It's all about ME, doncha know?

[canetoad]

I was one who raised their hand for the creation of this group and, the total cowardly ingrate that I am, acknowledge that I have never taken the time or effort to make a post.

It is an insult to the study of the human race to avoid using DU itself as a mirror of human behaviour. Is it against the rules to use posts or threads to illustrate academic discussion?

Is it productive to observe the public polarisation of America? Why is there so much distrust of moderates and outsiders? Can I ask those questions here? :)

[Jed Dilligan]

1. Ask away!

GD has become intractable to any but the primatological approach. We are witnessing crude band formation and the flinging of dung. Any point finer than which band one has joined is lost on the human ape.

[canetoad]

2. Thanks for the reply Jed

and apologies for my tardiness in following up.

I am finding it hard to express my questions as it has become habitual to self-censor comments that may be offensive to Americans. (Not you - I kinda think you take genuine quests for understanding at face value.)

On the whole, I find Americans a very defensive group of people who, despite constant reference to various amendments, let the big picture slide past while anguishing over tiny slights. I guess that is what I mean by using DU as a reference for human behaviour.

America fascinates me; it furiously projects itself into the world in the form of films and television, more recently the internet. The pride in being American seems to be a very strong emotion. Somewhere among this welter of self expression must be a true identity - untainted by jingoism, soap operas and politics.

I'm just trying to get a handle on it :)

[Jed Dilligan]

3. The problem is, there is no "true identity"

Every version of what it is to be American excludes many, many Americans. Thus, American identities are built defenshively. Hence, the reactive behavior you've witnessed.

Add to that the paranoia and mistrust that govern human interaction on the internet--which are funny to me, because with a few very simple precautions this is the most risk-free form of interaction--and you get the rampantly uncommunicative environment that we have grown to expect in the large forums. And uncontrolled webspace (like craigslist "rants and raves") is even worse than DU!