Can we declare a moratorium on Texas-bashing in this forum?

[crispini]

Re: this post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=180&topic_id=10338#

I find it very depressing that the OP in that thread wrote about how these anti-Texas threads make him "want to leave DU" and then there are people who seem to feel the need to come into this thread and, guess what, put anti-Texas posts on THIS THREAD. Um, MANNERS?

I am not saying that we prohibit free discussion of Texas' many faults or flaws. Far from it. I'm all for reasoned criticism and open discussion. And, yes, there are many flaws to this state. But if all you can do is come in the Texas forum and post stuff like, "This state sucks," I don't care if you live here or not, that's just plain rude.

I would like to propose a moratorium on *arbitrary* Texas bashing in the Texas forum, to be enforced by the mods if necessary. As I said in the original thread, we get enough of that crap elsewhere on DU. I would like this to be a safe haven. There are a lot of us dems working hard here who don't deserve that SHITE.

[Catch22Dem]

1. There are a lot of good democrats in TX

What the hell kind of sense does it make to piss them off? Now, I can be downright viscious toward TX repukes, but they don't represent TX as a whole. I was born in TX by the way. ;)

[benny05]

2. Likewise

My momma is a good old Dem that lives in Texas still, and I took her to vote on Election Day to vote for Kerry/Edwards.

[GOPisEvil]

3. There is a difference between a discussion of our problems and bashing.

I think we should hit alert on all instances of bahsing instead of responding to it. If we agree that we're not going to take it, and refer those things to the moderators, eventually it will taper off.

[fudge stripe cookays]

29. Good idea!

Agreed everyone?

The Alert button is our FRIEND. This is our community. We shouldn't have to put up with that shit here.

FSC

[Lithos]

31. Thank you for this reminder...

:hug:

L-

[Fovea]

4. Just yesterday I was talking to an Austin Democrat

visiting KC. He saw my Kerry Edwards sticker on my bike, and turned the air blue with his views of all things Texan outside of Austin.

I actually mentioned the thread in question, and this, slightly censored and from memory was his response...

"If they are a Texas Democrat, and after our D's had to cut and run to try and stop DeLay, they don't realized our state is (bleeeeped) then they can go (bleeep) themselves."

But maybe that's just Austin, they have to watch it up close, and I think it gets to you more when folks crap in your yard.

I too agree that we should not just wail on Texas, but I see this kid's point too. OTOH, watch me wail on Kansas, soon to surpass Albania for its contributions to civil liberties.

[tx_dem41]

6. This "kid's" point is one of defeatism and cynicism.

I don't get it at all, other than that it just feeds into his misperception of the future of Democrats in Texas.

[Fovea]

9. Yeah, I spent some 20 mins

trying to convince him to go back to J school.

He needs a Kennedy or a King in the worst way, IMO.

[tx_dem41]

12. Sounds like it. Thanks for trying! n/t

[Fovea]

25. He seemed like a bright, creative young man

And I think he will eventually be fine.
He is of an age and IQ I think that
struggles harder with the forces of entropy than
those who have to squint to see their effect.

[matt819]

5. Do you mean DU generally. . .

or can we bash Texas in, say, the Lounge, or in other state forums? Come on, it's just too easy a target. :-)

[crispini]

7. Just the Texas forum.

Fair game everywhere else, obviously, but don't come in my house and take a dump on the carpet, so to speak. ;)

[BrightKnight]

42. Bashing any "red" state is NOT helpful!

What are we trying to accomplish here? Bashing red states might make a few blue state Democrats feel good. It has not political value. Texas moderates are not going to vote for a party that bashes them. I for one Texas Democrat am getting very tired of being attacked from both sides. Democrats should not be trying to defeat Texas.

There is no shortage of incompetent politicians or critical issues to express passionate opinions about.


I would like to see the moderators clamp down on this.

[Bronco69]

8. I agree

I've lived in Texas for a while now and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. There are a lot of good people here and I have met a lot of Democrats too. We'll take back the state eventually, but I don't really like the Texas bashing either. This is home after all.

[Benhurst]

10. You might want to cut a little slack for natives and those living

in Texas, though. I'm not a native Texan and I have never lived in Texas; but I do feel the need to vent from time to time about my own state. You should consider asking people indulging in a rant to identify their connection to the state.

I can understand your being upset, but a rant from a fellow inmate is quite different from an attack from an outsider.

[crispini]

13. It's not the rants,

a lot of them have something good to say. It's the snotty one-liners I can't stand. Keep 'em in GD or something.

[derby378]

11. Just remember, folks...

Come 2008, you'll beg for our electoral votes. We can help turn the South from red to blue if you'll just give us a chance to help.

Check the voting maps, too. Bush took Dallas County with only 50% of the vote. On the whole, Texas Dems got their asses handed back to them in 2004, but I still see the trend. Previously red precincts turning blue. Our new sheriff is a Hispanic female Democrat. We can actually pull off some real change as early as 2006 if we just pull together.

Also, just remember that Tom DeLay actually had to campaign in his district last year. For once.

[CitySky]

23. amen, Derby!

DeLay had drawn the district for himself, and still needed to dump $$$ on endless mailings and TV time instead of spreading his corrupt money around the whole country as in years past.

[crispini]

26. Is everyone doing their Morrison monthly donation?

I am! And I'm keeping my Morrison shirt! 2006 isn't that far away!

[Longhorn]

14. I have to admit that I get rankled

when someone who is not from Texas, has never lived in Texas, perhaps has never even been in Texas, comes into the TEXAS forum to comment on Texas issues. As you said, there's enough of that all over the board but must we read it here, too?

[Frogtutor]

15. I agree with you completely that no one should bash Texas

in the Texas forum. I'd prefer that Texas not be bashed ANYWHERE, but we can't have everything ;)

Playing devil's advocate though, the poster may not have realized what forum he/she was in when posting. I've noticed it myself when I'm looking at the "Latest" posts; I see a post that catches my eye, click on it, think about replying, then notice I'm in some other state's forum! I could just as easily not notice, and post some asinine reply. But, I'm very careful.

The Texas forum should be our safe haven, and I agree that we should just hit "alert" if and when these things happen.

[Frogtutor]

21. lol I meant for the above post to be in response to the original post...

see what I mean about accidents?!

see my other post to see what a dingbat I can be sometimes...

:silly:

[Paladin]

16. I'm With You

Believe me, I find plenty to dislike about how things are going in Texas these days, and I won't be shy about pointing such things out in this forum. But I'll always try to make it constructive in nature, as I think befits a 5th generation Texan and life-long Democrat who still deeply loves both his state and party. If we can't dispense with the brain-dead Texas-bashing in this forum, what's the point?

[seabeyond]

17. well, lol lol first time stepping in here and lookie

lol lol. with out being far into looking at this room, i will say, that i just assumed this room was about working in texas, not bashing texas. i assumed it would be texans that want to embrace our liberals, become bigger and stronger.

so a bit of giggle

i may say things about texas, but, seeing how i have a texas husband, and two texas boys i love dearly, never will i be mean. i love my texans

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

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

[crispini]

20. Nobody's asking you to refrain in the rest of DU.

Just not in this forum. Do you live here? No? Then leave us this forum to ourselves. We're tired of it. We need a break.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

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

[crispini]

27. Every city is different.

I feel very very safe in my neighborhood.

[saltpoint]

19. Larry McMurtry's novel THE LAST PICTURE SHOW --

-- put Texas on the map for me, made it important, made it interesting, made it unforgettable.

The film of the novel was excellent if you have a free rainy night and a hankering to rent a film.

McMurtry also authored IN A NARROW GRAVE: ESSAYS ON TEXAS, which prompted me to GO to Texas and drive the near-length of it from Galveston to Deaf Smith County.

One side-stop was in Dumas, in the Panhandle, "Home of the Ding Dong Daddies." I drove into the Chamber of Commerce in Dumas and was treated as if I were Jesus himself. They were unbelievably courteous and gracious to me.

[CitySky]

24. can we post a "Note" at the top of the Texas forum with our "Rules?"

We can ask an admin to post a brief "Note" at the top about what this forum is for, and what it's not for.

[crispini]

28. Well, that's an idea.

We can ask. Wanna post a note in ATA?

[Lithos]

30. Please do

You have my full support on this issue.

On Edit: You might frame it in terms of other states as well. I think it would be good to emphasize this for all states, that each State/Country Forum is a SAFE haven for fair and constructive communication.

On Edit, Part II: I will also raise this directly as well in the Moderator Forum, but would appreciate your help in raising this publicly.

Lithos
Texas Forum Moderator
Democratic Underground

[fudge stripe cookays]

34. Well if the mod says do it....

Let's do it!

:D
FSC

[crispini]

37. Ok, it's done. Anyone else wanna go over to ATA and second the motion?

Feel free!

[CitySky]

38. yup.

just trying to figure out how to do that right now...

[CitySky]

39. done.

I can work on proposed language for the Guidelines later (when I'm not at work - oops!) But see my ATA post for where I'm coming from.

Crispini, FSC, PDittie, JohnCoby, ChicanoPwr, SoniaS, ChicanoPwr, and so on -- I am relatively new to this and REALLY appreciate you guys! (And slightly tangential: haven't seen MoonbeamStarlight around here much lately. Have I just missed it or is she on a hiatus?)

[fudge stripe cookays]

40. Nah, she's around.

Just hasn't been in the Texas forum for a bit. She's been hanging out with those Lounge weirdos! ;-)

I know she was warned Saturday night by hubby and little Moonbeam to get off the computer and I still saw her here. Perhaps she is in hot water with the fambly.

Got a message from Mayberrry Mach. saying they all had dim sum the other day, so she's around.

FSC

[Skittles]

32. screw that

we cannot point out Texas' faults in a Texas Forum? Screw that. If I wanted to hear cheerleading about Texas I would attend a f***ing freeper rally

[fudge stripe cookays]

33. You obviously missed the poster's point

Yes, I'm risking an ass-kicking. ;-)

We are Texans. We KNOW what's going on in our state. We can point out the problems and discuss them with OTHER Texans, or those who care what happens here (because they are originally from here, have family here, and dig our state for whatever reason). We can discuss them reasonably because we know this state has problems, and we want to fix them.

We are alerting on those who just come to this forum to make bitchy little comments about how Texas needs to secede, or be given back to Mexico, or tell us how stupid Texans are, etc.

It's not the same. Running in, dropping a turd and then running back to GD just isn't as funny as non-Texans think it is.

We have to pur up with more crap than the average progressives living where we do. It's time for us to stand up for ourselves here on DU.

OK?
Peace.
FSC

[seabeyond]

35. ex; a poster says i feel sorry for your kids

because of texans. well you know. my kids are texans

[crispini]

36. Thank you for understanding my point, FSC.

Criticism and discussion? Fine. Coming in here and crapping on the carpet? Not fine. We get enough of that everywhere ELSE in DU. This should be our safe spot.

[2bfree]

41. Great idea!

We don't need a TX cheer leading forum but I don't think saying that we suck or wanting to give us back to Mexico is helping the DU cause at all.