Somewhere in my Info Sys grad studies I've been hearing this "trumpet of doom" idea that once everyone gets on the net we all (will) tend to hang out with others like ourselves, who tell us the things we want to hear. We'll spend so much time in those places that we'll miss out on the other voices, the other points of view. So the country and world will become ever more polarized. An online community that promotes this effect is called an "echo chamber". [OK, this is not news to many of you, but I'm being verbose for the benefit of any non-geeks that might wander by. Bear with me.]
Surely this is just luddite anti-internets nay-saying, right? I mean, not like there's any sign that polarization is happening anywhere in this world, right?
Ummmm.....Gotta tell y'all something... read on, below the fold.
I discovered dkos a little before the election. A week or two before, I'm not sure, that period was just a blur. I didn't sign up for a screen name until after the election because there was just too dang much WORK to do then. After the election, dkos was a great resource and recourse for me. I found lots of fellow souls here and I didn't even mind very much the tension between the deaniacs and the clarkites and the kerryphiles (of which I am mostly the latter, with a smattering of the former. Sorry about the guy in the middle, I must've been hiding behind a door when the goddess handed out the clarkite genes).
[BTW - This is my first diary here and only my third post of any sort under my brand spanking new screen name. Some of you will recognize me as the erstwhile "blue secession"; most of you never noticed me then and won't notice me much now either, `cause I have a day job and a life and a cat and it seems like just a cr*pload to do all the time. And since I grew up in the days when learning to type was only for future secretaries, my touch typing (when I make myself do it) isn't much faster than the two-finger method. So I don't know HOW some of you folks are pumping out diaries and scores of posts every day...even if you "just" go to school. Hats off to you all. Back to the diary now...]
As I've gotten to know dkos better, I've noticed something a little troubling. On most issues, I'm pretty far left in my personal opinion, but I always appreciate hearing the other side's arguments, just in case - god forbid - I am actually wr.. wr.... (tough to get this word out)..<shudder> ..wrong about something. Well most of the time I'm open to hearing the other side, unless I'm feeling really cranky that particular day. And I really try to hold my tongue (and my two typing fingers) on those cranky days. But it seems there are at least a few dkossers that don't feel any desire whatsoever to hear opposing views, even when they are rationally presented. Or, they aren't very good at exercising restraint on their cranky days. I'm not sure which it is.
What I've noticed is that a few posters show up here briefly, and for a few days post some disagreeing, somewhat disagreeable, but often at least somewhat substantive posts - and then quickly get troll-rated into oblivion.
WTF? If someone's trying to engage in intelligible argument - even if their research is poor, if at least they are TRYING to be rational - why are so many dkossers basically booting these guys off the site? Even if the poster reacts to the troll-rating by getting nasty - hey, I've seen one or two dkos (apparent) regulars do that themselves. Cut some slack and give the person room to return to rational dialogue. If they fail to return to rational dialogue, THEN boot them off.
This has been bothering me for at least a couple weeks now and to some extent dampened my enthusiasm for the dkos community. Although I realize it is not the spirit of most of the folks here (and even if it were, you can't get rid of me that easily - no such luck for you).
Then just in the last couple days I saw more of it going on, in at least two separate instances. I won't mention the details because I'm betting the witnesses know exactly what I'm talking about. In fact my diary here could almost be considered a "duplicate", except I'm not pleading for harmony. In fact I'm pleading that we embrace a little disharmony, at least in the content of the political discourse. (But yes, let's keep the personal disharmony out of it).
Specifically .. and here, finally (drum roll, please), is my main point - I would like to suggest that hyperactive, reactionary "troll-bashing" - where the poster is only expressing views outside the kos mainstream - is counterproductive. Here are two reasons that I can think of:
- We need to practice our arguments against actual opposition. It's way too easy when the audience is already on your side. Also, the opposing arguments might be arguments you will soon hear again, when you are out canvassing for the next election or cause or just even talking to one of those incomprehensible Bush voters. Won't you be better prepared if you've heard the opposition's points before?
- Even if someone's really trolling, your well-reasoned, fact-based arguments may ultimately have some effect. Maybe not today or even this year (ok that's pretty much today plus one. You knew what I meant!) But if the person is reading even a little, it will get into their subconscious and eventually can turn that person at least a little more open-minded. By rapidly troll-rating them off the site, you are cutting off their exposure to good information, and possibly delaying or preventing a potential conversion to the reality-based community.
I'm hoping at least a couple of folks read this diary and can suggest other reasons, or other takes on my reasons. Or provide some good counter-arguments. I am not so naïve to think that I can influence the really hot-tempered ones out there, but maybe I can provoke some thought here about the value and appropriate boundaries of true, civilized debate. I'm also hoping that a few of the over-bashed are still hanging around and realize that at least some of us appreciate rational and respectful disagreement.
Thoughts, anyone? Veterans and newbies; troll-accusers and accused trolls; all views welcome! (At least until crankiness sets in.)
And apologies if this is presumptuous of me to critique the community in my first ever diary...if so, hopefully my attempt at a poll will work and you can choose one of the last two options... but first let me mention that I REALLY appreciate dkos - Markos and the front-pagers and all the others who put alot of time into it. I just hate seeing good discussions get derailed by personal attacks, so this is my 2 cents. I'll shut up for awhile now and let y'all talk.
