Please consider quitting the gloating, guys

RealLindaL wrote:And I'll just add that maybe we could all take a lesson from the sportsmanship we so often witnessed and admired in the just-completed Olympic games.  Not a lot of blatant gloating on the part of the medalists, now was there?  

ppaca wrote:

Wordslinger wrote:

Markle wrote:

othershoe1030 wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:At the risk of alienating a few folks and/or being accused of stifling free speech, I've hinted before and will likely say again that the type of gloating demonstrated on this forum over the prospect of a Hillary win is unseemly and doesn't do anything for promoting your own cause, much less national unity.  Not a thing.  I don't see the value in it at all, matter of fact, other than maybe making the posters feel good for a few minutes, and further infuriating the opposition.  To what end??  Is it really that much fun??

Look, feel free to tell me to take a hike, anyone, but that's my strong opinion.  I know as an admittedly left-leaning Independent I often come down hard on certain right wing positions, but I don't think you'll see me rubbing my hands together in anticipatory glee at the thought of their possible coming unhappiness.

Honestly, I think that's pretty destructive

So does this make me a perfect saint?  OMG NO.  Just allow me this little rant as one of the senior members (age-wise) of the group.  

It would be nice if we could go back to the pre-Fox News era when there was more agreement and less partisan rhetoric going on but we find ourselves up to our necks in political operatives, negative adds and super pacs.
[...]

Ah, who could make these things up?

The Progressives are so desperate they are now blaming ONE news source, out of thousands, has caused the hate and vitriol of the last seven years.

It's surely the only media outlet that made Trump and his ilk possible - by nurturing the far right racist-fascists who just stole the republican party.  It's also the only news outlet where the boss demanded his female hosts give him head.   Reality

Yep and Hannity has been a Trump adviser for sometime.  I guess they just decided to release that. So fair and balanced, don't think so.

Just think if Hitler would have had this venue in his time.

ZVUGKTUBM wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:And I'll just add that maybe we could all take a lesson from the sportsmanship we so often witnessed and admired in the just-completed Olympic games.  Not a lot of blatant gloating on the part of the medalists, now was there?  

Sportsmanship???? Here??? There is no sportsmanship shown here by anyone.

You gotta have thick-skin to play in this sandbox, and expect to get dirty. We don't play nice around here, and it will only get worse as November nears.

Wordslinger wrote:The is the political section of the forum.  When the hell have American politics ever been nice?

Some right wing whacko wants to cut all taxes for the ultra rich, end social security and shitcan healthcare, and you expect me to respect her or him?

Some one wants to force pregnant women to get the abortions they figure they must get in back alleys with slimeballs and quacks who quite likely will kill them, and you expect me to respect the Pro life sonofa bitch?

RealLindaL wrote:

Wordslinger wrote:The is the political section of the forum.  When the hell have American politics ever been nice?

Some right wing whacko wants to cut all taxes for the ultra rich, end social security and shitcan healthcare, and you expect me to respect her or him?

Some one wants to force pregnant women to get the abortions they figure they must get in back alleys with slimeballs and quacks who quite likely will kill them, and you expect me to respect the Pro life sonofa bitch?

I presume you're addressing me, Word, so I'll try to respond.   I have absolutely no respect for the right-wing points of view you delineate here, either.   (As an aside, not germane to the thread's intent, I do have to respect their right to hold those views, being that this is still America and all, remember?)

No, the ONE AND ONLY thing I'm suggesting is that we not indulge in gloating over a potential Democratic win in the White House race, because what possible good can it do??  It only adds more incentive for the opposition to hate us more fiercely -- that's human nature -- and guess what?  More hatred of each other is the last thing we need in this country.

Debating the issues, even furiously, can be constructive.  Gloating?  I just don't see how it does anything at all but add to more dark and empty hatred and division.

As for any return to a semblance of respect for our fellow American voters (OK, civility may be a better word), I can see it will never happen, at least not in my lifetime.   But we can't just blame the right, even though we may purely detest most if not all of their policies, and even though they have Faux News and lots of nasty talk radio outlets. The left, defensively or otherwise, is sinking into the same abyss of hate.

As another aside, I guess the only thing that could possibly re-ignite the heart of mutual American patriotism would be another horrific attack from an outside force, on the scale of 9/11.  (NOT that I wish that on us!  Heaven forbid!)  But as previously demonstrated, that wouldn't last for long, either,  before we'd be pointing fingers of blame and hatred at each other.

Oh look, I probably shouldn't have made my one small suggestion about gloating over victory.  Other than having stirred some debate, this thread obviously hasn't done one bit of good with or for anyone.

In truth, I probably just don't belong here at all.  I'll think on it.  Seriously.

2seaoat wrote:It is human nature for the weak to run from the very thought that others may have valid opinions which conflict with their opinion.

RealLindaL wrote:
I'm a stronger person than you'll ever hope to be, sir.  You have NO idea.

What do you people not understand about my continued explanation that it is not different opinions on the issues that bothers me??  I asked ONE SIMPLE thing, for people to CONSIDER, just CONSIDER, STOPPING THE GLOATING over a win, especially one that hasn't happened yet.  It's stupid, unseemly, juvenile, destructive, and all the other adjectives I used.  Not one person here is willing to admit that.  What a pack.

RealLindaL wrote:It's stupid, unseemly, juvenile, destructive, and all the other adjectives I used.  Not one person here is willing to admit that.

Wordslinger wrote:
It's your choice -- stay and fight or go off and pretend everything is going to be okay.

I hope you make the right choice.  

RealLindaL wrote:

Wordslinger wrote:
It's your choice -- stay and fight or go off and pretend everything is going to be okay.

I hope you make the right choice.  

"Staying and fighting" is an option, of course, though the way I "fight" may not be especially attractive to those who simply want to bash for bashing's sake.  And in any case, I doubt -- the way the game is played here in y'all's "sandbox" -- that anyone is ever going to convince anyone else of anything.   Doesn't seem to even be a distant hope of that; it's not the apparent goal.  Instead, that fighting you speak of seems to be reward enough, somehow.  

Going off involves no pretending whatsoever, but only the recognition that I can do no good here whatsoever, and that I should spend my time more wisely.  I'm still thinking on it.  

One thing has become abundantly clear to me:  there will indeed never be anything near a return to civility and mutual recognition of our common American cause, if both sides insist on continuing to fan the flames of the opposition's fury.

ZVUGKTUBM wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:It's stupid, unseemly, juvenile, destructive, and all the other adjectives I used.  Not one person here is willing to admit that.

Where else can we be all of that and get away with it?

Saul Alinsky wrote:
[font=Arial Black]I'm too petrified of the alternative to do any gloating./font]

othershoe1030 wrote:How about the word exultation? It celebrates without the wicked happiness associated with the word gloat?

I will exult in his defeat which will be a repudiation of everything he stands for.  To me this is the only position left for citizens who still want to hold the country to the ideals upon which it was founded and to move away from the historic record that shows we still have a lot of work to do.

2seaoat wrote:Linda has proven to be thin skinned and very very very judgmental of folks who think there is racism in America.   However, gloating is absurd.   There is right and there is wrong.   There is good and there is evil.   The ability to distinguish the same is not gloating, and you do not seek compromise with evil.  I am willing to give Linda sandbox lessons, but I am afraid she is so angry and vulgar right now she would not make a very good student.   She would probably think the sandbox was a liter box where her vulgarity would just flood the sandbox with some more naughty words.   shameful display of sandbox 101 knowledge.

RealLindaL wrote:

othershoe1030 wrote:How about the word exultation? It celebrates without the wicked happiness associated with the word gloat?

I will exult in his defeat which will be a repudiation of everything he stands for.  To me this is the only position left for citizens who still want to hold the country to the ideals upon which it was founded and to move away from the historic record that shows we still have a lot of work to do.

Sure, I like your word, othershoe. Certainly if and when the White House is won it would be normal and natural to exult and celebrate, and I, too, will be very happy (and mostly relieved as hell!!) for Trump's defeat, and won't hesitate to issue a big yippee.   I won't, however, be found saying "nyah, nyah nyah nyah-nyah" to the losers.  They will know they lost and won't need me to remind them.

I wish I could share your hope that a defeat would constitute that "stake in the heart" you speak of.   But now that this beast has been fully awakened by a man who seems to have made it all OK -- more than acceptable -- among his uber right followers to be just like him, I doubt the "white means right" crowd will go away, any more than the white supremacists and other bigots will.   There will be a festering, and whether or not that erupts remains to be seen.

2seaoat wrote: you strange, sick weirdo.


Tell me what you really think.......

PS I can't figure out why you are upset with SeaOat who makes good arguments and has merely pointed out that there is a white privilege factor going on that must be recognized and corrected. I don't know how you two got off to such a bad start. Really.

Linda does not take criticism well.  When I questioned the letter she wrote to Grover attacking Commissioner May, she went all Glen Close on me as I became the subject of scorned woman where  we always had been coridal and she actually made good observations and other than her going Glen Close on Surf, which I thought Surf was being mean to her, I had not seen that side of her.  I simply said the optics of the letter were pure putting an uppity black man in his place.  I feel like I have scrapped a scab and actually I like her intelligent attacks on me....it is refreshing.....usually it takes most angry with me about ten minutes to use the you strange, sick weirdo., which Dreams always would call me crazy....but she and I had fun dancing, and still do, but I have recieved PM concerned that she does not find the fun in the sandbox.....I defended her, and still do.....but of course I am a sick strange weirdo........you know all those years which Neko, Joannie and I would argue into the late hours.....not once did they use the crazy angle, they just relished proving me wrong......we had fun......Glen Close.....not so much.

2seaoat wrote:I still think she was too hard on you,

I enjoy people being real with their emotions in the sandbox....I get so tired of the pity world I now exist.........so it is refreshing to have pointed and intelligent discussions, but when Surf made a slam on buffets.....he and Linda went off into this Glen Close world which I thought Surf sensed something, and was being unusually mean for his usual intelligent self..... who cares about a buffet......but Linda took this personal and the two of them went around in circles with escalating mean comments.....I stayed way out of it like I did with most comments and fights, but when it comes to racial discrimination and dog whistle.....I am a trained attack dog.....I do not let it pass, in the sandbox or the real world......I have very little patience for the same, and in my honest opinion the letter sent to Grover was the worst kind of dog whistle I have ever seen on this forum as it transitioned from the sandbox to the real world.  I gave my opinion.......so do you think the Glen Close character can be redeemed....who knows.