Daily Kos, a site I have quickly come to enjoy and care about has once again succumbed to the Amazing Powers of: TEH STOOPID.
Yep and in I/P or P/I (if you prefer) lately teh stoopid has been raising it's ugly head more and more often.
On one side we have the Pro-Israel people that feel (with some justification) that there is a boat load of anti-semitism here and that the real anti-semites are using the left and Kos to get their sick, cowardly message out, threating Jewish support for Progressivism.
On the other side we have the Pro-Palestinian people getting sick and tired of a real situation where the Israeli Occupation continues, Netanyahu seems to be calling the plays in with increasing popularity at home, AND the U.S. is focusing on neutralizing the Iranian threat BEFORE dealing with the Isreal - Palestine conflict.
On Kos that means diaries from folks who have a single sided agenda keep popping up and ignoring the reality that both sides have a tragic responsibility to all fo the situations and conflicts surrounding this horrible conflict.
Foller' me
I am calling on Kossacks to Fight this ugliness
Last night one of our controversial "Pro - I" posters (Ambrose Burnside)now famous for his <snark> fine quality </snark> diary on Child Brides in Gaza posted a diary about Hugo Chavez calling Israel a "genocidal" and "killer" state. Now everyone here knows Chavi was channeling known humanitarian and good buddy Mahmoud Ahmadinejhad for this one. So basically he is talking out his ass.
So... Ambrose Burnside in his poll posits the question:
Poll
Do you agree with Hugo Chavez that Israel is a genocidal, killer state?
Yes
51% 84 votes
No
48% 78 votes
| 162 votes | Results
Of course, Kossacks (including myself) - never ones to shrink from a good fight responded in droves. And like in any good fight - the idiocy of the situation arose and people voted with their emotions that indeed Israel is a "genocidal" - "killer" state. Now, it is generally thought that most of the yes votes were because people consider Ambrose Burnside to be one sided and that it was a smack on him personally. In other words that people voted yes just to piss off A-B and the group of commentors that support him.
That might be true and I will pose that same question in this diary so we can really see what Kossacks think. But back to my point.....
This was a softball for Kossacks to hit out of the Park. However just like Israeli troops did when Palestinian peaceful demonstrators kicked soccer balls over the separation fence (when they teargassed the Palestinians in a stunning P-R nightmare move) Kossacks rose to the challenge to show just how crazy we could be and by a bare majority supported this ridiculous and anti-semitic claim.
Now some people saw through this. For example, I give props to Lefty Coaster a Pro-Palestinian poster who constantly criticizes Israel but had the sense to say:
I think many voted yes to infuriate the Diarist (4+ / 0-)
Recommended by: blueness, Bonsai66, volleyboy1, canadian gal
for putting up such an over the top poll.
I voted no. (Bold my emphasis)
...nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. - Barack Obama
by Lefty Coaster on Thu Sep 03, 2009 at 07:13:05 PM PDT
[ Parent | Reply to This |Recommend Hide ]
Lefty had the sense to vote "no" because he understood the question had far reaching implications.
Markos has had to defend this site against anti-semitism in the past. This site is to help foster the growth of a progressive movement to make a better Democratic Party. Now, thanks to some of our posters we are helping push the meme that DKos really is an anti-semitic site.
Personally, I believe that Daily Kos is an anti, anti-Semitic site. The polls I have put in my diaries generally come out in favor of Israel by 60%+ majorities. In my own life because of Kos I have made friends with Palestinian people that I would not have ever talked with prior to posting here. I saw an Iraqi poster (sortalikenathan) who is constantly critical of Israel blast an anti-semitic poster into the next world and get wildly uprated for his effort.
Because of the efforts of Meteor Blades, I/P had been getting friendlier and a tad less cantankerous than in days or years past. But then this diary comes up and all hell breaks loose.
I want to use this diary to shoot down the anti-semites here at DKos, which there are some but certainly I refuse to believe it is a majority. Please respond to this poll with what you really believe not what would be the snarky answer.
Next time (and I have to take my own advice) when some person you vehemently disagaree with posts a poll on line, before you post or answer a poll think on your answer. I had that problem yesterday with a poster I particularly have no respect for, but, rather than blow that person off as I feel I should have, I engaged in blasting away at him.
Jay Elias, perhaps one of the most respected members of the DKos I/P arguments posted the following:
You know what's a great solution... (2+ / 0-)
Recommended by: volleyboy1, aggregatescience
...if Ambrose drives so many people so crazy? Don't feed him.
The big reward for posting these diaries is the 300+ comments. It's all the angry people and ugly arguments.
Ignore the posts, and they will go away.
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it. ~ H.L. Mencken
by Jay Elias on Thu Sep 03, 2009 at 11:15:37 PM PDT
[ Parent | Reply to This |Recommend Hide ]
Truer words have not been spoken. Let's fight to end Teh Stoopid at DKos whether it be Anti - Palestinian or Anti - Semitic rhetoric.
Let's try to build a community that can work together and not be like the jackasses we seem to be allowing to calling the shots.