I know a lot of people are pissed off with the way the country is going right now. I am too. Really, I swear.
However, every time I've made a diary or comment that may not tow the party line 100% I get people who resort to personal attacks, hurling insults at me. They do it to others here too.
Maybe I'm naieve, but if you can't have a rational discussion with people who are, for the most part, politically in agreement with you, how do you expect to have a rational argument with people who disagree with you politically?
Since I first started posting a dKos, something I did reluctantly after years of just reading but eventually felt ready to contribute, I have been called a liar, I have been called a secret republican, cruel, one person just said 'fuck you' to me multiple times. I'm far from alone in this.
How does this help ANYTHING to make things personal? What does an insult to a diarist do to further political discussion. I'm not talking about snarkiness. I can be extremely snarky myself- I have no problem with wit- but when you attack a person instead of their ideas, you have lost the argument as far as I'm concerned.
So, I am adopting a new policy which I recommend to everyone else here- if you decide to personally insult me, I will immediately stop reading your comment and troll rate you. I have no interest in discussion with someone who can't be an adult even if you have a valid point to make.
We will never all agree on anything. Never. Everyone has irrational, sometimes downright silly opinions. Being an ass to someone with an ill-informed opinion will only entrench that person in their opinion as they will feel attacked and want to defend themselves all the harder.
As they say, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. There are plenty of things to focus your aggression on- like the right-wing takeover of this country and what they have done with it since they succeeded. Wasting it on a dKos diarist or commentator is extremely counterproductive.