Let's take our pulses

[omega minimo]

How's everybody doing? Did the wanker wars last week (South Dickota vote, Int'l Women's Day) break the straw on anyone's camel? I commented on this and invite you to visit in WR&I.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=229&topic_id=3843&mesg_id=3843

It seems to me that last week proved how pointless (and endless) the fighting is-- and proved that some are willing to communicate calmly and reasonably.

What if they gave a flamewar and nobody came? What if we blow off the boneheads ( :boring: :ignore: ) and continue with the discussion? What if DU is used for more informative/educational OPs that help those who are angry due to their ignorance and fear? Arguing passionately and endlessly about personal opinions that are based on misinformation and dittohead indoctrination is-- well, wanking.

Let's hold our heads up and let the chihuahuas wear themselves out nipping at the air. :evilgrin:

[Katherine Brengle]

1. Well said--

I think you are right, but I also think it is hard to ignore such blatant ignorance and sexism for most of us... I'll give it a shot though, lol.

[omega minimo]

2. Tag-- you're it

Well, of course yours is one of the "fresh voices" I am speaking of........ with threads that brought out the best in SOME :evilgrin: (funnier if you read the linked thread......)

Your approach has helped to keep threads on topic. I was thinking of how the troublemakers succeed in shifting attention away from the topic. Repeatedly. Compulsively. In that case, I'm imagining the group continuing on without being master baited.

[Katherine Brengle]

3. Yep--

I think that it is absolutely necessary to keep the threads on topic when they are about issues that are this important. When some scared man feels the need to hijack a thread based on one sentence in the OP, that is only going to make me draw attention back where it belongs.

I think that if we are going to continue posting in those threads, it is important to work together and make sure that we know what needs to be said, how to say it, and how to stay on-topic so that the rest of DU gets a clear, honest picture of what we are about.

[omega minimo]

4. "If"

being the operative word there.........

Thank you for being here.

[BlueIris]

5. I don't know if it was my "straw," but it'll be a long time before I

can get enthusiatic about using this site again. Even though I practically have half of it on Ignore at this point.

[omega minimo]

8. Yours is a valuable voice here, not worth losing contributions to the

political process in order to patronize peabrains.

Oh well. :hi:

[cally]

19. I hope you stay

I always appreciate your posts.

[MuseRider]

6. That is a very good idea.

I have seen it work a little bit when some of us decided to ignore several people who were tormenting us about something else a few years ago. We just pretended we had them on ignore, or we ignored them. Our dialog continued and they eventually called us names and quit trying to mess with us. It did not last long but it did work.

There are certain people in this world who seem to live for orgasm and spend every waking (and maybe sleeping) moment planning and looking for the next. How they can expect to not be responsible for that behavior is more than I can understand. Priviledge I guess. Let them nip, it has to be frustrating for them.

[omega minimo]

7. Hey Muse-- are you a Delmaniac yet?

:yourock:

Bullying is SOME sort of frustrated energy. Don't know if it's supposed to be "entertaining" here or if they are considered too valuable to the Democratic "base"

If so, whaddoes that tellya?

If you read the linked piece, I have said (again..........................) why this matters to the larger goals of Dems and DU; why we should be supported. if we're not, whaddoes that tellya?

Maybe the educational idea is worth it.

:yoiks:

[MuseRider]

14. Hi! I have not had the time

to go back and listen. I do have the bookmarks thought. I liked what I heard.

I refuse to be bullied, I simply refuse. Of course that brings more to the table, name calling etc. Sill, I refuse. I learned after a life time of being bullied that it often hurts to stand up to them but you do leave with your self respect and since we can't seem to get respect from most, self respect is very important.

wadit tellsme right now is that it took me almost 2 hours today to get an extremely offensive post removed. Busy mods? Maybe, hope so.

I read your linked piece. In fact I read a lot if not all of what you post. It made perfect sense to me. It is the way I try to treat others so it seemed perfectly logical. Will it fly here? I don't know, I want to say I doubt it. Too much entitlement.

Education is always worth it but it does often hurt trying to educate. It is always worth trying because eventually you win unless we return to the Dark Ages and if we go that far I am hunkering down with my self respect and living out the last part of my life with my critters.

[MountainLaurel]

9. "Wanker wars"

That's just crying out for a smilie of its own: Perhaps two men sword-fighting with their dicks? Or trying to smack us uppity women over the head with them?

[omega minimo]

10. Perhaps a three-legged race smilie? Two guys in a sack? Going nowhere fast

:evilgrin:

[atommom]

11. That reminds me of an off-color Russian folktale I once read.

The organs in question grew on a farm, like cattails. So they could have been used for swordfighting. No, I don't know where I'm going with this post, I just can't get the visual out of my mind.... :rofl:

[omega minimo]

13. o

:wow:

[omega minimo]

16. or this

:bounce: :hide: :bounce:





:rofl: :kick:

[MountainLaurel]

17. Oh my word.

:rofl:

[omega minimo]

18. ow LOL my stomach hurts................a variation

....:wow:
:bounce: :bounce:








:rofl: ow :rofl:

[atommom]

12. I'm with you, though I've purposely stayed out of several threads

this week to keep my blood pressure down. I think you're right that calmness and ignoring the wankers is the best strategy. It's just not easy!

[femrap]

15. I put a couple of posters on 'ignore' and that

helps. Today...someone posted that 'comparison' that I don't appreciate. It was in relation to Feingold's Censure and that the other Dems are not on board with him. Anyway...the poster said that the Dems reminded him of the 'nambie pambie abused wife who stays with the husband.'

I called him on the comparison saying that after he works in a DVS, he can talk to me. Anyway, he apologized. I didn't expect that. We need to make people think....and question their beliefs.

[cally]

20. I just don't know

I missed most of the wars this week as I've not been on DU much. I think ignoring the repeat offenders is the way to go. I'm concerned that we help out those who call them their misogyny, though. Often a newer poster will get involved and needs to know that others agree with her. I know how much I've appreciated posts like that when I get involved.

[omega minimo]

21. Absolutely agree. Well said.

We need to craft new ways to not let threads get hijacked, too. Getting into it with the flamers wastes time and energy.

[omega minimo]

22. The bottome line

The issue of women’s rights is fundamental to every other single issue. If DU ever got past the pattycake level of arguing about the same things over and over and over, we could discuss what those issues really are and how they are all interconnected.

The reason I cared enough to think it was important to try, is this: Women are the canaries in the coal mine. If we aren't treated right, the whole crew chokes on ignorance. This means DU and it means the efforts toward broader goals we are supposedly here to address-- the future of the Democratic Party, the nation and beyond.