Reply #41: 'slash and burn' is the way of the 'Net my friend

[apnu]

Take a step back from the keyboard and relax a bit. You're a little too close to the fire right now.

Chat warriors (us here at DU, and the Freepers for example) can hide behind our aliased names and keyboards and call whatever we want with out fear of much reprisal.

This emboldens people to 'slash and burn' discussions and flame wars. I see it here all the time. Usually DU is highly irrational about the current political landscape in the world, and this forum gives us a place to rant a bit and get it all out.

But you can't take the vitriol here (for or against Obama or Clinton, and against Bushco) personally. If you do so, you're going to risk your sanity on the insane.

Please don't do that, we need your energy and drive to throw the beltway bums out (DINOs included).

Having said all that, you are right about an elitist streak here at DU. Its an ugly image that's been painted on us liberals and progressives by the spiteful right that we are all too happy to reflect for them. That needs to stop. That, also, is the reason why 2000 and 2004 were such close elections. The public perception of Gore and Kerry was out-of-touch (Gore) or snobbish (Kerry). Besides the coming battle over racism or sexism (depending on the winner), this elitist caricature will be our greatest problem.