I've been around D.U.

[busterbrown]

Last edited Sat Jul 6, 2019, 07:21 PM - Edit history (1)

...Love this site... I have had about 8,000 posts.. Some good, some bad..

But lately I've noticed that some Duer's are becoming more negatively aggressive with their responses... And thats ok..... If it's about subject matter....But now I notice that I'm receiving more and more negative comments...mostly concerning grammatical mistakes and source usage... Yes I'm a little sloppy.. part of the problem.. But still, it seems as though that some members here get a kick out of showing their stuff off...

By the way, I enjoy a good argument.. No doubt about it... But grammatical Mistakes? Sources? I'm appreciative of helpful comments, but these seem to be put downs.. .

[Dennis Donovan]

1. DU is the smartest political website on the internet, bar none...

But, sometimes, some members can be rude and caustic.

Don't let those members rent a millimeter of space in your head.

[busterbrown]

2. Thanks...

I agree with your first comment...Completely!

[proud patriot]

43. ditto

[zentrum]

48. Daily Kos and

.....Raw Story are extremely relevant as well.

[druidity33]

71. TPM, emptywheel, 538, Informed Comment...

there are a LOT of excellent political websites. But they're not communities of knowledge like DU is. I don't like DU sometimes because of its tendency to slip into mob rule mentality. But i like that it's very general in what you can find here. Other sites tend to focus on specific angles of politics... ie, legals, statitistics, geographic area, etc.

[zentrum]

73. Yes. Good sites.

Truthdig and Truthout are excellent.

[guillaumeb]

3. Recommended.

I am a fairly bad typist, and I do not always catch my errors.

But I prefer to focus on the substance of the argument.

[busterbrown]

40. Me too..especially wanna put my stuff

out there quickly.. I'm into Breaking News Stuff. so I try to get it out here as fast as possible.. Ringing them Bells...

[MaryMagdaline]

78. Me, too. My iPhone posting can get sloppy

[NBachers]

4. Here's where I'm drawing the line, and getting a bit more aggressive:

1. Few-word, no-context, no-link posts that assume everyone has the same special knowledge that the poster has - lazy and annoying!

2. Those who pile on and join in with the shark-attack anti-Biden 'all-the-rage-right-now-let's-take-Joe-down' threads and posts.

[FakeNoose]

54. Yes to both of your points

It's happening a lot more now and I find it very unhelpful.

The OP's comment on people who correct grammar and spelling. I'll agree that I'm seeing this more now. We trying to give friendly, tactful corrections and if you can't do that, then it shouldn't be done at all.

Would you correct somebody's grammar in a face-to-face conversation? Maybe, maybe not, but I'm sure you'd be tactful if you did.

[malaise]

5. Hey brother

Ignore all put downs

[SoCalDem]

23. and use the "trash" feature (my fave)

I've been here since the beginning 2001..and I don't post much these days, but I always check in to see what's happening

[Thekaspervote]

61. Yes.. I rather enjoy that feature!

[busterbrown]

67. Thanks for your support..

I Always enjoy our interactions here..

[malaise]

68. Ditto

[Turin_C3PO]

6. I think people

are on edge because of this administration. Try not to let it bother you too much.

[busterbrown]

41. Yea, The Trump Effect...is so huge!

N/t

[kag]

7. As a self-proclaimed grammar-nazi...

I do not approve of using grammatical or spelling correctness to put people down. On DU I mostly just ignore people's mistakes (and hope they ignore mine), but if I do comment I try to be constructive and kind. I've seen the the kind of comments you're talking about, and I think there are people who just get off on putting others down. I consider it their problem--not yours.

BTW, My hubby got me a t-shirt that says "I'm silently correcting your grammar." I wear it with pride.

[busterbrown]

8. Love the t-shirt bit..

My family was filled with Mds and Educators...and a Jewish Mom who walked around looking miserable all day long...

[SoCalDem]

27. Fellow grammar nazi/spelling nazi

I DO cut slack though because I am a terrible typist, and I often forget to proofread before I hit "post".. I am guilty as well

My "hobby" is finding errors on billboards & signs.. this is a biggie for me since it costs lots of money to make these, and I am always amazed to see all the mistakes. I secretly hope they are intentional.. It would really make me sad if they were all truly accidental

[Poiuyt]

75. You put two periods after several words in your post

Tee hee!

[SoCalDem]

81. I do enjoy ellipses...... full and partial....proper and improper.....

I know they are wrong, but they are just so "expressive" without being LOUD

[3catwoman3]

63. I hope that T-shirt is still available.

I want one.

My own 26 yr old son recently made the egregious error of making a possessive out “I.” He was speaking about something he and his delightful girlfriend had done, and said,, “Shannon and I’s...”. I was so horrified I didn’t hear the rest of the sentence.

I usually try to keep my lip zipped, but couldn’t let that one pass by. I know he knows better.

[kag]

72. Oh, that is my BIGGEST grammar peeve.

Using "I" as an object after a conjunction, and I hear it ALL the time!

"The teacher made John and I stay after class." "Mom took John and I shopping." "Trump makes Nancy and I want to barf."


I hear it from otherwise SMART people! It makes me cringe every time.

I got the t-shirt on Red Bubble. They probably still have them. BTW, my kids say the only think wrong with the t-shirt is the word "silently" because they're the ones I DO correct...loudly.

[3catwoman3]

74. What is so odd is that people don't do that in the singular.

You never hear anyone say, “The teacher made I stay after class.”

Related misuse - “Her and me went to the movies,” or Me and him really messed up.” No one EVER says “Me went to the movies,” or “Him really messed up.”

My jaw also clenches at “Should’ve came/ should’ve went.” Should’ve come/gone.

I must have been an English teacher in a past life. I’m in health care in this life, but am passionate about accurate language use.

[asiliveandbreathe]

9. I have noticed, as well, some new to DU seem to just make put down comments...debate is

healthy..but just to comment, like a hit and run..well, that doesn't advance the conversation..afa grammar..good grief..someone this morning, new to DU, took offense to CAPS in title.."they don't like being yelled at"..that was the extent of comment..they had 68 comments since 7/3...it was explained to them the title WAS CAPS on c&p..


I love this site as well...but I find myself asking why be here if you can't play nice...we all make mistakes..you made your case well...

[Botany]

10. We have some "old school" trolls here too

DU come for the posts but stay for the Smörgåsbord

[llmart]

11. Even on DU, some people just have to feel superior.

I'm too old to start worrying about what other people think about me or my posts.

People should save their put downs for Trumpers. They actually deserve it!

[old guy]

56. +1

[RKP5637]

12. Don't let anyone get you down and remember, anyone can join DU, there is no purity test

so sometimes you don't know for sure if those are real or hecklers.

[G_j]

13. never a reason to be rude

though supplying good sources always helps give weight to our credibility.

[customerserviceguy]

14. We're entering the silly season

as election years are often called. And this one has really got people worried. But I have to say, I've noticed the same thing. I got kicked out of the veggie group for disagreeing that DU was a hostile place for vegans, etc.

[demmiblue]

22. You got kicked out of the group because you violated the SoP.

And for being hostile. There is something very toxic about that. Hmm... I think there's a word for that.

[customerserviceguy]

24. You seem familiar with the situation

Would you care to elaborate where I got "hostile"? I simply said that people don't like the tactics taken by some in pushing their agenda, and they just couldn't handle it over there.

[demmiblue]

26. No.

[customerserviceguy]

32. In case anyone wants to make up their own mind

Here's the thread in question:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1131&pid=4831

[lunasun]

15. Always on my case 2-I have to think something like twitter use would make some heads here explode

https://m.

https://m.

I don’t think helpful is their aim

[certainot]

50. republican trolls who have nothing better to criticize will often pick on grammar

[DFW]

80. I find that Republican trolls often have the worst grammar of all

Of course, they often post in another language altogether, so that's just from the point of view of an English-speaking person:

EXCERPTS FROM THE OFFICIAL DICTIONARY OF REPUBLICANESE

In Republicanese, many words that sound alike may be spelled differently at random. A few prominent examples:

In Republicanese, the following words may be spelled at random using any of the three ways given:

A.) Two, Too, To
B.) Their, They're, There
c.) Your, Yore, You're

The Republicanese version of Robin Hood therefore starts with "In days of you're...."

The only rule is that the correct use of them as in English is never permitted twice in a row.

Words with single letters that change meaning when that letter is doubled must never be used in correct English context. The classic example is “lose” vs. “loose.” In Republicanese, if you do not win an election, then you “loose” that election. Conversely, if your (Republicanese: you’re) belt is too tight, you need it more “lose” in order to be comfortable. Another example would be the Republicanese, “I met Donald Trump, and he was rudder than I imagined,” vs. “I grabbed the ruder and was able to steer the boat to shore.”

In Republicanese, as opposed to English, an apostrophe is used to form a plural. But it must be done at random, never systematically. For example, Bill and Hillary are "the Clinton's," but Bill, Chelsea and Hillary are "the Clintons." The other way around is also correct. In Republicanese, either form is correct as long as it is not spelled the same way twice in a row.

[Karadeniz]

16. Not nice to correct grammar, unless asked.Join the club about having the source demand.

I read so much and don't keep a file. A polite request would work.

[murielm99]

17. I am a grammar Nazi.

I try to restrain myself. Sometimes I have sent a private message if the mistake distorts the intent of the post. I don't do that often.

[safeinOhio]

18. Dyslexia, dysgraphia and ADD here.

Didn't find out until I was in my 40s. Plus Mom was a high school English teacher. I feel your pain, but hang in there.

[Generic Brad]

19. Be aware that misuse of upper case letters is a capital offense

I'll let you off with a warning this one time.

[YOHABLO]

20. As long as you get your point across, I don't care about grammar.

I was trained as an English teacher, but I am no long grading papers. I do like people to back up comments with links: not to scold, but to read 'where the OP got their info. We're all in this together. We can disagree, but let's not go overboard.

[yaesu]

21. We must be perfect, like the borg, you will be assimilated, resistance is futile 😋

seriously though, unless correcting helps the messaging I don't want to hear it and, like I do on twitter, will block if I'm in the mood.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

25. We need more people in the U.S. to join the PTL Club...

"Patience, Tolerance, and Love".......

And throw in a bucket of humility and grace...........

It feels like I'm very old-fashioned these days, and I am.....

[captain queeg]

34. Don't feed the trolls

They are not all trolls but some are and either way I just don’t respond when I get some snide response.

As to trolls, I never really understood the term till a couple years ago, mostly when I was participating at reddit (real common there). With reddit I picture some fat slob living in his mom’s basement, sitting around in his underwear drinking beer all night and just looking to push peoples buttons. I think we probably have a better class of trolls here but the best advice is don’t feed the trolls, ie just ignore them.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

47. Yes, and sometimes we can also be the peacemaker and help end the shooting match.....

rather than feeding the flames as you mentioned. Poking the bear is a dead-end street.

I fear our society is experiencing a decline in civility, commonality, and just behaving like ladies and gentlemen. Social media and texting has promoted this problem, as people have forgotten the value to human peacefulness of face-to-face and voice-over-the-phone communications.

Over time, this will result in far more mental illness and much more violent confrontational events out in public.....

[Niagara]

52. +1

Eloquently stated. Thank you!

[USALiberal]

28. i lik anoyng grammor whinrs

[Niagara]

38. loOlLOL

I sea wat u did theere!

[kentuck]

42. :-) :-)__-%

Et tu....

[japple]

29. Must admit to being a bit of a grammar nazi, but I don't usually bring it to anyone's attention.

I do, however, think that we need to be posting substantiated sources, as opposed to sites that are known to post half-baked ideas and rumors, as well as those twitter feeds from sketchy individuals.

[justgamma]

30. Don't like the grammar nazis.

It's a great way to high jack a thread. Could be an interesting read until you have to read through 30 posts about where to put the apostrophe.

[Me.]

31. I Too Get Weary Of Self Appointed Hall Monitors

[UTUSN]

33. "Some good, some bad" applies to everything & everybody.

"lately ... some Duer's are becoming more negatively aggressive..." - no, there has always been a segment of negative aggression, in pockets, and always will be.

Wingnuts mock us Dems as "bleeding hearts" and also as hypocrites when they catch us *not* being bleeding hearts. And there are plenty of DUers who post "We are better than them." Uh, no on both counts. We are all a mixture of everything.

Have you ever seen a full on flamefest around here - whoa! A whole mob, swarm, frenzy of the most vicious, demeaning, contemptuous posts - no bleeding hearts there! If I could give advice it would be something like, hang in there, or, don't take it personally, or don't let them run you off, or, develop a thick skin. But can't give advice because when it happens I still get a knot in my gut and smarting tears in the eyes.

I've never ever seen anything objectionable in your posts and have Recc'd several. So hang in there ----------- uh, I mean....

[Sloumeau]

35. I have met a lot of people in person that I first met online.

Let me tell you how it is most of the time:

1. In general, people who are mean, grumpy, or insulting online are usually the exact same way in real life.

2. Most of these people are very unhappy.

3. Most of these people are in physical and/or
mental pain.

4. None of this justifies their dickish behavior.

5. You may find it satisfying that they probably have few friends and that people usually avoid them.

6. Finally, when they die, there may actually be people singing and dancing on their graves.

"Thank you very much! Thank you very much!..." ☺

[Pacifist Patriot]

36. I've been here 15 years come October...

Wish I had a dime for every post like this I've seen in that time.

[Niagara]

37. I can't speak for everyone on DU

I would like to think that most of us here would never attack or mock someone due to apostrophe and/or spelling errors, punctuation, wrong use of homophones, etc. This is the least of our worries.

A person doesn't know who is behind a screen name and that person may have a learning disability or maybe their eyesight is failing. Sometimes, it can be forgetfulness from being out of school for so long. Sometimes just being over a certain age is usually when the human brain starts slipping. At this point in my life, I feel like I should change my legal name to Melty Brain.

As far as sources go. I once had a DUer, on my very first interaction with them, who claimed my source was click bait and didn't like the that fact that I didn't know how to post a video from a website. I can link videos from YouTube with no problem, but for some reason I can't do this from a website. I don't have this DUer on ignore but I do avoid them.


I hope this helps.

[ProudLib72]

39. The last time I got after someone was for citing Patribiotics

Was it you? I don't recall who posted it. I just wrote that DUers are particularly wary of Louise Mensch.

[40RatRod]

44. I agree with your comment concerning grammatical mistakes.

If it doesnt prevent one from understanding the intent of the post then let it go. We already know how smart some of those are who delight in correcting others. And yes, I intentionally misspelled doesn't on purpose to see if you just can't resist.

[Firestorm49]

45. I was corrected a month or so ago for the improper use of Democrat vs Democratic

[marble falls]

53. Well thats kinda the big one, trolls and bots use that to stir it up. Don't take that ...

too personal. Keep contributing to the discussion.

Maybe if Mitch McTurtle and his coterie hadn't tried to take the word "Democratic" away from us and relabel us as the Democrat Party.

[LakeArenal]

46. Poor grammar annoys me.

However, I would never correct anyone who is speaking their truth and in the height of passion, make a dumb error.

Maybe they gotta pee and rush. Ya never know.

[LiberalLovinLug]

49. Grammar nazis is one thing, sourcing a quote is another.

The exact proper grammar is not necessary to make an argument. I make errors as well, so who am I to correct someone else. As long as I understand what they were trying to communicate. Some are immigrants where English is a second language, some using phones have the auto-correct screw it up for them. Whatever the reason, comparing a grammatical error to the actual content of the post should not be weighed as equally important.

Sourcing what someone else has "allegedly" said, is paramount. Otherwise we might as well use the Trump way of sourcing; "They say....". In fact I believe that this is an actual rule on here isn't it? I don't know how a site can be a serious political discussion site without requiring sourcing links.

[busterbrown]

60. To be honest.. I always attach my Source..

To be honest.. I'm always in a rush to get the news out quickly to my D.U. Friends..In my excitement I do from time to time make mistakes.....

I gotta work on that...

[marble falls]

51. Always starts around the campaign seasons ...

don't sweat it too much, adjustments get made. Don't let them troll you into reciprocating, we need you to hang in and contribute.

[joanbarnes]

55. not us, Pyutin

[JCMach1]

57. Primaries bring.out everyone's grumpiness

Seen it like this since 2001

[Sunsky]

58. That's sad

I believe DU is opened to people from all walks of life, education background etc. English may not be the first language for some. I always ignore the grammar police. This is all they have to add to an important discussion at times.
I'm all for inclusivity. We should all practice what we preach. Sometimes, I do wonder if I've stumbled upon one of those judgmental and exclusive rightwing websites. Everyone should feel welcomed to join in the discussion.

[Everyman Jackal]

59. I am 76 years old and always try to use correct spelling and grammar.

And because I am 76 years old I use Grammarly. I inwardly cringe sometimes at the grammar but I have never corrected anyone. This isn't an English test.

[busterbrown]

62. My father was an English Teacher..

The rest of my relatives.. Aunts and Uncles were physicians.. So I had a lot of pressure on me... Not overtly, but rather a moderate level of unneeded inquisitive expressions..

[Honeycombe8]

65. I can be an English stickler & try to use correct grammar, BUT...

but the nature of typing fast, and spinning out a quick response or thought will naturally include the occasional typo or grammatical or spelling error. We don't proof. We're not writing formal briefs.

I will on occasion nicely correct someone for an important error (like the wrong date or word in a subject line), but I am very nice about it. They usually welcome the correction, as I do.

I think the OP is speaking of those who don't like a post, so pick at the grammar or punctuation or typos, rather than engage in the substance of the post. It's an attack method.

[Honeycombe8]

64. This happens before a big primary, although it is a bit early this time.

If someone doesn't like your post, they'll nitpick its grammar instead of arguing substance. (Although sometimes people will NICELY correct something that's important. That's fine, IMO.)

Be prepared, though. It gets more argumentative and hostile as the primary nears, until, at long last, we're all on the same page in supporting the nominee.

Be careful out there. Best not to get into one on one arguments with people who can't be persuaded. Some just want an argument, and sometimes people just get carried away (I know I do, sometimes).

Many of the people on DU are very informed, though, so it's a higher level forum than most, and worth being involved in. There's nary a fact I want to know that someone here doesn't already know and able to tell me.

[BigmanPigman]

66. That pissed me off a lot too.

I think it has improved over the last 6 months. I noticed this the other day when my tablet, once again, inserted errors into my typing. My tablet does this sometimes and it happens to my friend's as well but hers is made by a different manufacturer. It really pisses us off since we are both teachers and we know how to spell, use correct grammar and punct. but unless we proofread and rewrite half of what we type we miss some errors. DUers used to point out some of these types of errors and each time I would reply, "It's MY TABLET, back off please!".

[Hotler]

69. I would respond with a thank you something like this.....

Well bless your heart. Have a great day.

[Blue_true]

70. Don't let it bend you out of shape. You know you, no one else does. nt

[trev]

76. I haven't been here very long

but I have never pointed out grammatical or source errors in a post. (And I'm a professional editor!) I read each post for its argument, and if I question a source, I go to that source and check it out. A bad source doesn't necessarily make the poster's point incorrect; it just may require a little more justification. I'm not afraid to ask for (not demand) that justification.

I believe part of the protocols here is not to use sources such as Free Republic. But IMO, the Freepers can really show us where the GOP stands moment by moment--and what their argument is going to be. So while I won't link to the site, I might certainly use it for research.

I've been slapped down a few times for comments I've made, but I do learn from those slapdowns and I don't take them personally.

Just my two cents.

[chia]

77. Quite a big difference between making grammatical mistakes and omitting source info,

so if you don't mind, I'd like to separate the two.

Grammar mistakes (particularly if it's an obvious typo rather than lack of knowledge) seem to be overlooked by most here who understand the intent and often know the poster - although if it's a funny typo or looks like a Freudian slip, it's more likely to be noticed, human nature and all. As another has already commented in this thread, I'd like to think we're better than that, but I know we're human, and we're not above it - but now it's much more meaningful and necessary to be better than a Trumper when it comes to interactions here.

But sourcing? That's so incredibly important, particularly in this age of lightning fast information transmission. We can't afford to be shown to be spreading 'fake news,' the right's just waiting for a big slip on our part. We have to know whether the source is known, is reliable, is accurate. Sure, I can research it myself, but if you have the source provide it, and if you don't, please consider not sharing until you've done your own due diligence. It really is that important.

[jberryhill]

79. Posting a dodgy five year old poll with the proclamation "majority disapproves of Obama"...

..is likely to rile up a few people.