How to minimize DU bullshit. Think before you post.

[Cyrano]

And then post what you truly know, believe, or are suggesting or questioning.

At one time or another, most of us have been called out on some bit of crap we've posted. So, what I'm proposing, is how we can upgrade the level of discourse on DU. Stick with what you know or believe to be true. Or ask an honest question. Don't try to make it up as you go along.

There are just too many people on DU who delight in "pouncing" on someone. Some do it because of a need to demonstrate their "intellectual superiority." Others because they are seeking verbal confrontation wherever they can find it. And still others, because they may have had one drink too many. (Try not to respond to them. You'll only encourage them.)

Pardon my pretentiousness, but here's a quote from Shakespeare's "Hamlet." "To thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day. Thou can not then be false to any man." (Yeah, I know "woman" was left out of that quote, but blame William, not me.)

[Bonobo]

1. For every post/reply I make, I erase 5 that I start and think better of. nt

[iconoclastic cat]

2. But what if one's goal is to *maximize* the bullshit? What then? nt

[Cyrano]

10. Ignore them.

[NightWatcher]

3. "nice post Hitler", Why do you hate Amurika?.......

Kidding, but you are offering a very good suggestion that I do wish more people would consider before clogging the boards.

fwiw, I will be avoiding the GDP room for a while until it cools down a tad

:hi:

[iconoclastic cat]

4. No, it's not a good idea. If people thought before posting, there'd be 1 per hour! nt

[Cyrano]

9. I know what you mean about GD - P. I've posted there once or

twice, but it's an absolute nightmare.

About all I've learned is that political moral certitude is as vicious and potentially dangerous as nationalistic or religious fanaticism.

[pingzing58]

5. And.... we know the end of Hamlet.

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. Pardon my pretentiousness also

But here's a bit more from the Bard:



Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy; rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel oft proclaims the man.

—Hamlet

[coalition_unwilling]

19. Here's the Shakespeare Bush 43 should have read (from

"Measure for Measure"):

Oh, 'tis excellent to have a giant's power.
But 'tis most tyrannous to use it as a giant.

[Oeditpus Rex]

21. I'd ask if that's from the underwater production

but that's such a vague reference that only the geekiest of Monty Python fans would get it. :D

[leftofthedial]

7. oh man!

that's no fun

[kestrel91316]

8. Um, the BS posters DO think before posting.

They spend ALL DAY thinking up ways to disrupt and clog up DU. Which would be the entire point of their posts.

[Cyrano]

11. They need to be ignored, or, as the Amish would say, "shunned."

Unfortunately,there are far too many DUers who have the need to dispute and attack the BS. (And in some extreme cases, this is justified.) However, all too often the result is post after post by the original BSer defending the stench of the post that he or she began.

[Buzz Clik]

12. Another Freeper weighs in.

Friggin' trolls.


































:evilgrin:

[EFerrari]

13. I thought about this before posting to this thread.

:)

I myself have been incredibly cranky lately. Not sure if it's the stress of counting down Bush before he blows up the world or, the primaries or even my own personal stuff which includes not enough work and too much time on my hands. Maybe it's all of that. But I can count on being in some silly argument with someone every night about seven o'clock. It's ridiculous already.

In any case, sorry for my cr@p contribution. Maybe this post needs to go up on the 'frig. lol

[Cyrano]

26. Oh, just have a vet check out your puppy's teeth. You might feel a lot

better tomorrow.

[Snarkturian Clone]

14. Just yesterday I stopped myself from flaming someone.

I had the post all typed up and nasty and I said to myself "I don't need to contribute to this mess" and never posted it.

Feel free to bring up that I posted this message the next time I write something nasty.

[EFerrari]

15. Maybe we need a Thursday Night DU Reconciliation thread.

lol

[bryant69]

16. Taking time to think would waste valuable posting time!

Actually this seems like a good suggestion.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[devilgrrl]

17. But I suffer from "Internettes syndrome" and can't help myself.

It's like tourettes but it only strikes when I'm on line.

:silly:

[coalition_unwilling]

18. The quote from Shakespeare can and, I would say, should be read

ironically. It comes in Polonius' parting homily to his son Laertes before Laertes departs for the University of Paris. Why should it be read "ironically"? Because Polonius is a big hypocrite, acting as Claudius' gopher in furthering Claudius' attempts to understand why Hamlet is behaving with an "antic disposition" but not letting Hamlet know that he (Polonius) is acting as Claudius' johannes factotum.

In other words, Polonius, the consummate courtier, is only being true to his own self, if his own self is that of a hypocrite. Even so, Polonius is being false to Hamlet.

Reminds me of that old nostrum: "Everything I say is a lie, including this statement."

Does this post fall under the category of demonstrating my intellecutal superiority? All those years I spent in grad school should be good for something :)

[EFerrari]

22. What a piece of work is DU.

lol

[BlooInBloo]

20. If only DUers, and Americans generally, cared about the truth....

... Of course, then there'd be no need for DU in the first place.

[NNN0LHI]

23. Just remember words can be as bad as daggers BEFORE you hit the Post Message button

Thats the rule I go by and it seems to work out OK.

Don

[Cyrano]

25. How true. I can recall responses to some of my posts that

got my blood boiling. But before replying, I realized that I had no idea whether I was about to communicate with someone who had a different viewpoint, someone who was looking for an argument, or someone who just happened to be stoned at the moment.

If it was a rational post, I replied. If not, I just let it go and moved on.

Conversely, I can recall some really hateful responses to some of my posts when I was a newbie. And I launched an all-out counter attack against "the miserable swine who dared to say something nasty to me." It took a while before I learned to ignore it or just let it go.

But to get back to your statement that "... words can be as bad as daggers ...," I've spent an occasional sleepless night "hating" some poster who attacked me, or despising myself for an unfair response that I posted to someone who sincerely believed what they were saying.

Given these experiences, I guess there's only one rule that works. "Be respectful to others."

[L. Coyote]

24. Saw this scrolling for a thread fitting the topic I found news on.

Sometimes it is easier to find a thread news fits into.