PM me some gossip about a DUer

[jpgray]

Then I'll PM it to a few more people, changing a few names and details. In those PMs, I'll tell each person to PM the gossip to yet MORE people, again changing a few names and details. Before you know it, I bet the whole Lounge population will hate and fear each other. This will be really great. Don't tell any mods or admins, though.

[philosophie_en_rose]

1. PM: jpgray is a troublemaker.

:P

PM2: jpgray is a trouble faker.

PM3: jpgray is an ice cream maker.

PM4: i like ice cream. Americone dream is good.

PM5: Why does jpgray hate America?

[jpgray]

2. I have lots of views but no PMs. And yet I assume people know how to play

[philosophie_en_rose]

4. Oh. I'm sure you've hit a sore point with some.

The noxious PMers should feel defensive and/or guilty.

[salin]

11. or feel so self-justified (rationalization)

that it doesn't matter to them. Not sure about the current scene - but that seemed to be the tone in an earlier time. At times it used to get *ugly*. Am not around enough in current time to assert that this is still the case - but given the OP it reads like "same ole same ole."

[taterguy]

3. Rumors and gossip are wrong wrong wrong

Which is why I'm kicking this thread

[jpgray]

5. I don't really want to play

I just want gossip.

[Radical Activist]

6. I would think this is about me

but then I remember that it has happened to so many on DU.

[jpgray]

7. That's what makes it fun!!1

It's about too many people in the Lounge.

[Radical Activist]

8. I just ignore it.

Responding gives the rumor-monger credibility. People will believe whoever they want regardless of how you respond. I don't care that much about what people here think of me anyway.

[salin]

9. while I rarely do pms

and those that are sent/received tend to be about requests for more info on political stories or policy issues... I have been 'hearing' about PM rumours and gang-ups originating from this forum for several years. Your depiction of the dynamic is pretty much what I have 'heard' occurs. I haven't had the time to spend much time in the lounge for a long time (my du time is so limited due to work that I tend to focus in LBN, Editorial/oped. and a quick read of the GDs before I get to read the lounge - leading to very cursory quick reads that do not give a sense of current group dynamics>) But this did seem to describe some of the dynamics a while ago. I will say that while I think this may have been true for a while... I didn't get this sense in the first couple of years that I was at Du and spent more time at the lounge. Folks could still be harsh ... but the community was still so small that no 'outside' organizing was needed to act as one former (deceased) Duer described (in the early years) (per the lounge specifically) as a middle school cafeteria.

That said - I still appreciate the lounge and its old and new denizens... but understanding that some funky dynamics exist helps one take the dynamics with a grain of salt.

[jpgray]

10. I got a PM about you, you know

:P

For real! Person said you were a "born diplomat" due to your classy posting style on DU. For this and other reasons, you've been one of my favorite posters since I joined about four years ago.

:patriot:

[salin]

12. Now that was rather unexpected on the topic of this thread ...

thanks ;-) Here I was being snarky... and less than diplomatic - but get a nice compliment, that frankly is timely (sometimes one is just worn down enough to need a comp.) Still sorta funny to think of oneself as a topic in a pm. :shrug: Though I do admit there have been a few off-line conversations over the past five years I have been on DU where one is talking about a topic and the validity of it - and the OP comes into discussion (ala - the person seems to be on target - so worthy of reading more rather than dismissing... for example) - of course I just disclosed how policy wonky I have been on DU. Glad that some, like yourself, have accepted this wonk :hi:

I do remember that during the primary wars the last time around, that you worked at trying to have real discourse, rather than simple on-line bombthrowing, with supporters of different candidates. I really appreciated that (from one diplomat, to another - perhaps?)