Sharing Useful Perspectives or Venting Frustration?

[oberliner]

I've only been a member here for a short time and I've made a hell of a lot of posts.

The majority of them have been related to one particular topic.

I wonder, do people feel, generally, that posts in GD are helpful in giving readers a better understanding of a situation, or are they primarily useful in riling up those who disagree and bucking up those who do agree?

Do people feel like they've gotten a lot of valuable information of late which has helped them to form an opinion about a topic they were otherwise on the fence about?

Are there certain controvertial topics for which finding common ground among progressives is a lost cause?

Is it valuable sometimes to make a post here that is simply to vent frustration?

Would the discussion around controvertial topics be more productive if we were all sitting around a big table somewhere rather than shooting off missives from our computers?

What role, if any, does the internet play in shaping the formation of these discussions?

[Redstone]

1. Large questions, no answers. At least not from me. I tend to

concentrate on the more immediate stuff, like what the hell I walked into this room to do just now.

I do hope you get some more coherent answers, though.

Redstone

[KoKo]

2. Coming in on July 20th I can see why you would ask!

You hit DU at a bad time...(if I read your bio correctly and it was July 20th this year).

Lots of us have been here since "Selection 2000" and many have been here some years after that and we've all been through many battles during the Bush Dictatorship. So, sometimes what you are catching is old battles flairing up between friends and foes on "points of issue" and some of what you see is folks who just join in for fun of an argument. And some is Summer Vacation folks who are very young.

It's a big site...and when we have a huge FlairUp like Hurricanes and Wars...we often become a "stress relief" site. There are lots of Forums here besides the ones where all the "armchair wrestling" goes on, though.

DU is like a Public Library. There's something here for all tastes...but you have to look for it outside of the CHATTY Forums like "General Discussion and General Discussion Politics or the Lounge." Because all those Forums get pretty wild and free form. :shrug:

Anyway just check out the "Topic Forums" and "DU Groups" and there's much there to ponder.

[greyl]

3. Don't forget Fishing for Attention ;) nt