Reply #59: The difference is that the things said about them are true, these slanders are not. [View All]

[joshcryer]

Islamaphobic posts as "the only thing of value in this entire thread" is an insult to over 10 thousand posts regarding the Libyan Revolution. Calling an information thread made by unabashedly anti-war people "war glorification and propaganda stuff" when we go to extreme lengths to cover every aspect of the revolution is just another stab, and I find it ironic given the context of your reply. Saying "some people may regard this unrelenting propaganda as an insult to their intelligence" just underscores it.

I have never felt so demoralized, so hated, so utterly thrust into a toxic environment in my entire life. I have debated with right wingers, vile racists, extreme free market nutballs, and never felt so utterly trashed, so utterly sunk into an abyss of hatred. Ever. I mean it. Others know full well how bad this has affected me and I keep it to myself, but it is beyond anything I have ever experienced.

This started because we were covering Egypt and following along with Libya, and then it was decided that we should stop caring about Libya. I saw the corpses whose bodies were cut in two by anti-aircraft fire on protesters, I saw the corpses of people whose heads were blown off, limbs dismembered. I heard Gaddafi's ranting speeches about how he was going to cleanse Libya of "the rats" "ally by ally, street by street, house by house." I saw that the entire country rose up against him, beyond 70% or more in 21 cities. None of this is "propaganda" as you say it, but it motivated me to keep it going. I admit I couldn't have done it without the help of pinboy3niner and tabatha and Iterate (my health was deteriorating rapidly for the months there). And it grieves me the very possibility that those helping are as hated as I feel on a continual basis.

So spare me, please. You cannot tell me how I feel, that is not an exaggeration, it is brutal honesty. The first time since I've started coming to my beloved DU I felt this way. It takes extreme patience and composure to keep from returning the smears back at these people, as I live by the motto "it takes strength to be gentle and kind" and I try to do it. It's worked for the most part as two of the most toxic people have been banned, and as time goes on I can only hope the rest will be banished with them.