Communities discuss things ...... it s what communities do ......

[Stinky The Clown]

I am **at least** as guilty of doing what I'm about to discuss as anyone on DU .......

DU is a political message board and a site for liberals to gather and discuss political issues.

I get that.

DU recognizes that not everyone wants to talk about politics all the time. One answer to that is the many minor forums that cater to all sorts of special interests. I perosnally find both the Cooking and Baking and the DIY/Home Improvement/Crafts groups a welcome respite.

I thank the hearts and brains of DU, Skinner, Elad, et al, for that.

But I also want to point out that the people who post about non-political events - the breakdown of Barbaro at the Preakness being the biggest one this weekend - are part of this community, too. Did such a discussion belong in GD? GDPol? One of the mnjor forums? Nowhere on DU?

I kinda don't care where its posted.

It is a topic that interested a lot of our DU Community. The discussion will go on for an hour, maybe a day, maybe a few days. So what?

DU is, after all, a community. It has, in many ways, grown beyond just a political discussion board. To be sure, it is, at its heart, exactly that. But it serves people who have interests beyond politics. While I have decried such postings in the past, I realize how hypocritical that was. Because I have made such postings, too. And I can't see me stopping it unless the rules change.

These 'side discussions' serve a purpose. They strengthen the community.

I'm more than okay with that.