This diary is not really about what Kos or frontpagers should do. It is an exploration of what we users might expect the site to be able to accomplish. But it does hopefully provide food for thought to Kos, Armando, or other bigwigs here should they want to read one more metadiary about the site (which is doubtful). I didn't even want to write it, but I was prompted by another diary as explained below.
First off, I invite you all to read this diary, to put things into perspective, as a counterpoint to everything I'm going to say. To show that, no, we are definitely not the bad guys here at DKos terms of "rough edges."
War Porn - Humanity Breakdowns in the US Army
Back? Saddened and sickened? Is it odd that story hasn't made a huge splash on this site? Is this site perhaps not obsessed enough with crudity? Does it spend it's crudity chips too gratuitously as opposed to fixating on and showcasing the depravity created by the other side?
"Whoring" that other diary aside, back to the issue at hand:
Is this the "Hustler Magazine" of the blogosphere?
Is the reach of DailyKos a niche, forever a niche, albeit a product that saturates that niche?
Hustler, which I have read on occasion, but only for the good liberal articles, is not a news source with much leverage. Influential, yes, but its influence since the events portrayed in "The People Versus Larry Flynt" might arguably be more toward crudity than liberalism.
DailyKos has politics centerstage and crudity merely as the dressing. Which will be the more influential? And will the crudity hold back the potential of the product to influence politics?
Certainly, few can comfortable pass along Hustler to an average person in order to point out a good political article, and the odds of success are low. I've even felt that way with The Village Voice and the New York Press, because those progressive weekly papers are so packed with explicitly crude content.
The C-Word... Not OK
Now, recently, Armando went off on somebody for using the "C-Word." I think he gets it, but like all of us tends to think that his personal barometer for crudity is what should be acceptable.
Cospiracies Not OK
Kos "purged" a lot of users who suggested that the London transit bombings were an inside job. He wanted to shape the site into a more "reality based" one. Fair enough.
Insensitivy To Progressives AOK
But the frequent tirades against a spectrum including feminists, anti-war marchers (although Cindy Sheehan somehow gets a pass), back in the day (before my time, I'm relating via anecdotal recaps of others), "Blackwater Mercs" which got the site dropped from the Kerry campaign's blogroll, although I happened to concur somewhat (although not to the point of not caring about their welfare), and so on... Have a certain Larry Flyntishness. In other words thinking an eclectic idea of what is acceptable but then a firm stance against that which one holds not to be... And an uncompromising "In your face" exposition of those positions. A "Take it, or shove it" attitude to critics in many instances.
Of Course We All Have A Right
Now, this is no indictment.
Kos like Larry Flynt has a right.
As does Armando, as do I, as do you.
As do, though it pains us, wingnuts who have the same doggedness and crudity as do we but happen to be very wrong.
The question is, with the recent soul searching about "effectiveness: following the Robert's vote...
Is it not worth considering some editorial professionalism?
Some strategy for making sure one is right, and making one's case persuasively, before "going large" with it?
Some self-control over the levels of vitriol one confronts others with, especially on topics which are sacred to a wide array of Americans across all political beliefs, such as the unborn?
Or... Should DailyKos be the Hustler magazine of the blogosphere?
Follow The Stink
Maybe... But if so, the crudity and insensitivity showcased should be that of the other side. More reliably. As Matt Drudge says, "Follow the stink." Don't let a story like "War Porn" escape frontpaging for over 24 hours and counting.
At minimum, that would make the rest of the crudity on the site pale with comparison to what wingnuts have wrought.
Neighborhood "Community Standards" Test
Here is my study of users "in my neighborhood" following the instructions of:
MetaJesus says, Check up on your dKos neighbors: Who's still here?
If you have the time it's a good activity. I did it, and it prompted this diary.
I joined on November 3rd and expected there would be a lot of dead wood from people whose involvement in the primaries was low and who couldn't stay engaged after the election. I was active in forums beforehand so thought I might be a bit exceptional in my consistent daily activity. True.
But what I found was not what I sought. I went out to the third even slightly engaged user in both directions, and had to do to the third in either direction to find users worth studying. In each case, there is a cessation of activity following something inflammatory and impolitic by Kos or Armando.
I don't obsess about such cases generally. Armando tried to chase me off at one point for having concerns about Wes Clark, and I've done metadiaries and comments on the silliness of driving users away in order to gratuitously be belligerent. But such activity has been a proportionately very minor part of my involvement here. However given this data, I'm now more than a little concerned about that.
DOWN: 8th and 15th have posted, paydirt at 18th...
freedumb Ussa; linear; rightagain; NewDem1; GOPvictory; values; Abe Froman; Bill W [No diaries but tons of comments but they began (?!) last month, none older than that. Ratings back to May.]
Then... lisa7; scaredinnm; Bring the Lions; nobodySpecial; elias23; quakerkid221; dolphindude [One diary in April, no comments ever, one rating. Desciption says "Canadian speech writer." The diary worries about Bush's designs on Canada.]
Then... whojhouse; the Realist; Two Lane Blacktop
[No diaries. Just one comment ever. Most ratings centering on the same story as the comment. Here is the comment, in response to Kos's indictment of Garrison Keillor, beloved liberal icon, as an idiot for suing a blogger for selling a "Prairie Ho Companion" T-shirt:]
Disappointing
This is the most disappointing post I've ever seen on DailyKos. I've seen the same post on MetaFilter and several other liberal-friendly sites... "Ooooh, bad Keillor, fuck him."
A) Keillor is a humorist, and if you dislike his humor, that is not really relevant to this issue.
B) Some guy is selling t-shirts that spoof GK's show, both by name and by appearance. THey aren't making a comment on the show, however- they're just offering a smutty variant on the name. Is that parody? I don't think so. "Faux News" is a parody, because it comments on the nature of the brand it is making fun of. "A Prairie Ho Companiion" doesn't make any sort of comment on "A Prairie Home Companion."
C) The fact that the T-shirt vendors happen to run a blog doesn't make them oppressed speakers of truth. They tried to cash in on someone else's creativity, and got called on it. The t-shirt maker needs to admit defeat and move on to his next un-funny gimmick.
D) I have to admit I am seriously saddened that someone like Markos didn't know who Keillor was.
Huh. Well we can't say that Kos necessarily lost a previously engaged user with that tirade, as there is no evidence of involvement before, just as there is none after. But it was an unfortunate thing nevertheless.
Then reversing direction....
UP: 13th and 26th have posted, paydirt at 30th....
Lowscottwalker; Jarvik; Skysurfer; Sophmoro; Sark; Marketer; DJ ProFusion; Strange Than Fiction; liberalrepublican; Royalfred; forepac; Nathan Anderson; Brahma [Finally! Grand total of one brief diary last Nov. ("The Values Conundrum") (Arg!), One comment last month. Nary a rating. Hardly engaged.]
Then... aram; krystamarie; Musi; Wordwoman; cyIL; Plasticoat Diamond; nemesmith; ctravelli; BnL; Nolagirl (Hope she's okay); brookelynn; Jim Pflaum; Obama08 [One diary form Nov., promoting you know who. No comments, no ratings. Diary recieved just one comment.]
Then... cjtru; resolu2; baffled111; TexDem
[No diaries, 11 comments total spanning from 9/13/05 back to 8/11/05, On recruiting, Crawford Vigil, SCOTUS. Whopping 2009 ratings began in June (Slowly) Indicate rising and active readership... Which stopped last week (Tue. Sept. 13th). Why did it stop? Check out this thread:]
Armando writes:
Sorry
You want me to be concerned about it and I am not.
The actions that are proscribed - fetal termination without consent of the mother- follows the autonomy of the woman. The right to choose.
The reality is that the two concepts are not inconsistent in the least.
I won't get hung up on the word homicide.
TexDem replies:
If I understand you correctly
Shooting a pregnant woman and killing her or causing her to involuntarily abort fits under the definition of fetal homocide just as if the state were to enforce the abortion of a fetus for birth control (China), or as has happened here before, a mentally challenged woman is forced to abort because it is determined that the fetus may have various defects and the woman is considered incapable of looking after the child if brought to full term and the state doesn't want the responsibility.
But a woman who chooses to have abortion is protected (currently) because she had the ability to choose. Did I get that right?
Huh. So with an insensitive stance on abortion, Armando lost an engaged user, a Texas Democrat. It sort of makes me wonder how Wes Clark is supposed to turn red states with his on-the-record statements that abortions should be permitted up to a day before 9 months, regardless of the fact he tried to retract those statements. Yet another case, I think, of foolishly thinking that all the talk of "values," tiresome as it is, is BS.
I'm no prude. I think we have to be the party of freedom of whatever within reason, because somebody has got to, and also because it will help us win. But lets just try to be a little less "Seat of our pants" about how to promote that.