Should you have to post your age in your profile?????

[notbush]

In the last month, I've run into 3 DU'ers with well over a thousand posts, who are rude, profane, and otherwise "a pain in the ass".All were 16 years old or less.
How do I know their age???? They either list a website or e-mail addy and are not afraid to respond to questions.....Good
However they not afraid to include themselves in discussions of events that happened years before they were born acting as if they were there and participating.
Maybe, I'm just getting old and grumpy, but I don't want a 14 year old telling me what it was like in 1969.

[LiberalVoice]

1. Well I understand your point. and, I agree, to a certain extent but...

I am 21 years old and now more about the corruption of our govt. since it's inception then the average 40, 50, or 60 years old. I'm not bragging or anything but just because I wasn't alive when somehting happened doesn't mean that I can't understand the circumstances.

Althought more often then not the average 16 year old would not more then someone my age. My eyes and ears stay open to information no matter what age the person referring it is. I just make sure it's the truth before I believe it. Kind of off the point. Sorry.

[JI7]

4. yup, especially since they are more likely to be informed if they come

on du than those who don't.

[SoCalDem]

2. Unless Skinner comes to our houses and looks at our birth certificates,

there is no way to verify the correct age.. ..But I know what you mean about wondering how old people are :)

[notbush]

5. I guess I look at profiles............too much....

A guy ( or girl) has been posting for 3 months...has 2500 posts....any time you look at their posts .....it's "fuck him","fuckin' lier","fuckin' ass*ole".
You check their profile....they have a web-site,or an e-mail......
If you check them out......a lot of them are really young.
They can have an opinion on Vietnam,Korea, or WW2.....but they weren't there.
It's a different prospective, than someone who lived it....Not necessarily wrong....but an opinion without experience.
If you had to reg. your birth date, would posters try to be younger than their age or older?????

[Slickriddles]

11. Sometimes things are not what they seem

I've experienced some pretty vulgar attacks but that wouldn't bother me if I felt that these people were really interested in advancing a Democratic discussion. I mean how easy would it be for a RWer to come here, get thousands of posts in the lounge or someplace and then go into discussions and begin to curse and attack people and tell them to shut up, and do it all from a "I'm further to the left than you are" position. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I'll bet there are far right groups that have targeted DU.

[JI7]

3. 14 year old du members read

one doesn't have to actually have lived during a time to talk about it.they can read and learn about it. and that's what du is mostly about. you think people shouldn't participate in discussions which discuss events that took place before they were born or something they were not personally involved in ?

[AlFrankenFan]

6. I'm sorry they've shown you such a discourtesy

I'm 14 and I even know this behavior is inappropriate. No one, no matter what age should act like that.

[Andromeda]

9. Thank you Al...

I'm... ahem, older than you are and I appreciate someone so young expressing themselves in such a mature way. :hi:

[REP]

13. You're Not Part of the Problem, AFF!

Either you're lying about your age or you're an admirable kid.

[arcos]

7. I agree with LiberalVoice, post #1...

I'm 23 now... but I remember when I was 14 and I was chatting on political channels on IRC. Hell, I'm not even American but I've always loved American politics.

I think it would be a good idea to have an age field on the profiles, but just for curiosity and nothing else. Not all people who have certain age act the same way... maybe you have seen goobergunch's posts (where is he anyway?)... he's 16 too. One's age doesn't necessarily mean they'll act in a certain manner.

More people should be coming to places like this... after all, we are the ones who will soon be in charge of the mess the world is currently in.

[uhhuh]

8. You are old and grumpy

I think it is inappropriate for you to be telling other people that they can't have a perspective on events because they were not directly involved in them.

There are alot of rude, profane, and obnoxious posters that are of all ages.
There are also many informed, intelligent, compelling posters who run the spectrum of ages as well.

If a 14 year old tells you what it was like in 1969, and you feel like it's incorrect, maybe you could educate them with a little of your own experience of that time.
The fact that they are engaged enough to be interested at all is one of the great things about DU. i have been awed by the awareness of a lot of these younger people you've decided are not worth listening to.

Should we have a maximum age as well? Are older folks permitted to comment on what is going on in youth culture today, or do you have to participate in the club/music/college scene as it stands today to have an opinion on it?
I'm in my mid-30's. Do I get to have an opinion on the LBJ administration, or do I only get to comment on Nixon forward?
Let me know what my age demographic is allowed to comment on, and will never stray from it, okay?

Maybe I'm just not old enough yet, but I'm fed up with the marginalization of whole groups of people for no real reason.

[RC]

10. School's out

This BBS has been inundated with kids being raised in relative isolation in their rooms equipped with TV, computers with hi-speed internet and stereos. They have never learned proper socialization with others. Plus they think they are anonymous behind the computer.
I am not saying all kids are this way, just way too many.

[REP]

12. Won't Do Any Good

I agree with you, though - there are some teenagers who have a bad case of knowitallitis, and it's annoying. On the other hand, there are others who are very well-informed, courteous and fun to read and a lot of adult rotten apples. So while it's a nice idea in theory, it wouldn't really help!