A call for civility.

[Spider Jerusalem]

Or at least a modicum thereof.

I would like to propose that the respective supporters of Senators Clinton and Obama refrain from engaging in pointless name-calling (Hillbot, Obamabot, etc) and stick to discussing, if not issues then at least points of contention. Surely if you have a reasoned and rational argument, it's possible to make your point without being gratuitously insulting. We're all on the same side, regardless of which candidate we currently support; sowing further discord does no-one any good and only serves to stoke general feelings of ill-will and resentment. I realise that a lot of people have a very strong emotional investment in their chosen candidate's eventual success in the nominating process, but it should be possible to at least make SOME attempt to realise that this is NOT personal, that supporters of the other candidate are not evil, or delusional, or mindless, and that they should not be targets of your scorn. If you have an issue with a specific candidate, express your opinion, by all means; but the gratuitous name-calling doesn't do much to help your arguments, whatever side you're on.

As Winston Churchill said, 'when you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite'.

[jlake]

1. I agree - and I have been responsible for those indiscretions in the past.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

3. i'll give it up for lent

;)

[jlake]

4. hehehe

:hi:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

21. I better get into heaven on this one because one geek guy is really putting me hard to the test

he is stalking me from thread to thread demanding that I genuflect to Obama . he keeps saying that if I don't it proves I'm a Freeper


and I will burn in hell for all eternity :evilfrown:

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jlake]

5. Read the OP - it is about personal attacks.... something you managed to put in your post.

[geek tragedy]

6. I'm going to be civil towards non-Freepers.

People who do what I described are Freepers. Those who don't, aren't.

[bridgit]

7. Hey! That's exactly why I'm here in GD: P, to lend a sense of decorum...

To A Forum Gone Bug Shit Crazy!!

[Hoof Hearted]

8. When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite

is the battlecry of this cesspool.

Save yourself.

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. Eh.

I don't literally mean 'kill', of course. The quote seemed appropriate, though, since we seem to be witnessing some rather nasty internecine warfare in this forum at the moment.

[Hoof Hearted]

17. You are a charitable person by nature then.

[HughMoran]

10. Thanks for trying

...if everyone would stap back and think before posting, we could get back to discussing real issues/differences between the candidates.

[ruggerson]

11. There's already some of the biggest offenders in this thread

the only way to make it work is to have fellow supporters denounce it when they see it done to the opposing side.

I agree with you totally, but I see no way of stopping it.

[meow mix]

12. the hill camp has racists, posting racial flame bait

as long as thats going on.. i dont see it happening.

[Spider Jerusalem]

14. If it IS racial flamebait, then denounce it as such.

It's possible to do that without attacking the poster. Just say 'this is nonsense, and here's WHY it's nonsense'. There's a reason why the ad hominem argument is considered a logical fallacy: because it makes the issue of contention not the argument but the person who presents it. You don't win arguments that way, you just shout down your opponent.

[Metric System]

15. Ugh, and here's Kitty Litter.

[laugle]

18. You mean rascist radar! LOL

[WinkyDink]

28. Clinton supporters are not racists. But we ARE sticklers for proper punctuation. Try it sometime.

[Metric System]

13. I'm trying to use "Obama supporters" instead of "Obamaniacs" or "Obamabots," although I do slip once

and awhile, especially if the subject is particularly inflammatory towards Hillary.

[Liberal In Texas]

16. I would like to see it too.

But I think there are people here who have either nothing better to do or are here to sew discord.

I would vote for either candidate when the dust settles. But to listen to what's going on here, we have repuke enablers all over the place.

All the stuff about Obama and is minister. Or Hillary's tax returns. It's going to come back to haunt us. Mark my words.

[laugle]

19. Well....we have 6 weeks till PA. Maybe people will calm down a bit!

I hope so.......

[Liberal In Texas]

22. I hope so. But I think a lot of it is discord from the "other side".

I know for a fact, reading other forums, that people like to come to DU to "troll" or stir up shit. I think there is a lot of that going on.

Plus, we know Limpballs exhorted his dittoheads to vote for Hil because it would prolong the agony in the Dem. party. Many did. I can't believe there aren't other dittoheads sub rosa here, sewing discontent.

When the party nominee is named, watch how many of the familiar names (who post the required 3 per day) disappear form DU.

I know, some are quite constant. They love their candidate. But...

[Major Hogwash]

25. From the "undead". You're scaring me now, man. I don't listen to those voices from behind the walls.

They're always saying shit like "turn up the thermostat you fucking cheap bastard".

Gotta move to an apartment with thicker walls.

[amborin]

20. agreed, i've given it up

it's scary to realize all these resources and energy are spent bashing two good candidates and helping republicans win in November

we aren't convincing anyone here, only intensifying the hatreds we might develop, which will sink us in the GE

all the energy should go toward developing a war chest of damning evidence to sink McCain in the GE

from now on, hopefully that will be everyone's goal here

maybe everyone can agree to a truce: no more bashing either candidate, in any manner

let's just wait for the Penn results, and make a decision based on that

[saltpoint]

23. A very worthy proposal, but the DU

admins have sanctioned this level of discourse at least since 04 primary season.

I think the folks in the control tower have more to say than the rest of us on how the planes land.

[Spider Jerusalem]

24. From what I recall of the '04 primary season...

the name-calling was beyond the pale.

And the level of discourse is somewhere below sea level, for the most part; it'd be nice to see some effort to elevate the tone of the discussion.

[saltpoint]

26. Agree. But I think it would have to come from the admin folks rather

than the poster folks.

They have a prohibition on "sex threads" which holds reasonably well 24/7.

Seems to me they could do the same for political subversion.

[quakerboy]

27. Can do.