The next legislative victory? A Democratic majority at any price? The presidency of Barack Obama? To cleanse the blogosphere of people you perceive as demonic harpies? To stop people on the blog you frequent saying things you don’t like? To stamp out Ponies?
Or a better world?
For the Greatest Good For All Concerned?
For Freedom, Equality and Justice for all People.
Or perhaps to try to help save the world from impending and accelerating Climate Change that will be FAR more destructive than even …Jane Hamsher?
Are you indeed fighting FOR something? Or just fighting against people you don’t like?
People who …perhaps… have a larger vision of what politics means, of what’s at stake in every issue where we have a choice of fighting the radical change needed or an incremental “Baby Steps” approach whose very real effect is to preserve the status quo that IS destroying the planet that your children and grandchildren need to you know…live.
Or ARE we all fighting for the same thing? IS that what you want too, all of those things listed above?
IS the only difference that we have a difference of “tone,” “style,” and approach to affecting change in our government and thus the world?
If so I have a small suggestion for YOUR tone, style, and approach. It can be summed up in one word: Tolerance.
Anyone who has spent much time at Daily Kos has seen and experienced the utter futility of fighting each other in the comment section. And yet there are whole cadres of people here who seem to participate, or perhaps even exist, only to attack others. Only because they don’t like the “tone,” “style,” and approach of other posters on a blog.
What does this accomplish? How does this advance the Cause of creating a better world?
How does this advance the goal of achieving For the Greatest Good For All Concerned?
How does it help achieve Freedom, Equality and Justice for all People?
We are all unique, we all have our own voice, we all (presumably) are trying in our own way, as we as individuals see fit, to Change the World. Or we wouldn’t be here.
Perhaps if we can all tolerate each others “tone,” “style,” and approach a little bit more, we can find a way to work together….or at least stop trying to STOP others from doing what they think will work.
Since, ya know, insulting each other in the comments section of a blog has yet to be shown to have a positive effect on achieving the Change we can believe in.
It takes great self discipline not to attack others with whom you disagree, and perhaps even harder to not respond to those who are attacking you. It takes discipline and sacrifice to achieve real Change.
But it has to start somewhere right?
Why not with each of us?
If we all fight FOR that Change, perhaps we can achieve other Change as well.
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section whether you agree or disagree with his policies does any good whatsoever.
Such “support” only matters if you are calling people and enlisting the additional support of those who don’t support him already. In person. In the real world. The blogs are useless for browbeating people into agreement.
Because if I already support Obama, a blog commenter telling me s/he also supports Obama doesn’t do anything to get additional support for Obama, which is the putative goal.
Presumably the real world matters. I don’t believe in Obama and have few reasons to think I will vote for him in 2012, or many Democrats.
If someone comes to my door wanting that support, the type of condescension and rudeness I encounter on the blogs (not that those things matter very much otherwise — they are made to be far more important than they are) will rather accomplish me slamming the door in said person’s face or hanging up the phone. It won’t do a lick of good at actually securing the additional support Democratic and Obama apologist say they want in order to have them reelected.
The calculus is rather simple. For those who believe in Obama and the current Democrats, preaching to the choir is not necessary. For those who don’t, we do not need them. They need us.
It’s, again, as simple as that.
I ignore Obama and Democratic apologists. For me, I’m not listening. Tolerance is there, but unnecessary. To get me to listen, would take results, and much more than tolerance. I cannot be sold a bill of goods. Only results matter in the real world.
buhdy’s rabblerouzer YELL LOUDER diaries zoom to the rec list at gos, and his occasional kumbaya peace & love ones tend to scroll off rather quietly.
… you tried, buhd.
Buhdy, no one should be stopped from doing what they think will work. I am more inclined to INSIST that people try to actualize what they think will work.
Critical thinking is absolutely necessary. That’s how we can build off each other and create something new. As you know, I have been known to be blunt. I hope that my purpose is to make people re-examine their ideas and take them further. That is diametrically opposed to the form of criticism that is designed to shut people down.
Thus I join you in your call for tolerance, but at the same time, I think we need to challenge each other more. This site features many ideas of varying quality that are in some ways very close to each other. But the variance leaves us isolated. I see this critical process as breaking down the differences, creating broad pools of thought which are large enough to accomplish things that we cannot do in our isolation.
I would add this for those people who feel challenged or criticized. The concept of the Full Court Press and how to pursue it could not have developed as far as it has without the constant challenge it has undergone. To my challengers, thank you.