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I'm given to understand there are cliques here on DU, and particularly in GD. Now I must admit to some ignorance of this fact, since that's always been one of the social things I never quite got, being the near-perpetual outsider I've always been. Even back in school I missed a lot of the clique thing. I hung out with people I liked and rarely played politics with friendship, though I understand that a lot of people did.
I don't know if things have gotten better or worse since I went to school and, frankly, I doubt I'd understand it all one way or another. I never liked the notion of someone else deciding who I could associate with and for what reasons.
Now I can see the supporters of certain candidates congregating in certain threads--particularly those of a positive nature about said candidate, or in threads that are negative about that candidate. But is that cliquish? I would say not.
Not even my own threads, even the ones that have high Rec counts or those that generate a lot of discussion (I get more of the former than the latter for some reason) attract a list of the usual suspects, except, perhaps, those that fall into the category mentioned above--that have something to say positive about my chosen candidate.
Are there cliques here? Am I that blind to it that I don't recognize them? I'm not kidding about being blind to them--in a local organization to which my wife and I belong, certain similar accusations have arisen from time to time and I was as puzzled by that as I am here. I suppose there might be, but I'm usually the one either sitting on the fringes by myself or the one wandering around striking up conversations with different folks, or joining in interesting conversations I hear as I'm wandering past. I'm afraid this sort of social engagement mystifies me.
Hell, I imagine there are cliques at work, but, as one of the old men of the place, I'm not included in the politics. Thank gawd. The less I know about who's on the outs with whom for what, the happier I'll be. I don't play favorites and seem to be universally liked and trusted and that's good enough for me.
Here it's not so much about personalities, I'd imagine, since, with a few exceptions, one can't really judge the personalities because you don't know if they're real or not. I'd like to think it's more about ideas, but, that might be my social naivete speaking again.
If my two and a half years in this place has taught me anything, it's that I can ferociously disagree with someone about one subject, yet agree just as ferociously about another. With a few exceptions. There are always exceptions.
I appear to be having an introspective night. Should make for some interesting posts in the next hour or so.
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