Fighting back..

[HipChick]

Here's my concern: So inevitable everyday there are several OB bashing threads posted,some more extreme than others - to not post back something in defense - gives a fractured appearance to the Dems. So sometimes, I wade in, flame-suited up..I know sometimes you have to pick your battles,but to just give up and not respond back? How do you approach it?

[DevonRex]

1. I gave up. That's how I approached it. nt

[Diamonique]

2. Me too. I don't even read that crap. Life's too short. nt

[FrenchieCat]

3. I'm fighting, but it has become tedious at best....

We are not in the primaries, which is why what is being done is destructive not only to this party, but to the nation.

I've said in another thread, it's no better than a bunch of Liebermans who wanted their way of no way at all. And he is a gigantic asshole who has signaled many times that he really doesn't care about the people of this country; and certainly not the children and their future.

That's how I feel about some of these folks; they don't care.....not really,
or they care too much; to a point of being willing to destroy us to show us.

The more one thinks about it, the more the way of thinking I describe is quite irrational,
and really does align those that make no real sense on the Right (who hate Obama just because he is) and those on the Left (who hate Obama just because he's not ________________ (fill in the blank).

[firedupdem]

4. I've tried to keep myself out of the mud but sometimes..

some statements are so ignorant that I have to chime in. But you're right...life is too short to engage in needless conversations with internet gangsters.

[HughMoran]

5. Pick your battles

Some threads are against the rules - alert on them and hide them.

Other threads are just over-the-top stupid & designed to provoke - just hide them.

Certain posters you will know will post reasonable stuff and will tone it down if you don't react to the 'catch' phrase they put in their O/P to lure the 'rec anything trouble-making' trolls. Discussion is possible here - though you'll occasionally have one jump on your back and try to bite you. I have 90% of this sort of backbiting troll on ignore already, so it's no big deal to add another if they seem intent on provoking you to get their jollies.

Some normally reasonable posters will have a bad day - give 'em a pat on the back and tell 'em 'tomorrow will be better'.

Oh, and there's a small percentage of posters here who tend to favor politicians from the Democratic Party. They are often referred to as 'cheerleaders'. As of this writing, it is still permissible to support Democrats on DU, but there is some controversy about 'unwritten rules' that may indeed forbid this practice. The status of this type of poster is currently in question on DU.

[Cary]

15. I was more resentful of the posters who tried to pat me on the back

. . . than the nabobs who abused me.

Actually I never had a bad day. I don't mind getting down with the dumbasses and hitting back. I think I am actually quite good at it. The ones who tried to pat me on the back meant well enough, but I found it a bit insulting that they didn't see how tough as nails I am.

The idiots with whom I did battle weren't tough, weren't clever, and most of all weren't right. I was all of the above.

The other problem I had was limitations on my ability to fight back imposed by the administration here. I don't agree with the philosophy of that but hey, it's not my board. I would have allowed more room for us "cheerleaders" to make our case.

Look at the posts here. I really don't see what's so terrible about our point of view.

[NJmaverick]

6. There is a few ways to go

1) ignore or simply unrec the post

2) Unrec the post and post a simple reason why you are unreccing but do not reply to the responses

3) correct any factually inconsistencies

4) Post your counter point and respond only to those that counter respectfully

5) take on any or all comers

6) you can be supportive of someone who has already posted a good counter point


Obviously you can decide which approach to take on a case by case basis.


Another tactic is to look at those that have disagreed and alert on any flaming that is done.

[Cha]

9. I'm the

worst responder when I see sarcastic snark from the same posters for about the 1000th time.

Trying to do better and that's personally been accelerated by using the Ignore Feature & Hide a Thread.

[dcsmart]

10. this makes a lot of sense...stay within the formal

constraints of debate and leave it at that. If someone cannot appreciate a factual and rational response to their argument then, in the words of Barney Frank,

"having a discussion with you would be like trying to have an argument with a dinning room table."

[rebel with a cause]

11. I pick 1 & 6

to go, thank you. ;)

[Hekate]

13. I like 1 and 6 myself. I also use Alert, usually with a note that I know it's up to the Mod...

I figure it this way: the Mods, bless'em, can't be everywhere and can't know everything that's going on. If someone doesn't Alert, how can they know? If enough people Alert on a certain poster, they will get a sense of that poster's overall tone and pattern of behavior.

We have garnered some outstandingly negative people at DU, and as they don't seem to be going away on their own...

Hekate

[Undercurrent]

14. Good points, NJmaverick.

I generally stick with 1 and 6 on your list. I think I should be more forceful in defending my party and our President, but honestly, it's bad for my health.

Sometimes I avoid a thread with a flame bait title altogether, because of who posted it.

[Bobbie Jo]

7. Sometimes, engaging them on their "intent" is helpful.

While conceding any factual points (provided they exist). I'm actually more concerned with the attitude that motivates the content of the OP. They're using the same RW tactics that we've been bombarded with for the last decade.

A few well placed..."So, what do you hope to accomplish with this," may provide some re-direction.
But, some are so entrenched that they'll have none of it, no matter how much you show them they're a tool for the likes of Glenn Beckkk.

When Dems start agreeing with RW'ers, you can be sure they're already dusting off the old Mission Accomplished banner. Remember when the pukes started peeling off from GWB?

We knew we had them.

[Cary]

17. "They're using the same RW tactics that we've been bombarded with for the last decade. "

Oh yeah. This is absolutely the most curious, mind boggling, and irritating feature of this whole thing. It is such a disappointment that people who are of us are being so ignorant and ideological. I prefer to think we're better than the "conservative" morans. Alas, we aren't.

[Cha]

8. Not giving up...

but I have to say this forum is a blessing from the Universe..thanks Skinner, Deep Modem Mom, and Loccozolo for originally telling GDP about it in that big ol' altercation of a thread about 3 weeks ago on Dec 5, 2009.

Hey, we even have a "Page 2" now!

Thanks everyone for being here and all that you do.:)

[NYC Liberal]

12. I don't anymore, now that this group is fairly active and growing.

How did I before? I usually just posted my say and if anyone responded I wrote back. I never tried to post flames myself or anything.

[Cary]

16. Now it's more hit and run

I make my point and generally get out. I never posted a lot: 2000 posts in 7 years. I post here more frequently than I posted up there. Most of my posts were in pissing matches on policies toward Israel and more recently expressing my disdain for anti-Democratic Party and anti-Obama rhetoric.