@NickFun,
I replied to Nick, but I mean to reply to CJ
what is a 'societal leech'? I know what old means and I know what retarded means but this term confuses me (as it would pertain to an internet forum) or do you think that a2k posters are leeches or parasites in their dealings in the real world as a general rule?
OR, and I think I just got it - is this a dig at liberalism and liberals, because most of the posters on a2k seem to be liberals (at least politically- in my opinion there are very few people who are truly 'liberal' in every aspect of their lives here or anywhere else for that matter- but that's another thread...)
My own opinion is that it's sad and misguided to blame all your problems on an unidentifiable/and or immeasurable 'group' (such as liberals and/or progressives). If you do that - then you never have any hope of achieving change for yourself. If you abdicate the power of your day to day happiness to someone- ANYONE else - oh well - there it goes.
And liberals are not MEAN....Rex what you're describing are MEAN/CRUEL people. That is not a function of political ideology (that's another thing that would make an interesting thread though). Cruelty or pettiness or meanness is a function of individual personality. You cannot ascribe that behavior to a group based on political preferences. Unfortunately if you get a couple or group of people who want to be mean to someone else - it feeds and grows- and maybe that's what you think is happening, but I guarantee you it's not because anyone is liberal politically or votes democratic.
I think you should think of meanness as separate and different from selfishness and/or the desire to have things look and be the way an individual wants them to look and/or be. And we all do that and insist on that from those around us -you're doing it Rex when you say, in effect, 'I want more thumbs up and less thumbs down.'
cj- you're doing it when you say, 'I don't like the way this site looks or what these people are saying (by calling them old and retarded and societal leaches).
How is that different than what anyone is doing to you?
(Although you're right - some insist more strongly than others that their environment be and look the way they think it should or want it to). Selfishness can look very much like cruelty - but the two really are very different mechanisms. Most people who are selfish don't even realize they're being selfish and certainly wouldn't consider themselves cruel for trying to shape their world to their preferred dimensions.
But that's what always did bother me about this whole voting thing (although I'm glad it's only going positive- but even there you're gonna run into people not feeling valued equally and that'll turn into it's own negative by default).
Honestly, I seem to value different things than the majority of posters - and I'm fine with that- but when I see people like Ramafuchs and dancerdoll, hellokitty, etc. voted down- it KILLS me - because I enjoy reading them - I really do. I find them as entertaining and thus as valuable in terms of my time here as anyone else on the board.
I think you can be very funny, cj when you reign in your tendency to strike out offensively. And that's despite the fact that I KNOW we probably have absolutely nothing in common- except we both seem to love and value our families ...
I think Rex can offer unique insights - but honestly Rex- I'm sometimes afraid to interact with you because I see how you can become overwrought...and I would never add to anyone's pain (even unintentionally) on the internet when/where I can't see and explain or help alleviate the consequences of my words (even if they were misunderstood) on that person's well-being or consequent lack of it because of something I said.
I aint no societal leech...I take exception to that label.
*Robert - did you grow up on Peach Orchard Drive with two older sisters- Terry Anne and Ellen. You have the same name as one of the younger brothers of two of my neighborhood friends when I was growing up. I keep thinking - is this the Robert Gentel from across the street? Anyway - I just want to say - I think you've done a great service here - and Nick too. However nasty it gets - what you've provided is a means for people to communicate and be heard - and for me - a space to create. I really appreciate it. And even if it's not perfect - although I aint complaining ( to me the whole thing is some sort of incomprehensible magic- I gotta hand it to you for knowing how to do this) you should be proud of what you've contributed to the world - yeah- the world- because you've made this gift of communication available to whoever chooses to avail him or herself of it - and I think it's made an awesome positive difference in a lot of lives.
But as for god being an atheist - Yo MAMA! -Jesus who do you think made it possible for you to have your DNA...come on - tell me that.? Really, I want to know.
hear hear.
