.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)Fuddnik
(8,846 posts)tridim
(45,358 posts)Being wrong, all the time.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)anywayz.
trumad
(41,692 posts)backscatter712
(26,355 posts)jazzimov
(1,456 posts)BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)I mean, come on...enough is enough
I prefer MW. I have nothing against those who prefer Hellman's.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)the terrorists have already won.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)my wife made potato salad with Hellman's yesterday. We are doomed.
BobbyBoring
(1,965 posts)Hellmanns rules~
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)jazzimov
(1,456 posts)you have mis-represented everything.
If you want to refute someone's stand, you should at least try to understand it.
canonfodder
(208 posts)I saw them for what they were. Sarcasm. Nothing more.
You're pretty good at it. Let people know.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)Some DUers were unbelievably nasty to me, calling me misogynistic, saying I was advocating mutilating women's bodies. They wouldn't have a civil discussion about how this could be an effective form of birth control. I mean if it works on feral cats, why wouldn't it work on women? Again, a group of intolerant DUers are taking it upon themselves to be the ideological gatekeepers of the Democratic Party, and they're making me feel unwelcome here. Again, intolerant purists are making DU suck!
GeorgeGist
(25,294 posts)AZ Progressive
(3,411 posts)In other words, Democrats that will defend the establishment from the people, with some bones thrown every now and then to the people.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)I mean, regular whippings would be necessary to keep indentured servants from violating the terms of employment with their employers. Also, escapees would have to be hobbled like in the movie Misery, to enforce the service contracts. But think of the jobs that big business could bring to the U. S. when they are given the flexibility and cost savings of indentured service!
But no, these nasty purists claim I'm not good enough for their precious party, accused me of wanting to bring back slavery, called me a corporate lackey, and displayed a complete inability to tolerate those that disagree with them.
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)Indentured servitude now goes by the names:
Home mortgage
School loan
Line of Credit
Minimum wage earner
etc.
- Of course you can save time by just saying: American citizenship.
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)Slavery is such a harsh word
JoeyT
(6,785 posts)That word is "conservative". I daren't call them that, though, because they pitch a screaming fit when you imply they might not actually be the liberal they're claiming to be, given that they don't seem to support liberal policy.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)Why, calling us "conservative" implies that we Third Wayers aren't fit to be members of the Democratic Party! Such intolerance for differing views!
Never mind that I think random body-cavity searches at the airport are necessary to protect us against terrorism. Don't worry, we'll make sure there's plenty of lube, assuming funds don't run out because of the sequester...
creon
(1,183 posts)DU is only an internet forum.
Anonymous insults mean nothing at all.
Spirochete
(5,264 posts)You, sir, are no Bob Boudelang, so stop saying that! LOL. J/K
mstinamotorcity2
(1,451 posts)Did the Germans bomb Pearl Harbor
RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)and if one of our "friends" has something to hide that we do not know about, then we do, in fact, have something to hide!
So if you don't have anything to hide, you better know EVERYTHING that your friends are up to.
Oh, not to mention, the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution prohibits search and seizure without a warrant.
DissidentVoice
(813 posts)...when you are crossing a border into the USA.
I live in a border city. A couple of years ago when I came back from Canada I got pulled in for "random" inspection.
I was held for a good hour-and-a-half, while they confiscated my passport and made a load of entries on a computer screen I was not permitted to see. I had to leave my cell phone in the car...and they can confiscate and KEEP that without returning it, or even telling you why.
You can be held incommunicado in a border station and your Fourth Amendment rights are not there until you clear the border. I don't remember the name of the ruling, but our beloved SCOTUS upheld that some years ago.
In contrast, the moment you cross into Canadian territory, you are fully covered by their Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)TBF
(31,922 posts)Do I need to explain sarcasm to you?
freemay20
(243 posts)Since I joined I have noticed there seems to be some "old guard" and their "there is no rightful opinion but ours" approach to things.
I have served on jury duty numerous times. Most of the time it was a case of some one with a million posts simply disagreed with another persons opinion as it was different than their opinion. Of course the old stall worth felt the opinion against theirs was an attack on them. Each time, I not only voted to keep the post of the newer member (because it did not break any of the guidelines) and commented. I also checked and wow,, imagine what I found? The only people to agree to have the posts taken down were,,,,,, drumroll,,,,,,, other people with millions of posts. Each time; smarter, calmer, more open minds prevailed and the posts were allowed to stand. I have to laugh as newcomers are treated like crap over and over again.
It is almost appears that a group of people at DU feel there is no room for anything but the ideals they want to push. Seems there already is a movement like that on the national stage-- and that party is collapsing. Let's keep open minds and not alienate those that could make our party stronger and more engaging. Democrats as a party lets things slip a little and look what happened in 2010.. We need to accept each other before another 2010 bites everyone right in the ass in 2014. It would be a shame to lose the Senate also...
MotherPetrie
(3,145 posts)DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)leftstreet
(36,081 posts)DURec
RKP5637
(67,032 posts)backscatter712
(26,355 posts)You see, as a Third Wayer, I have a quandry. I am firmly against abortion, as I feel we must protect developing fetuses at all costs. Murdering the unborn is beyond the pale. But then we have to deal with the sudden influx of newborns that are born into poor households. Perhaps making babies into Soylent Green is the answer - not only do we provide a solution for families that can't take care of children, but we have a new food source for the poor!
BobbyBoring
(1,965 posts)The Republican party is an absolute mess. There are those on the FAR RIGHT FRINGE claiming they are the real Republicans (and Americans) and all others are RINOS. Although I'm not A Democrat (my registration card says Reform Party), I vote Democratic.
If there's a serious fracture in the only major party that supports the middle class ( all 5 or 6 of them that do), we have a major problem in America (Straight from the No Shit Sherlock view).
AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)where are we going to find the steel mills?
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)I am so sick of these "progressives" refusing think outside the box, the way we third way thinkers do.
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)What's the harm in breathing a little asbestos?
AnotherMcIntosh
(11,064 posts)kag
(4,076 posts)So glad I did! Big K&R for levity!!!!
Eko
(7,170 posts)Dont you think?
ButchT
(11 posts)It's pathetic how "delicate" you all from the Third Way are. Haven't you heard that old adage? "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me."
All these so-called "intolerant purists" have done is resort to words, and you wimps are talking like you were charged with heresy by the Inquisition and stretched out on the rack!
Let me tell you, this is nothing!
Over on the Republican blog, they grabbed one of their dissenters, tarred and feathered him, carried him out of town on a stick, stoned him, and cremated his battered body at the stake. And all he said was that maybe the Republicans should think about the possibility of compromising on a couple of bills.
Now that's something to cry about.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)that instead of fearing a government that ignores all laws and its own Constitution in pursuit of totalitarian monitoring of its citizens, we should actually celebrate that by creating a new reality TV show called "What Big Brother Hears". The premise for this show would be that the NSA would show the most embarrassing footage they have (illegally) collected. It would be hilarious -- Much funnier than Tosh.0 -- and it would help solve the problem where the middle class leeches are draining all the nation's resources, because the government would sell advertising and product placements for that program.
Look, I know we can't all agree on everything. If a person has an opinion that laws and the Constitution should actually mean something, well, you don't see me calling for your Pollyanna point of view to be stifled at DU. So you should show me the same courtesy.
And while I'm on the subject, I would appreciate feedback on my newest third way solution to one of the nation's big problems: "Soldiers Gone Wild" sex tapes.
Eko
(7,170 posts)"government that ignores all laws and its own Constitution in pursuit of totalitarian monitoring of its citizens". and be specific with examples.
Thanks.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)I'd be happy to give you an ad hominem attack if that would be an acceptable substitute.
Eko
(7,170 posts)I really cant tell if you are posting in satire or not. If you have no interest in a conversation on this subject that does not involve satire or logical fallacies then that is fine. I have been following DU for a while now and tend to agree with almost everything but it seems lately there is a bit of outrage that I don't understand.
Thanks.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Last edited Mon Aug 19, 2013, 01:26 AM - Edit history (1)
{end-satire}
2) The outrage results from a clan of posters here who don't seem to have any concern for the 4th amendment, and basically are blind to anything that Obama does. If a Republican did the same things (and Bush did many of these things) they would be screaming bloody murder.
Well, this is not the ObamaUnderground.com. If Obama wants to behave like Bush, then he will be subject to the same scorn, and anybody who wants to defend his position on these myriad far-right-wing positions should expect a lot of resistance.
{resume-satire}
Th1onein
(8,514 posts)backscatter712
(26,355 posts)... The feminazis howled about how I was exploiting them and violating their privacy. Somebody forgot to tell them that privacy no longer exists, so they should just lie back and perform for their betters!
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)p.s. nicely done!
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Regards,
All Mannys
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)liberal N proud
(60,302 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Berlum
(7,044 posts)last1standing
(11,709 posts)Last