Comments on: Engage

By: smijer

smijer — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 01:35:50 +0000

RW - Yeah - well I don’t personally read comments unless it’s just for entertainment value, but I’ll post them anywhere I think they’ll last longer than it took to write them. You never know who might be reading.

By: smijer

smijer — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 01:34:46 +0000

alice - you do enough already - I’m talking about people like me who don’t do anything else.

By: alice

alice — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:08:34 +0000

smij,
I read this yesterday, and I’ve been thinking about it since. I’m just not sure if my blood pressure can take it…

By: Buck

Buck — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:30:33 +0000

a few good sources for you guys on the left to get an idea of what’s going on amongst we fascists are hotair.com & Ace of Spades.

Thanks Ricky. I just put both on my “must read daily” list.

As one who spent the Clinton years as a “righty” and now find myself spending the Bush years as a “lefty” most of the time I find myself wondering which end is up.

Usually I read comments for entertainment value but I have been educated by a few comments I ran across. I never consider comments a waste of time. They are usually funnier than prime time television provided everybody gets an equal shot at the other guy.

I guess as far as “big blogs” go I spend more time at Balloon Juice than at any other.

Is it righty or lefty?

By: RW

RW — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:25:32 +0000

It’s usually very easy to discern who is capable of carrying on a productive debate with & who isn’t (Duncan Black pointing out who isn’t a viable source is irony in itself) & it’s always good to get an overview of what the ‘opposition’ is saying. Speaking from “the right”, a few good sources for you guys on the left to get an idea of what’s going on amongst we fascists are hotair.com & Ace of Spades. No, you won’t like the content and definitely not the comments (no comments section anywhere is applicable, period) but the overall subject matter and the general discussion. I’ve learned that usually the last place to go for the actual line of thinking that the ‘other’ side has is to trust who my side says it is (meaning James Dobson & Jerry Falwell are poor places to get righty opinion).

And, btw, I’ve tried all sorts of ways to engage on some lefty sites (sarcasm, bomb-throwing, politeness, high-mindedness, olive-branch-extension) and the results are usually the same, hence my contention that comments sections that have more than 100 comments on any individual post is immediately ignorable. No ‘big’ site that has comments will have high-minded debates. The ‘I get to say whatever I want behind this anonymous IP wall’ itch is just too hard to scratch. No way Misha (right) or Duncan Black (left) say any of the stuff they say via their keyboard to anyone’s face & the same goes for many/most of their commenters.

You’re not going to get a rational debate at LGF (a good source of Islamist activity) or atrios (a good source for left-wing talking points) and thus I do not and will never try…..don’t read their comments, ever (and read their web sites maybe once per month, each). Smaller sites with people who hold ideology above party is the way to go, IMO. I have a much more productive time discussing with people who are more in line with liberalism than people who are props for the Democratic party & I assume that the reciprocal is also true.

Party flaks suck and are a waste of time, IMO.