The Power of DU

[gorbal]

I have noticed, over and over again, that when ideas come up on DU I suddenly see them all over Internet, on the Thom Hartmann show, the Oberman show, etc.(Editing post about Walmart and Costco because Walmart sales went back up again.) Do you think DU is becoming a more powerful mobilizing force than we realize?

Perhaps that is why the Times thought to criticize a DU thread. With power, comes responsibility, and the press was calling us on it. (however unfair it seemed)

[Crankie Avalon]

1. The "criticism" might have been more about...

...an establishment media outlet feeling threatened by a new and non- corporate controlled (yet?) information outlet like the Internet.

DU is helping in the fight. I'm happy to support it in my small way.

[gorbal]

10. I thought that too

But the fact that we have so much power that we threaten the corperate controlled press is something to think about.

I see this place in a different light now, and will save some more controversial discussions that I might want to get into for other forums. I am scared sometimes I might make all DU members look bad by musing about some conspiratorial topic I pulled out of my ass.

[mogster]

2. I've noticed this too

This is a breeding ground for new ideas :-)

[RobertSeattle]

3. breeding ground?...

I thought we couldn't have sex threads! :evilgrin:

[mogster]

9. Only if by proxy

We talk about, like, politics, then post hidden messages to be read between the lines :evilgrin:

[DeepModem Mom]

4. And for highlighting stories in the print press once seen by only a few --

our calling attention to them in LBN, and elsewhere, and responding to them, gets the attention of some media people, and spreads the story to many others. Yea for us DU thinkers, writers and news junkies!

[mogster]

12. Yea, the LBN is about the best news source there is IMHO

How about that? ;-)

BTW: How's things going after Khephra passed on? Is the frequency of posting to the LBN keeping up?

I'm thinking of posting some there myself - just need to check it out a bit first, to keep up the level of seriousness it has gained by all the splendid posting by the news hounds posting there.

[DeepModem Mom]

21. I'm posting more articles, which I can only explain by Khephra's absence

I'm assuming I'm posting articles that he would have posted already. I think others are also taking up the mantle.

(Thank goodness for Khephra -- he is missed! :-( )

[pnutchuck]

5. I saw it's power after we were asked to send a letter to all of the MSM

calling for them to cover the vote fraud stories. I believe we helped to turn the tide from non coverage to a major story which eventually led to Barbara Boxer's support in the Senate and eventual hearing of Bush's election. Although, we didn't succeed in overturning the election results, we did manage to shed light on voter irregularities and add another asterisk to Bush's presidential title.

[alexisfree]

6. we do work for america!

[wtbymark]

7. I think DU is good

It gets actions (email campaigns and polls, meet-ups, etc.) and ideas out in a centralized place. It can also be a place where the internet and international news can be centralized with all the links supplied by the members. We can discern if its a neocon/neodem in sheeps clothing. We get to see what real thinkers are thinking and it can be a place where the 'politicians' (excuse my french) can go and see what their constituants think (at least the handful who care)

[progressoid]

8. To borrow a phrase, "We are the future...

I saw John Perkins on C-Span booknotes yesterday saying something similiar. We can't rely on the media or the political parties to make a difference. It's up to us.

His new book is on my list. "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man"

[RandomKoolzip]

11. Did Walmart's sales really drop significantly?

Please give us a link.


I doubt that Walmart's sales will be affected too deeply by a bunch of internet commentators sharing info.


DU is a great place, and it plays a big role in my life, but I don't think it's as important as many say. Plus, the GOP's foundation/think tank infrastructure is still far more effective at disseminating ideas in the media; the left's system of independent, contentious websites and underfunded magazines with no central HQ issuing talking points ensures that our message will be drowned out; we need a massively funded think tank machine like the right has. The DU is like a tiny, squeaking samizdat in such an enormous context.

[gorbal]

15. Well, people on talk Radio mention DU allot

I have seen people from truthout, the Kerry campaign and blackboxvoting.org post here. DU members helped write the book, it seems, on blackbox voting. We have been mentioned on Air America and the Thom Hartmann show...yes I think we have some power. When you plant the seeds of ideas here it branches out to media outlets, message boards and group emails.

I don't really think DU caused the Walmart thing, I think people have known that Wallmart stinks for a while and Bushs's last win just sealed the deal for many people never to shop there again. Heck, if Kerry had won, I might consider it again.

(I can't find the link, but they didn't meet projected sales over the holidays.)

Edit: never mind about Walmart (sales went up again, although I remeber they were predicting a 4 percent increase, oh well): http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/06/news/economy/retail_sales/

But I have noticed we are powerful on other fronts, see above.

[Oversea Visitor]

13. Hey

DU is my interactive electronic newspaper. Beat the crap out of the others news medium but hehe we still need them though.

[dkofos]

14. We are a powerful force

We could be a more powerful force if we had 10 million registered users.
Can you imagine getting blasted with a million e-mails, letters, faxes.

Let's spread the word

DU

[On the Road]

16. I Think DU is Part of a Larger Grass-Roots Community

which itself is pretty much below the radar. Sometimes something seeps up into the mainstream. Eventually grass-roots opinions make a differences, but it's usually takes years and happens only after the official world loses interest in defending and issue.

[eg101]

17. I agree. That is why DUers should talk about more "large bore" ideas

instead of just hacking around the same old "I support this politician" and "I hate that politician".

Look, the online community pushed the vote fraud idea into the mainstream when there was little real evidence of vote machine fraud. That is evidence of our power. We know the media is lazy and looking for quick copy. That is how the rightwing propaganda machine works--by doing their work for them.

So, why not start taking a more "large bore" approach to politics here on DU? I am talking about promoting ideas and attacking ideas, instead promoting politicians and attacking politicians.

How about pushing to the forefront of media consciousness the idea that every other advanced western nation has universal healthcare. You walk into a hospital and get taken care. No bills or bankruptcies. And push the idea that 18,000 Americans a year die because of no healthcare. Year in and year out. Talk about the idea that our politicians are criminally negligent in this area, because of these deaths.

You know that there are many paid "consultants" in the online Democratic community. Why not stop letting them promote a politician-centered Democratic activist agenda, and instead develop a large-bore, idea-centered democratic activist agenda?

[gorbal]

23. Yeah, I ignore most of the politition threads

Although it is important in that who they choose for Democratic Hoo hah in terms of the direction of the Democratic party. I think when it comes down to it, we have to fight for the ideas we want the Democratic party to stand for and try to change the public mindset, so that when the next election roles around we will be able to choose a candidate that fits with our principles.

I like what Kerry and the Center for American Progress are doing. I get emails from them with various petitions, issues and talking points. I like their aim of setting up an "Intellectual infrastructure" with mailings, talking points, etc.

[seabeyond]

18. yup i think, rush and drudge on campaign

to dismiss du publicly. that is pretty huge in the scheme of things. i dont think we are yet grasping the power we are with these two doing it.

and efforts to get boxer to listen, kerry during campaign, though many thought not, i have seen it everywhere. empowering conyers adn his effort. and now.........

stolen election is getting easier to say, more people are saying and i absolutely think it was this site. moore, moveon franklin many others dismissed. we didnt let go.

so i say a huge yes. will be interesting to see

[gorbal]

20. I missed some of those

The more people diss us, the more it reflects how much we threaten them. We should start making complaints to the FCC like "focus" and others do.

[seabeyond]

19. and we are the ones that made olderman be sexiest man

which gave him such clout. lol lol

we did that. we even had heterosexual males totally embace the vote

powerful we are. wink. good thing we have all these girlie men

[gorbal]

27. Well he is sexiest.

I sade something of the sort in an e-mail I sent to him. I hope he wasn't put off.:loveya:

[libnnc]

22. The MSM is getting scooped

...and they don't like it. They're getting their hats handed to them by educated, connected folk who aren't in their little club and it pisses them off. "Journalism" schools are cranking out pinheads who can be bought and sold; handing out "Journalism" degrees like merit badges.

Blog-on kids. Their days are numbered.

:evilgrin:

[TXlib]

24. You're assuming the idea originates at DU

Most often, that isn't true.

By the time an idea hits DU, it's already pretty widespread.

Think about rumors... it often seems that when you hear a rumor, it's all over the company by the end of the day. It may have been spreading quite slowly for a week or more, but in the last days, hours or even minutes, the rumor spreads exponentially. It hits many people who then see it publicised through official channels soon thereafter. Those people might marvel that their passing the info on to a few other people had that effect, but as you can see, they were but a drop in the bucket by that point.

[gorbal]

26. but much is spread by DU

DU is by far the busiest of any left leaning message boards or blogs I know of, so it is probably the most powerful interms of spreading information. I don't see the Times critiquing other sites (tell me if I wrong)

[meisje]

25. DU is a hub

.

[geniph]

28. "It's all part of the cosmic unconsciousness...

Say you're thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone says plate, or shrimp, or plate of shrimp. Out of the blue. No use looking for one either. It's part of the lattice of coincidence that lays on top of everything."

"You do a lot of acid back in the 60's, Miller?"