Attack On Reason

[Infinite Hope]

There is something affecting a few DUers that, through them, is affecting the ability to have thoughtful discourse. There are a few reactionary people who seem unwilling to so much as have a discussion baseball and why their team lost without it somehow reverting back to Bush and all the Hell he has indeed wrought or personal attacks on individuals with a heartfelt opinion that differs from their own. “I’m the true liberal,” they seem to say. “You who differs from me in viewpoint must therefore be a closet Republican. .”

All of us on DU know that Bush is dictatorial, is not compassionate, and has done great harm to our nation and our people. We all understand that it’s affected most everyone here personally in some way and has seemingly traumatized some people. But that doesn’t deem it necessary to interject with complaints about Bush in the middle of thoughtful discussions on something completely irrelevant. If you want to express your frustrations, we feel your pain, start a new post or post it on something relevant so that the rest of the DU community can continue their thoughtful discussion.

It seems like every time most DUers want a thoughtful discussion on a topic, somehow a rare DUer will interject with some nonsensical, irrelevant comment and then both elements – thought and discussion - are lost. That's not a very effective way of dealing with issues of the day in an age where the very problem we face is a lack of thoughtful dialogue.

Sometimes I entertain the notion that they are the Freepers, interjecting on DU, preventing rational discourse and entangling us in in-fighting, leaving any thought, solution, and action Dead-On-Arrival.

So what are our options? We could continue engaging them and losing the one thing this nation has been for six years missing and thereby surrender to the ways of the right wing. Another option would be a DU boycott of such comments; simple don’t respond to anyone who ransacks relevant discussion. But that comes with two challenges: one, it excludes those who are capable of contributing to thoughtful discussion but instead choose not to, thus limiting the potential of thought and discuss and, two, it would potentially be a mountainous task to make the boycott work. The best option, which would ideally allow inclusion and continued discussion, has been tried with no success: engage them with reason.

“Many are destined to reason wrongly; others, not to reason at all; and others, to persecute those who do reason.” - Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer and historian.

“You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.” – Anonymous

[knowledgeispwr]

1. Well articulated.

I'm a long time lurker to DU although I've just started to post recently, and the kind of posts that you're talking about, the mindless interjections about Bush or knee-jerkingly referring to people who disagree as freepers, simply tires and saddens me.

I hope that we can move past that.

Edited for grammar.

[Kindigger]

2. Myself.....

I am very articulate in person, but not when writing.

"There are a few reactionary people who seem unwilling to so much as have a discussion baseball and why their team lost without it somehow reverting back to Bush....."

My mother finally pointed out to me that I was guilty of the above. In fact, she told me not to visit anymore until I could control myself. I started to pay closer attention to my interactions, and realized how bad it had become even with complete strangers.

I had a month's absence from the internet while moving, and during that time I tried to retrain/restrain myself. There's a happy medium between lack of interest, and total involvement. People who seem indifferent are not necessarily so, and really don't need to be beaten over the head. If what was coming from my mouth had went on paper instead, my fingers would hurt.

I don't have an answer, only observation. :hi:

[Infinite Hope]

4. Heh. n/t

[A-Schwarzenegger]

3. Thank you for reasonably trying to stop nonsensical irrelevant posts

by those who you think might be Freepers and by those
who respond to them either on purpose or otherwise.
I didn't see it but I'm sorry your baseball discussion
was ruined by people dragging Bush into it.