In What Ways Do We Mirror The Freepers?

[phrenzy]

Just curious. Because often when I read posts, even ones that I find myself nodding along to, I just think 'switch the democrat w/ republican and this is a post on FR that would piss me off'

One thing that I think is funny is that we both think the MSM is against us.

Another thing I have to admit, is that if a Repug Pres. (like Shrub) had done what Clinton did, I think we as dems probably would have done the same thing to him just to get rid of him.

Again, no value judgments here - we all know that there are fundamental differences in our POSITIONS on many things, but I'm just wondering in what ways people see a mirroring in TACTICS.

[maxsolomon]

1. i reject the premise of your post

we do not mirror the selfishness & fear of the republican party.

[rinsd]

9. Fear or fear mongering?

Not a day gopes by without many posts on DU proclaiming our imminent doom.

[maxsolomon]

12. imminent doom of DU or the Democratic Party?

because freepers wouldnt do either.

[rinsd]

15. The country, the party, the website etc....

Doesn't really matter the particular issue just the worst case cynicism associated with it.

[Vincardog]

2. I do not agree. I would not remove the shrub if he got a BJ everyday

of his pResidency. I do hold him responsible for heading up the FASCIST coup that stole our government.

[rpannier]

3. How about the DINO-RINO comments

Regardless of their actual voting record some legislators are smeared constantly with that term.

[Vincardog]

6. They should vote like Democrats not RePigLickins

[emulatorloo]

4. if Bush was having sex with an intern, I wouldn't think it was impeachable

Morally suspect, but not impeachable.

JMHO

[lvx35]

5. Here's a way we DON'T mirror them...

Freepers would never sit around talking about how they are like us, and would "do as we do" if the issues were switched...they would unconditionally assume they are right, and consider such dialog flip flopping and weakness. So we are not totally similar! :)

[Deja Q]

7. Do you mean those in power, or the freerepublic rabble?

[flashdebadge]

8. My uncle says that Democrats & Republicans want ...

the same things, they just believe in different ways of getting there.

[phrenzy]

10. Ummm nevermind

Jeezus christ - I think the responses post proved my point on it's own. I am simply saying sometimes the *HATE* expressed for 'conservatives' is similar to that expressed over at FR. That's all.

And also, if we had Shrub "lying under oath" we WOULD use that as a pretext to nail him. To say otherwise is just not realistic and ignorant of party politics.

[Vincardog]

13. Oh I thought you meant doing the same as Clinton. He got a BJ.

When asked under oath Did you have Sexual Relations (Defined as Penile Penetration of Vagina) he responded "I did not have Sexual Relations with that women."

We do not need a "PRETEXT" to get rid of aWoL he was never elected. He lied to Congress to promote his illegal War.

He is illegally spying on US Citizens and admits it.

What greater reason do we need?

[Somawas]

14. I think you're right on that point.

There are days that I come here and see more of the "bash Repiglicans" and "bash Rethugs" stuff and it looks like juvenile "Yay my side" crap. Those are the days I log off, surf elsewhere, and forget about poitics for a few hours.

[StClone]

11. MSM what is that?

Main street Monkey? Multi Schizoid Mishaps? Managed Scare Method? Around here the name is Corporate Media. Freepers use the MSM term.

[rinsd]

16. Oh please...

You knew what the OP is referring to and many people on DU use MSM as a descriptive term.

[StClone]

26. Well...

You can call it Main stream media and its the death tax and clear skies.

Enough said

[rinsd]

30. Oh I see now....

We need our own Orwellian bullshit.

You're free to call it what you want but the demanding others follow suit or they are somehow on the otherside is well so freeper-ish my irony meter exploded.

[StClone]

31. Understand I fly off on this topic because

It is the MOST important problem we face. It is the Corporate media and calling it the MSM isn't helping. I am not usually so strident to make a point but please forgive me on this point.

[rinsd]

40. Understood....tone is difficult via message board

I also flew a bit off the handle and for that I apologize.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

17. I believe that people passionate about their causes

behave in similiar ways. All people tend to stereotype folks of various races, religions, political persuasions, etc. We do; they do. We both think we have the moral highground. Both sides call each other asshats and fuktards, but I think moonbat is reserved for this side of the spectrum. Both sides are completely convinced that the other side is morally repugnant, probably criminal and generally sub-human.

Both sides name call and often use animal names for their enemies. (The Chimp, etc.)

Both sides see plots and conspiracies. The right worries about communists and we worry about the BFEE.

Both sides tend to sexualize women who don't toe their own line by calling them whores, or cunts. Both sides assume the other side are on drugs or alcohol and have had massive botox and face lifts.

We get on them for their SUV's and bad hair and they think we don't use deodorant or shave. They think we are dirty, we think they are Stepford people.

Basically, we're very tribal folks. both sides.

[rinsd]

18. Excellent point on tribalism...

..its something I usually think about when the "we're smarter/prettier/more charitable/etc" threads get started.

[phrenzy]

19. Awesome!

Thank you soo much - haha so true - I just think it's interesting to look at those paralells. Again, this is NOT about 'moral equivelancy' or anything like that.. it's just something I wondered if other people noticed.

[phrenzy]

20. Freeping

I almost forgot - They 'freep' polls we 'DU' polls. I think this is a silly game in general. And that silly game was certainly invented by the Freeps.

[John Q. Citizen]

21. Here but now tombstoned

Sessens don't fear the freeper
Nor do the rove, the bush and the cheney, we can't be like they are
Come on baby, don't mirror the freeper
Baby take my hand, don't mirror the freeper
Baby I'm your man

-Blue Stater Cult

[phrenzy]

22. lol

haha "Fear The Freeper"

[rpgamerd00d]

23. We are clean shaven, and the Freepers have beards (Star Trek Joke)

Bonus points if you know the name of that episode without Googling it.

:D

[rinsd]

28. ROTFLMAO!

That was awesome.

Beware the goatee!

[Ksec]

24. Racism

I see lots of racism on DU.

I dont give a rats ass what they say but when you bash a race and lump them all together, thats racism. Lately Ive been really pissed at the direction this board is allowed to go on this issue. I dont discriminate against anyone. No exceptions.

[Bushy Being Born]

35. And what examples of late are you talking about?

If you're referring to the justified and indeed commendable indignation over the cartoons outrage, maybe you need to get through your head that muslims in no way constitute a race.

[ourbluenation]

38. check that - taking extremist muslims to task for the cartoon thing is NOT

racism.It's fanaticalreligionism, if you will.

[Hamlette]

25. I've thought this myself

If this was Clinton's war, I might have defended it...even the bungling. Clinton was so beat up by the right I defended him on things I might not have. (I don't care about the BJ, I care he got caught which weakened him and our ideals. And other things.)

I find it hard to imagine Clinton would have so royally screwed up the war...or Katrina. The only thing they could get him on was a BJ. The odd thing is, the right says the same things about Clinton as we do about Bush. "He's a liar. He never tells the truth. He's power hungry, only cares about himself and his circle of friends. His decisions have made us less safe. Carter they hate because he apparently started Islamic fundamentalism. (No, I don't get it. They say he allowed them to take the hostages, could have stopped it.)

The only balance I have is that I was against Vietnam and that was a Dem prez. I'd like to think I'd of been against Iraq too.

But so much of it is politics...just like you say.

[Catherine Vincent]

27. We don't mirror those evil asswipes at all.

[ScreamingMeemie]

29. Their president actually *IS* a lying, POS windbag...

No comparison.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

32. A very interesting point

Thanks for posting this.

I think a big similarity is the echo-chamber effect - both sides tend to assume that everyone sensible agrees with their collective orthodoxy, and that therefor anyone who disagrees can be safely dismissed and ridiculed. The term "sheeple" is one I see very regularly on both sides (I'm a regular lurker on FR, I prefer reading things I don't agree with to things I do).

A disimilarity is in the nature of debate. Broadly speaking, right-wingers are used to being in government and left-wingers are used to being in opposition, and I think this shows up in the approaches of the two sides - Freepers are more-or-less uniformly Christian with the occasionaly Jew, subscribing to a flavour of religion in which a) "the family", with breadwinning father, housewife mother, and 2.56 children who go to church on Sunday and b) the superiority of America and Americans to everything else, are inherent parts of Christianity, and as such there's a feel to a lot of their debates that they're arguing about how to interpret wisdom received from above, that is clearly correct if only it can be followed correctly. I don't think there's anything similar on DU.

Another interesting reflection is in attitudes to America - Freepers more-or-less literally worship it (see above); on DU trying to suggest that it could be in any way innocent of anything, or that some other countries behave even worse, is liable to get one multiple sharp rebukes.

I take some pride in the fact that the most heated causes of inter-Freeper strife are Catholicism vs Protestantism, Evolution vs ID and Republican vs Libertarian, whereas on DU the worst flamewars I've seen tend to be Israel vs Palestine and Gun Control vs Gun Rights - at least we flame one another about important things!

[KyuzoGator]

33. Lying about a blowjob is NEVER impeachable.

I do see a little bit of annoying irrationality here once in a while, but the collective IQ at DU is probably about 100 points higher.

It's just plain old stupid people posting at FR. And their web design sucks.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

34. Well, more often than not, if you switch Democrat with Republican,

you turn a truth into a lie.

Example: "Republican media pundits tend to be extremely vicious and insulting. Democrat media pundits, on the other hand, tend to be much more restrained and civilized."

Therefore, I don't think your little thought experiment has that much value.

[Bushy Being Born]

36. Well, one thing is pretty evident

The way we both engage in the practice of tilting rather meaningless internet polls in our favor.

[Freddie Stubbs]

37. Readily accepting conspiracy theories which reinforce our worldview

[rman]

39. I question the premise of your question

You claim we do use RW tactics, yet you present no argument as to how this is so.
I think we don't use RW tactics. Not most of us anyway.

Which RW tactics do you think we use?

How do you think we "mirror" freepers?