General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow does today's Du compare to 2003?
Looking for others opinions, I might post mine later.
StevieM
(10,499 posts)A bunch of Democrats posting their positions from the liberal standpoint.
BigmanPigman
(51,432 posts)I would like to know as well since I wasn't aware of DU until about a year ago.
no_hypocrisy
(45,774 posts)They are no longer regarded as the loyal opposition.
They will say and do anything to stay in power and to enable their corporate and billionaire sponsors.
susanna
(5,231 posts)Back then, we were fighting a very different beast.
Member since 2000/01 here...
Orsino
(37,428 posts)...and about how much closer we've edged to fascism.
boston bean
(36,186 posts)Even with an even more disgusting POTUS who sits in office with a win with way less votes than GWB.
Seems people arent as united and are willing to eat our own instead of bucking up and putting the trash out.
Cha
(295,925 posts)wonder why?.. Hmmm?
Dem bashing started in 2009 and reached crescendo in 2010 when I left for 2 years, it got so bad.
I don't know how it was from 2010 to 2012.. I imagine not good.
susanna
(5,231 posts)Back then I thought it couldn't get worse.
It has.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)And the reason I spend much, much less time here. I check in once in awhile, but the lack of civility has been a real turn off for me.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)...and that's it's affecting our own side more than ever.
If we are truly inclined to hold the line, it follows that we're going to be more and more frustrated.
Zoonart
(11,750 posts)And then, of course...tweets.
The community is solid though. Love DU!
Generic Brad
(14,270 posts)Quite a few great people have passed. The Lounge is not as lively as it once was. There used to be some fun features I look forward to like Bob Boudelang, the Top 10 Conservative Idiots, the DUZYs.
But on the bright side, the jury system has improved. I like how this site is moderated now. And some prolific and obnoxious posters have been shown the door.
Take the good with the bad. If you don't like DU today, you may like it better next week. It all depends on what is happening in the world.
GP6971
(31,017 posts)How I miss him!! He was hysterical!
susanna
(5,231 posts)He made things interesting
on edit, yes, I know how to spell made
rainy
(6,083 posts)better. The site allowed more opposing views and opinions.
There was lots of criticism of the Democratic Party, but it was largely regarded as constructive rather than dismissed as "bashing". There was more tolerance for a wider range of viewpoints.
RainCaster
(10,690 posts)Where we could buy swag. I still have a coffee cup from here that says "My parents voted Republican and all I got was this stupid president"
Of course that was a long time ago.🤬
Response to BootinUp (Original post)
withoutapaddle This message was self-deleted by its author.
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)of earlier times-- we are pretty dispersed among the many groups, forums, and subgroups.
Less trust, too as the site has gotten larger and "trolling" has become more targeted and determined...
More divisiveness than earlier years, though I find that cyclical and there are times when we all tend to come together "watching" an event, for instance such as occurs on election nights in GD.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)For a long time now, DU likes me just fine but I had to have a few user names before I found my way.
Cha
(295,925 posts)Little Star
(17,055 posts)unc70
(6,095 posts)While there are still times when DUers as a group investigate some topic and run it to the ground, these seem less frequent now. Remarkable group of experts on most any set of topics that come together.
Dont feel it is quite as good these days, at least not on the whole. Some great moments, but ...
Seem to be more trolls now. Somewhat less civility, a lot less level-headed discussion. Not as many meet ups.
4now
(1,596 posts)We didn't believe every piece of Russian/Republican propaganda that they tried to spoon feed us.
Cha
(295,925 posts)you don't either, 4now
djg21
(1,803 posts)Last edited Wed Jan 24, 2018, 02:41 PM - Edit history (1)
Of different viewpoints when I first joined in 2001. Now, if you dont subscribe to and parrot the approved DU group think, you get castigated, the thread gets locked, or your post gets reported and deleted. Thats is why I gave up on being a ⭐️ member years back.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)DrDan
(20,411 posts)be prepared to put-in-your-place.
I have always found it amusing when a poster would begin with "What do we think about this" as though there is an approved viewpoint.
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)That was the year Dean ran and pushed to hold Dems accountable for enabling Bushes wars. Kucinich was another who was willing to be critical. It could be contentious, but I think there were more healthy debates and the allowance of criticism that was constructive was not a bad thing.
UTUSN
(70,497 posts)There never was a fantasy land when it was better than any previous or later stage of development. It is alive, therefore changeable. To be static is to be dead, inanimate. That said, I will contradict myself to say: It's better than ever.
JimGinPA
(14,811 posts)And there were less tweets.
Stinky The Clown
(67,696 posts)Lithos
(26,397 posts)And action-oriented. There were tons of "get togethers" in various states. People when they traveled would often meet a group of DU'ers in the town they were visiting.
For the most part DU was formed during a period of time when people were going thru the various stages of grief and denial against Bush coupled with the disaster of 9/11. You might call it the Golden age of DU
For the most part everyone was on board with a common goal, namely to survive and reorganize. The only real purity tests at the time were against Greens - especially those who seemed to have possibly supported Nader. The factionalizing started in 2004 and got worse with each subsequent contested presidential election, though Obama's first term did create a very nice Silver Age.
DU also covered topics - Women's rights, LGBTQ, immigration, Black Lives matter well before they rose to prominence in the mainstream. Not seeing too much today being discussed which is not already mainstream.
L-
ProfessorGAC
(64,425 posts)I agree totally. I met up with people in Boston, Philly, LA, Atlanta when i traveled for work. Take a night aside to go meet some of the otherwise faceless posters i knew from here.
And several Chicago DU'ers got together more than a few times back in the day.
Not for quite some time, though.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)for everyone to call or write someone they would. We used to have an Action Corps. Always thought, with our numbers, we could make a difference. Just think...if every one of us called ONE congressman's office !
Just think...if every one of us sent a Dem candidate in a targeted race $20!!!
Missed impact opportunity!!! But or issue is that we have no leader...
The_jackalope
(1,660 posts)Maybe somewhat more party-over-country, but I think that's probably the result of today's political climate being more polarized and antagonistic.
I joined in 2004 under a different handle, and I was a steady contributor up to about a year ago.
Awsi Dooger
(14,565 posts)Those are some of the first things that spring to mind.
No, the Lounge is not nearly as active. I'd log in at night and sometimes it had gained 6 new pages from the prior night. It's only a fraction of that now.
NewYawker had the wonderfully thoughtful acknowledgement of every new milestone, no matter who it was.
I got a kick out of a few posters -- and one in particular -- who were obsessed with knocking Apple in new threads virtually every day, insisting the company was nothing but overpriced hardware. The one in particular would isolate some specific Apple computer and compare it to a similar Windows product, asserting the Windows version was equivalent but $600 cheaper or whatever.
It was difficult not to laugh. I told him he was completely missing the point, that hardware prices meant nothing. I might not know exactly what Steve Jobs had in mind, but it was going to be revolutionary. I gained this Apple avatar as rub-it-in counter when those handful of guys persisted in the overpriced hardware theme and wouldn't let go.
If there's anything I understand it is that the big picture rules, and that day to day fixation means absolutely squat. You can apply that to politics and everywhere.
I did appreciate that several posters were onboard with me, touting the Apple stock. I believe it was about 40 bucks at the time. I'm fairly certain that was within 2003 because I joined this site during fall 2002.
musicblind
(4,484 posts)After the 2008 primaries, we DID have some dissension. A few radicals broke off and formed PUMA. However, once the primary was over, the vast majority of Hillary supporters in the primaries gladly rallied around Obama and most of the Obama supporters from the primary welcomed them with open arms. It all felt very united. It was amazing how much bad blood just vanished between the two sides and everyone began rooting for Obama.
After the primary losses and the 2012 election, I started noticing a lot more infighting, not just when it came to primaries. Then the 2016 primary was brutal and that brutality still lingers in the party to this day.
I wish we could go back to getting along. We all agree on like 95% of everything.
That's my personal observation since 2007.
marlakay
(11,370 posts)And agree with what you said.
It was more peaceful and we were one during Bush trying to get back in power. Ever since Obama/Hillary and Hillary/Bernie this place hasnt been the same and many have left.
I do remember get togethers and went to one in SF in 2004 while working on Kerry campaign.
I still come here because I think we want the same things even if we have different ways of getting there.
thbobby
(1,474 posts)I've only been here a little over a year. Great to see how people who have been here a long time see it now and then.
As for myself, I have been disagreed with, but not trolled. If everyone agreed with me it would be useless. I quit Twitter after having gained 1000+ followers because all that followed me agreed. Trolls disagreed. There was no thoughtful discussion or criticism. Here there is and I have learned from it.
mia
(8,356 posts)Back in 2003, online activism was just taking hold and focused more on getting things done and the big picture. There was more of an interest in world events.
Tavarious Jackson
(1,595 posts)Bush was making us look like murderers on the world stage.. The reports of our soldiers raping Iraq men and women in front of their families and killing them all were too much to stomach. There were many war crimes committed by us (Americans) under Bush.
Tavarious Jackson
(1,595 posts)Julian Assange was our friend in those days. Lol
ucrdem
(15,512 posts)A lot of DUers feel it was divisive, including Skinner, but it seemed to me the one place we could really communicate with other DUers, for example, if someone was wondering why they got a hide. It seemed very frank and refreshing though I gather it took a lot of managing to make it seem so.
Rhiannon12866
(203,007 posts)And we only had the major forums on DU.1 - plus The Meeting Room which was even more relaxed than The Lounge.
kydo
(2,679 posts)They need to bring that back!
MGKrebs
(8,138 posts)My feeling is that those here in the early days felt a bit of "ownership", and wanted to help build something worthwhile. There weren't nearly as many (what I call) vanity posts, where people just post any random thought that pops into their head (except in the Lounge of course, which is why it's there). It feels like litter to me and may be why some of the experts mentioned above don't hang out in this neighborhood much anymore.
As new members come in, many of them seem to just take the place for granted, a playground they don't have any responsibility for. They don't seem to realize that every member makes a contribution and it can be good or bad, and we are allowed to (for the most part) chart our own course here.
Don't litter! And get off my lawn!
Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)I used to spend hours at a time here, now I'm usually done in 20 minutes or so.
In the past 8 years there has been a decrease in tolerance of differing opinions and a decrease in civility. Failure to follow the "group think" results in alerts and insults.
Far too many posters are willing to believe any blogger, tweeter or news report that reinforces what they already believe and any facts that contradict what they believe are ignored or dismissed.
The changes in how alerts are handled has been an significant improvement.
Maeve
(42,224 posts)Major changes--it's bigger and the troll population larger. More radicals and purists, but that's the political climate now, too. We were united by our dislike of Dubya and couldn't believe the country would vote him a second term--and sadly disappointed that we were wrong.
I think the percentage of women posters has declined; DU was one of the first really 'safe' posting areas for women I found back then among political boards--many were (and are) over-run with aggressive conservative man-splainers (altho we didn't have that term, then). Now there are other places available.
Also, we've shifted as we've aged; we lost some stalwarts along the way and some things that were important have become less so. I used to spend hours setting up a virtual pub in the Lounge and serving 'drinks' (back when NewYawker was celebrating newcomers and milestones); the Daily Stock Market Report faded not only because the LBN rules changed but because it really isn't a reading of the economy anymore--it's just a reading of itself. And I got tired of it...Which is why I understand why we don't get some of the old favorite features the Admin used to write up.
DUers have been battered by the change in fortunes--we discovered that mass rallies didn't stop Dubya's march to war, we were divided by the Hillary/Obama primary but elated that he was elected, and we really thought we were facing a country of hope and change only to find the opposition would rather wreck the country than follow a black man. Yes, the 2008 primary was a bloody mess, but we weren't prepared for the partisan hatred and troll attacks that we first saw back then (and that reappeared in the 2016 primary--multiplied!)
There are more choices for topics/forums for posting now, which diffuses the conversation. But I still come here for links to activism (part of how I found the local Women's March this year) and info on other topics. Between LBN abd GD, I keep as well or better informed than my husband does using more conventional online news sources (not that I stop there, but they are good 'digests' if you will).
Orrex
(63,086 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)User name !!! Never would have picked mine..it was the same time Bush was caught drinking in China. Or is it Geye-na now? Thought then I would hate Bush forever
underpants
(182,279 posts)Less group-think, more posters inclined to think and do, not just follow the herd mentality. A LOT less factionalism, and none of this My Team/Your Team bullshit. Admins that cared about the site, moderators that cared about the posters, and none of this broken/rigged bullshit Jury system that we have now. It has gone severely downhill.
Kolesar
(31,182 posts)That was the watershed thread of this nascent forum. I didn't really understand the context of it then. I recall that I.G. and a few others stormed off, never to be seen again. Management said "we are a Democratic Party forum, not a broadly leftist forum" or something to that effect.
The other notable post was when a member posted that the home page of DU was loaded with anti Obama propaganda. These provocateurs really got the run of this place. The jury system was useless. I notice that the biggest creeps of that era are banned: the Tsarina, the skate punk and the blkmsclmachine. I cannot recall the other names, but if I look at my blocked posts, I can find those dumbasses.
I quit this shithole and started posting again in Nov 2016 and noticed that management had blown them all away. Thank you.
peacebuzzard
(5,124 posts)Miss the bumper stickers!
CK_John
(10,005 posts)introducing UBI to the discussion.
DrDan
(20,411 posts)called out
been here since 2001 and have seen it change significantly, imo
L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)OPs used to be something substantial, not just one little thingie. Now, good luck having a new post not sink below a heap of useless bullshit by comparison.
mvd
(65,148 posts)had my progressive point of view. There were still conservative Dems - Jiacinto and Walt Starr among them - but they were exceptions. It also seemed more close knit. CaliforniaPeggy is one great constant! I still know many posters, but we don't seem to meet the way we did. The rules then focused more on personal/group attacks and bigotry/insensitivity. There are more strict rules now on what you can post about the Democratic Party. Those rules have something to do with the change. I hope the board can have an accepting view for the next election.
EarlG
(21,894 posts)On the homepage, right column, at the bottom, there's a section called "Archives".
Click on a month for a list of dates, click on those dates for a list of the threads that were started on that date.
The archive is not complete -- it only goes back to July 2003 when we switched from DU1 to DU2. Also, some old forums are offline and threads in those forums cannot be accessed. But a lot of stuff is still there.
FWIW, in my opinion DU was not any "better" or "smarter" or "more in-depth, less fluff" than it is now. People still posted interesting stuff, dumb stuff, rude stuff, had their posts removed, complained about how much the site sucks (in fact, there's a lot less of that these days than there used to be).
For example, if you think it's a new thing for people to complain about what's happening on cable news and then argue about which Democrats may or may not be electable, let me assure you that the very same thing was going on 15 years ago.
Funny thing is, even in 2003 people were complaining about how DU had gone to the dogs and how it used to be so much better in 2001
I never took much notice of that cuz I don't go to the home page
that often. I saw some names I hadn't seen in a long time there.
BootinUp
(46,928 posts)FWIW, I enjoyed reading all of the replies. And thankfully the thread did not erupt into some kind of flame out. Rather it was a thread where we got to remember some stuff. See ya, and keep up the good work.
bigtree
(85,918 posts)...wait, that was me.
We're in 'common enemy' mode. It changes with each political season and outcome.
nolabels
(13,133 posts)Yet if you watched what went on in the world you could tell the site was kind of myopic. If you are looking for news and a wide range of views it's better. If you are looking for camaraderie, not so much
hexola
(4,835 posts)Now - nobody seems to give a fuck...
DU is more tabloid gotcha-ism than substantive thought.
100 people killed in Kabul the other day - and more this morning...and hardly a PEEP from DUers...
A Nikki Haley tweet about the Grammys - now that what gets DU'er fired up...68 replies and 12 recs
100 people dead in Kabul...Crickets...
TRUMP has you just where he wants you!