Has it occurred to any of you what a HUGE waste of time this is?

[renie408]

Have you ever had your mind changed from something you have read here? I have checked in about once a week for the past month and it just hit me this morning that these forums are just a place for mental masturbation. Everybody 'making their points' and reveling in how much SMARTER and WISER they are than those poor idiots who support ___________________ because he/she believes ______________ when all the people who are really smart/pure/plugged in know that ______________________ is the only TRUE issue this time around and that the real scandal is ________________________ and everybody SHOULD supporting ________________ because they are electable/fresh/black/a woman/sincere.

Every post, every time. Just fill in the blanks and change the name of the poster.

[purduejake]

1. I reached the same conclusion this morning. n/t

[zanne]

2. But...

Haven't you posted over 3,000 times? Personally, I've learned alot from DU. Maybe some of us just aren't savvy enough to go without it.

[DemDogs]

29. I look for information and sometimes the best place to find it is here

in threads about candidates. The pro and the con.

[smiley_glad_hands]

3. It's either this or cable news.

I certainly don't come here to masturbate mentally. I come here to stay informed and to hear opinions and ideas that I cant't find anywhere else.

edited for grammar

[theoldman]

4. I also come here for news and hope that my opinions will

stimulate other people to think.

[Clark2008]

5. Actually, yes I have.

DUers are fantastic at research - and some of the research posted on this board has made me question quite a few candidates and/or topics.

That said, if someone posts comments from Counterpunch, I'm likely to dig in more and NOT change my position. I don't find them all that accurate and they're given to flights of "fantasy." But, there are other sources posted here that DO give me pause for thought.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

6. Hey, it could be worse.

You could be waking up with a grinding hangover, or a need to shoot some junk. It could be really worse: you could be posting on FweepeeVille.

Point is, there are worse things you could be doing. Like anything else, just keep your bullshit filter well-tuned and on its highest setting.

[Trajan]

7. Maybe you've been too wrapped up in this to begin with .....

I am a Liberal in real life .... DU plays a small role in my own life, as well it should, because life is about way more than words on a computer screen .... It is much more difficult than anyone here can convey or alleviate ... it is a fuller and richer experience to enjoy or master ... DU is a trifle in that real world, but it is a place I can connect with some like minds, and that is why I came here ...

I will support Democratic candidate X in the end, because that will be the best choice .... from what I understand of all the possible candidates, I will choose ANY above what the GOP will offer ..... I have generally avoided the candidate wars, and have recently decided to avoid trying to reduce the negativity expressed by those among us who feel it is their job to degrade EVERY candidate .... Many jump on board the 'I hate this candidate' threads, no matter who it is .... and it all seems so petty and self aggrandizing when, in the end, those DUers will most likely vote for one of them, even after that have savaged them here .... I am reminded of public stonings when I enter those threads ...

I will vote for whomever best represents my own philosophy, which falls along the line of the New Deal, Great Society politics of FDR, JFK, and LBJ .... I can assure everyone that the eventual Democratic Party candidate will NOT perfectly represent their own views, but he or she will be the best choice, given the choices that will be available ....

Your own personal life is what matters, and the imperfections of DU members should rank much lower in significance of all the 'things' that inhabit our lives .... I take it for granted that many DUers will say and do things I dont agree with ... Of course I am not disappointed .... People will be as people will be ...

But hey: I am LESS disappointed in DU than I might be with some other aspects of my life ....

Keep your perspective ..... DU means nothing compared to fresh cool water, a breathe of sweet clean air, the scent of pines on a hiking trail, or the kiss of your own child ....

It is important to note that DU has itself helped to feed the hungry through charitable drives and such ..... THAT is DU at it's finest ..... and we certainly are informed here .....

Take from DU what gives you the most satisfaction, and forget about aligning the mob into one perfectly homogenous group ....

[lpbk2713]

8. It's either this or kick the dog and beat up the wife.

Not really.



But DU does make a good pressure relief valve some times.

[sellitman]

9. Everything has warts

Look for the Gems not for the dung.

There are more Gems on DU than anywhere else on the Net.

[old guy]

10. Waste of time? Not to me.

I watch almost no TV news or listen to very little radio. I am
retired and am in and out all day. I can come to DU and in a
very short time pick up on many things I would never see. I
post very seldom, but I have been made aware of many things I
otherwise would not know about. Thanks to all.   

[Yoda Yada]

13. Welcome, Old Guy!

Thanks for joining us....we need more "old guys". :hi:

[ReadTomPaine]

11. I've changed plenty of minds here as well as changing my own opinions on a variety of topics...

Much of this depends on a persons willingness to accept error. Some people feel they are never wrong - that's not a fault of DU, but rather a character flaw of the person in question. Effective arguments are as persuasive here as they are anywhere - given the number of eyes this place gets, perhaps even more so.

DU matters. It effects everything from TV/radio to federal politics in its own way. It's also one of the best places on the net to get the news. LBN is a gem.

[bluerum]

12. Old blue collar saying: "Opions are like,,, certain body parts, everyone

has one."

You just have to sift through the dross.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

14. I'm here for the verbal abuse.

I'd hate to have to depend on real live people for that.

[illinoisprogressive]

22. that is a classic line.

[zanne]

32. And it's free. nt

[ginnyinWI]

15. I come here for the news

I trust this forum to tell me things that I wouldn't get on TV.

The more correct information we get, the better our opinions will get.

[SaveElmer]

16. Not at all...

I've learned plenty here...

Debating people here also helps when you are discussing issues with people in real life...

and...there are plenty of people who read DU on a regular basis but almost never post...

[ljm2002]

17. Yeah, I just *hate* it when...

...I have facts to back up my positions -- often gleaned from DU.

Come on, why post about what a waste of time it is? Are you not, by your own actions, contradicting your position just a wee bit?

[illinoisprogressive]

23. good point

[joshcryer]

18. There is absolutely nothing wrong with CONSTRUCTIVE debate.

Unfortunately, however, many many threads on DU result in unintelligent flames against someone just because their position isn't hard line and uncompromising.

If you feel there is room for grey areas, you're in trouble. God forbid I ever post a thread with my opinion about Iraq. It would be a flamefest to hell (with very little constructive debate within).

[Egnever]

19. Not even close

This site is a a huge deposit of knowledge, Sure there is a lot of mental masturbation but there is also tons of information to be had here.

just the other day someone came up to me in real life and told me of some bit of news they had just learned that I have known about for over three years thanks to this site and its many posters willing to dig for the truth.

Waste of time for you perhaps,For myself it is a means of arming myself when out in the real world being confronted by freeper idiots or just plain imbeciles.

[CreekDog]

20. Whatever. Solomon said the same thing 2000+ years ago

...albeit in different words.

It's all chasing after the wind. But live your life, enjoy your life and do your best.

If talking through the news and events on these forums helps you do that, more power to you.

[illinoisprogressive]

21. I go all over the blogs and avoid the ones that promote only one candidate.

I don't care about what's cool. I don't care what is THE issue of the moment. or who is THE netroots poster candidate of the month. Until that person says or does something that the powers that be don't like then go off on a week long binge of trashing.
Not my thing.
I like to read alot of things. I like to discuss stuff. I love the comic blogs like rising hegemon that are so sarcastic and don't try to shove anyone down anyone's throat.
I like to read things like Smirking Chimp and just political things.
But, I like Dem. Underground because the powers here don't endorse anyone then expect you to fall in line and drive those who don't out. if I want authoritarian I'd be a republican. Dem. Underground provides a place for all people who have many interests and for all candidates.
Like the groups that cover all subjects and hobbies, ect.
and people post lots of different things from the serious to the silly.

[ChiciB1]

24. BINGO!! We Need To Be Hitting The Streets With Some Old Time

ACTIVISM! Some may think it's lame, old school and out of date... but IMO, IT WORKS!

Sitting at a PC, signing petitions, writing letters to Senators & Congressment just ain't gonna do it!!

We have become TOO LAZY! Yes, I am a BOOMER, but I'm working very hard to get younger people involved in DEMONSTRATING that "We The People" are the ones who SHOULD be in CHARGE!

It's TIME to Take Our country Back!! Get off our asses and SHOW THEM it's OUR COUNTRY!!!

[Donald Ian Rankin]

25. No, it's a valuable intellectual exercise.

Arguing is an invaluable skill.

In the real world, I mostly only get to argue with people whose friendship I value, so I have to be careful what I say.

On DU, however, when someone makes a point that I don't think hold water, I can explain fully while I think it's mistake, without worrying that they'll hate me forever.

[BeyondGeography]

26. Beats watching TV all the time

but, if used to excess (I plead guilty, your Honor), it can take away from reading, walking and face-to-face interaction with people in the next room.

On the plus side, writing, even in snippet form, can be good for the soul, you actually have to back up what you say, you learn to respect other points of view, and how to avoid making an ass of yourself in public. Good training for the real world as it were.

Waste of time...I think not.

[stuntcat]

27. I've learned stuff here

There are people out there who see what I see so I'm not alone.. for one example of something learned here :)
I've also seen that fellow democrats can be snarky and depressing like anyone I guess, but I still learn some Stuff here.

(should I toss in some bitter depressing words since I'm not in the lounge?? cause fuck that :))

[peacetheonlyway]

28. maybe a waste of YOUR time, but not mine

any great democracy depends on both honest exchange of ideas
and the heated debates to drive concensus in logical directions to have a government that actually does what citizens want it to do.

this Democraticunderground.com forum is why we have democracy at all.

on a gorgeous sunny day I could be out hiking, but somehow hearing smart people debate the better world we all want, makes a hell of a lot more sense to me, than going hiking some days. i can always hike tomorrow.

today, I will post on DU and no, not in the formulaic pattern you outline, but instead post valuable data that helps the people focused on changing the dictatorship continue their activism. this place is a huge source of truth and I need it for research and use it to guide my own activist activities.

if you don't like healthy democratic debate, move into the white house, there seems to be a lack of reasoning debate there.

otherwise, waste your time somewhere else, as for me, I love my DU resting spot. it's as critical to my life as sunshine or clean air.

[Skittles]

30. nothing saying you have to be here

I enjoy the oasis of DU because I live in the conservative hell that is North Texas

[mmonk]

31. Yep.

The election hoopla pales to the situation this country is in but that's the way it goes.

[dsc]

33. I changed my position on the war

from mildly in favor to totally opposed. I don't think DU deserves the entire credit for that but it gets some. I am certainly open this time to finding a candidate as I don't have one now.

[aikoaiko]

34. You say that like mental masturbation is bad.....

More seriously, yes, I've learned things and adjusted my opinions accordingly.

[Phoonzang]

35. I agree...

It's not much different from any internet forum dealing with any topic. DU has more influence and money than most, but at it's heart it's the same. Some people like this mental masturbation and others don't. I mainly just use it as a means to see what other Democrats are thinking. Well at least other liberal Democrats (since this forum doesn't really cater to conservative Democrats). I read the threads and don't post much, as evidenced by my 300 something posts and 2 1/2 year membership.

[PassingFair]

36. I come here for NEWS.

To get it.
AND
To see it parsed.

I CAN NOT get this on TV.

Although Moyers KICKS ASS! He has been seen only recently and rarely.

It is also interesting that we DO NOT agree on all points.

The issues are bigger than just the "campaigns".

Although perhaps you are just talking about this particular "Politics" Room?