Political Threads

[Heracles 417]

After other posters violently disagreed with you your tactic was to use gross exaggerations (and flat out inaccuracies) to describe Obama supporters (pretty much saying that all Obama voters were racist blacks, liberals, socialists & radicals... did I miss any stereotypes that you posted)?

BTW, what is the purpose of "violent disagreement", as refered to in your post? Is that an acceptable way to disagree? And why is a similar response to "violent disagreement" worse than the original "violent disagreement", since each employs self-serving stereotypes, smears, personal attacks and vitriol? The same tactics you are attempting to apologize for here.

Bump

[HAL 9000 96]

Background matters when one is calling upon ones expertise to make a statement. For example, if I were to recommend one browser over another - that would mean more coming from someone who works with browsers for a living versus some guy who works at your neighborhood Target. However, if the statement being made is logical or consists of facts backed up by external evidence supplied by other experts, then one need not be an expert in the subject matter himself. JMHO.

Based on your example, lets consider that someone is insisting that x browser is better and claims the other person, who suggests otherwise, is an incoherent illogical idiot. Then yes the person defending themselves should have the right to find out the background and experienc of the person making the accusation. If this person making the claim has a background as a writer of fictional novels, then yes the person being insulted should be able to use this as a point.

What we have here, in OT, is a case of you are right and I am wrong. Where anyone with conservative views is stereotyped as a fool. Yet we are then lectured on how nametags and stereotypes are ignorant and just wrong.

I fell your pain, BY.

I think it falls in the realm of being able to dissociate what is a rational argument and what is an irrational one. I for one, have had disagreements with plenty of conservatives and done so respectfully. Not all conservatives here act out like arrogant, petty brats and not all have to troll the message board for self gratification.

Yet all conservatives willing to speak up have battled with one of you guys at some point or another.

Battle is such a bellicose word. Most people would prefer the word debate.

[Heracles 417]

I don't think it's just me. Others are harrassed too. I'm one of a few who has the tenacity not to back away.

I could turn your post on yourself. You can be as offensive as the worst among us and are as stuck to your view as am I.

Salaam and good night.

PS - Im a female.

bump

[HAL 9000 96]

Such is the irony of selective reading.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

BY - once again, you do not represent "all Conservatives". More than that - not "all Conservatives" are inherently unreasonable people, nor do "all Conservatives" feel the need to go off on silly diatribes and reduce everything to trite stereotypes.

You do however.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Paul Daniels

[Heracles 417]

Battle is such a bellicose word. Most people would prefer the word debate.

May want to look at the posts I just bumped. These are another one of those isolated coincidences you guys play down.

If the offenders just came out and admitted, in the open, they are determined to take anyone with conservative views down I will honestly stop posting in OT.

BY - once again, you do not represent "all Conservatives". More than that - not "all Conservatives" are inherently unreasonable people, nor do "all Conservatives" feel the need to go off on silly diatribes and reduce everything to trite stereotypes.

You do however.

I never said I represent ALL conservatives. First of all, how can I be when I was not even born here.

[HAL 9000 96]

Battle is such a bellicose word. Most people would prefer the word debate.

May want to look at the posts I just bumped. These are another one of those isolated coincidences you guys play down.

If the offenders just came out and admitted, in the open, they are determined to take anyone with conservative views down I will honestly stop posting in OT.

Isolated?

They were very much in a context you are selectively choosing to misrepresent. Something you apparently fail to want to see.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Battle is such a bellicose word. Most people would prefer the word debate.

May want to look at the posts I just bumped. These are another one of those isolated coincidences you guys play down.

If the offenders just came out and admitted, in the open, they are determined to take anyone with conservative views down I will honestly stop posting in OT.

BY - once again, you do not represent "all Conservatives". More than that - not "all Conservatives" are inherently unreasonable people, nor do "all Conservatives" feel the need to go off on silly diatribes and reduce everything to trite stereotypes.

You do however.

I never said I represent ALL conservatives. First of all, how can I be when I was not even born here.

Sure you did. You're saying that people of conservative viewpoints are being systematically slammed and silenced on these forums. More than that you're taking on yourself to decry this - so yes, that's exactly what you're doing.

[Heracles 417]

Sure you did. You're saying that people of conservative viewpoints are being systematically slammed and silenced on these forums. More than that you're taking on yourself to decry this - so yes, that's exactly what you're doing.

Well gezz #6, pretty ironic that most conservatives stay on here for a bit then after being bombarded with attacks and insults tend to keep way. VW for example was bombarded yesterday, as was Gary the other day. Alien was being insulted not to long ago either. The only conservatives who are let off the hook or those who basically shut up. I recall you having a tussle with smoke a few weeks back.

I don't represent conservatives but I do have right wing conservative views.

[HAL 9000 96]

Hence again, context is everything.

[Peikko 1,575]

You seem to have bought into some wacky notion that there is a 'liberal' agenda on these message boards and that anyone with a conservative view is put in the posting stocks and pelted with rotten eggs and once they are sufficiently humiliated they slink off never to be seen again. Is that really what you think is going on?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

"Most conservatives?" Who are all these conservative people who are staying away?

I do know that a number of nice people have left because they don't like the bickering - period.

[chri'stina 190]

Just got a chance to read new posts...

Well, I will add that I do think off topic is more friendly political-wise to non-conservatives. I'm still here though after more than 4 years. lol. Basically because my entire OT experience is not debating in political threads or fighting with people of the opposite views. If that's the main purpose of coming to OT, I do think conservatives are going to take more heat than non-conservatives. And yeah then it might not be fun if that's the only thing you talk about in OT. And sometimes it's not fun. But I post in other threads too. I guess that's why I am on good terms with some, b/c we don't just argue all the time.

When I see people post nonsense from either side of the political spectrum, it's annoying. I do debate sometimes to defend a viewpoint or try to show why I feel the way I do. Yet so many people want to start belittling each other.

Aficionado you know I've already talked about this recently. I said how I manage to stay on good terms with many people I disagree with. I am not afraid to say what I think, but sometimes it's not worth arguing non-stop. I disagree on so many issues with so many people. If you don't think you've ever done anything to encourage the insult war you have going on with some others, then you aren't seeing your own faults. You aren't innocent. I've seen your posts for a long time. Yeah I've seen people be rude to you too, but it usually wasn't out of nowhere. Same for some others too. And yeah there are trollish people who just throw insults out of nowhere, and I don't even take what they say about issues seriously.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Hence again, context is everything.

It is. Its entirely possible to have reasonable discussions with Gary - but he does get carried away with the partisan fanaticism from time to time.

[HAL 9000 96]

Just got a chance to read new posts...

Well, I will add that I do think off topic is more friendly political-wise to non-conservatives. I'm still here though after more than 4 years. lol. Basically because my entire OT experience is not debating in political threads or fighting with people of the opposite views. If that's the main purpose of coming to OT, I do think conservatives are going to take more heat than non-conservatives. And yeah then it might not be fun if that's the only thing you talk about in OT. And sometimes it's not fun. But I post in other threads too. I guess that's why I am on good terms with some, b/c we don't just argue all the time.

When I see people post nonsense from either side of the political spectrum, it's annoying. I do debate sometimes to defend a viewpoint or try to show why I feel the way I do. Yet so many people want to start belittling each other.

Aficionado you know I've already talked about this recently. I said how I manage to stay on good terms with many people I disagree with. I am not afraid to say what I think, but sometimes it's not worth arguing non-stop. I disagree on so many issues with so many people. If you don't think you've ever done anything to encourage the insult war you have going on with some others, then you aren't seeing your own faults. You aren't innocent. I've seen your posts for a long time. Yeah I've seen people be rude to you too, but it usually wasn't out of nowhere. Same for some others too. And yeah there are trollish people who just throw insults out of nowhere, and I don't even take what they say about issues seriously.

Well said sister.

This said, it is OT. And people have differing opinions on many things. On top of that there are differing attitudes that reflect flaws in personality that often overshadow anything (if anything at all) logical that could be brought into the debate.

Hence the old "why is everybody always pickin' on me?" Whine.

As for the numbers of conservatives vs liberals here on VJ, or whatever political leaning you want to use... there may be different points of view on that one. For one it may have something to do with the generalization of liberals having a more worldly, interested in multiple issues, type of thought. That elicit discussion that deviates from mere acceptance of norms established by any status quo.

Or it could be a little bit more realistic with current events- more people are sick of the way things have turned out thus far with US politics. Who knows? Even that can lend itself to various political leanings.