I think some have an exaggerated idea of what's at stake in the DU primary debate

[jpgray]

The stakes for the primary -in general- are extremely high. We've got an unprecedented opportunity to turn things somewhat back towards sanity this year, and the consequences of failure are so dire that choosing the right candidate is monumentally important. Sustaining attacks without an active defense or counterattack is simply not an option in the national political debate.

But I get the idea people are arguing with each other here as though the same stakes apply to the political debate on DU that apply on the national scene. And people who see the stakes as being so high feel free to engage in dishonest arguments.

In other words, people who support a candidate will attempt to rationalize away -any- statement or vote that is less than perfect, as opposed to just admitting the flaw. Conversely, they will have a desire to inflate the flaws of other candidates, and dishonestly promote neutral or even good statements/votes as failures if they come from an opposing candidate. This has value in the national, public debate, but has little value on DU. When was the last time you saw a dishonest candidate-bashing thread win converts? When was the last time you saw a disingenuous candidate-promotion thread win converts? It doesn't happen.

Also, people reflexively interpret context and intent based on whom they support or oppose. For the candidate they support, the most favorable context and intent is assumed; for the candidate they oppose, the most negative context and intent is assumed. This is true even if the statement/behavior is very vague and difficult to pin down. This dishonest tactic again has some value in the national debate, but what effect does it have here?

This behavior is -not- true of everybody, but I see quite a bit of it. Are the stakes really so high in DU discussion that we need to bullshit each other?

[frogcycle]

1. it is human nature

tribal beasts. my tribe is good; yours is bad. If I don't scream louder than you, someone might think you are good and I am bad.

Watch a gibbon swinging through the trees hooting like mad some time. That's DU.

[jpgray]

2. Based on the level of antagonism, you'd think the primaries are won or lost on DU

[frogcycle]

3. and you'd think college football was the end of the world

or NFL, or wrestlemania. or American idol, when you see the people get rabid about whatever their tribe does

pathetic, but true

[ladjf]

5. DU has a lot of posters who are very engaged in the political

process. That beats the hell out of what too many Americans, especially Democrats have been doing for the previous two General Elections.

I'm not sure that I understand why some are so hell bent on trying to let us know that what we are saying isn't very important in the big scheme of things. It's important to us. Isn't that enough?

[robbedvoter]

4. Real world tensions run high (MSM fault). DU-ers just act them out.

I can't watch teevee anymore, Air America is just as strident to me.
So, I come here to vent my frustration. Fully aware of how much this is not a sample of the real world. Just need to be heard. Not unlike January 2001, when I joined.
I feel frustrated and need validation. Sometimes I find someone who thinks just like me
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=4255126&mesg_id=4255126