DU "Standards" Of Accoutability: My Response, In Agreement...

[WillyT]

I think that many posters on DU, this thread (the one I was responding too) included, work their asses off for the cause. They vote, register voters, walk precincts knocking on doors, foment petition drives, call and write their congressmen and women, swear in newly minted citizens to this country, march in protests of war (before and after they start), support (in tangible ways) the troops once they get sent off to war, go to local political gatherings, support important political groups, call in on radio shows, write articles for publication, start their own websites, travel across the country when needed, use various art forms to get their message out, feed and clothe the homeless, adopt unwanted children, organize into unions, and literally, most CONCRETELY, change the world for the better.

And then there are those who post anonymously on an internet message board, and not much else.

And although we hold out hope that the information they glean from said message board will inspire them to move into the activist realm, we are continually disappointed that many will only rise to the level of gripe. Sort of like the two old guys in the Muppets, sitting up in the balcony criticizing, hurling insult and epithets... but NEVER setting foot on the stage themselves.

So yeah... you can't use the same standard at all.

[LincolnMcGrath]

1. Get off the stage ya bum!

[WillyT]

2. But... But... I Just Put On My Tap Shoes !!! - Lemme Dance, Dude !!!

:bounce::loveya::bounce:

[gordianot]

3. Sort of like the old Asimov stories.

Humans stay at home with their computers and are afraid of direct human contact. Science Fiction to fact strikes again.

[WillyT]

4. "Open The Pod Bay Doors HAL !!!"

Damn...that's Clarke!

I hear ya, and I appreciate you immensely!

:bounce::hi::bounce:

[WillyT]

5. I'd Just Like Ta Say...Before I Get Locked\ Banned On The Other One...

that I'm pretty sure I'm correct here.

Ah well, we'll meet with other NorCal DUers soon, and have a good laugh in GoldenGate Park then, I tell ya!

This is me Break-Dancing: :rofl:

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

6. For context...

... you should link to the thread you were responding to and it was my post to which you first posted this response.

Hi :hi:

To clarify, that sub-thread was about truthout.org's "partial apology" for "getting too far out in front of the news-cycle" with specific focus on whether or not TruthOut/Leopold should be held to the same standards of information quality as some posters on a DU thread. Apparently you want to start a completely different discussion about those who "work their asses off for the cause" versus "those who post anonymously on an internet message board, and not much else" in which "many will only rise to the level of gripe" -- so much so that you have started a new thread on it.

Since you first posted it in direct response to my post (see the above link) I would like to respond to it, albeit briefly and with little expectation of this ending well for anyone.

Democratic Underground is a discussion forum. They don't measure one's level of "CONCRETE" activism as a condition of posting here. It's not a litmus test nor a pissing contest. I currently enjoy that privilege and will continue to do so until the DU modmins or I decide otherwise, whichever comes first. If I stay within the guidelines of this site, I may gripe, comment, discuss and/or support whatever I want, with or without the approval of people like you. Of course, if you follow the same guidelines you can do the same. See, it's a good thing.

However, please note that what I do with my time and my ass is really none of your business.

Besides, if everyone moved "into the activist realm" you wouldn't be so special.

[WillyT]

7. It Ain't That I, Or Many Of Us Here, Are "Special"...

We are, but that's not the point.

The point is, that after a hard day at the planet, trying to save your ass as well as everybody else's, one gets a tad peeved by the arm-chair critics. The "Chicken-Posters" if you will.

Actually doing something to make the world a better place, takes blood, sweat, and tears. And although we fight for you too, we just get a little testy when us heavy lifters come home from the office tired and drained, and then are criticized by the comfortable keyboarders.

But... HI!!! :hi:

:evilgrin:

[bleever]

8. If you want a refund on something you got for free,

just show your receipt.

If someone referred to a group of people as cretins, and you feel that you're a member of that class, and that damages are owed to you, speak up; it's a free country.

If you have disdain for someone to the point that you want everyone to know about it, go ahead. State your damages. If you feel that you owe someone else a dose of defamation in order to correct the insult you suffered, dispense it.

And if your efforts to advance a progressive agenda that rolls back the anti-democracy being foisted on America have been hurt, and your best contribution is to villify the teammate who got in the way of your touchdown-scoring run, by all means, lay it out.


But really, in the end: where's the beef?