Our friend, NC Traveler, is up to four hides. Let's let everybody speak their minds.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

?1

"Truth crushed to earth will rise again."

-Martin Luther king, Jr.

I inadvertently posted it in the General Discussion Primaries. It is self referential and doesn't belong there. It belongs here.

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. This has gotten out of control.

[okasha]

22. It's been out of control for some time.

[brer cat]

2. People are alerting

on very mild posts and are too often getting the hide. I was on a jury yesterday where a post was hidden. One of the jurors said he/she was hiding because it was stalking in the Bernie group...only problem was the post was in GD. That happened again in the same thread. They don't even bother to get the basics on the post they are adjudicating before they vote.

There is no question that the posters in this group are being alert stalked. I really think we need to go back to a system with moderators.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. 1SBM got a hide for telling his interlocutor his "point went over his head."

eom

[brer cat]

9. Yep.

Bravenak, sheshe2, and cha, among others have had very bogus hides. I can only think some people are alerting on dozens of posts hoping one will catch a biased jury. What they have done to 1SBM makes me sick. I have learned so much from him.

[Cha]

21. Mahalo for including me in the "very bogus hide" group, brer! I was quoting a bernie supporter's

name in Quotes and it got hidden .. because the Bernie supporter's name was "Bernie Blower".. who subsequently got banned for being a troll.

Not my fault he had a stupid name. And, no one can appeal.. citing the ignorance of the jury. We're just stuck with that damn hide .. for 3 months.

And, then there are those who want to silence 1StrongBlackMan and bravenak for daring to voice their concerns as African Americans.

It's really a warped system now.. because not all members show responsibility when they're on jury duty.. it's not like we can screen to sniff out bias for a jury selection.

[leftieNanner]

13. I was asked to be on a jury

for the first time recently, and I will say that the instructions are fairly vague. I wouldn't have known that the issue of where the thread was posted is a part of the decision process. But I think unless something is really vile or threatening, we should be able to express ourselves on DU.

[MADem]

28. You know, it is possible to alert on a hidden post,

and lodge a protest with the admins. Tell the admins that the premise of the alert was false, that the facts were misrepresented, etc.

Might not do any good but they'll at least know how we feel.

Problem with moderators is this--if they aren't paid, then their biases will infect their moderation. I certainly wouldn't want "fairness" being determined by some of the people who are voting to hide our friends' posts, would you?

[davidpdx]

29. How about the one the other day where someone openly said they voted to hide

because the person was a Sanders supporter? The ugliness goes both directions.

[ismnotwasm]

3. Why are people behaving this way?

This is insane. And sick. It comes from the cruel, the disturbed and the deluded, and the end result is all three.

[brer cat]

4. P.S.

I am going on vacation and taking a break from DU. I hope all you guys are still here when I get back.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I will be here because I have figured out how to forcefully make your point and not get a hide.

You have to cloak it in the guise of "passive aggresiveness."

[brer cat]

8. Good for you.

You are a stalwart defender here, and you are needed.

[heaven05]

7. It's a big trend here

in some groups, forums and with a lot more alleged progressive and individual than I imagined, ever. Not surprise though it always been very easy to hide ugliness under a false veneer. It's just a mirror of general society in 2015. People do not want to face the truth about a very important matter, #Black Lives Matter. A train is a-coming.

[jalan48]

10. Unless they are personally abusive comments I err on the side of non-censorship.

Bernie supporter here.

[Cosmic Kitten]

11. Keeping things light hearted

[lark]

12. I'm generally on a jury 1-2 times per week.

Most of the time I vote to leave it alone. Only when it's really insulting or mean and over the top do I vote to hide. People need room to express themselves.

[ColesCountyDem]

15. That's about what I average, too.

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I use very basic criteria, when called for jury duty:

1.) Does it violate the TOS?

2.) Is it a personal attack?

3.) Is it calling out another DU-er?

4.) Is it whining about DU, DU's policies or another jury's decision?

Sadly, I've seen posts hidden that didn't violate 1.) - 4.), and posts left alone that did violate 1.) - 4.).

[murielm99]

16. I get asked to serve often,

sometimes twice a day. I am astonished by some of the things that are hidden. The votes are often 5-2, or 4-3. The bias is obvious.

I am sure they will target me sooner or later.

Keep posting, NC Traveler. We need your voice.

[JDPriestly]

14. Let people speak.

Here's a self-defense tip learned in the trenches: If you feel yourself getting angry at someone's post, instead of reporting the post, just take a deep breath and go to a different thread. Cut everybody some slack.

We all get mad. We all make mistakes. Don't report posts just because they annoy you, and don't try to escalate a situation.

Try to help others think through a problem with a quiet, problem-solving mind rather than with angry emotions.

We are all responsible for each other on DU.

Added. DU is not about verbally "winning" a sparring match. It's about learning from each other. How do you see things? How do I see things?

We shouldn't be trying to squeeze out others' posts or opinions just because we think they are wrong.

When in doubt, don't call a post out.

Thanks.

[murielm99]

17. I have not alerted on anyone.

I don't care who they support. It would have to be pretty obvious before I resorted to alerting.

[Mbrow]

18. I'm not a big poster and i have

served on a few juries. as a matter of principle I will not vote to hide any comment unless it is an obvious troll, this has happened once? maybe twice. I believe that if you don't like a comment then do your research and respond in a civil manner even if the other person is not. it's not a matter of being polite but the fact is taking the moral high ground is more likely to win people to your POV which is why you post, Right? but if you are just being a ranting asshole about something, it is not the way to win people over, let them dig their own hole.

[nc4bo]

19. Wow. This is way out of control.

What can be done about it?!!!!!!!!!!

[sheshe2]

20. It is a huge problem...

so is the alert stalking that Skinner said isn't happening.

[lovemydog]

23. NC Traveler:

I like your posts and wouldn't vote to hide any of them!

[George II]

24. Looks like "hides" are directly proportional to the National Primary Poll results!!

[freshwest]

25. Among our best posters and very kind. Yet they aren't wanted. It's just plain wrong. n/t

[Admiral Loinpresser]

26. +1 n/t

[Koinos]

27. NCTraveler is one of my favorite posters.

NCTraveler is fair, kind, and logical. When good people are attacked for little or no reason, change is in order.

[pnwmom]

30. Just wanted to remind everyone that you can exclude up to 5 people from ever being your jurors.

Up to 15 people if you have a star. I just added a second person to my ignore list, and realized I should exclude him or her from any jury, too.

So if there's someone who is always blasting away at you, you might want to consider this. Just go to "My account" and then to "Ignore list" and "Jury Blacklist."