OK, I just don't get it anymore when it comes to the left/progressives

[The Straight Story]

I read DU and I hear that I am either a racist or a sexist depending on whom I back for president. I see posts almost daily telling me that fellow dems are either one or the other as well. You know, us folks on the left are either racist, sexists, homophobes, idiots who believe in fairies (religion), and...well the list can go on here.

If you think it is ok for people to own a piece of metal/steel that can throw a projectile further than a slingshot you get labeled as pro death/violence/or at least someone who does not care about it all, if you smoke you are the most evil thing on earth and you make bush look like Jesus, if you shop at walmart because you are too poor to shop anywhere else you are the problem (you is not really defined, you are just a thing to be ridiculed and condemned, not a real person), if you do anything other than live like the Amish (whom we seem to also hate...) you are a selfish person killing the earth and taking funds from my wallet because of your selfish lifestyle.

Fuck.

I drink (affects your health care costs probably), I smoke (same), I drive to work (gas, smog, pollution, increases your cost of gas, etc), I eat out sometimes (not being frugal, health care costs for you going up because of my food intake at such places), I eat really crappy lunches at times (Ramen noodles, PBJ, etc) which means I don't care about the world at all and again adds to the cost of your health care, I ordered out pizza tonight (after a hard night which I might post about later) which means I killed trees for the cardboard for the pizza to be delivered in, gas to get it here, etc and so on.

In short, I am about as guilty as can be of so many things I don't know even where to begin.

I am a smoking, drinking, christian oriented, sex loving, seat belt hating, guy who likes fast food.

And I vote dem.

I don't get why so many dems I have seen want to control the lives of others and then complain about people on the right who want to do the same thing only for different reasons.

Freedom doesn't mean you like what others do, it means you accept the fact that there will be others who do things you don't like while enjoying the ability yourself to do things others may not like.

I thought we all understood that. I thought we all understood that the racists and sexists were not part of this party, and yet I see so often us calling each other those things (and worrying about the female/black vote as though dems of that persuasion would let such things affect them). I thought we understood that the party of fear was the RW and it's terrorist rant, yet we fear each other owning guns and how we can hurt others, I thought that we were the party of freedom and allowing adults to make choices about their own body's and lives, yet we keep telling one another where you can go and what you can do under penalty of law.

[MichiganVote]

1. Basing reality on DU is hazardous to your mental or political health

[ChazII]

2. K&R

We are both guilty. Well, I don't smoke.:evilgrin:

[IsItJustMe]

3. From the sound of it, you and I are in the same boat.

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. You've got some really odd ideas of what the left is.

Probably stems from the fact that there IS NO LEFT in this country.

Stop watching Faux. Life will instantly get better.

[The Straight Story]

6. I don't watch TV, I pretty much just read DU

And local news stations online :)

[NashVegas]

8. I Know The Kind of People You're Talking About

Sometimes I think they're very well-positioned trolls, and sometimes they are.

Sometimes they are soft-left hand-wringers.

Sometimes they really are the authoritarian far left.

As a woman, the older I grow the more I'd much rather be around libertarian men than self-identifying liberal men; the latter group seems to want to decide my behavior as much as Pat Robertson ever did.

[Greyhound]

37. "authoritarian far left" is an oxymoron. n/t

[DutchLiberal]

43. Hell no it isn't.

'Far left' doesn't by far always mean 'progressive' or 'liberal'.

[Greyhound]

55. See this reply

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3369897&mesg_id=3372125

As a linguist, Noam Chomsky's primary cause has been the perversion and misuse of language and its meaning. As you have demonstrated, most of us no longer have any clue as to the meaning of so many terms because of the deliberate obfuscation of our language by those that work against us. The dumbing down of America is both real and deliberate.

Fight the trend, think.

[DutchLiberal]

57. You are the one who got the meanings of the words mixed up; not me.

A 'liberal' is NOT the same as a 'leftist'. A 'leftist' can be either a socialist or a Marxist or a liberal. But you can't use the words inter-changeably.

[HuffleClaw]

70. you've made the OP's point so very clear n/t

[Cerridwen]

5. Authoritarianism knows no political party

nor social status nor economic class.

We in the US are the most authoritarian, judgmental (she says as she passes judgment) and punitive people of the "First World" nations.

[Echo In Light]

22. Exactly. Never underestimate the power of denial

[sandnsea]

7. Because damn, I can't think for myself or nuttin'

And know that crackpots come in all shapes and sizes.

And no, progressive doesn't mean freedom to hurt other people. Or even to hurt yourself in the event you don't know better. Perhaps you'd prefer to be on the dark about the damage cigarettes and alcohol does to the body? Or still have cocaine in pop? Or not be told about hydrogenated oils? Or 1,000 other improvements to our health that we've gotten because progressives spoke up, and in some cases demanded other peope change their behavior so we wouldn't suffer. Like taking cocaine out of pop.

[Lance_Boyle]

61. I, for one, would welcome our cocaine-containing cola overlords

if they'll just leave out the damned HFCS!

[riderinthestorm]

9. Bigoted, homophobic, right-wing shill checking in.

:toast:

Yes, "bigoted" because I support women's rights (yeah, I don't get it either - if the poster weren't TS'd, I'd have really liked an explanation), "homophobic" because... (that one never was explained. I believe the poster had worked themselves into a righteous rant by then tho and threw it out there in a vain attempt to really slay me.) And "right-wing shill" got chucked out there when I supported a lawsuit to eliminate IL's "moment of silence" in public schools which is really a cover for prayer in schools (yes, a church/state separation thang....).

Also I'm a pants-wearing, uppity woman, who "abuses" animals by riding them (horses), and allowing them their freedom to roam (letting the cats go outside on a nice day).

I also occasionally patronize Taco Bell (gasp!) :hide: which means I'm insensitive to migrant workers, and especially heinous in the eyes of union supporters.

Lastly, I'm a country bumpkin which means you city libs REALLY hate and disdain me.

Dayum, in hindsight, I actually think I'm proud of accumulating this many insults. Is this some kinda badge of honor? I know I can think of more!

[pacalo]

10. I'm on the same page as you.

Freedom doesn't mean you like what others do, it means you accept the fact that there will be others who do things you don't like while enjoying the ability yourself to do things others may not like.

That says it for me.

Oh, & the fact that I haven't drank the kool-aid when it comes to Obama doesn't make me a racist. I treat everyone the way I like to be treated in life & I will not tolerate anyone calling me a racist because I'm not thrilled about a politician who happens to be black. Nor was I a supporter of Clinton, who happens to be white. My lack of enthusiasm is due to reality & the circumstances through which these two candidates soared to the top. I don't care who endorsed either of them -- that doesn't affect me in the least.

[LaStrega]

11. I too am part of the problem ...

TSS we have much in common.

Bleh. Fuck it.

I'm havin' a good time. Anyone who doesn't like it can piss up a rope.

:toast: :smoke: :kick: & rec

[struggle4progress]

12. But it's a really great place to meet soundbites

[On the Road]

13. I Get Tarred with the Same Things from Time to Time

but try not to get caught up in them. This is an internet message board -- sentiments like those you mention get concentrated and magnified here.

I do think it's important to stick to core policy issues now, at least in terms of party identification. A lot of people vote GOP because they hear a couple of miscellaneous people go on rants about something silly. Shouldn't happen, but it does.

[ContraBass Black]

14. What do you have against seatbelts?

[lildreamer316]

15. Oh, and don't I know it, with my stripperdom!

I'm so evil, don't'chaknow..I'm fooling myself and don't know it, enabling that 'evil' half of the population - otherwise known as MEN, (and some women) to have dominance over the other half!! It's all my fault! I'm degrading myself, and am so stupid as to be unawares of it (for over twelve years!)! <goes to hit self over head with blunt object>:sarcasm:
K&R, btw.

[TreasonousBastard]

16. Damn! You're taking this shit too seriously....

it's just a message board.

Trouble is that here we're stuck with the assholes who we tend to avoid out in meatspace. Could put them on ignore, but then there's always more to take their places.

I run into people all the time who tell me the Fed is out to take their guns, I'm a sexist for not wearing a Hillary button, I'm racist for not wearing an Obama button, I'm homophobic because I don't wear some other button of the day, I'm a Commie terrorist for not wearing a flag button, my belief in God is stupid, I'm going to Hell because I'm not Reborn, and I'm generally a piece of shit because I don't go along with every pet project, issue, belief, or agenda of someone on the left, right, or middle I happen to run into.

Those are people I try not to run into a second time.

Most people I do get along with have strong beliefs but don't shove them down my throat or make every nitpicking little thing a demand.

[sharesunited]

17. Disingenuous rant. Tell us is there ANY conduct you would proscribe?

What therefore is the difference between a Democrat and a Libertarian?

[MedleyMisty]

18. How many threads have you started like this now?

I really think at this point the answer is take a break from DU. I do it all the time when the bigotry and prejudice and elitism here gets to be too much (and the bigotry I see here has very little to do with the primary - I could care less about the primary stuff and stay far far away from GDP).

But seriously, if you haven't found the answer you're looking for in one of these threads by now you're not going to. What do you want, anyway? To be absolved of being human?

I find that my stress level goes way down when I stop caring about what other people think. You know what's right and good and what works for you. Instead of interpreting other people's opinions as commands directed personally at you, look at them as just other ways of being in the world and if any of it seems better than your current worldview then take it, and if it's not then leave it. And always remember that it's just totally random people posting on a message board - none of us know you personally. None of us have any direct effect on your life. We just come here to share our thoughts, and if those thoughts are annoying you you have the choice to not read them.

[TransitJohn]

19. I feel you TSS

I get it a lot because of my views around here, too. To say nothing of the time I said Steve Irwin should've expected to get killed after molesting animals all those years. That caused quite a stir. :hide:

[old mark]

20. TSS- you can't control

what others think, despite the number of people here who wish they could.
I find very little difference between the extreme right and the extreme left-they both want to be Stalin, both have no tollerance for other opinions, both are seriously full of shit.
Fortunately, both are very much in the minority.They are so offensive to most others here, they get ignored a lot, I guess.

Vazcation for a few days from this forum helps me a lot and I've only been here for a month.

mark

[lightningandsnow]

21. You are awesome.

I see it a lot too. (Mostly when I mention the sex industry and how I have a friend, who is in her 30's, who has worked in it, and doesn't hate her job or herself).

I hear exactly what you are saying. I just don't get it why people have to be so judgemental all the time.

[DFW]

28. Sometimes, it's easier to throw darts than to look in the mirror.

[Perry Logan]

23. Many of the activities you list could be considered public health problems.

I notice that most of the activities you cite are arguably public health problems--smoking, eating junk food, and owning firearms.

These activities cost our society billions of dollars and damage the public health. That may be what your fellow progressives are on about. You're probably just more libertarian than your fellow progressives on public-health matters.

[Bandit]

24. Just try and follow the Golden Rule

And try very hard not to harm others. Is that so very hard? I doubt many here care what you do to your own body, just don't do harm to other people's bodies. I am speaking mainly of smoking in public. I don't give a rat's ass if you smoke, just do it at home. Why pollute public places where others have to put up with it?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

25. You're talking about Left Leaning Authoritarians. Most DUers are Not.

If you read the results of the numerous Political Compass threads you would know that the majority of DUers are Left Leaning Libertarians. Being one of those, I couldn't care less what you did with your personal life as long as you don't harm others. It is not for me to judge your lifestyle as it isn't for anyone to judge mine.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

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

[alarimer]

27. Racists and sexists are part of this party,like it or not.

The kind of shit I have heard from people on this board towards Clinton especially is VILE. Liberal use of the words "bitch" and "witch" (and worse) just proves how sexist we still are, collectively as a country.

I am officially sitting this election out because I really am sick of having nominees forced on us by the media. To hell with the Democratic Party, bunch of corporate assholes.

As for the rest, seat belt laws save millions of dollars in public health costs every year. I don't want to pay (through my taxes) the emergency room costs of some dumb fuck who refuses to wear a seat belt. Those fines pay for some of those public health costs. I am all for anti-smoking laws indoors. Workers have a right to safe working conditions. If municipalities can regulate indoor air quality and worker safety in other regards, they are certainly well within their rights to regulate smoking indoors. Smokers can whine and complain all they want and they can endanger their own health but they have NO right to force it on other people. Frankly, smoking is disgusting.

[DutchLiberal]

46. Using words like 'bitch' or 'witch' has NOTHING to do with sexism.

Whenever I call a woman a 'bitch' or a 'witch', I mean just THAT: that *this particular woman* is a bitch or a witch. Why is it that this is considered sexist, but whenever I call a guy 'asshole' I never hear any complaints? :shrug:

[bean fidhleir]

29. Are you complaining about complaints, or something substantive?

That you have a right to your choices - does that mean everyone must either approve them or keep quiet? That's what it sounds like you're implying.

[The Straight Story]

30. Talking about choice in many ways

Something I thought this party was all about.

I only used the examples I did because they are common themes here. From guns to smoking to whatever I thought of us of the party of choice, and that extends deeply beyond just what we do in our bedrooms.

When we start to tie everything you do with the lives of others we lose choice (suppose someone ties abortions to higher rates of cancer, more days lost at work, etc, or if they tie being gay to similar things). What you eat, what you wear and where it was made from (and how), etc and so on - if we look closely enough we can find ways to show that it harms someone else in some way.

Maybe some in this world want a dictatorship where we force others to live as we see as best (ala religion, et al) but me I prefer to take my chances with freedom.

It may not be perfect, but it is a lot better than having someone else (or a few individuals) forcing me to live their way under penalty of law.

Living for society and what is best for all is not the answer, and that was show mathematically sometime ago (do what is best for yourself and others to get the best result). We have to come together and find a consensus that suits the needs of the many and the few.

The RW wants control based on religion, the LW wants control based on a variety of things in a big tent based on everything from science (which we are still learning) to emotions (feel good legislation).

Freedom is what people naturally want, and co-operation amongst ourselves to sort out limited resources so that we can all benefit. We want a society for the people and by the people - one where we respect the right of you to do things we don't like so long as we can all share together the resources we have.

When we turn health care, etc, into a resource we start to look at things on a micro level and want to control every aspect of each others' lives. But such things are not a 'natural' resource. it is a human made one, and allowing ourselves to become a slave to that will lead to more and more control by those who dole it out over us.

[bean fidhleir]

31. What about those for whom "freedom" means "I get to do whatever I want

whenever and wherever I want to do it"? You know, the ones who want to opt in when it's convenient and opt out when it's not. The ones who, seeing a long line at the coffee urn, cut in at the head of the line saying "I just want a cup of coffee".

I suppose what I'm asking is whether you're not just saying you have a particular place that YOU want to draw the line, and that others should accept your choice. Do you have a more principled basis for your line-drawing?

[CRF450]

34. Many also have problems with personal choices of fellow dems

For instance, I'm involved in off-roading and a little bit of motorcross riding on my dirtbike. Many here would view it as destructive and very polluting, well that depends. Their are designated trails and tracks specifically for ATV's and I stick to those, I have my own little track in the woods behind my house, and farmers around here dont mind me riding on their field paths. Their are alot of idiots out thier who like to tear shit up for no reason (usually some redneck on a utility 4-wheeler) and they really give a bad rep to those of us who are responsible riders. Fuel use, new ATV and dirtbikes have 4 stroke engines that burn gas no faster than a Civic, so I dont see how it pollutes any worse, 2 stroke engines are being phased out but theirs still plenty of people who want to hold on to them.

Vehicle choice, most here look down on others who dont have a car that gets more than 30mpg, or owns a truck/SUV. I own an 01 Trans Am, and an 94 Dodge Dakota. Most here would look down on my car as wasteful and impracticle (and some ass always has to bring up the penis comment for owning it:eyes: ) no matter what they say, I bought it because I like high performance cars, it suits in my tastes in a car, and I can afford the gas even though its not that much a gas guzzler, it averages the same as most cars here in general. As for my truck, well you know the rest... unless they know that I use it for work, hauling the dirtbike around, and sometimes other stuff when it required. Most of the time when I go it for a cruise with several friends I'll take it being that its a crew cab truck, the T/A doesn't seat more than two people comfortably. That only happens once in a while though, I dont go out that much.

I dont really live my life based on political leanings, I'm only concerned about the core, major problems we're have in this country. Thats why I'm a registered independent.

[Snarkturian Clone]

32. I'm with ya brotha. I've noticed it too.

The loons have taken over around here.

Stay away from wheat, it'll kill you. Hate Christians but love small religions. Hate ALL republicans, even your next door neighbor. Only buy super expensive unproven healthy foods. If you have an SUV, you should be killed. Anyone who smokes is a genocidal maniac. Support ALL leftists and democrats, even crazy and corrupt ones. If you've ever disliked a black person for any reason, you're a racist. If you've ever disliked a woman for any reason, you're a sexist. If someone murders someone else, they must be a Republican.

All the statements above have been supported by DUers.

[CRF450]

35. You hit the nail on the head! nt

[cbc5g]

38. Whoa hold on a second, thats a vocal minority (maybe) and expected on anonymous websites

I don't subscribe to any of that and I'm sure most here don't either. I think you are going a little too far in generalizing.

[Rosemary2205]

33. Be a NASCAR fan and see what happens! LOL

I am a narcissistic freeper killing the planet with my lift van and TV habits. Even worse, I eat commercially created meat and don't spend the extra for organic veggies.

I am clearly so far beneath contempt that I am not even worthy of the attentions of Dr. Kavorkian.

:)

[madmom]

39. HA! You think you're beneath contempt...I work at Wal-mart !!!

[The Straight Story]

40. Well. so does my middle aged son (which i learned only this weekend)

The workers are not the problem, it is those who rule the workers that cause the problems. :)

[madmom]

53. I've not really had any problems,yet.Hope it stays that way.

[Rosemary2205]

42. Oh wow.

it would take a construction crane and 23 extention ladder for YOU to come up far enough to be worth of contempt!! LOL :)

Consider yourself hugged. It's rough out there when the job of "choice" is Walmart over something much worse.

[madmom]

52. Actually it's not a bad job, I make pretty good money for what I do and I can

pretty much pick my hours. The managers (at least at my store) are not at all hard to work for, and we just recently found out we are in line for a nice profit sharing check.

[Greyhound]

36. Which Democratic Party are you talking about? The one I (reluctantly) belong to

is full of authoritarian, unprogressive, repressed, conservatives that would, apparently, be much more at home in the Republik party of the 50s. There are plenty of racists, sexist, classists, and fascists in this party.

There is no correlation between liberals and democrats as there is no liberal party in this country. You summed it pretty well with this statement, "...many dems I have seen want to control the lives of others and then complain about people on the right who want to do the same thing only for different reasons", but you left out that they control this party.

Small 'L' liberalism is always right and always rejected. Throughout history, we have had to drag the rest of humanity forward, kicking and screaming about how it will be the ruin of all that is good and right, until the new ways are accepted and they take credit for making the change.

Welcome to the world.

[DangerDave921]

66. I had to laugh

I have some friends in CT who voted for Lieberman over Lamont. Dem voters straight down the line all their lives. But in their real lives, they live in an all-white expensive suburb, drive BMW's and Jeep's, vacation in Italy every year, invest heavily in the stock market. And are generally about as socially conservative as you can get. Anyone seeing them would peg them as Repubs all the way.

Goes to show -- you can never judge who is a Dem just by looking.

Also goes to show -- The Dem Party (listen up DU) should never try to marginalize certain blocs of Dem voters as not being pure enough or progressive enough. Every Dem lever pulled is a vote -- just like yours.

[DutchLiberal]

41. "Seat belt hating?" That's the single most dumbest thing I'v ever heard.

You like to get your brains smashed to pudding when you get into a an accident???

[Rosemary2205]

45. The difference between a seatbelt and not is sometimes.

Seatbelt - you get the joy of living with possibly severe disabilities the rest of your life. If you can call it a life.

Without - you get to die.

Trust me when I tell you - there ARE worse things than death.


Kids don't have a choice and bolting them down isn't a bad thing. An adult can choose and should be able to.

[DutchLiberal]

47. 'Severe disabilities'?? From wearing a seatbelt?? I call bullshit!

"An adult can choose and should be able to."

No, in these kind of matters they shouldn't. You simply have no right to be an egoistic ass and not wear a seatbelt and then leave the other party in guilt over your death whenever you get into an accident.

[Rosemary2205]

49. You are so grandstanding to the wrong person.

I really suggest you come spend 1 day at my house and then shoot your mouth off.

[DutchLiberal]

58. If you are as arrogant in RL as you are on this board: no, thanks.

[Rosemary2205]

59. Fine - here's another suggestion.

Go cruise the specialized long term rehab facility near you that keeps the folks who'll spend what life they have left in that bed hooked up to machines that were "lucky" to survive a 70 plus MPH car accident because they were wearing a seatbelt.

There's no doubt about it, seatbelts do save lives. Sometimes it keeps people from being disabled at all that may have been killed and that is most certainly a good thing. Sometimes it keeps people severely disabled that would otherwise have died. Whether that is a good thing is very much open to interpretation.

You are wrong. Calling me names doesn't make it less wrong.

[DutchLiberal]

62. There are no such things. And I most certainly didn't call you any names.

"There's no doubt about it, seatbelts do save lives. Sometimes it keeps people from being disabled at all that may have been killed and that is most certainly a good thing."

Well, then, turns out I'm right after all. Glad we cleared that up. :)

[Rosemary2205]

67. Snort

well at least you have the good sense to be ashamed of what you said enough to deny you said it. LOL

[The Straight Story]

48. Well, go ahead and live your life telling others what is best for them and punishing them

for not obeying.

There are those on the right that would say abortion stops a beating heart, should we listen to them and ban abortion? There are those that say eating anything other than a vegetarian diet leads to an early death, should we outlaw eating meat?

At what point do we stop telling others how to live their lives and limit their choices?

My brother in law was/is a seat belt Nazi. The only time in his life he ever took his off saved his life when his friend fell asleep and slammed into the back of a truck. Dave was thrown from the car with only minor injuries, his friend was stuck in a seatbelt and killed. Dave still wears his and makes sure you do when in his car - but before it was illegal and a crime to do so he took his off that night to get comfy and it saved his life.

If you are against choice then just say so, let us all know that you and others know better than us how to live our lives and how you will punish us if we don't. I am not all about controlling the lives and choices of others.

I still remember as well in Ohio when they told us you would not be pulled over for not wearing a seat belt, it was a secondary offense. They lied - it now is and we all knew it would be. Somehow people made it relevant to them and their lives and health care costs, etc. As they soon will what you eat, where you live, how you live, etc.

The more we give the government power over our lives the less freedom we have. At some point you have to make a stand and draw a line in the sand.

At some point, you choose to have choices in life.

[MedleyMisty]

50. He could have just as easily smashed his head on the pavement

and died. He just got lucky - random stuff happens randomly, and personally I'll take the bigger chance of a seatbelt keeping me alive over the smaller chance of a freak accident like that.

That's my choice. And if I make that choice it does not mean that you also have to make that choice. If you want people to respect your choices, start with respecting theirs.

[The Straight Story]

51. And that is the key - CHOICE

He had one. And I want you and others to have one as well.

Not sure why that is so bad......

[Solon]

69. That's only valid if the choice in question only affects your life and not everyone else's...

On public roads, guess what, other drivers end up paying for your choice. If, in a simple fender bender, you chose to not wear a seat belt and have your head smashed against the dashboard, damaging your brain, etc. Then all of us have to pay for that choice in some manner, from increased insurance rates to stricter seat belt laws. Thanks for being selfish. :eyes:

[DutchLiberal]

56. Drama queen.

Real nice to not wear a seatbelt because it's your 'choice'/'right' and then have your loved one mourn you because you got your brains smashed to pieces. And then saddle the other party with a feeling of guilt for the rest of his/her life. Just because you're such a drama queen about a ridiculous 'right' or 'choice' you think you have. Like you are terribly violated in your human rights if you have to wear a seat belt... :eyes:

Don't try to make this a matter of principles or fundamental rights, because it's not. It's just you nagging for the sake of nagging.

[LanternWaste]

60. The only relevant differences I think, are in mere degrees.

"I am not all about controlling the lives and choices of others"

Well, we all want to control the lives of others-- we simply disagree on what needs to be controlled and what needs to be optional.

Some people think seat belt laws are a good idea, other people think that Universal Healthcare is a good idea, whilst still others believe that enforcing laws are a good idea.

Each example rests on controlling choices, access, and availability to others. When it's an ideal we agree with, we call it a good idea. When it's an ideal we disagree with, we call it "the Nanny State" (or, if one needs melodrama, it can be called "Nazi" or "fascist" for good effect).

The only relevant differences I think, are in mere degrees.

[blondeatlast]

44. Come sit by me, my friend--talking to the non-perfect is MUCH more fun!

At DU at various times I've been a freeper, fundie nutjob, misogynist, racist, homophobic, Bush apologist, and God help me, I've enjoyed a meal or two with my 11 yo at Olive Garden.

Pinot Grigio? I happen to love the stuff...

[windoe]

54. I think your other post on diversity

had a built in answer for this one. Democrats are the most diverse, and so we have to work harder to understand each other. Unlike the Repubs all in lockstep with each other with the same tired old talking points, we have such differing points of view that it helps to step back from all the toxic posts and try not to take anything personal (I am still working on this one myself)--if possible. I am trying to learn from everybody.

[Help_I_Live_In_Idaho]

63. I Understand Your Position and I get what you are saying

We risk becoming a bunch of left wing NAZIs because we are so opinionated and so self riotous about our values - just like the far right, many of us are.

Thanks for speaking up - politically correct or not.

[KamaAina]

64. I was both a racist and a sexist

while John Edwards was in the race!

And if he hadn't dropped out, I still would be, so there!

[earth mom]

65. The intolerance around here is of MAMMOTH proportions.

So much of DU reminds me of freeperville and the freepers I used to debate on a mixed left/right board that I'm positive DU has been infiltrated with them.

The EXTREME Hillary hate, combined with the whacked out Obama support is all the evidence I need. Don't forget, freepers hate Hillary with a passion but like Obama because Obama a closet republican. :eyes:

[Hippo_Tron]

68. Well I'm not under the impression that we can stop people from eating bad or smoking

I just want smokers to step outside before they have a smoke. It's a simple courtesy that goes a long way for protecting the health of the employees that work in restaurants and bars.

And yes I think exceptions should be made for Hookah Bars and Cigar Shops.