Help! I'm spending more time at Discussionist than at DU!

[11 Bravo]

Sure, it's a target rich environment (you would not believe some of the dipshit postings over there), but I always need to shower afterward.
Talk me down!

[NightWatcher]

1. What does it accomplish? Do you ever change someone's mind, win an argument,

or learn anything?

What do you get out of it?

Just curious. I don't need to stick my head up a cow's ass to know it is full of bullshit, so I just stay away from there and stay clean.
But hey, whatever floats yer boat.

[steve2470]

4. good questions nt

[blueamy66]

6. It's entertainment.

That is all.

[NightWatcher]

14. wanna come scoop out my cat box?

You know, fer shits and giggles (the cat's shits and your giggles)?

[blueamy66]

16. I hate cats, because of litter boxes and allergies.

I'll just take care of my puppers for now....

[Gothmog]

25. I have forced some conservatives to back down on some issues

[jeff47]

55. It's an opportunity to get better at arguing.

When you only discuss things with people who generally agree with you, you don't get very good at arguing your political point.

So wading into a "mixed" environment can be helpful in that it can be great practice for making your point to people who don't agree with you, and will attempt to dismantle every component of your argument. Meanwhile, you can do the same to their arguments.

It's something that left-leaning members of the media should really do. "Our side" sucks at making a concise argument.

Of course, that requires responses that aren't just name-calling.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. You Sure That's What You Want?

You seem like you're enjoying it. Me, i went for the first week. I'm done.

The whole "seeing the other point of view" is grotesquely overrated.

[11 Bravo]

12. Yeah, pretty sure. It's fun to point out an indisputable factual error ...

complete with proof, in a Repug's post; but when the response is "Oh yeah", followed by a repetition of the lie, it kind of makes one want to beat their head against a wall.

[msanthrope]

3. Here--chew on this....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5333469

[11 Bravo]

15. HOLY SHIT! Did Manny jump the shark while I was gone?

[msanthrope]

18. Well, EW's camp has come out saying this is a flat lie---

Sen. Warren’s camp responded swiftly and unequivocally denied the claims made in the New York Post article. “This story is completely made up,” Lacey J. Rose, Sen. Warren’s press secretary, told Boston.com.

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2014/08/04/kennedys-unsure-whom-support-for-president-hillary-clinton-elizabeth-warren/bzyHQAZLMGoWLjopAHD10L/story.html

And there's still no deletion.

[edgineered]

5. A quote from an Essay on Criticism:

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread

by Alexander Pope (maybe he can talk you down, just saying...)

[Atman]

7. I feel for ya'. It didn't take me long to leave.

It's the worst of DU battling the worst of CC/CU in a battle of the dimwits.

[NuclearDem]

8. I was too, until we got a couple good woo threads going here.

[pinboy3niner]

9. The only advice I can think of, for some reason, is...

..."DON'T EAT THE YELLOW SNOW!!!"

[11 Bravo]

20. Right after "aim low" and "keep your fucking shirt on", that may be the best ...

advice I ever got from an officer! (OK, technically I got both of those from sergeants, but you get my drift).

[hrmjustin]

10. It is overrun by Zimmerman trolls.

[libodem]

30. Ewwwww

The worst kind. I haven't been for a while.

[hrmjustin]

32. They think of him as the patron saint of the second amendment.

[libodem]

37. So disgusting

Ick.

[BainsBane]

41. Also racist, misogynists and these guys

Bill Maher talks about: http://sync.democraticunderground.com/10025336388

[hrmjustin]

42. They just love their guns.

[unblock]

11. until i-p goes back where it belongs, i don't blame you.

[Louisiana1976]

19. I'm tired of I-P. I've also been on Discussionist.

[MineralMan]

13. Thanks for letting us know. I'm afraid, though, that you'll have to

help yourself. Nothing I can do.

[immoderate]

17. It's DU with a plethora of idiots.

Reminds me why I choose DU.

--imm

[JoePhilly]

21. I've dropped most other "target rich" sites for DI.

In addition to DU, I've always also spent time on "neutral ground" toying with right wing crazies. I've always preferred DU's model and interaction style to those other sites. So DI provides a nice replacement for those other sites.

The reason I do it is (a) its fun, and (b) for every person posting on such sites, there are 5 to 10 others who come and read the comments but never post anything. And they are my real target.

I know I'll never change the mind of a dedicated right winger. And its rare you find one positing on these sites who has an open mind. So I don't really try to change minds.

I'm playing to the broader audience. Folks who might be able to change their mind or learn something. I try to juxtapose democratic positions with the insane right wing positions they throw out. Debunk their nonsense. Mock their insanity.

[Gothmog]

26. I am having fun over on Discussionist

The conservatives do not deal well with facts

[JoePhilly]

27. Nope ... never have.

Its an interesting mix of right winger.

A few desperately trying to act normal, but struggling.

A few who post endless "Why do liberals ... " straw-men.

A few who post about race, then pretend to claim race isn't involved.

And some quasi-embarrassed republicans playing at Libertarian.

Together, they provide a pulse on the latest right wing lunacy that's making the rounds.

[Gothmog]

28. True but these idiots do not deal well with facts

I am having fun over there

[JoePhilly]

29. Oh yea ... absolutely.

Its fun watching as they twist themselves into knots.

[Major Hogwash]

22. One of my friends died the other day.

He spent hours posting on forums every day for the last 10 years.
He made a lot of friends during that time, but he hardly ever won an argument.

Most people that are on the internet do not want to hear the facts.
They think they know all of the facts already.
Instead, they just want to spew their opinions about the reality of the situation that we are currently involved with.

You're one of the "good guys", so I would hate for you to waste any of your time bumping heads with the knuckle draggers arguing on that forum.

[WinkyDink]

38. Be careful with criticizing those who post on the Internets. There are mirrors involved.

[BainsBane]

43. I'm sorry for your loss.

Your friend probably reached far more people than either he or you realize.

[Gothmog]

23. I am also spending a great deal of time over there

It is fun confronting the conservatives

[KamaAina]

24. DU - MIRT = Discussionist.

[hrmjustin]

31. Exactly.

[libodem]

35. Just made me think

It may be a really good thing to argue with them for a change rather than each other. Our common enemy is not in power and we have turned on each other over purity.

[steve2470]

56. precisely nt

[Warpy]

33. Clearly you have unresolved anger issues

Just make sure sparring with morons is helping rather than harming.

Keep an eye on that blood pressure, in other words.

[11 Bravo]

44. I actually had a doctor's appointment this morning. 112 over 64

Not bad for a 60+ carnivore.

[Warpy]

46. Then whatever you're doing, you're doing it right.

Have at 'em, Tiger. I've gotten to the point they bore me shitless.

[Skittles]

50. 90/50, last time I donated platelets

the new blood gal commented that I must be a very calm person - hoo boy, did I howl at that one

I eat almost exclusively processed foods, by the way

[Autumn]

34. So is Skinner

Seriously. He posts over there and he has a playful side that I have never seen here. And damn, the man can cook.

[WinkyDink]

36. How's that working for ya?

[underpants]

39. Okay if you have a beer go ahead and drink it

Maybe some music Allman Brothers does very well for this

-paraphrasing Dan Aykroyd as Pres. Carter on SNL talking down a caller on a bad acid trip

[11 Bravo]

45. "Jessica" sounds about right.

[underpants]

48. I just joined Discussionist

Well there goes my data plan.

[doxydad]

40. 3 minutes was all I could take.

It's like a clearinghouse fore douche nozzles.

[Drew Richards]

47. Take 4 scochi yellows a bottle of wine and GET BACK IN THERE :)

[Skittles]

49. you want I should kick your Discussionisting ass, 11 Bravo?

I'D DO THAT FOR YOU MY SWEET

[steve2470]

57. Hey, they love you over at Disc.

KIDDING DON'T KICK MY ASS PLEASEEEEE lol

[Skittles]

59. those pathetic conservative nitwits make me sick

they're not EVEN worth my time

[11 Bravo]

60. I may need an intervention, darlin'. I'll keep you on speed dial!

[madokie]

51. Good, I mean bad

at my attempt to be funny.

I checked it out but didn't like what I was seeing so I deleted the link to it and never looked back. I'm too old and set in my ways to put up with trying to read what a right winger might have to say and their rationality for why they say what they do
You are a lot tougher than me is all I know
Peace

[sibelian]

52. I like it. I don't think idiots over there are worth much attention.

I generally don't engage with them. There are a number of interesting points made... certainly I find more of substance there than I do here, typically.

[lumberjack_jeff]

53. Agree.

The number of topics and views that are off-limits here lower the overall "interesting" quotient.

[Gothmog]

54. I do not go there for substance

I come to DU for information and insight. DU has some great information and amazing posters whose insights I appreciate. I go to Discussionist to discuss issues with people who disagree with me and see how far I can push them with facts

[sibelian]

61. There's certainly a largish contingent of silly people

but I've managed to have an argument with someone and thus... become *pals* which I can't see happening here, and I think I managed to persuade a conservative that gay people being more likely to smoke probbaly isn't a psychological reaction to being gay... (wow don't think I've ever persuaded anyone of anything on DU) AND there's a certain amount of getting underneath subjects and finding the logical (or illogical) structures that support them, that I like. People would like to do that here but there's far too much projection and grandstanding for it to work.

[Gothmog]

63. Yes, there are a large contingent of truly dumb conservatives on Discussionist

Using facts on that website is a great deal of fun.

[sibelian]

64. I avoid them, mostly, to be honest.

They're not going to change their minds. I've had numerous very pleasant interchanges with other libs there, though.

Iverglas is there. I don't know if you know of her, but for some reason I find her far more interesting and approachable in Discussionist than I ever did on DU...

[Gothmog]

66. Arghh

The conservatives are really very very stupid on Discussionist today. A couple of these idiots are beyond stupid.

[KG]

58. if I wanted to debate conservatives, I don't even have to leave DU

[lonestarnot]

62. Never heard of it. Don't forget to use eye bleach.

[Jamaal510]

65. You can post there if you want, but

don't expect to change anyone's minds. Things have become so polarized. Wingnuts are still going to wingnut until they see for themselves how the facts work out. They will still hate the President and believe in outdated libertarian economic ideas until they eventually realize on their own that RWers in Congress are the #1 reason why we can no longer have nice things like spending for new and improved highways.
They're pretty much hopeless.