Skinner, Elad, and Earl G - is it still worth it?

[11 Bravo]

Self-edit ... wrong forum

[lame54]

1. this place still rocks...

it is what you make of it

[bigwillq]

3. I agree 100101010101010 percent

I think some folks take this place way too seriously. Most need to lighten up and just enjoy the ride.

[gelsdorf]

2. I thought we were a 'Big Tent'

We can't be like FR and shut folks down. We need ALL opinions, no matter how foolish. If we stop, we become..........................THEM!!!!!!!!!!

[Control-Z]

5. Well, not really.

Trolls, wing nuts, agitators, generally do not improve the site. We do have a wonderful team of DUers whose sole purpose is to remove malicious intruders. It helps a lot.

Welcome to DU, gelsdorf. I hope you enjoy it here.

[mike_c]

4. even a dozen years ago DU wasn't "nothing but democrats...."

I was here then.

[Control-Z]

6. Touche. (nt)

[Bjorn Against]

12. I have not been posting here quite that long, but I was lurking since pretty much the beginning

I would say there was a lot more dissent against Democrats in the past than there is now, leftists have always been here and they are the ones that attracted me to the site.

[Tx4obama]

7. The Admins would probably have a better chance of seeing your question if you were to post it in ATA

ATA here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1259

[11 Bravo]

10. Damnit! That's where I meant to post it! And now I'm too lazy to retype ...

it to post over there, and too technologically inept to cut and paste it. Maybe tomorrow.

[LostOne4Ever]

8. You know what you need?

Waffles!

That is the answer to all of life's problems.


Except type 2 diabetes. In which case you should stay far far away

[pscot]

9. Meh

[cthulu2016]

11. Almost as if we didn't have an "ask the administrators" forum

[Douglas Carpenter]

13. I think the income they derive from this enterprise is considered confidential information

But, I suppose one is free to ask the question and they are free to respond or not respond as they chose.

[XRubicon]

14. Wow, I'm impressed GI Joe nt

[In_The_Wind]

15. Is anything.

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. I started on DU before 9/11

That identity lasted about two years. I wouldn't say I was in at the beginning, but I was in around June/July 2001 - I remember discussing the Quebec City and Genoa anti-globalization protests on DU. People forget how close in the wake of Seattle 1999 this stuff was; many of us fought those struggles, and we were active on DU very early. I debated with j carlos jiacinto. If you don't know who that was, then you weren't a DU early adopter.

The next identity lasted probably another two-three years.

Then there was this identity, alcibiades_mystery. Closing in on 30,000 posts. If I added the other 2, I'd be closer to 60,000, I'm sure. Tangled with the best of them, and the worst. Responded to actual posts by khephra and many others.

Here's my view: Mostly, same as it ever was. oddly, I used to be on the "hard left" side of most debates. I still am, in theory. When I started DU, I was in my 20's, working different kinds of jobs. No kids then either. I'm still a leftist. But you have to get shit done now. That's the big change for me. Used to be "getting shit done" was second to "being right." I know that's a hard nut to crack: do I want the wrong shit done? Huh? Huh? When you got little mouths to feed and little people to care for, these kinds of considerations are less clear. Getting shit done, well, I know it when I see it.

I'm not disappointed in DU. The guys that run this joint do an amazing job. I'm often floored by Skinner's maturity and wisdom in dealing with nonsense (his post on Will's thread the other day was really a masterpiece of patience and internet persuasion, even if it doesn't land on its specific audience, for instance). What a service! What a difference they've made in so many people's lives.