What my very liberal democratic friend said about DU...

[Melodybe]

My friend Alicia is awesome, she is funny as hell and smart as a whip, but she hates DU.

Let me tell you why, she said that everyone here freaks out to much. She has witnessed her parents who are life long republicans change their minds about Bush and she has seen one to many Kerry/Edwards bumperstickers in Savannah, Georgia. She thinks that Kerry is going to win by a much larger margin than people think he will, I think she is correct if they don't have enough BBV voting to steal it.

I just got off phone with her and after listening to my DU rant, she said, "they freak out too much, I don't see how you go there, I would be a nervous wreck too if I spent all my time analyzing the media."

Those are her words, thought I would share.

So I repeat, Turn that shit off!

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Keep telling yuo

we have a bunch of operatives for the other side

It has its value, but you need to recognize the operatives

[Warpy]

19. You can usually tell which threads are worth reading

from the title line. Threads about polls, Kerry's mistakes, ohmygawd what are we gonna do? are simply not worth the time.

The trick is to filter out the whiners, groaners, trolls, and other assorted annoyances and read threads that pertain to news, tracing GOP dirty tricksters, and debunking right wing rubbish.

DU can be one of the best boards out there, once the crap is filtered out.

[Cha]

2. People get what they want from DU...

And hopefully give back. I'm the type of person who needs DU(politicially speaking) and it has been my personal salvation..lo these two years!

Sorry, your friend only saw the part about the media analysis..but the media is our Enemy # ONE!...We will be the victor someday if we keep at it!

Down with bush And the media!!

[MuseRider]

3. I am with you.

I need this place. I leave when it gets to be too much then I come right back. It is all about what you want and need and I personally enjoy all the very smart commentary here. It is a place to learn and bounce ideas and research. It is certainly not for everyone.

[wryter2000]

7. I love DU

I was starting to think I was the only sane left in the United States. I'm able to separate the wheat from the chaff, but the truth is there's very little wheat out there in the "real" world.

[AmerDem]

4. One doesn't have to "freak out" to participate at DU!

DU is an up to the minute resource of breaking news. It brings many Democrats with a diverse cross section of knowledge that is beneficial to all. What you should be asking your friend is, why would she miss out on such a resource when she can simply use and ignore button?

[Fleshdancer]

5. I agree with Alicia

If you want to scare a freeper, put out a new terror alert. If you want to scare a DUer, put out a new election poll. :)

[merh]

30. ROFLMAO

you are so right!

[Serenades]

6. I think . . .

. . . with any Internet message board you get that. People freak out over everything, overanalyze things, say stupid things, pass nonsense off as fact, etc.

A lot of things said on the web have to be taken with a grain of salt and some should be taken seriously as long as they are grounded in facts.

I look at football message boards, music message boards, and church boards and they are all the same. People freak out, the end is coming, nothing will ever be the same, fatalism, inferiority complexes, etc.

[onecitizen]

15. You're right...........

we all freak out over something once in a while. It's nice to let loose once in a while and be amoung friends. Now if it gets to be an everyday thing, then, that poster needs to get a grip. The media freaks me out too. That's why I quit listening for the most part but break over once in a while and ALWAYS regret it. But thank the stars that there are people out there willing to take the media on. A lot of those folks are DUers. Thanx guys for what you do.

[sugarcookie]

8. I'm here 24/7

I don't post much, but this is where I get the "Breaking News" that interests me most.

[wtmusic]

9. I bet whip-smart Alicia could learn a thing or two

if she hung out here awhile, and put the freaks on ignore.

[onecitizen]

17. Oh sweet jesus.........

that picture is soooooooo..........something. Startling!

[leesa]

10. My guess is that she does not realize the enormity of the situation

This is not about Kerry vs Bush. This is about treason by our government in order to control the world and its resources and it transcends the trivial Dem vs Republican stuff.

She needs to turn that shit on.

[NightTrain]

11. At present, I don't even own a TV set.

And except for "The Daily Show," I don't miss it in the least!

[wildeyed]

12. I see her point.

Sometimes I need to take mini-breaks from DU. I start to get to overwrought about typewriter fonts and kerning or the latest poll numbers. But the much of the media stuff posted here is actually very helpful for me. I rarely watch TV so people here keep me updated on this and that going on in the media. They watch so I don't have to. I am now pretty good about writing to the news source when I see something reported that is biased or untrue. I NEVER did that pre-DU.

[grace0418]

13. I gotta say that I was freaking out anyway

I'd rather come here and freak out with people that think like me. It's comforting to know someone is out there anyway, like a support group.

[Zensea]

14. She's got a point

... that is the nature of political discussion and viewing things through a purely political lens. Especially a political argumentative lens.

One of the reasons I don't watch TV much myself. The whole beast (not just the politics) is about brainwashing.
None of it's free, it's All paid for with advertising, etc.


Politicos don't have all the answers to life, that's what it sounds like your friend is saying. I know if I let the way a lot of people view the world here at DU affect me much I'd be in real trouble too. I may agree with their political value system, but it seems a lot of folk here are (how do I put this?) a little too into micromanaging and into thinking that there is no world other than politics. I think that's what your friend is getting at or something like that.
I'd listen to her if I were you....

[Vickers]

16. You have to filter everything...even DU

That said, sometimes I agree with her. I found DU at a time in my life when I thought I was going insane (March 2003, although I didn't get the nerve to post until almost a year later).

I was amazed...folks like me!

But lately, some of the bad news is almost enough to make me wish I was just some stupid WalMarter who had never even HEARD of the internet.

Eh, listen at me prattle on...

[the Kelly Gang]

18. Alicia is a wise woman !

[Gregorian]

20. Ignorance is bliss. But someone has to pay attention.

I agree with her. I didn't used to pay attention. But there are real consequences to this administrations actions. It's hard not to pay attention when you see people being maimed and killed.

I agree that we could taper our concerns a bit. Between the lying media, and a corrupt administration, it makes for a very nervewracking ride.

[qanda]

21. The experience here is okay...

When you put the people who fret on ignore. My ignore list is getting longer and longer, but my blood pressure is getting lower and lower.

[HFishbine]

22. It's not for everybody

I'm enthused by the energy and seriousness with which people approach issues here. But it is free-wheeling and can get chaotic. I like that. I think it gives birth to some great ideas and serves as a breeding ground for activism. That's not for everybody. Some people have a different style. So be it.

[Karenina]

23. DU is a place for news junkies

And those clever enough to wade through the hysteria to get accurate info. We're kinda "special." Not for everyone. ;-)

[Booster]

24. Funny you should have this thread on today.

I talked to my 86 yr old VERY Republican mother last night, and, of course, we got into an argument re: Bush and I was telling her some facts and she said "You need to get off that internet. Everybody I know who is on the internet is angry and unhappy". Duh! I told her she would be too if she were on and knew the truth. She said she wasn't going to be here long so she doesn't care - she has lots and lots of Halliburton stock - so I told her that was a very selfish attitude since the rest of us will be here. Of course, I got nowhere.

[Mother Jones]

25. She's never too old!

I hope you reminded her that she's never too old to leave the world a better place for our future generations!

I had a similar experience where, it took an environmental nightmare to change my own mothers' conservative perspective. Sometimes it has to hit people in their own backyards before they see just how deplorable policies can be.

:hippie:

[hippiegranny]

26. she may be right, but only up to a point

there is a hell of alot of hennypennying here, but it is also an incredible resource. your friend should not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[amjsjc]

27. Well I'll say this...

It ain't time to panic. Bush is coming off of his inevitable post-convention bounce, and when the dust settles I expect the race will be roughly tied. We're going to have to work like hell over the next month and a half to move things in the right direction.
Which means that everyone needs to get up and go phonebanking/canvassing etc (including me...)

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

28. The information available alone

makes it worthwhile...And most helpful when debunking repukes...

[sendero]

29. I agree...

.... there is a lot of overreaction here. I might even be guilty occasionally, though I rarely start threads.

In particular, I think 90% of the polls that get attention here and in the media are pure junk, with funky too-small samples to have any real informational value.

[Digit]

31. Avoid negative threads

I suspect some threads are from people who just want to give a negative message. I just avoid those threads. For all I know, they could be from freepers masquerading as Democrats.
Still, I learn alot from this board and get a head's up for what is going to be on TV.
Plus, there are so many creative, passionate people here.
How could anyone stay away????

[timefordrinking.com]

32. Well, I'd rather "freak-out" now...

...than freak-out AFTER Bush steals another election! I think we should all be scared shitless about that prospect. "Freaking out" is good motivation (for ME anyway) to go out and register voters, remind friends to vote, and volunteer (something I've never done prior to this election).

If Kerry wins by a landslide (or any other kind of slide) I will be the first in line to buy you and Alicia a drink and say "Hey, you were right. Boy do I feel dumb!" Until then, I'm going to wave my freak-flag high!

[G_j]

33. for one thing, as a rule politics suck

political races have always had their ugly share of spin, distortion and smears. Anybody with any sense of values has to cringe at how truth loses when it comes to politics. This time around however the very future of the planet and all it's inhabitants hangs in balance.

We have identified that the corporate media does not care to educate people and show them what is really going on.

I come to DU mainly to gather and share information.
Many of us educate ourselves here and other places on the internet.
If one uses this in a constructive way they are able to write informed LTTEs, to speak with people and know what they are talking about, to educate their friends and neighbors.
DU is also good for venting but primarily it is a powerful tool to become informed and inform others.
Pick and choose and one can find a wealth of knowledge and information here.
It is up to each person what they do with it.

[LibDemAlways]

34. I discovered DU early on,

shortly after the chimp's coronation, and I admit, I'm addicted. It's the one place I can go where I am truly in my comfort zone among people who see through the rw bs. DUers are smart, articulate, and know a hell of a lot about what's going on in this country. If everyone in the US who is politically illiterate would only shut off Survivor and log on to DU for an hour a day, we'd have a much better informed populice and the chimp's re-selection wouldn't even be an issue - he'd have been forced to resign long ago.

[w4rma]

35. She's probably right. But someone has to do it. (nt)