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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (3530)	1/26/2001 4:47:15 PM
From: epicure	Respond to of 82486

Interesting. Good luck with that.

To: jlallen who wrote (3530)	1/26/2001 4:54:56 PM
From: Constant Reader	Respond to of 82486

Good post! Hope it makes a difference, here and elsewhere.

To: jlallen who wrote (3530)	1/26/2001 6:20:25 PM
From: jbe	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

JLA -- There are two reasons why I should perhaps not be responding to your RWET post. 1) I am only a recent, and then only an occasional, poster here, and so cannot speak either for this thread or for the LW thread. 2) Only on a few (and hence easily shrugged-off) occasions have I personally been the object of "trash talk," and so cannot really speak for those who have been constant targets. That said, I would still like to comment on in your post. Elaborating on your decision to declare your thread a "personal insult free zone" (commendable decision, BTW), you say: General comments such as all liberals are dolts, or all liberal ideas are idiotic, etc. will be allowed. Comments such as ___ (fill in name of your least favorite liberal) is a dolt will not be allowed on this thread. While I agree that you could not ban "general comments such as 'all liberals are dolts'" even if you wanted to, oddly enough, they have always bothered me more than comments like "jbe is a dolt." Against the latter, I can try to defend myself (that is, if I am allowed to post a defense). Against the former, generically based, charge, there is no defense. How can you defend a whole category -- and an undefined category at that -- of people? (I should know it can't be done, because I have tried, God knows.) This is the worst feature of SI's political threads, IMO (and perhaps of all internet political discussion sites). Many of the participants who readily and willingly define themselves as conservatives, liberals, Republicans, Democrats, or whatever, automatically assume that anything challenging their views is stupid/wicked/whatever. How can you discuss anything with an individual who is constantly ready to pounce, snorting something like: "Typical liberal/demolib/libonut!" or, alternatively, "You right-wingers/Republicans/religious extremists are all alike!" We like to feel that we come to our views indepedently (even when we are wrong about that). And it really irritates me if I sense an interlocutor has labelled me, in advance, and consequently will reject anything I say as "stupid" or "wicked," even before I've said it, simply because I supposedly belong to the "wrong" category of people. It's sort of like Original Sin: you may end up damned, not for anything you have actually done, but simply for being who you are. There! I've finally got that off my chest. What a relief! <g> jbe

To: jlallen who wrote (3530)	1/26/2001 7:29:42 PM
From: E	Respond to of 82486

I'm impressed, JLA. It will be interesting so see how things unfold. Does anyone know for how long Poet has been suspended, btw? chooseanother is back already....

To: jlallen who wrote (3530)	1/27/2001 8:35:24 AM
From: GROUND ZERO™	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

This was posted on the Insults Only thread just a day earlier... Bob had made no comments about the posts on the Insults Only thread, but since SI is being cleaned up, for the better I believe, the spirit of good will can certainly spread voluntarily as a result... so, as a responsible host I posted Bob's request on that thread as well... I anticipate no more hurt widdle feelings..... Hopefully, a good discussion can begin and civil decency be restored.....<g> Message 15244442 Best Regards, GZ