I don't know if I like DU very much anymore....

[WannaBeGrumpy]

...just sayin'
:shrug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear WannaBeGrumpy...

I hear ya, sweetie...

Things are looking very strange to me as well...

I keep wishing we were all the good friends we used to be...

:hug:

[MissMillie]

2. well, we sure like you!

:hug:

[WannaBeGrumpy]

11. I like you too....

it's not the people...just more of the general atmosphere!

[JeffR]

3. I hear that

totally

[bicentennial_baby]

4. It ebbs and flows, m'dear...

Although lately, it's mind numbingly boring...yawn. Unless you're following the Anthrax story. Now that's juicy.

:loveya:

[bridgit]

5. I'm glad for the work we have that takes us out of the house for most of the day

And away from aggravated negativities that circle but never seem to go down the drain...just say'n :hi:

[AmyDeLune]

6. Just stay here in The Lounge, where it's safe...

and there is a never ending supply of cute kitty pics and "I just (insert activity here), ask me anything!" threads.

:)

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. Word from your mama

You're going to be associated with "just sayin'" and then you're not going to like it.

That's all "I'm telling you". :hi:

[The Straight Story]

8. Is it because of me?

What did I do now.... :rofl:

[WannaBeGrumpy]

12. yes it is allll you!

no its just the atmosphere and mood around here as of late.

[Generic Brad]

9. Since I am clueless as to what you are referring to

I hope it is not the clueless but quiet individuals like me who are causing you to feel that way.

[WannaBeGrumpy]

14. no it is just the attitude and mood around here lately...

makes me sad! :(

[Generic Brad]

17. I felt that way during the primaries

But then the passions cooled and we all moved onto something else. It seemed to me that it felt like primary redux today. We just don't need that. We have an election to win together.

[WannaBeGrumpy]

18. nothing can be acheived without some sort of unity...

and just doesn't seem to be the case.

[hyphenate]

39. Understandable

I think there are likely more trolls still hanging around to infest us with ill will. I responded to a thread last night that was surely one of those threads trying to divide us yet again. We're never going to have peace here until that element goes away.

And I think it hasn't gone away this time because most of us are not as complacent as we were in 2004. We believed (and rightly so) that John Kerry was a shoo-in, but most of us didn't know that the pugs were willing to lie, cheat and steal to keep the white house, and that the secretary of state of Ohio was going to do a lot of the dirty work. This time, we're open to deceptions of all kinds, and we're not willing to be anywhere near the word complacent. This terrifies the wrong-wingers, and they're making it even more difficult. DU gets attention because it IS one of the largest discussion groups, and the fellas on the wrong side want to shake the confidence and obstinacy we have going for us. And enough of these assholes know how to get under our skin and disrupt things.

[Shell Beau]

21. It gets that way around here from time to time.

If you can hang on a while, this will pass! :hug:

[Haole Girl]

10. Wish I had some words of wisdom for you

:hug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Ah, the honeymoon's over...

Hang in their kid. :hug::hug::hug:

[bluesbassman]

15. You do realize there's a lot of trolls and disruptors coming out of the woodwork?

The problem is that some genuine DUers are letting their skin get too thin and rising to the bait. I'm sure it'll calm down after the GE, but it's probably going to get a little worse during the run up. Hang in there.:hi:

[Radical Activist]

16. Breaks can be good.

I stopped posting at DU for nearly a year at one point and stopped posting in the lounge even longer after having spent a lot of time here.

[1gobluedem]

19. Oh, no....why?

Do I need to chew someone out for you?

[Phillycat]

20. Here's the thing, though.

We all have to take responsibility for our actions. I very much liked the poster who was banned, and adore the poster who is currently suspended. But! This website is privately owned, by some guys who set some very reasonable rules for its use. And my experience has been, if I let the assholes who are EVERYWHERE online, not just DU, piss me off to the point where I break those rules, I have to take some responsibility for that.

During the primaries, I realized I was going to get banned if I didn't stop going to GD-P, and also put some people on ignore. I couldn't control my temper, and I was breaking rules. I didn't receive any moderator warnings, but I had enough posts deleted that I realized I was in dangerous territory. Since it's not like we're fighting any meaningful battles in GD-P, I just stopped visiting the forum. Since people who raise my blood pressure are bad for me, I just put them on ignore. At first I went through a kind of withdrawal, from the lack of tension and drama in my DU experience. And then it came back to me, the reason I started coming to this site in the first place, to interact with like-minded Democrats and hopefully have some fun along the way.

If the two people in question weren't able to step back and gain that objectivity, then they need to take some responsibility for what happened.

Sorry, I just used your thread to express some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head since last night. Not really directed at you, dear. :)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

23. very wise post.

[WannaBeGrumpy]

29. yeah i wasn't really referring to that situation...

just the mood around here lately...but that situation definitely contributes to my feelings...:(

[La Lioness Priyanka]

22. i dont either. i think its kinda smoking.. i do it out of habit

lately i have been wondering if i should really just speak my mind and if i get banned, so be it

[yellowdogintexas]

24. here's the deal, stick to the lounge, look at safe posts, such as kitty, weather,

doggie, food, books, etc. Stay out of the political stuff until at least after the conventions.

Maybe even just check in to posts by people you know aren't going to bum you out ...:loveya: :loveya:

learn to love the PM

This too will pass. Group dynamics shift, just like the tectonic plates, regardless of the group. A dear friend of mine describes it as a group collapsing under its own weight.

Some times this place is like high school on steroids, without the competitive fashion/makeup/cars/relationship competitions that go with high school.

YOu can lurk w/o posting for a while, I had to do that when I had some sort of epic fail with my password and couldn't post for like 2 months. THAT was frustrating, I couldn't comment on kitty pictures or jokes.

The interesting thing about an on line community, there are always new folks to offer fresh insights.

Sometimes I think there should be an interest group for the under 20 folks on the board, just so they know each other.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

26. Until after the conventions? Yeah, it'll be better then

GD-P will just find more reasons to go at each other.

But we'll at least know who are the VP candidates.

I'm looking forward to my Obama/Hilton bumper sticker

:rofl:

[yellowdogintexas]

28. ohh good one!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[RedShoes]

25. I sorta feel the same way.

it's gettin' kinda hectic.

[SidneyCarton]

27. Yeah, things have been a little heavy as of late.

I pity those who have passed, they contributed much of interest. But one must mind one's surroundings, and they chose not to. My brother has a saying, "hit the button long enough, your ticket gets punched." One had their ticket punched yesterday, the other, we're still waiting on. Maybe they'll learn, for their own sake I hope so, such behavior usually reflects what a person does in real life, and out here, hitting that button often results in far worse consequences than a mere tombstoning.

[MrCoffee]

30. Amen.

[Guava Jelly]

31. I like it still

I miss a few people who rarely post anymore though.

[WannaBeGrumpy]

32. I just don't know how i feel about it right now...

it just seems to be a little mean and snarky around here.

[SPKrazy]

33. I dunno what's up

but I feel that way sometimes here, but I think you are a great person here on DU.

:hug:

[WannaBeGrumpy]

35. aww... i think you are a great person here too...

:loveya: :hug:

[Pale Blue Dot]

34. Honestly, WBG, if I could give you advice:

RUN, don't walk, far away from here. The people who are living their lives on this site (and I include myself in this) are not completely healthy. Go out with your REAL friends, have REAL discussions and REAL debates, and leave the internet behind. I wish I would.

:hug:

[sniffa]

36. I know how you feel

:hug:

But yesterday was pretty awesome here, though.

[datasuspect]

37. there's probably more productive things you should be doing anyway

most online activity is a major timesink.

[realisticphish]

38. that's why i retreated to the groups

way more fun in those; it's like the lounge back in the day

[Skittles]

40. it stinks since the bots got onboard

:thumbsdown:

[tandot]

41. Here is something that will cheer you up:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x7950254

[WannaBeGrumpy]

42. i htink that goes down in history as:

THE BEST POST EVER!!!!

[BeachBaby]

43. Awww, babe....

I feel like that sometimes, too; but whenever I get to that point, I just hop on over to FreeRepublic - and suddenly this place is heaven again! :P

:hi: :hug:

[WannaBeGrumpy]

44. :)

:hug: :hug:

[TK421]

45. Me too...it's not as fun as it used to be

but then again, I was never involved in some of the threads that are mentioned here ( mostly out of humorous posts )

Hang in there...maybe you will find one that appeals to you and you will be up all night typing nonsensical bullshit, too because you have had too many drinks and don't know what the hell you are supposed to be typing....pretty much what I am doing right now! :toast:

[WannaBeGrumpy]

48. It's all good...

:toast:

[Fox Mulder]

46. I like it.

Even more so recently. :)

[WannaBeGrumpy]

49. i guess i've jus been really down lately...

and Du has been making me down-er..:(

[Robeson]

47. It's much too tame. I remember the good old days when I could come on here....

...and flirt and be stroked with feathers, and beaten with whips. It's just not the same anymore...:D