The toxicity of the Greenwald/Snowden threads makes me long for the nuanced civility of ...

[11 Bravo]

the guns, pit bull, Olive Garden, and circumcision wars.

No one on either side of the NSA issue even pretends to try and persuade, it's all about the "you're a mindless worshipper" or "you're a mindless hater" bullshit.

I believe Casey Kasem said it best: "Ponderous, fucking ponderous".

[sibelian]

1. Well, trash em, then.

I've trashed tons.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Ignore also works

[sibelian]

5. Yes. I tend to avoid using it, though. I had an ignore amnesty earlier this year...

I'm not sure if it improved anything. Anyway, loads of people are ignoring me, now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Well it is, what it is.

[treestar]

2. Not true, there are attempts to inform

they are ignored.

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Truth.

[jazzimov]

7. I agree! I think THIS is what we should be discussing.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023135750

An honest attempt to change the laws to provide for better protections of our privacy rights, while still supplying our government the ability to catch those who would do us harm. There is plenty of room for controversy and discussion.

[DCBob]

8. +1

I think most of us can agree on that.

[hootinholler]

9. The toxicity of the thread subjects you name are real

I think the GG toxicity is somehow amplified from without.

Notice that the toxic posts are trying to move those who are trying to look at facts into one camp or other and miss the point that it's not about any individual's role but about a systemic dismantling of constitutional protections.

[kestrel91316]

10. That's why I won't go NEAR that quagmire. And I am not particularly interested in studying the issue

and forming an opinion, lol. Nope, no thanks.

[Major Hogwash]

11. "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"

That was the theme of the first essay assignment that we had to write in Mrs. Wheeler's 6th grade class.

I can't remember all of what I said in that essay, but it had to be dull.
Dull, dull, dreadfully dull.
Dull as dulled nails that had been hammered on the wrong end of the nail.