This Place Is So Depressing Right Now

[THUNDER HANDS]

Really, I never thought I'd be longing for the Bush years, but at least as miserable as those times were, people here were at least on the same page and even though we disagreed (sometimes loudly and often) we all saw the same reality.


After being away from this place for a year I've come back and it's a completely different message board. So cynical and angry. People are not only arguing about their interpretations of facts, but they're arguing about what the actual facts are. There's misinformation being spread everywhere. Just negativity after negativity piled up on top of seething rage and despair.


This place was definitely more useful when we were fighting a common enemy as opposd to fighting amongst ourselves.


God I hope 2010 is better than 2009.

[HipChick]

1. +1

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I am not a member of any organized party

that is why I am a democrat.

You forget it is like herding cats.

And democrats pretty much are cats, and do not march in lockstep.

Happy holidays and don't be depressed.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. "depressing" why do you say that? At least we have "Frozen Food"....

Frozen Food

The North Pole is a cold place, and that's just the way reindeer like it. But climatologists say global warming is affecting their snowy world.

"One of the impacts that scientists are most convinced is going to happen as the earth warms up, is a change in the ratio of snow to rain," says Peter Gleick, president and co-founder of the Pacific Institute. "As the earth warms up, we’re going to get more rain and less snow."

That's a problem for the reindeer because, in cold climates, rain falling on snow creates ice; scientists call this a rain-on-snow event. If it's thick enough, the ice can keep the reindeer from their main food supply, small plants beneath the snow.

[EFerrari]

4. After all those years, we knew how to talk about Bush, more or less.

We have much less experience discussing a Democrat in office. It'll be all right. 2010 will be better. :)

[Xipe Totec]

5. Hell hath no fury like a zealot scorned

Some of us voted to elect a President.

And some thought they were anointing the new Messiah.

Guess who's more disappointed.

[Capt_Nemo]

9. Apparently they found a new Messiah

In a blog or something...

The prophecy goes something like: the Messiah will reveal him/herself as the
one who will convert the teabaggers to progressivism and will convert a notorious
randian into his/her closer disciple.

Seems that someone fitting that description just showed up.

[burning rain]

31. You don't have to be a zealot to support core Democratic values....

of attending to the good of society and letting moneyed interests look after themselves, as opposed to crony capitalism of the Bush Medicare Part D sort as embodied in the Senate health care bill, along with shovelling money into the coffers of Wall Street in the hope that somehow, someday it will trickle down.

[Greyhound]

38. +01

[bain_sidhe]

6. That's probably the goal, for at least some posters

I'm not saying that everybody who posts something negative has an ulterior motive for doing so, but I firmly believe that a lot of the negativity comes from people whose sole purpose is to demoralize and depress us, so we won't keep working for the things we believe in.

Buck up, Thunder Hands!

[HipChick]

8. Don't let the Debbie Downer Brigade get you down..

[tridim]

12. It all depends how many lumps you want..

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rfDi1MlSwiU/SXHLKUGPMTI/AAAAAAAABlE/YaVZdDyx-pY/s400/pete+puma.jpg

Always say "none".

[Chorophyll]

18. Lol! +1

[pipi_k]

7. Maybe it's just a form of PTSD?

All that rage for eight long years...nowhere for it to go.

Now it's coming out in all sorts of ways. Who knows...



Whatever the reason, I don't let myself get dragged down by the fighting and negativity.

[Le Taz Hot]

10. A guy walks into his doctor's office,

pinches himself on the arm and says, "Doctor, it hurts when I do this." The doctor replies, "Then don't do that." Get it?

[asjr]

11. I think the depression comes from

being straitjacketed for 8 years during the Bush administration. All those years I thought This can't be happening! Well, it was happening and then I started thinking about a new Democratic president and he would sort things out and put all the Bushies on notice that they will not be allowed to get away with those 8 miserable years. I am still waiting.

[Gregorian]

13. I still hate George Bush, and I still love Theramin Cat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ONJfp95yoE

[panzerfaust]

14. When united against * there was hope for meaningful change

Now we see that any change there may be is not going to be meaningful.

Yeshua driving servants of Mammon from temple
This ain't gonna be happening again, any time soon.

[Greyhound]

39. The cynical waste is just shameful. n/t

[Hydra]

15. I think you're missing the source of the depression and rage

During the Bush years, it was easy to unite against him. It was even "popular."

Now when the person we elected promised to fix this, we have a strange dichotomy- the people like me who were about the issues(I didn't care that it was the Bush Admin doing it- it was wrong) and the people who were about "winning."

The people who "won," in a team sportsfan sense(Did you really make that touchdown?) are still talking about how we're still "winning."

I still see people dying, I still see a great depression going on, I still see our social contract being subverted, and I still see the money flowing upward.

What did we "win"?

[defendandprotect]

23. Sad but terrific comments . . .

certainly those we have most recently been betrayed by are those who have

been responsible for creating this "third world America" . . .

And I still see WAR -- and the bankrupting of our Treasury!!

In fact, Obama is expanding all of this -- in Afghanistan -- into Pakistan!!!

[KittyWampus]

25. We've won on multiple fronts. You just insist on getting every thing all at once

Honestly, I think a lot of DU'ers should just quit paying attention to politics cause they can't handle the time frames necessary to get places.

[Hydra]

27. Right...

Tell me of these things we've "won," just so I can keep my scorecard updated.

[UTUSN]

16. I seldom UnRec, but here it is. Anything referencing "longing for" (Shrub) & "negativity" =

So dungeons are actually blessings because of the togetherness they bestow?!1

[Larry Ogg]

17. Your avatar friend "Yoda" might tell you that

It's not about being on the same page, but rather, it's about being on the right page.

Don't let it trouble you that some people are beginning to wake up to the sad facts of reality; while others are hopelessly clinging to the illusions of political paradigms created by and for the benefit the elite predator class, at the expense of the cannon fodder peon class.

Things will change when and only when we get on the right page...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x415927">Amazing Speech by Iraq War Veteran

Larry

[Hydra]

24. +1

"There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad."

1984

[Larry Ogg]

41. Thank you Hydra

I don't know who it was that said; that "Being well adjusted too a profoundly disturbed society is no measure of sanity." Ironically, it's the profound little statements that sometimes make the bitter truths acceptable; even when it's in the face of mass denial; it is unfortunate that the spreading and acceptance of both truth and lies requires a consensus from the uninformed.

[Hydra]

45. I think it might have been Jung who said that

And he was right. Being well adjusted to an insane system does not make you sane, it makes you one of them.

[mzmolly]

19. Cynical and angry is right.

Positive threads are unrecommended and negativity is abundant on the greatest page. It's rather pathetic.

[dhpgetsit]

20. Bush was a uniter.

We were united in opposition of him.

But if we can keep it civil and remain somewhat open minded, we can be divided without ruining DU for everyone.

[AllentownJake]

21. Wow the Democratic Party is a giant coalitions of ideology

Not a unified organization that hates the government

Who new?

[defendandprotect]

22. Unfortunately, corporate/fascism crosses party lines . . .

How could anyone ignore that point when all of our members of Congress and elected

officials have pockets stuffed with corporate money?

Every one of them are pre-bribed and pre-owned . . .

and sadly that includes Obama.

Ignoring that won't change the consequences of it!!

[enid602]

26. system

I think were finding that the system is even stronger than Bush, and resilient and perservering.

[Little Star]

28. Maybe we should all just stick our heads in the sand and just

get behind our guy. Forget about being against war, poverty, LGBT rights, Women's rights, healthcare, etc.. Hey, whats more important than just getting rid of Bush. Party first!!!!

I think we need to hash this crap out no matter how unpleasant it is for us, sorry.

[Thickasabrick]

29. I don't remember us ever really being truly united except against Bush

We have always had the for/against gun crowd, for/against hunting, for/against the DLC, for/against capital punishment, etc.

People have always been nasty as long as I've been here....which probably isn't as long but it's been 5 years.

[CrispyQ]

30. I've only put one person on ignore in the past.

Now some threads have so many 'Ignored' listed, that it's not even worth reading. That's probably a good thing. Both sides have been guilty of petty name calling & bickering & refusing to concede that the other side as a point. So I'll start. I think this bill is a putrid pile of shit. I think it's a big gift to the health insurance vampires. I think there is way too little regulation in the bill to make up for the mandates without a public option. I think that just because people will be able to get insurance does not mean that they will get health care. The insurance industry is a large part of our current health care crisis & this bill has given them more root to grow. I also believe that this bill is a death pill for the democratic party.

That said, I hope to hell I'm wrong! I hope that this bill will lead to single payer & in the interim, I hope it will relieve the suffering many millions are experiencing. I personally, don't see how, given that the health insurance industry's duty is to their shareholders, not the American public, but I hope I'm wrong & that something really good comes out of this.

I'm seriously considering revoking my monthly DU contribution & sending it to an organization that really needs it, like this one:

http://www.ramusa.org/

[walldude]

34. See there you go with the negativity..

Can't you just get fucked over and be happy about it? Your negative attitude is depressing people.

[EFerrari]

36. . . .

:spank:

lol

[CrispyQ]

40. It's my dealer's fault.

I was hoping for some kind in my stocking, but all I got was some stickie/seedie stuff.

:smoke:

[debbierlus]

32. We still have a common enemy - the corporate wealth

The divide has opened because Obama is championing the corporate wealth.

More then half the board is outraged.

The other half is defending Obama.

The democrats are part of the one party system and the dawning realization is coming faster for some then others.

And, many have known it for a long time.

[Political Heretic]

33. Our times are Depressing right now. At least we have the courage to face it with eyes open.

I don't want manufactured agreement more than I want passionate advocates for social and economic justice willing to agitate and irritate those who have other agendas - like party loyalty at all costs, or cult of personality, or the biases of wealth, race and privilege.

[Nikki Stone1]

35. The depression comes from the top down.

Betrayal will do that to you.

[stillwaiting]

37. Indeedy do!

[gleaner]

42. Everything changes with time ....

and a year is a long time. It would not have been the same no matter what. I think we will feel our way through this and come out better and stronger. Even zealots have to see that their loyalty is misplaced at some point, and as much as they flail around looking for anyone else to blame for Obama's feet of clay, it will all come back to him in the end. Life will continue and new sensations will arise to be discussed and digested. Welcome back.

[The Straight Story]

43. We are the same as we were before, the only change has been in the name of the person in charge (nt)

[THUNDER HANDS]

44. (sigh)

the replies in this thread aren't helping me feel any better.

:(