2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: The Democratic Primary Ruined My Friendship! [View all]DemonGoddess
(4,640 posts)always good reads, to inform the reader just what not to do IRL. Having said that, I've just finished reading all the comments.
There are some things that become glaringly apparent in those comments.
For some, in order to be a true "progressive", you can't support the candidate of your choice. You can't possibly be like I suspect many of us are, left of center, and be a Democrat. We're labeled as REPUBLICANS. God forbid someone openly admits to being centrist, that person will undoubtedly be deemed a right winger. Democrats come in all stripes, from ultra left, to the centrists, but we're all DEMOCRATS.
I've also seen where people who openly say that they are liberal, are somehow just not "progressive" enough. What the hell is that about? Those of us who are older I'm sure remember that the word used to be LIBERAL, and that progressive became the common usage after "liberal" became a dirty word to many, particularly those on the RIGHT.
Then, there are the blatant TOS violations, which is why I avoid GDP. I know that if I alert on it, nothing will happen. How do I know? I alerted on libertarian PAULITE sources, and the post was allowed to stay. Part of what the jury system was supposed to accomplish, was us self policing to ensure that the TOS was followed. It didn't work that way, which is why it is now being overhauled (I'm making a guess on that). I serve on juries all the time. There have been some for instances where I've cancelled my participation in the jury I was called to serve on, because I couldn't see myself being impartial for that particular jury. In instances such as that, I excuse myself from the jury. I've seen picture posts, where it was nothing at all snarky, or nasty, or anything LIKE that, hidden, because of who the poster supported. By the same token, I've seen calls for third party formation, calls to join a party that is not the Democratic party, ignored and allowed to stand, because of who the poster supported. Those third party things, by the way, are direct TOS violations. So we all know the jury system flatly doesn't work, at least not in the way I believe it was intended to.
I expect because I haven't been that participatory for a long time, that someone or another will come out with something negative because I have become much more active than I've ever been, this election cycle. Did it not ever occur to the people who make those attacks, that perhaps some of us had nothing to add to the conversation and so didn't say anything? Probably not.
Something else I've been seeing is this call for "Progressive Underground". You know what? This board is for electing DEMOCRATS. That many Democrats are very progressive SHOULD be something that is understood. That many Democrats are not ultra left, should also be understood. That doesn't mean that they're not progressive. That's just silly.
Finally, I've seen more RW smear jobs perpetuated on this board, than I ever have in all the years I've been here. It really needs to stop.