Ever get the feeling that you live in a different world than most DUers?

[prolesunited]

I read some posts and it just makes me shake my head, especially the energy wasted over the silliest of topics time and time again.

The ratio of clutter to rational discussion is way out of whack. Or, is it just me.

[pitohui]

1. keep in mind that some post for comic relief or some kind of relief anyway

there is nothing useful i can say or do about iraq, sometimes posting on a topic that isn't so deep is the only way to unwind

[blondeatlast]

3. Exactly. nt

[AZBlue]

2. Oh, you just made my day with this post!!

:yourock:

In case you were wondering, I couldn't agree more!

[prolesunited]

10. Thank you

You made my day with your appreciation. :-)

[Liberal In Texas]

4. The "HIDE THREAD" option will keep the clutter down to a minimum.

Try it. You'll like it.

[terrya]

6. The only problem with that is...

some days, the whole GD forum would be hidden.

prolesunited has a point. Sometimes, I feel like I'm a stranger in a strange land around here.

[HereSince1628]

5. But when you do get to read a good post it makes you really appreciate it.

[prolesunited]

9. And when I do

I always make sure to recommend it.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

7. Maybe you could give an example? nt

[NNN0LHI]

8. We are bing spammed

Keep an eye on who does it. The same posters all the time.

Don

[harun]

22. Some haven't quite caught on to good posting etiquite I think.

Seems some of them get better or move on.

[Beausoir]

27. I caught one today. It's pretty easy to do. Just a quick search of user name and I found out the

guy...with his whopping 39 posts...really likes Rush Limbaugh, doesn't believe in Pro-Choice, prefaces every sentence with "I despise George Bush BUT..." and is a complete Frederick Of Hollywood backer.

You just gotta wonder about people who spend hours and hours spamming and trolling. WTF is up with that?

[Lex]

11. It has always been thus.

nt

[TwilightZone]

12. Agreed.

My favorite is when someone complains about too many threads about a subject by creating another one.

Example: new thread with title, "Why are there so many Larry Craig threads??"

[Pithlet]

13. People will talk about what they want to talk about.

Some topics may seem silly to me, but I just move on to the ones I'm interested in, and some of those will be topics others will deem silly. It's always been that way with message boards. I'd get pretty bored if it were only serious, weighty issues being discussed, personally. Sometimes nice to jump in the fray and argue about issues that ultimately don't mean much.

[BlooInBloo]

14. Nope. Never crossed my mind, Not even once. Nosiree.

;)

[H2O Man]

15. Sometimes

.... No one, I think, is in my tree
I mean, it must be high or low
That is, you cant, you know, tune in, but its alright
That is, I think its not too bad

Let me take you down, cause Im going to
Strawberry fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry fields forever

Always, no, sometimes, think its me
But, you know, I know when its a dream
I think, er, no, I mean, er, yes, but its all wrong
That is, I think I disagree ....

-- John Lennon, Strawberry Fields Forever

[Demit]

16. Oh , of course you are superior, there in your world, shaking your head. LOL!

I live in the same world as most DUers. The one where people all have varying degrees of interest in different things. But you, in your rarified world, I guess wouldn't know about that.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. We All Can't Be High Brows Like Me

SARCASM

[DemReadingDU]

17. Rarely

First I go search the threads posted by 3 or 4 of my favorite people. I read those threads. Then I go to the greatest page to see what the favorite threads are at that moment. That's about all the time I have.


Edit to add: Since I don't read all those threads, I guess I don't know what I am missing :)

[lonestarnot]

18. Well what in the world? What world are you in? Ya might wanna come out and play with the different

folks.

[kineneb]

19. well, actually I do

I live in a small village in rural California. That is about as different as one can get.

[Catherine Vincent]

21. Are you talking about those threads in the lounge?

[B Calm]

23. It amazes me how many think that NAFTA was a democrat idea..

Failing to recognize that it was introduced by republicans, and passed by an overall majority of republicans.

[alcibiades_mystery]

24. I get very leery of people deciding what are "important issues"

Many of the issues that are seemingly "trivial" actually connect us to fairly big issues in our society. The Larry Craig issue may not be "The War," but it does give us an entry to discuss important themes like sexuality, power, and public space. The Michael Vick business may not be the Supreme Court, but it let's us discuss punishment, our relations to animals and nature, and celebrity culture, all of which are very important. The Circuit City business may not be Social Security legislation, but it provides a concrete case to talk about abstract issues of capitalism, personal freedom, power, etc. These are all Big Issues. The reason why so many of the seemingly "trivial" issues gain such traction is precisely because they tie into crucial themes and issues in our lives that would otherwise be lost in abstraction. There's nothing unreasonable about that.

So, do I think anonymous bathroom sex is as important as The War, as an issue? Yes. I do. When it is unpacked it leads to all sorts of questions that we should be asking, and discussion that we should be having. These issues are politics (little P) as opposed to Dem v. GOPer Politics (capital P). And I often think that little p politics may even be MORE important.

[The Vinyl Ripper]

30. I agree with you alcibiades_mystery

Many important issues seem trivial when they are first opened but then end up becoming deeper and deeper as they are explored..

[rockymountaindem]

25. Yes

All the time, on lots of issues. For instance, the number of people who seize on every word that drops from some neocon's mouth as evidence of impending WWIII really puts me off.

[high density]

26. I just thank God for the "hide thread" function

Because it works great for ignoring the mass hysteria that sometimes breaks out here (see "Circuit City" craziness.)

[ToeBot]

28. I live in Utah, I think I live in a different world than the entire human race. nt

[The2ndWheel]

29. That's the problem with efficiency

Nothing is 100% efficient. There will be wasted energy, just by using energy. Then it will take more energy(for example, your post, and mine, and everyone elses here in the thread) to try and keep everything in whack. That, in turn, actually wastes more energy. You can try to put all the clutter back, but the clutter is a waste of energy, the attempt to put the clutter back together again is a waste of energy, so you can't win. More people, more clutter. The more complex a system, the more energy wasted. Obviously depending on what your definition of wasted is. Although trying to find out what everyone's definition of wasted is would be wasting energy to some degree.

Or something like that.