Why Is The Messenger Shot On P&N?

[Newell Steamer]

As of the past few months, when discussing bad behavior (in politics specifically), the person pointing it out is labeled the one at fault;
- they need to validate they are better
- they are obsessed
- they are whining
- they are wrong
- they are just looking to cause trouble / troll

Or, even more bizarre, there is a conspiracy to purposely paint the source as the problem - again, their behavior is perfectly OK - the issue is pointing it out. And, frankly, I don't think any of us here (from either side of the political spectrum) have the skill, time or dedication to coordinate such efforts.

Anyway, rarely is the core of the discussion discussed.

Or, when it is touched on; it is not a big deal - and they go back to labeling the person who brought it up as a the REAL problem.

Why is that?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Why are you whining about this? You seem obsessed over something that's not a big deal. Maybe you're the problem.

 

[sm625]

We live in a diseased culture. It goes back to the point I made about the US having zero control over its own foreign policy. Half the population is obese and / or prediabetic, yet refuses to understand that those symbols on all those products in the grocery store are really variations on skull & crossbone symbols. Our bodies are under coordinated attack. Our minds are under coordinated attack. Things are much more dire than most people care to admit. The direness of the situation causes kneejerk flailing reactions. It is like trying to get someone to talk about the sexual abuse they experienced when they were a child. Good luck with that. Like I said, our culture is sick and diseased and until people learn to accept that we have a huge hole to climb out of, expect nothing but kneejerk flailing shoot the messenger type of reactions.

 

[JockoJohnson]

I'll take the bait. It might be because some people who post new threads come across as smug assholes with the "I told you so" attitude. This isn't directed at anyone in particular as I have seen people across the spectrum do it here. No one likes the "smug asshole" attitude....NO ONE unless that person is in agreement with the smug asshole.

You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But P&N is not known for how nice everyone is to each other.

 

[SlickSnake]

As of the past few months, when discussing bad behavior (in politics specifically), the person pointing it out is labeled the one at fault;
- they need to validate they are better
- they are obsessed
- they are whining
- they are wrong
- they are just looking to cause trouble / troll

Or, even more bizarre, there is a conspiracy to purposely paint the source as the problem - again, their behavior is perfectly OK - the issue is pointing it out. And, frankly, I don't think any of us here (from either side of the political spectrum) have the skill, time or dedication to coordinate such efforts.

Anyway, rarely is the core of the discussion discussed.

Or, when it is touched on; it is not a big deal - and they go back to labeling the person who brought it up as a the REAL problem.

Why is that?

There are paid political and corporate shills everywhere online now. They are literally trained in trolling and/or damage control, and they shamelessly defend whatever hidden agenda they are paid to promote. If they are not paid directly to troll, then they probably have some financial interest in the subject at hand, like stock or investments at stake, or they may even troll just because someone tarnished the reputation of something they value highly such as religion, politics, sports, celebrities, whatever. So a high traffic site, just like this one, will naturally have a preponderance of trolls and shills.

So what it really comes down to is, how do you spot the trolls so you can ignore them? And by ignore them, I don't mean put them on an ignore list. I never do that, because I want to see all points of view on a topic, however trolled or far fetched. I mean people need to learn to literally ignore them. Do not engage them. Do not respond to them. Let them ramble on and post all the gibberish they want to, but do not acknowledge them. Or if you do feel the need to rebuttal them or their views, then do it in a manner that completely ignores the fact they responded in the first place, by generalizing why they are wrong, without ever engaging or quoting them in the least.

And by the way, I have made these same observations as you in my posts before.

In this new and "enlightened" age of instant Twitter feeds and Facebook posts filled with often meaningless and frequently incomprehensible text and blipverts, the serial troll has found a nice, profitable bridge to live under and call home.

 

[crashtech]

I used to play the ideologue on the Internet. It was pointless then, and it's even more pointless now.

The interesting thing is that I will on rare occasion engage in a political discussion in real life, and am always surprised to find that the ensuing dialogue is an order of magnitude more civil than when behind a keyboard.

 

[JSt0rm]

apparently people like to use the "report this post" button a lot around here for whatever reason. Im out. Enjoy.

 

[glenn1]

Because for a lot of folks, having "their" team win is more important than how they govern once in power. Sometimes voting for and defending a corrupt scumbag who bends the ethics rules is the price of admission to ensure that your (insert pet issue here) remains legal/illegal/subsidized/deregulated/privatized (pick one ore more options here). They'll simply justify it saying "the other side does it, so if we didn't also that would be giving them a competitive advantage."

 

[Thebobo]

apparently people like to use the "report this post" button a lot around here for whatever reason. Im out. Enjoy.

yes they do