What happened to these members?

[Kaleva]

Some of the below were members here for many years and had thousands of posts but haven't posted here at DU in many months or even years.

Tx4obama
Karmadillo
Amerigo Vespucci
woo me with science
DCBob
Kadie
ProSense
cal04
proud2BlibKansan
Octafish
arely staircase
WI_DEM

I was doing a search on threads back in 2012 and saw names of members I remember but haven't seen in awhile so I looked at their profile pages. There's many more names but I didn't list them as their profile said they were either banned or flagged for review.

[A HERETIC I AM]

1. Lots and lots of old time members simply got sick of DU for one reason or another.

[Kaleva]

2. Their last posts don't give one an indication that they were sick of DU

I didn't read all of their last posts but the ones I did were just run of the mill ordinary. Like everything is normal but then poof, they are gone.

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. I know quite a few through Facebook....

and many of them just simply stopped posting. Not everyone leaves a "GBCW" thread. They just don't bother any longer.

Some got flagged for review and never bothered to petition for reinstatement, others were sickened by the stupid arguments, still others had problems or disagreements with particular groups or individuals that make this place not as much fun as it once was.

Shit, I've been a member here 14 years this past August, and there are many times I've asked myself why I bother. I still stay a member primarily because there are so many newshounds, that I will see a story here that I can then go and read at the original site. DU is like a clearing house for news, in a way. Not to mention there are still a few funny folks around that are worth interacting with.

But it has changed in a big way, of that there can be no doubt.

Frankly I find it tedious to be told how to act or what to think or how I should feel about DU in general by people who haven't even been here for 2 election cycles. It amuses and disgusts me to see people with less than a thousand posts or so and a membership newer than my deodorant stick try and tell others how things are or should be on this website. I find it even more tedious to be told the same sorts of things by folks that have been here as long or longer than I have.

There also seems to be a whole shitload less tolerance for even the slightest disagreement and some folks are therefore way too quick with the Alert button. There has always been a faction of the types who feel that "if you're not with me, you're against me" which is complete bullshit, but it is what it is. I once said to one poster, that it is wrong to assume that simply because I am not seated squarely in the middle of this wagon you are riding in, I must be completely off of it. It's absurd.

Anyway....there are plenty who have moved on. Most aren't ever coming back.

[ms liberty]

27. Yes, this. Thanks for saying it so well. n/t

[left-of-center2012]

30. "some folks are therefore way too quick with the Alert button"

I still can't get over being 'alerted on for bigotry' (unsuccessfully)
when I posted that Meghan McCain has been extra bitchy lately.

I changed it to 'witchy',
and then was attacked as 'sexist'.

Who are these folks that read posts with their finger hovering over the 'alert' button?

[Brainstormy]

51. I agree

I've definitely become intimidated. And I often, when asked to serve on a jury, can't even figure out why the post was alerted. And since this will probably be alerted anyway, I'd just like to say that the DU
"oldtimers" can make things less than hospitable for newer members sometimes. Often it seems downright cultish, as though NOT having been here for two election cycles makes us illegitimate. Now we'll see if this is MY last post.

[A HERETIC I AM]

59. That's NOT what I said.

as though NOT having been here for two election cycles makes us illegitimate.

Look, I was new here once, too. I remember how the lounge was back then and even when this site was only 3 years old, there were cliques. It's always been that way. It's a fact that new people to ANY group are looked upon with a bit of suspicion. I think it is human nature.

Having said that, I DID NOT SAY that new people here less than two election cycles were "illegitimate".

What I said was

Frankly I find it tedious to be told how to act or what to think or how I should feel about DU in general by people who haven't even been here for 2 election cycles. It amuses and disgusts me to see people with less than a thousand posts or so and a membership newer than my deodorant stick try and tell others how things are or should be on this website. I find it even more tedious to be told the same sorts of things by folks that have been here as long or longer than I have.

- so I included the old timers as well.

I see it all the time: Someone who signed up last year will tell a member since 2002 that this place "isn't like that" or "That's not what DU stands for" or some other such silliness. Well how would they know? And it happened to me just a few weeks ago in a forum on a long standing, daily thread in which the daily Original Poster, a member for years and years just can not stand any criticism in the least and I got a post hidden because I had the temerity to point that out.

There was a post just the other day where one response in the thread was of a similar style, admonishing the OP for essentially putting up a tongue in cheek thread.

IN THE LOUNGE!

It is good that we get new members and as far as I am concerned, WELCOME TO DU!" post away. Say what you want. Trust me when I say this, but NOTHING you might post will cause me to alert, unless you specifically insult ME in such a way I don't feel I deserve.

Want to call me an asshole? Go right ahead. I'll agree with you. But tell me I'm a troll or that I am a bad person because I don't agree 100% on a specific issue and we will likely clash.

Have patience. Have a sense of humor. Step lightly perhaps, but step anyway. FInd a group or forum you have an intereast in and get to know the others. I've found over the years that the toughest thing with the written word is no one has any clue about body language or facial cues. I could type something out that would make you laugh if we were sitting across a table at a pub or that same thing read on here would make you pissed off.

This is difficult to overcome, but having patience and learning the pace of things, so to speak, will serve you well.

A bit of advice from an old fart.

OK?

[GeorgeHayduke]

36. Yeah, this is pretty much it.

I joined in 2002 as a grad student full of ire and angst. This place was absolutely hoppin' back then. You'd lose your post a mile downthread in less than ten minutes.

I never was flagged or banned, but earned my degrees, started teaching and simply was preoccupied with adult things like developing curricula and grading exams. So I just sorta faded away.

There was always some disagreement and maybe a little spite or even malice, but not everyone plays well with others despite leaning to the left - and that was often a bit offputting.

I think a lot of people, like me, see DU as a bit of therapeutic respite from the bombardment of constant stupid. Once stupid becomes tolerble again, DU isn't such a mental necessity in satiating a sence of political catharsis.

It definately is a different bird than it was during Shock and Awe when this place was on fire, but things change, people change and find answers to their emergent questions in other niches.

[GitRDun]

37. You summed up my thoughts exactly

There’s plenty of room for differing opinions.

I think sometimes there’s a tendency for some to forget that.

[Submariner]

42. Dont get on the same thread as the drug addled health care worker

She has only been around a couple of years and is her own brand of thought police who will snarkily post a waving smiley and send an alert. Very frustrating dealing with thes newbies.

Can’t express one.self like the old days.

I miss the Magistrate. A gentleman’s gentleman.

[A HERETIC I AM]

48. There has been a few over the years

Remember the constantly put upon, oh woe is me, perennially homeless but still able to post all day alleged resident of Denver?

Or the types (and there were several over the years) that would type out long screeds describing how horrible the world was to them, but reading their posts carefully made clear they brought it all on themselves?


If nothing else, they added color to this place, even if that color was a dark, dismal gray.

You’ve been here a little longer than I have but hells bells, after almost a decade and a half, who’s counting? Me, I suppose. Shit....outside of family, this is the longest relationship I’ve ever had! I’ve been a member here longer than I’ve stayed with any single employer, longer than any car I’ve owned...hell, longer than any address I’ve ever lived at!


As I said above, I’m FB friends with quite a few old hands. Some names many would recognize, others perhaps a bit more obscure, but all of them were wonderful contributors

And they knew me well enough to connect with me on another platform where real names are much more common.

And I cherish those friendships, even though I have met only a couple in person.

And for that, I must say to this message board and it’s creators, that I am eternally grateful. It’s not easy to find like minded individuals. To have found the ones I have, has made me a better person.

[betsuni]

50. Oh, you mean NurseJackie? I LOVE her, she's an intelligent supporter of Democrats.

Newbie? "Can't express oneself like in the old days"? "A gentleman's gentleman" This is Democratic Underground where people supporting Democrats express themselves.

[lostnfound]

52. I miss the Magistrate too.

Serving on the moderator team from time to time with him was cool...even though we tended to have some “centrist - progressive differences”, i respected and enjoyed his manners and we balanced.

[Jokerman]

46. You've summed up my DU experiences quite nicely.

I've never been a prolific poster but these days I tend to check out LBN and GD, skipping the comments and most other forums completely.

[auntAgonist]

70. Succinct and to the point. Clear as a bell. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Some of them either lost their passwords or got new computers...

So they opened new accounts with new usernames.

[crazycatlady]

25. I ended up doing that

I used to be tabbycat31

[Upthevibe]

34. Yes indeed, CaliforniaPeggy...I used to be "lindsey" but had a computer meltdown

and I just wasn't able to sync back in with my original name. I've never been one to post a lot but I get valuable information here as well as am able to gain perspective.

[mulsh]

47. yep, I've been here since DU started but lost my computer sometime in late 2003. forgot

my unique for this site password so I started this account. I don't post much but I check in pretty much everyday.

I actually remember my current password. amazing.

[question everything]

4. Also Warpy (nt)

[Kaleva]

19. Member since 2002 with close to 100,000 posts

Last post made on Tue Sep 26, 2017, 02:56 PM.

[hlthe2b]

44. Warpy answered a DU mail I sent a month or so ago. She pops in occasionally to read

but has just "burned out" on DU...

I think this is true of lots of DUers--an occasional break is not a bad thing.

[question everything]

45. Oh, thank you very much!

I may follow you in PM.

I suppose this can be done with many who may still do the same.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. About a year and a half ago there was a

purge here. I know of several who were flagged for review and nothing more was done, but those posters are no longer here.

I recall some of the ones you listed, and it is odd if they simply stopped posting, although the vitriol here in 2016 may have been a huge factor.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. Did you check the In Memoriam page? n/t

[Kaleva]

20. Not yet no.

I might for a project go through threads from 2012 and 2013 and make a list of long time members who just stopped posting. It was interesting to see members who I realized I hadn't seen here for some time and it was also kind of sad. Some are still here with new names, some left, some were banned or flagged for review but others appear to have just vanished for whatever reason.

[Kali]

8. Amerigo is here under a different name

he had some kind of computer glitch and lost his log in or something.

[Miles Archer]

13. That's true (see below)

Jury is still out on whether I have learned anything or grown mentally / spiritually since starting over as Miles Archer.

There is also the possibility that I have only gotten worse.

[PJMcK]

14. I was on that jury

We voted "close call but doesn't quite break the rule."

(wink)

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Tx4obama was a friend of mine here

Back in the day we were hosts on all the same forums. But then she suddenly disappeared - and it was long before the 2016 election. I've always wondered what happened.

[Miles Archer]

10. I am Amerigo Vespucci.

1). Massive hard drive failure of my computer, no backups, all data GONE (2013)

2). Did not remember the email address I used to register with DU, and as such, had no way to contact Skinner and ask for a password reset / access

3). Hated to let go of the Amerigo Vespucci identity, decided to begin again as Miles Archer

4). I have a reasonably distinctive writing style, figured most of the people who read my posts would figure it out in time, but I have also mentioned it several times in posts

5). Still alive and well, and active on DU.

[petronius]

11. I am Amerigo Vespucci!

Uh, I mean, I am Spartacus!

[Miles Archer]

12. We are ALL Amerigo Vespucci!

Seriously, though, I am like a gladiator in many ways.

Maybe not. Just felt GREAT to say it!

[Dr. Strange]

35. I'm not Amerigo Vespucci.

But I am Amerigo Vespucci's liver.

[First Speaker]

17. In an alternate universe, Miles Archer became head of the FBI...

...in the United States of Vespucci. Sam Spade, meanwhile, teamed up with Dashiell Hammett and J Edgar Hoover to form the team of Spade, Hammett and Hoover. Alas for all concerned, Bridgit O'Shaughnessey got the bright idea of trying to vamp Hoover instead of Spade...

[jberryhill]

26. Thats weird

I liked Amerigo Vespucci better.

[Miles Archer]

38. Yeah, that can happen.

Some days, I can like him better too.

[Codeine]

15. Octafish joined up with the filth over at

Jackpine Radicals; they’re more receptive to his conspiracism.

[stopbush]

40. That guy made chemtrail CTists look normal.

Always answered a question with 15 other questions.

[yuiyoshida]

66. He was nuts about Nuclear Reactor in Japan

That was destroyed by the Tsunami and claimed that we would be contaminated soon from the Radiation leaked into the Ocean.

[Codeine]

67. Ohhhhh, was he the melting starfish guy?

What a loon.

[yuiyoshida]

68. yup!

bingo!

[FSogol]

16. 2 of those were outright trolls. Good riddance. N/t

[Phentex]

18. I only recognized one but

not surprised there could have been others. I have also wondered if on occasion Skinner just deleted someone without a big fanfare announcement.

[left-of-center2012]

32. "outright trolls"?

And that is what?
Someone who posts to cause trouble, or what?

I've seen trolls way back to my newsgroup days.
Just curious as to how it applies here in DU.

And if someone frequently alerts on people,
does it get noticed and acted on?

Thanks

[jalan48]

21. I haven't seen Bane's Bane on here for awhile either.

She brought some stimulating ideas to DU.

[LeftInTX]

23. Yeah...I wonder where she is?

[pintobean]

43. Read her last post

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9853772

I think she was disgusted with DU, and just walked away.

[jalan48]

64. I hope she comes back to DU

[Kaleva]

22. Tuesday Afternoon was a prolific poster

But she really eased off after April of 2015 and her most recent post was in July of 2017

[CaliforniaPeggy]

39. She has a new name. n/t

[ancianita]

53. I remember nadinebrzezinski (sp?), the journalist. I wish she were around. She was solid.

[Kaleva]

24. Warren DeMontague

Member since 2004. Last posted Mon Sep 25, 2017, 04:49 PM.

"Yeah, thats a pretty good point"

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=9634656

[democratisphere]

28. Politics in America is like a gut wrenching rollercoaster ride. Sometimes

you just have to bail to save your sanity and mental health.

[Kaleva]

29. I've seen several members whose last post was early November, 2016.

[democratisphere]

31. I'm still pulling my hair out everyday over THAT one!

drumpfworld is enough to make anyone throw in the towel!

[democratisphere]

33. Also remember DU was hacked and down for extended period at the very same time.

How much can any person take; HRC lost and DU down.

[Curmudgeoness]

49. Which is strange

since when we had Bush to deal with, we were so unified. But I will say that the Hillary-Or-Go-To-Hell crowd chased me away. Instead of united against Trump, this place is still fighting the primaries...every day.

[auntAgonist]

71. " Hillary-Or-Go-To-Hell crowd"YUP, I was ostercized because I wouldn't join their clique.

Lost what I thought were a few good friends. Been here since Fri Sep 17, 2004, 10:57 AM (how's that for precise?)
I have gotten to know many folks on FB. That's where you'll find me most days.

aA
kesha

[steve2470]

41. Prosense finally got sick of the knee-jerk anti-Obama crowd

Last edited Thu Mar 1, 2018, 04:52 PM - Edit history (1)

I can't blame her, frankly. I've certainly had my days when a gratuitously nasty/abrasive poster will make me wonder why TF I'm here.

I am really glad that the anti-Obama and anti-Democratic Party crowd has almost entirely decamped to jackpine.

ETA: Prosense was only a troll if 1) you were knee-jerk anti-Obama, 2) knee-jerk anti-Democratic Party and/or 3) knee-jerk anti-American. Have we had an OPENLY anti-American contingent here? No but we've had posters who came pretty damn close (see the Ukraine threads, for an example). Prosense never bothered me but she damn sure annoyed the three preceding groups.

[DFW]

54. That makes two of us.

I wish every member of the I-Hate-Obama crowd had been given the opportunity to spend some time with him. If any of them had the same attitude after that, they belong, IMHO, to the category of person who should never be issued a permit to carry a firearm.

[steve2470]

55. I wholeheartedly agree

Some of the I-Hate-Obama crowd were Communists/Marxists, some were probably RW trolls and the rest hopelessly naive to the harsh realities of our system. Obama can't turn us into a Denmark/Germany/Netherlands clone, oh he's so bad *sarcasm*. If any of those people have a lick of sense, they are regretting saying anything unkind about President Obama.

[DFW]

56. "If any of those people have a lick of sense"

I admire your boundless optimism!

[DFW]

57. Oh, and by the way.....

Hvordan går det i Danmark?

The icy cold should start to lessen overnight. I talked to my guy down in Geneva, and he said they got 25cm of snow last night, but tonight, it is supposed to warm up to the tune of 20°C (36°F) warmer than today. Look out for flooding if that happens!

[steve2470]

58. Det gr godt i Kbenhavn, p trods af mine frosne skinker!

Last edited Thu Mar 1, 2018, 02:50 PM - Edit history (1)

It hasn't snowed at all here, just cold even for the Danes. It's really remarkable seeing the mothers pushing their babies around in these highly insulated and wind protected baby carriages.

Tivoli Gardens is closed for now until March 24th, and I got to see The Little Mermaid sit very placidly by the icy shore of the harbor. All I could think of was, "Honey you must be freezing your arse off, sitting there mostly or completely naked!"

Had lunch next to the famous Nyhavn harbor with all the differently colored houses.

[DFW]

60. Even in March, Tivoli would be chilly at best

Nyhavn is a little touristy, but lots of fun to people watch, especially when it isn't so cold that the pedestrians seek shelter before becoming icicles. My Danish friends live at the other end of Denmark in Aarhus, so I can't help you out there, but make sure to contact my friend in Berlin when you get back! He'll have some hairy stories from Bali, Iraq, and Central Asia.

[steve2470]

61. Ah yes I need to call him

I got very distracted with all my travel planning! Thank you again and all the best to MrsDFW!

I might be going to Hamburg to visit a friend on March 14th.

[RobinA]

62. I Thought

Prosense was a straight up troll, and I never think anyone is a troll. I’ve had her blocked since Snowden.

[steve2470]

63. OK you are one of those folks

Toodles

[LongTomH]

65. Bananas?

She was a frequent poster in the Latest Breaking News and Science forums.

[True Dough]

69. Great thread, Kaleva!

I haven't been around the DU all that long but I interacted with Warren DeMontague a few times and thought he was a swell guy. I hope everything is okay with him.

There have been some plausible explanations provided for the DUers who have disappeared mysteriously, particularly the ones who didn't appear to be disgruntled before their final post. I think California Peggy nailed it with the computer meltdowns and loss of password, leading to new accounts. That surely accounts for a significant percentage. For others, as mentioned, it's just fatigue.

Of course it's most noticeable when the DU's highly prolific posters are absent for a while. Cha, for example, was not heard from for months and upon returning there were numerous comments to the effect "Oh Cha, you're back! So good to see you again!" She said she needed a break. It happens.

It's an intriguing sociological phenomenon, these discussion forums. You rarely get to know anyone really well. A few friendships may be formed through meet-ups in person, but mostly it's getting a sense of another individual through multiple posts. Sometimes, I've found, I see certain forum members who make excellent points on a wide variety of topics and I think, "Hey, this person is right up my alley." And then another issue springs up that I feel strongly about and I see that same person chime in and, lo and behold, they see things differently. You're sort of taken aback because you'd be so like-minded and you think, "Wow! How could you see it that way when it comes to this?"

But that's life, isn't it? We're not all clones (thank goodness) and we should strive to accept minor differences -- not ones like "Really? You admire Donald Trump?"