OK, DUers .. Of what DU posts are you PROUDEST?

[TahitiNut]

In keeping with the reflective inclinations of liberals, we occasionally engage in some navel-gazing here on DU. Sometimes we see the lint. Rarely do we look at the diamonds. So, let's all do a little positive navel-gazing and trot out some posts that we take some personal pride in composing. Which posts do you feel were your better contributions to the DU community?

Where are our "best foot forward" posts? Where did we "be the change we wish to see in the world"?

I'll start with a cut at what I think might be my "top 10"...

Why I’m even voting, while I can.
"I feel like I have no choice."
On Living In The "World" of Lies
12. 80% of anything is garbage.
45. With all due respect ... much of the SS rhetoric is nonsense,
A Bizarre "Tribute" to Memorial Day
National Service ... a challenge for (small "d") democrats
"Rule of Law" or a Police State?
Agreement ... Smirk is mentally ill: a pathological personality
47. It happened to me.

(Hmmm... not much recently.) :silly:

[Wat_Tyler]

1. Fire and forget, baby. That's my maxim.

[Robbie67]

14. LOL

haha

[camero]

2. Your Gini Index posts

That show the true state of income inequality compared to other countries.

[Lizz612]

3. "How much do you love your boobs?"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=951048
Just the right blend of sexuality and being proud of our bodies, silly but not vulgar. I'd like to think it says quite a bit about liberals being comfortable with their sexuality and their bodies. And despite being only a few days after the bitter, bitter 'bitch' debate, no one was insulted (that I know of).

[TahitiNut]

4. I think healthy self-esteem and "comfort in your own skin" are ...

... very valuable reminders. I think we all-too-often subconsciously regard our bodies as transportation systems for our appetites.

[TahitiNut]

5. Pathetic. So many DUers. So little to be proud of.

:puke:

[nostamj]

6. well, I got some very nice responses from this one...

IN A LANDSLIDE



otherwise, my "recent posts' is very depressing. (TOON threads aside)

[Kukesa]

11. I'll vote for that one, nost! n/t

[Kanary]

7. the one that was deleted.

:evilgrin:

[TahitiNut]

10. Oh. Oh. ... Oh. I know what you mean.

Some of my best moments got deleted. :evilgrin:

[sweetheart]

8. You wrote one back on DU v.1 that i thougt was your best

The one about viet nam, and your experience there... that one
that everyone encouraged you to post as an article.

Myself, I can't say. Each post speaks for itself. I won't go
back and trawl through thousands of archived posts... why, as each
also ripples out like waves, and some are not great by their
writing but by their seeing and its impact on the subsequent posts
in the forum.

All i can say is thank you... to every one at DU, for making a stand,
and writing your feelings that goodwill can emerge as a dominant
meme in our country. In this regard, there is only today's post
and this shortly-coming election.

[KoKo]

9. I have nothing...most DU'ers see me as a "Troll." There's not anything

I would post on this thread..for fear of being trashed.

But...overall..in my mind...I always challenged ideas..one's I grew up with and those of others who didn't understand where I was coming from.

DU Community gave me the "feedback" to grow...and yet...I never was part of a "group" here. That makes me feel bad sometimes...but I realize it wasn't what I was here for. I was here...called to this time..to GROW.

I have..I think learned to understand many different viewpoints and loved the interaction (more in the early days, than now) between the 20 and under Somethings...and those of us who remember the "Cold War," Vietnam, and lots that we tried to explain to "newbies" and "20 Somethings" who cared to listen.

I have read so many of your posts Tahiti and all the folks who were here when I came...and there's not a day that doesn't seem to bring an inspiring post on DU...although with so many new members it takes more time...it still is worth the effort. :shrug:

[Kanary]

12. Underneath the smilies, I doubt there are very many who feel "part"

of much of anything here, if truth be told.

It's never OK to actually express what one feels deeply here, so since this thread is about our posts, and isn't getting many responses, I'm gonna say it. Even so, given the nature of DU, I fully expect to be blasted rather than heard. :shrug:

DU doesn't lend itself to much in the way of "community". Rather than seek understanding, the goal seems to be to trump each other. Rather than to learn how we can better work together, it seems to be a race to see who can come up with the next clever putdown. And, of course, if you dare say anything about it, you're called "overly sensitive", "whining", or even halucinatory.

I'm to the point where I just don't give a royal shit anymore. The Dems don't want to support each other, and understand and care about each other? To hell with it. It's not my problem. They'll learn the hard way, just like the Republicans will.

Many of the best posts are just ignored, so what the hell does it matter? What gathers attention is the endless "polls", the screaming "OMG! DID YOU JUST SEE WHAT (fill in the blank of the mean RW pundit of the moment) DID/SAID?" Why the hell bother with actually putting energy into an intelligent post when it's likely to never see response one? Yeah, yeah, I know....... there *are* some intelligent posts that get attention. That doesn't mean that for every one that does, there aren't maybe 100's that don't. And yeah, yeah, I know...... maybe some lurker saw it, and it changed their life, and they are now riding on top of the world because of your words, but you don't know it because they didn't reply. Shit. Who gives a rip.

There you have it. My rant of the day.

Shit.

Kanary, just not in a mood to bother with much........
edited to say: Koko.... if you have the temerity on DU to speak from your heart, and talk about something out of th emainstream, you're very likely to be labeled a "troll". So, I sure wouldn't worry about it. I never thought I'd become this close to sociopatholgy, but DU managed to get me to that point. So, troll away....... your words are just as important as any other, and more so than most!

[sweetheart]

13. Its the reality of power

Lets say for a moment, that you are one of the 10 most powerful
people on earth, and that your every word creates ripples on this
earth that affect life and death for the masses.

As you write on DU, people come to fear you, and do not reply
directly, but lift ideas from you, that they think are safe. Still
you notice that nobody directly discusses as it would be recognition
of the power that you already have, that DU, by its very nature
denies can exist.

And it leaves us with the conundrum. The better and more deeply
you probe truth on DU, the less you will be upheld, and seen as a
community member, rather an odd outcaste, one of those cave
dwellers who shouts from the mountaintop and then is talked about
and scorned for being too far afield.

The book "ender's game" points to it well (unfortunate the author
is a puke) as your power and insight level increase, your friends
will decrease. I've seriously considered using severa ID's on
DU, using sweetheart only for the plutonium heavy stuff that
nobody will reply to... and another stupid ID to feign being
a chatty kathy.... and perhaps even another to pretend to be
an indecisive war monger.

I've incredible respect for you Koko01, and if you ever are about
in scotland, i'd gladly buy you a pint and even dinner. :-)

Godspeed to you... you are sincere and tell the truth.

The truth is of no value in a world that hates truth, but some of
us deeply love it, and can only revere those who hold it sacred.

namaste,
-s

[H2O Man]

16. This is an interesting post, sweetheart:

There is only one part that I kind of disagree with, which was the beginning. The most powerful people on earth (ten or otherwise) are actually the least likely to have spiritual enlightenment. And those who are seeking enlightenment must come to understand that it requires one to become one of the least powerful people on earth.

There are numerous stories in the holy books and esoteric writings that describe in great detail the separation from the crowd that you describe. When Jesus goes to the desert for 40 days, and returns enlightened, the desert is more than a hot sandy place ... it's where he had to go into himself .... a place where you can't discuss your insights with others ... in part because it's beyond words.

Joseph Cambell, in his wonderful books on mythology, quotes from the writings of an older anthropologist, Rasmuessen, I believe, who talk with some of the shamans from primitive Native Americans in the arctic area .... and one said that "the truth lives out in the great loneliness, far away from humanity" .... and that "there aren't so many words to describe it."

Part of enlightenment is being able to sincerely appreciate your enemies, if not as much as your friends, at least as for playing an important role in your life. And that includes not being offended by those who ignore you, or think you are strange, if you say something you believe is true. Even here on DU. Most of the posts I think that are important that I put on DU tend to get zero responses.

[sweetheart]

17. Rama's enlightenment

I'm of the school of Rama. He is an enlightened sun king... in
egyptian mythology (and lost history), RA. Rama is an enlightened
warrior and assassin... so much so, that i have no doubt that Rama
has already killed his enemies on this planet, though they might
be still walking... its a faux-illusion. Rama has won, and the
battle is over. The man with his head cut off, has yet to realize
that it is so.

The Rama I know can kill by moving his little finger, and can wipe
out a race by moving his arm... and as he is a REAL enlightened
sun king, a thought wholly lost to the western white man, he would
not use such power lest it be required... and the ugly white men
of our country are not worth drawing a sword for. They are a waste
of a sharp edge, and the sharpening is worth more than their lives,
they are so low and cheap.

Rama is casear, the king, the core embodyment of the pinnacle of
civilization, not some crazed rambo in the wilderness... the one
who defends the meek and the civilized from the hoardes of thieves
and barbarians... king aurthur if you will.

Then it is a unique cultural flaw that our country has manifested,
that suggests that because rama is an enlightened assassin, that his
aspect of enlightenment is less that than babaji, christ, ramana
maharshi, lao tzu, gangaji, adida, and the pacificsts; rather it is
their aspects of enlightenment that are not assassins and cannot,
naturally claim that such a thing belongs in their school.

However, RAMA is God, the MahaRaja king, and not to be disrespected
in the least, ever in time. The warrior's enlightenment is powerful
and golden beyond measure.... and having spent a livetime in love
with Rama, i can only say that those who have never seen such power
cannot know, that both global power and enlightenment can be the
same.... and why, most "very enlightened" folks also exhibit
the siddha powers... to the point that the uber-enlightened have
the supernatural powers like you and i have finger nails.

Rama is the thunderbird that protects all the people of this earth
from evil, and even in this dark age, Rama can only protect you,
if you ask refuge, in a world condemed by the king to decline in
to the realm of the asuras.

Our culture may have forgotten that the enlightened war king (conan),
exists, but there is indeed that energy and living soul guiding
life on this planet. Enlightenment is only separate from the siddha
powers when it is less mature... in its polished "sahadja" aspect,
there is no separation... and indeed, one can be both enlightened
and one of the most powerful people on earth.

[TahitiNut]

26. That's an interesting assessment, koko.

One of my personal-growth battles over the last two decades or so has been the balance between my concern for how others may view me and my concern for how I view myself. I guess it's quite possible that one who 'came home' from Vietnam and went through the dissolution of two marriages, where the common themes were betrayal and cuckolding, might find it advisable to adjust that balance. With other life experiences having the same 'disillusionment' themes, I'm thinking the Universe has been giving me hints.

Indeed, in asking the question of this thread, I solicited responses regarding the self-assessments of others. It's interesting, even in my own choices of favorites, to view the degree to which the 'feedback' of our DU community (both real and extrapolated) informs that self-assessment.

At this point, I wonder if what I've written above makes much relevant sense to anyone but me.
DC Al Fine. :evilgrin:

[stevedeshazer]

15. There are two or three

But I am terrible at organization, and I couldn't find them unless my life depended on it. A couple of them are on DU1 and I've lost track.

You've made some might fine posts here, friend. The one atop your list about voting surely comes to mind.

[kiahzero]

18. Some of my favorites

This was a summary of my research on same sex marriage, and the stupid talking point that "SSM will be forced on all states by Massachussets."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1980350

This was an extended debate/flamewar over the justification for abortion (I didn't start this one, but I did seem to hijack it):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1366543

This one was my bitterness during the primary season finding an outlet:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=293810

More bitterness (this one on the "He hasn't earned my vote" issue)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=385815

And some more:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=402645

In fact, most of my favorite thread-starters seem to have been bitterness during the early primary season.

[TahitiNut]

25. That's an interesting (to me) selection of favorites.

One of my (several) reasons for asking this question was to glean an insight regarding how DUers view their own 'success' in participating in this community. It should go without saying that I respect each person's manifestation of their own Categorical Imperative, but since it doesn't: I do.

If I were to choose one adjective to describe my choices of what I regard as 'successful' posts, it could be "evocative." In that same sense, I could choose the adjective "provocative" to describe your choices. At the same time, I'd probably acknowledge that the majority of my posts, even many drive-bys, are provocative - provocative in a sense I feel is positive, as I also interpret yours.

Why I find this interesting: both are prevalent infotainment techniques. Neither of us has chosen the dry, data-laden, and logical posts we may have made.

Seeing this informs my perspective. It'll take me a while to assimilate this.

[camero]

19. Oh, you mean our own posts

One of mine would be the send the health care bills to congress protest thread. Alot of good responses from that one. I heard that quite a few people are mailing their medical bills to congress.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1056793

[KoKo]

20. "#47. It happened to me." is one I remember standing out Tahiti...and

another reply you posted about your Nam experience on one of my favorite posts of mine..( my "Vietnam Timeline" post which was just the site and not a personal comment by me), but I was so glad to find folks who had experienced that war as soldiers and not just as a protestor in that time. The Iraq Invasion was like a nightmare come back to visit for me...so to have posters who remembered that time...and would talk about it got me through it.

My friends from those days have moved on...and the rest of my friends after that time were all Repugs who thought we "cut and ran" out of Vietnam...so it was good to be here on DU where there were people like me...and people like you who knew what it was all about and what we were getting into with Iraq..

[hiphopnation]

21. I can think of many

posts by other folks that have made me proud to frequent this board. Some of them are by some of the posters in this very thread. I don't fancy myself so much of a great writer and I don't have tons of facts at my disposal which is the reason I didn't start posting right away when I discovered DU. I waited a year.

But I take issue with some of the sentiments expressed in this thread. Sounds to me like a few old curmudgeons complaining about "the way things used to be." With all its warts, DU is still and excellent information and community resource for those of us who have felt completely ostracized by our nation over the past four years, plus. Of course there are upstarts who come in and run amok. And the freepers make it difficult to navigate sometimes. And I understand that often times "debate" is mistaken for grade-school name-calling. All things considered, I'm impressed that DU has, to some degree, maintained a healthy, active culture. It's by no means representative of the States, but it is something of a petri dish; an interesting experiment, if you choose to see it that way. Other days I want to tell everyone here to shove it and run into the woods. :shrug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

22. Policy and inquiry threads primarily

Give me you best reasons for the Progressive Income Tax.


Can you prove Saddam and Osama were former US employees

[ProfessorGAC]

23. Sorry, TN

I'd love to participate, but i honestly don't keep track of my earlier posts. Maybe i should, but i don't. I've got a few that i know i was happy with at the time, but wouldn't be able to remember at gunpoint where to find them or how to search which keywords.

This is a really good thread despite my inability to add to it. Nice job.
The Professor

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. Ditto there