When i started reading DU a few years back, i remember being impressed by the overall level of debate happening on the site. Responses contained several complete sentences, ideas were discussed heatedly but without excessive vitriol or general schoolyard nonsense, and people were generally supportive to each other.

Things have become truly absurd here in recent months (maybe as long as a year ago?) and i feel i should say something about it. Someone who doesn't want Hillary Clinton as the nominee is not a mysognist. Someone who doesn't want Barack Obama as the nominee is not a bigot. Someone who doesn't want Kucinich as the nominee is not a height supremacist.

It's like equating being anti-semitic and anti-Israel. There are Jews in Israel, but Israel is not Judaism. Hillary Clinton is a woman, but women are not Hillary Clinton. Kucinich is indeed shorter than Obama, but i'm not accusing everybody of hating people under 5'9".

Am i wrong?

Even worse, this jingoistic childish crap is carrying over to the few remaining posts discussing actual issues. Suddenly, somebody who thinks that both our potential nominee's health care plans must want a McCain presidency. We really need to bring back some quality on this site. Haven't we all seen the one-liner arguments played out enough? Isn't anybody else tired of the sniping? Of the needlessly clogged "greatest threads" section? That section used to have some really great threads, and now it's more than 90% two-sentence posts with two-word replies.

And yes, my post count is low. Can we all agree that someone can have a good idea without posting 999 replies to mindless threads on the GD: P section? It's ridiculous to see people shot down over having only written several hundred posts all the time, just because it's easier than having an actual debate.

Step it up DU! Bring back the good old days! Or at least bring some good days!




kick/recommend as needed if you're with me on this stuff and want more DUers to see it. Thanks.