Does any real discussion happen on USMB? Or just insults, namecalling, and lies?

[Little-Acorn]

It seems that virtually every thread in this forum deteriorates into "You're an idiot!", "Well, you're even more of an idiot!", "Let me explain just how big an idiot you are!", "Democrats are deliberately trying to destroy the country!", "Republicans hate immigrants, poor people, anyone who isn't white, and women!".

If that's what you want to do with your forum, I'm in no position to object. No one forced me to come here, and no one's forcing me to stay.

**Is** that what you want to do with this forum?

 

[Nutz]

I asked that same question when I first came aboard. Regretfully, when rabid racists and Teapers are allowed to be the main attraction of the forum...this is what you get.

 

[Harry Dresden]

It seems that virtually every thread in this forum deteriorates into "You're an idiot!", "Well, you're even more of an idiot!", "Let me explain just how big an idiot you are!", "Democrats are deliberately trying to destroy the country!", "Republicans hate immigrants, poor people, anyone who isn't white, and women!".

If that's what you want to do with your forum, I'm in no position to object. No one forced me to come here, and no one's forcing me to stay.

**Is** that what you want to do with this forum?

fuck you.....

 

[Little-Acorn]

One vote for "Yes" so far.

 

[Little-Acorn]

Two....

 

[deltex1]

Web try to mimic our elected representatives...when they change maybe we will.

 

[hjmick]

It doesn't matter, LA. No matter how hard one tries to be civil, rational, honest, and/or pragmatic in any discussion around here, there is always an asshole, liberal or conservative, willing and ready to drag things down. Throw in the ever growing population of racists, bigots, and folks shoving one agenda and one agenda only in everyone's face and the place just gets stupid.


For the most part, I stopped taking this place seriously a couple of years ago or so. Sure every once in a great while a topic or comment comes along I will respond to seriously, but those are increasingly few and far between.


Further more, the cold hard fact of the matter is, there are very few open minds on this board. Most members are entrenched in their views an unwilling to change them. Why? Perhaps they fear admitting they were wrong, perhaps they just truly believe they are right, perhaps they are just plain stupid...


Would I like to see it change? Sure. Do I expect it will? No. Will I continue to frequent USMB? Yes, I will...

 

[LordBrownTrout]

This place is top heavy with snarky, gloating, condescending, hypocritical, asshole, reprobate idiots....myself included.

 

[LambertLunatic]

This is why President Washington warned against political parties. Not that he foresaw internet forums, of course, but he did foresee the partisan crap that we have now. We go to DNCtalkingpoints.com (or RNCtalkingpoints.com) to find out what to think. Our congress critters go to their party leadership for their marching orders on all topics.

We all want what's best for our country. We often even agree on what's best for the country, but differ on how to attain it. If someone makes a point that we can't dispute, we call him stupid, racist, woman hating, or socialist. Too many of us seem to be more devoted to our party than to our nation. This isn't just in this (and other) forums, but in DC also.

 

[hazlnut]

The tea party is like the Taliban - extremists.

 

[Nutz]

The tea party is like the Taliban - extremists.

Yep, they terrorize America and they terrorize USMB.

 

[saveliberty]

Look at it this way, if we keep them all in here, they can't cause trouble outside.

 

[blackhawk]

I asked that same question when I first came aboard. Regretfully, when rabid racists and Teapers are allowed to be the main attraction of the forum...this is what you get.

The irony meter just maxed out with that response.

 

[blackhawk]

It seems that virtually every thread in this forum deteriorates into "You're an idiot!", "Well, you're even more of an idiot!", "Let me explain just how big an idiot you are!", "Democrats are deliberately trying to destroy the country!", "Republicans hate immigrants, poor people, anyone who isn't white, and women!".

If that's what you want to do with your forum, I'm in no position to object. No one forced me to come here, and no one's forcing me to stay.

**Is** that what you want to do with this forum?

Post number two and ten should answer your question.

 

[bripat9643]

I asked that same question when I first came aboard. Regretfully, when rabid racists and Teapers are allowed to be the main attraction of the forum...this is what you get.

ROFL! Says the guy who just engaged in moronic name calling. You're one of the worst offenders.

 

[Care4all]

I agree with you little Acorn, it is very hard to decipher through the continual childish insults in threads to find the real debating issues....but what I try to do, is ignore the insults when being thrown at me, and respond back to the poster on the part of their post that I feel is worth debating. And if it continues in to the next post with the name calling, I continue to debate, without insulting the other person in retribution....

by the third go around, without me responding to them in like kind, the person I am arguing the argument with, has usually stopped the insults....I think they really want to debate the issues as well, but they get caught up in the hyperness of this board and insult throwing.

of course we all fall short of the glory of God, and I have not always been able to follow my own advice.....but I try, and it honestly does help in curbing insulting responses, eventually.

As far as the typical general insults thrown out by those on the right about Liberals, which essentially is an insult or generalization about me...I again try to ignore them and debate the issues worth arguing in the thread.

Maybe you should ignore the insults and generalizations the left has to say, like I do with the right wingers and see if you could get them involved in an actual debate on the thread topic.....it's worth a try...

This phenomenon of name calling and insults and generalizations is the bad side of free speech, but free speech none the less....I don't think the board moderators can really do anything about it...I personally, feel that I am seeing way too many members of this board in pink already, and when there are people in pink, it also means that there are already too many rules and restrictions imho. for a board that used to take pride in allowing posters to just be themselves, or "internet selves".

I am not certain if this is what you are calling for...but if it is...I sort of disagree...

I think we, as the members of this board, can try to change the ways of the board, without the gvt, , without the moderators having to be more en-forceful than they have become...try something different when someone throws a bunch of insults and ignore them as I have suggested.

The moderators can pull out of threads, derailings of posters arguing by cleaning them up and moving those posts to what once was the Rubber room, and Romper room or the Flame zone....that way they are not censoring what posters are saying, just moving them out of a decent thread to keep the argument going without the side bar action of the children throwing insults....

 

[Little-Acorn]

I'm on other boards too. Some of them kick out the chronic insulters and namecallers.

The boards that do, are far better, though they are still not perfect.

An example of non-perfection: If someone tells a deliberate lie, that is not a violation of the Terms of Service, and they are allowed to stay and do it again and again. But if you call them a liar, and point out exactly why it was a lie (basically you prove it)... YOU have violated the Terms of Service. You can get suspended or even kicked out as a result.

But even with such flaws, those boards are better than this one.

The solution lies with the Moderators, and the people who write the Terms of Service. If a personal attack is a violation of the TOS, and the TOS is enforced, then the board becomes a better place.

Is this what we want? Or not?

 

[LordBrownTrout]

This is why President Washington warned against political parties. Not that he foresaw internet forums, of course, but he did foresee the partisan crap that we have now. We go to DNCtalkingpoints.com (or RNCtalkingpoints.com) to find out what to think. Our congress critters go to their party leadership for their marching orders on all topics.

We all want what's best for our country. We often even agree on what's best for the country, but differ on how to attain it. If someone makes a point that we can't dispute, we call him stupid, racist, woman hating, or socialist. Too many of us seem to be more devoted to our party than to our nation. This isn't just in this (and other) forums, but in DC also.

The founders would have shipped every one of our enlightened gutless wonders in washington back to the crown.

 

[saveliberty]

One man's name calling is another man's accurate labeling.

 

[Mad Scientist]

What else could you possibly want?