Alternative forum to DU?

[Ignoramus]

Any advice? I like DU because of LBN and there are a lot of smart people who's posts I like to read. And I will continue to read and post here.

The thing is that I'm way way way more "left" than most people seem to be here. And what I don't get here is interactivity. Because, I just get flamed or ignored if I try to post ideas here.

So, any alternatives that are "lefter", but not flakey?

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. There are several

but this is by far the best on the net.

[mourningdove92]

2. More left than DU?????

How is that possible?

[madeline_con]

5. Fell of the left end, maybe?

How far can one go???

[blondeatlast]

37. When one gets too far in either direction, one meets oneself, which

is as good of an explanation of Lyndon LaRouche as I can find.

http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2005/07/far-left-meet-far-right.html

[Ignoramus]

41. Yes, left can't continue forever

I think the left/right thing is bogus. It implies that sanity lies in the middle. So, Bush is to the right, and Clinton is the left, so Lieberman is sane.

I like to distinguish between Liberal and Authoritarian. Shedding one's love of Authoritarianism is a life-long on going process. It does extend into infinity.

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. lOL

That would be hard to be, actually!

[expatriot]

45. It is actually very easy.

The rules declare that this is a "progressive" forum.... progressivism is more "centrist" than radicalism. Posts advocating radical leftist positions and tactics that are contrary to progressive positions are theoretically not allowed on this message board.



I used to be deep into the radical left as a youth, I have been a member of the SWP (Socialist Workers Party), the ISO (International Socialist Organization), and the CPUSA (Communist Party of the USA) in my youth but gained some wisdom with the election of Bush and embraced progressivism working through the centrist realities of the Democratic Party. I found DU and loved it as a forum for progressivism but the hair on my back gets a bit stand-uppish when I see the tactics and strategies of the radical left seep onto DU.

[Mikimouse]

3. Honestly, you probably have not seen us enough...

Give it some more time. There are all flavors of lib/progressive types here, and eventually they will respond to you, unlike in the previous thread that I read and posted in.

[Synnical]

21. I agree

I thought DU was too moderate for me when I first started lurking here. But, after time I realized that I was mistaken and have now joined in and have DU set as my home page.

But, if someone needs to go even further left, I'd suggest:

Info Shop - Online Anarchist Community

http://infoshop.org/index2005.html

Indy Media - Indymedia is a collective of independent media organizations and hundreds of journalists offering grassroots, non-corporate coverage. Indymedia is a democratic media outlet for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of truth.

http://www.indymedia.org/en/index.shtml

[madeline_con]

4. Accept no substitutes!

This is where it's at.

BTW, how you could be so left that DUers flame you is mind boggling. :crazy:

[Catholic Sensation]

8. i think he means he posts things that

say something similar to, I dunno, the troops serving in Iraq being similar to gang members, and some duers and moderators don't particularly like that kind of comparison.

[Mikimouse]

13. I think that interpretation of the thread's purpose is mistaken...

Or at least, I did not have that impression. I could be wrong, but I viewed it as an honest and clear statement, not one that equated the two groups.

[Catholic Sensation]

15. well the mods, and some duers, didn't take such a liberal view on it

i didn't pile on, but needless to say when one says something to the effect of "i support gang members drive by's as much as i 'support the troops'," one can easily see how he is equating what the troops are doing with what gang members do. the above is a paraphrase, searching for the post and all that is a collasal waste of time.

[Mikimouse]

19. I am aware of the tone of the thread and

am not criticizing you, the other DUers or the mods. There was one post that really started things downhill. Fortunately, that post was deleted, but the damage was already done. I still think tha the fundamental question was a good and realistic one.

[Ignoramus]

35. I've been trying to manage my "tone"

My original subject was going to be more inflammatory. Also my writing skills could be better.

I guess it's a good idea for people to manage their tone. But even so, I wish people would make arguments instead of dismissing people, as long as they aren't trolls. Which I don't think I am.

[Tinoire]

31. What he said makes perfect sense to me.

Of course I'm a "Leftist retard" as the Vichy Dems call us :shrug:

[madeline_con]

14. That's not left. That's just crazy talk!

Nothing I've seen from ignoramus strikes me as all that radical, but I haven't been to all the forums. :shrug:

[Ignoramus]

27. Yes, that's the definition of lefter

If you just shift your perspective a little. Your same criticism would come out of the mouth of someone on a right-wing board about a liberal democrat.

A lefter place would be where people can cope with comparisons between sacred cows, and argue a point, rather than turning their brain off to ideas they are predisposed to dislke.

[LoZoccolo]

28. That's because right-wingers like to attack far-left easy targets.

They're afraid of more moderate opinions.

[Catholic Sensation]

38. what you said is not a "lefter" statement

A lefter place would be where people can cope with comparisons between sacred cows, and argue a point, rather than turning their brain off to ideas they are predisposed to dislke.

You made a statement that said our troops are similar to terrorists, and gang members. Did you not expect some people to take offense to such a ridiculous claim? Did you honestly believe nobody would respond or get upset?

By the way, the proper term is "more left".

[Cleita]

6. Why don't you petition for a forum for people who share your

political leanings? You need I think ten people with stars. Sometimes GD isn't always friendly to out of the box ideas.

[JohnnyBoots]

7. I'd be in for that, need 8 more

[katsy]

9. You need 10 people for a left of left forum?

Count me in!

[Sydnie]

10. You need a star to request to sponsor a forum Johnnyboots

You have to have made a contribution to DU in the last 12 months to obtain a star. Just an FYI. :hi:

[madeline_con]

16. What exactly DOES the group believe?

You need a manifesto or something to publish your ideas, and maybe more will join up.

[blondeatlast]

25. Plus a mission statement. nt

[blondeatlast]

26. Inadvertent dupe. Sorry. nt

[Lorien]

11. There's the Smirking Chimp

www.smirkingchimp.com . The posts there tend to be longer, but I can't say if there's less of the DLC influence there or not. The one big drawback is that the BoardNanny on that site (Moderator) rules with an iron fist; the good part of it is that there's no copycat threads. The bad part is that some threads are over 1,000 posts long!

[Ignoramus]

30. I haven't looked there either

I've read a linked post or two, but haven't really checked it out. Thanks.

[Pirate Smile]

12. Some of the DU groups are a good oasis for people who

have similar views to escape to within DU.

I don't know what you would call it but maybe you and others who feel the same way could ask for a DU group specifically for you guys.

I know the John Kerry group is very active.

There is a Countdown/Keith Olberman group that is active.

Start a group.

You do need to be a donor to be able to post in the groups.

"What are DU Groups"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=206x11

"How to Suggest a DU Group"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=206x10

[seemslikeadream]

17. Have ya been to the basement?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=125

[Ignoramus]

29. No

Okay, I'll check that out. It might be what I was thinking of. Thanks.

[seemslikeadream]

32. The Meeting Room is interesting also

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=111

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

18. I've looked....

But for me. I can't find anything better.

For all its foibles and even when people don't agree with me, this is a pretty damned good place for a left leaning S.O.B. like me.

Good luck!

[LoZoccolo]

20. *groan*

:eyes:

[meganmonkey]

22. I sort of know what you mean

but I think you'll find what you need here. I came into DU shortly before the election because I needed to understand the Democratic party better, since I had decided to bit the bullet and vote for Kerry ;) I am a registered independent and generally vote for independent or Green candidates and I have socialist tendencies, but in the years since the 2000 election I started to find a balance between my principles (yes, I voted for Nader in 2000) and the reality of deMOCKracy in this country. I understand what you mean by being more "left"...

I came in as an AnybodyButBush who wanted to understand Kerry better, and I have come to learn that many democrats are WAAAAAAY further left than the Dems in Congress would have led me to believe.

As for the interactivity, most of it in the main forums is in the way of disagreements and often flamewars, I think mainly because of the huge volume of people here. It has taken me 10 months to get a rapport with more than a couple people. As others have pointed out, the DU groups may help you find more intimate conversations about topics you find important/interesting.

Anyway, I hope you stick around - there are probably a lot of kindred spirits here for you, as well as people who may disagree with you but can have a rational, educational conversation about it. You just have to wade through a lot of stuff to find it sometimes.

:hi:

[onehandle]

23. I'll have to report you to our DLC masters.

Prepare for re-education.

Lefter, but not flakey? You gotta be kidding.

[titoresque]

33. Hey I'm a FAR lefty.....total south paw!

PM me anytime would love to talk! I agree, havent ben here long but Ive alreadt caught on to what I can and cannot say....not that I care, but I do enjoy conversation and I can accept that we are not all like minded.
I was convinced when I witnessed the influx of shocked DUers over the fact that Coke would not donate products to Crawford.

[titoresque]

39. I still like it here

dont get pissed at me! :) You are all so great ,but I can see where farther lefties might feel quieted.
I was told in another post......."call me when the aliens come take you back to your homeland"

I just made a joke of it in my reply, but it was rude.....and really uninformed on the part of the poster.

[entanglement]

34. Don't feel 'left out'

;)
I'm pretty far to the left and I love this place! Give it time, and you'll get used to being an 'extremist' }(

[GreenPartyVoter]

36. You can try some of the liberal ones here:

http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/newsbooks.htm#forums

[0007]

40. The real far out left is gone........those guys left to catch

Haley's Comet a few year ago. The whole group committed mass suicide.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[titoresque]

46. just what I've been trying

to say except you said it better! referring to the thread about supporting the troops. Very good!
I go to these anti-war rallys and I say "if you're against this war now is the time to speak out! If you are for this war.....go enlist! enlist your children! Join the guard!"
And the other protesters Im with dont get it and kind of cringe.
Of course I wouldnt ever truly encourage anyone to go enlist because I think its a noble cause...but the point Im trying to get across seems lost even in circles where I would assume they would "get it"

Another thing.....I have a friend who puts out a paper and distributes them near ASU. Last summer she put out one with an article she wrote called "Patriot -or- Insurgent?"
It really was a great article and makes you think. I mean if we were occupied of course we would feel OCCUPIED and many of us would fight for our family our lives and our freedom......would we not be called terrorists and insurgents by the occupying force?!

[not systems]

48. Well ...

I like your posts but have been around here long enough
to know that many things are outside the acceptable subject
for threads.

Basically your touching the third rail, one of many, and
probable will not be able to have the discussion you want
here.

I think that your gang vs government comparison is right on
the mark and that most people will never be willing to question
the root of the issue.

The states addiction to violence and the people it uses
to further that addiction. Do they have any culpability
for participating in that system. The party line is no.

If you think different don't bother talking about it here.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

43. A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country.

Go, ignoramus, go.

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[not systems]

47. Here is one...

it has some good threads but is very quite compared to DU.

http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/

[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Moderator]

51. Locking...

If you disagree with a moderator's
decision, please write to the
Administrators by using the contact
page.