Has DU made you more of an independent thinker? If so, how?

[graywarrior]

If not, why?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. It's made me more of a risk to heightened blood pressure.

Oh, and free the duck. :)

[graywarrior]

4. It's made me wish I had written my essay about LOST instead of DU

Duck stays.

[Call Me Wesley]

8. There's no Alain Richemond in LOST.

:P

[graywarrior]

13. No but there's a Josh Holloway!

[crim son]

2. I don't think so, but

it has helped me to argue my point more effectively (and bravely!) Oh, and free the duck! :P

[Mari333]

3. yes, it made me realize that even democrats follow party line

and dont think for themselves. or do research. and follow their leaders blindly.

[Spoonman]

5. X2

[enlightenment]

11. Beat me to it, Mari . . .

;)

[Call Me Wesley]

6. No, it hasn't.

My thinking was always independent, but that's not what I want to say here. From my foreign view, if you're interested, DU has filled all the caps I had before regarding the US political system, law making process, etc. etc. DU showed me the best (and worst) sides of the US, mostly political, but not always, socially and in regard of religion. I've learned a lot, and if I had a question, it always got answered.

[graywarrior]

16. Yes, I am interested and it's a valuable point of view.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. I've always been an independent thinker.

DU had nothing to do with that. What DU DOES do for me is give me LOTS of good links and, with a well-working BS-meter and a good internal filtering system, I can gain access to opinions of people who are smarter than I am. It's one of the ways I learn. I don't have to agree with them but I do like reading other rational opinions.

[graywarrior]

14. Excellent!

[T Wolf]

9. YEs. Through the information provided by people with more access to that info, the

complicity of what I thought was "my party" in the mis-workings of our government has been laid bare.

While I always suspected that the Dems were not the saviors I was raised to think they were, I have learned the degree to which they aid and abet the pukes in destroying anything that could possible lead us to a more progressive future.

[AllieB]

10. I've always been an independent thinker. What kills me here is the group think mentality.

Pick a topic that creates a shitstorm (men's rights, PETA/Vegetarianism, Christianity, etc etc) and you'll see it in full force. Any contrary position is viewed as an attack. It's only a freakin' message board! A little off topic, I know, but as a general rule, DUers are probably more independent-minded than wingnuts. I see a lot of knee-jerk reactions here though, which is more typical of the right.

[graywarrior]

15. Totally what I needed.

[graywarrior]

12. These are such good examples and really helps me a lot