General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The latest "banning" (NYC_SKP) is an interesting lesson on REPUTATION. [View all]RufusTFirefly
(8,812 posts)I'm troubled by our loss of true public discourse and of a true public space. Many of the fora that people treat as public are decidedly private with financial goals that although they may often be in line with the public interest eventually trump them. When the going gets tough, the almighty dollar carries the day.
In that respect, this forum (and others) are much like today's Democratic Party. Although there may be a groundswell of popular opinion in one direction, it is the people of power and privilege (i.e. the "owners" who make the final decision, even if it is at odds with what the majority of the group believes.
In 2004, the vast majority of Democratic delegates opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, yet "the Party" chose someone who voted for it. We are on a similar trajectory of cognitive dissonance in this upcoming election. Ultimately, we the people concede, because we're resigned to the fact that although we may have strong opinions and are even given an opportunity to voice them within certain constraints, the reality is that we are not in control.
There's a crucial difference between DU and the Democratic Party, of course. DU truly is private and would certainly not deny this. But both DU and the DNC are driven by money, not democracy.