There were times, many years ago in a galaxy far away, when I was a BC Assistant Politics Editor, that I despaired at the vitriol spilling from the comments on the politics site, infecting the rest of our esteemed BC and threatening its integrity, honor, and decency.
You betcha!
But in my too-long hiatus, from which I still have not yet fully returned, I've had the chance to check out other political sites, and I'm pleased to report that BC Be Alright.
On most other well-known political sites (I'd name them but then I'd have to link them and I'm too lazy... weak... infirm), the quality of political discussions ranges from "you betcha" to rants that would make those from our least savory members bundles of boodle.
On Politico.com, which is a site for polling junkies, fer Christ's sake, Mark Blumenthal recently suspended comments and kicked assholes off the site because the dialogue had reached swamp gas levels. (He has since relented.) On others, the comments range from "right on, third-world soul world brother" to "you ain't got no sense, you fuckin' liberal/conservative."
So I have to say that the political writers and commenters on BC should feel pretty good about the quality and substance of their discourse. The question now is — why isn't the site getting more notice?
First, one answer is, in a word, publicity. Without rampant self-promotion, it's going to be difficult to elevate the political site into the next realm.
Second, as one who lives on opinion because he finds facts so... pesky... we need more articles to balance out the opinion. It's not hard to do. Hell, all I use is My Yahoo and I get frequent updates — if I'd only check it more than once every two or three days. Opinion is nice, but breaking news is better in the sense that it gets us more notoriety on the aggregator sites, not to mention making Eric O. a happy camper in his new luxury suite at Technorati "We be the future".com.
Nonetheless, in defiance of one BC editor (I'd name him if I could only remember who he was) who once compared the politics page to a cage of angry weasels all tearing each other into Palin-sized pieces... well, maybe not his exact words... I say, pshaw. If you can't stand the heat, go back to your own realm.
So well done, BC Politics. It may be a slimy, ugly, opinion-filled mass of egomaniacs, but it's one of the best-informed and most intelligent masses of egomaniacs I've found.
And that's the truth.
Curmudgeon At Large
In Jameson Veritas
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Dr Dreadful
I'd comment, but I'm still busy having plaque trowelled out of my arteries after consuming all that heavy cream.
I'll get back to you after my fried chicken lunch.
2 - Jet
Don't get too complacent Mark, BC's politics section is getting there fast. With the (mostly editors) right-wing section rabidly willing and over anxiously able to counter anything vaguely center or left of it with 20 paragraph vituperations, many have (myself included) seriously considered wandering off and not returning.
It's not the opinions that bother me, it's the nose-in-the-air and the arogant I'm-right-and-everyone-else-is-wrong, "Oh just ignore him; he'll go away" attitude that seems to pervade this website.
It's the conviction that posting an opinion is nearly completely ignored unless you fall in lock step with the right and far-right.
It's gotten to the point where the political section of this site is like being tied to a chair and being forced to listen to the Rush Limbaugh radio show, and just as frustrating because the communication is one-way.
When there's an exchange of 2-way dialogue, instead of an interchange of insults and belittlement of intellect (from people I somehow respect) I'll consider coming back.
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
We're awesome, because the mountain of turds in our comment threads aren't nearly as potent as the mounds in other sites'!
Seriously, folks, they're comments. Little spouts of unrefined, uncensored discussion below a bunch of RSS feeds and links to Amazon products. They're not that big a deal. The articles themselves are solid, and the tone of the comments do not reflect the tone of the article.
If you're up at night thinking about how an Internet commenter was mean to you or how your precious comment got overlooked, then you should probably call up your local cable provider and ask them to send a technician between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to bludgeon you in the head repeatedly with your own modem, because if that doesn't get the concept of the Internet in your head, nothing will. (This is a service traditionally free of charge, though some charge you, and for convenience purposes Comcast itemizes it in your monthly bill.)
If you want to have a political discussion with someone, call your friend.
4 - Dave Nalle
Jet, my observation is exactly the opposite of your #2. There are a couple of vituperative right wingers, and several very reasonable ones. Then there's a huge mass of ranting and completely irrational lefties who try to shout down dissent rather than engaging in discussion.
Dave
5 - Lisa Solod Warren
Oh, Dave. Sigh..............
6 - zingzing
dave's definition of "irrational"="lefties."
we're not irrational dave, we're just living in a different reality than you are, apparently.
7 - Mark Schannon
Jesus folks. Make me sorry I wrote the damn article. I don't read lots o' articles on BC anymore, but the notion that it's all right-wing or left-wing loonies is...well...lunacy.
Usually all it takes is one person to call for a stop to the ranting & raving, and, surprise, people begin to disagree respectfully. And contrary to what Suss says, there have been some great comment threads here. We just have to all commit to that & harangue the haranguers.
We're all nuts...why else would be spending time here? You want real vitriol or biased sites, go visit some others.
So there...grumble, grumble, grumble.
(Welcome back, Dr. D. I see you're not dead. That's nice. I'm going to indulge in my favorite fantasy...)
In Jameson Veritas
8 - Dr Dreadful
Jet: bollocks.
Cassandra: bollocks, but perhaps I'm only saying that because you're called Cassandra.
Dave: bollocks.
There are quasi-religious maniacs commenting here from both sides of the spectrum. I suggest, folks, that because you are in agreement with some of their sentiments, you don't interpret them as maniacal: therefore, to your eyes, your side is the less flying-mammal-feces insane one.
Even our core writers and commenters are prone to drivel from time to time. On the left, for example, there's the normally lucid and persuasive Baritone, who when provoked is prone to fly off into spittle-laden fits of enjoyable but undignified sarcasm. On the right, there's RJ, who alternates without warning between rationality and gibbering political paranoia.
The trick is to develop a good bullshit detector, which, alas, many of our regulars seem to have difficulty in acquiring. The writings of Dave and his now-departed nemesis Moon are excellent training-grounds in this skill.
One thing about being a comments editor is that it does give one a more balanced perspective...
9 - zingzing
mark, you wrote this article on TOTALLY THE WRONG DAY if you wanted to see niceties and the like. today is a day of horrific battle! and tomorrow too! but wednesday... we shall see.
10 - zingzing
moon's gone again? when did that happen? and where? i wanna see! lemme look!
11 - RJ Elliott
Fine comment, DD, and I must say that I largely agree with your premi-
GIBBERGIBBERGIBBBERGIBBERGIBBERGIBBER
and hope that all involved and enjoy a reasoned and respectful deba-
WHATSTHEMOTHERFUCKINGFREQUENCYKENNETH
12 - El Bicho
"Make me sorry I wrote the damn article."
That makes two of us.
Yup, Moon is gone again, which undercuts one of Mark's points.
13 - zingzing
what was the comment thread that sent her and dr. d over the edge?
14 - Jet
I rest my case....
15 - Clavos
(Welcome back, Dr. D. I see you're not dead. That's nice. I'm going to indulge in my favorite fantasy...)
Call me crazy, Mark, but you might want to clarify that a bit, perhaps add some detail; before the rumors start flying.
I'm just sayin'...:>)
16 - Cindy D
Dr.D dead?
Can I have his propeller beanie?
17 - Baronius
It doesn't matter which thread. Letting that particular hyena back into the dog park was a bad idea from the start.
I think that the more notice a political site gets, the lower its level of discourse. It's a no-win situation. The only way around it is to give posting rights to a limited few, which would prevent us from replenishing the pool of writers and commenters.
I really like it here. There aren't many D's or R's as much as liberals and conservatives. A good many are intelligent and/or international and/or outside the usual stereotypes. I think RJ put it best in comment #13.
18 - Dr Dreadful
Clav - check your e-mail.
RJ - LOL and thanks. We all need some comic relief at this point.
19 - Mark Schannon
Clavos, my apologies. On a post in the Tastes section, where Dr. D. & I were extolling the virtues of a high fat, high fun diet thumbing our noses to the health-Nazis, Dr. D. suddenly had a mild metro-cardiac-infraction. I thought it more serious, and I'm delighted to see him back.
There...that help? (Sorry, Cindy.)
And what did happen to Moon. She's been cranky but not particularly nasty in the comments I've seen. We need her. She's always good for a laugh & occasionally a source of new hooch.
Zing zing...yeah, you're right. Talk about bad timing...oh well, my middle name.
20 - zingzing
on moon--and plus, someone (jet?) recently made up a nickname for the times when moon comes down on you in a particularly self-righteous manner... a "mooning," he called it. come on. that was priceless... so many opportunities to write, "oh! i've been mooooooned." and the like, yada yada.
she hasn't seemed so bad recently. i just try, as much as i can, never to respond to her directly. i acknowledge her presence, but try not to engage her directly, as she's a fucking total loon-ass "VICTIM!" random insult generator with some sort of complex about her own importance and the nastiness of all other life on this planet. but i can live with it. fucking nasty thing.
21 - Cindy D
Why is moon gone?
22 - troll
...I've never understood other people's narcissism
23 - zingzing
yes, you have, troll. yes, you have. i know you have. i know it!
24 - Matthew T. Sussman
"contrary to what Suss says, there have been some great comment threads here."
Really, the Internet is all about scanning text, finding something you disagree with, and reference it to Hitler.
Hence:
I don't think that's what I said at all, Mark. There've been tons of great comments, a few great commenters, and maybe even the occasional "great debate." But take their worth equal to the grains of salt, hair, dead skin, and whatever may layeth beneath your keyboard. They're inconsequential meandering tatters of dialogue, and the article's what really matters.
(This coming from a dude who got a paid writing gig largely based on the comments he made on that blog. But it never stemmed from engaging with others, agreeing/disagreeing with them, or really paying attention to anyone but myself. On the cybertubes, vanity is handsomely rewarded. Also, spellcheck helps.)
25 - Jet
Guilty, Zing...