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November 17, 2004
Personal observation - do you find the same?
No science here. Why are self-identified Leftist trolls (or Leftist reactionaries) so foul-mouthed? Charles Johnson's attracts a fair number of them in his comments and, when banned for egregious behavior, they have even set up drive-by flame-blogs where the quality of the "posts" is the equivalent of nasty small boys scribbling obscenities on a fence.
I've even found this casual use of obscenities on established Leftist sites, from democraticunderground to dKos. And the dismissive just-this-side-from obscenities posts from people like James Wolcott (who is so pickled in misanthropic superiority one figures he doesn't have a pic of himself on his blog because it would show a permanent sneer on his face) who rarely deals with his political opponents on any kind of serious level. The bankruptcy of their position can be discerned by the level in which they pour bile in posts berift of any actual idea.
Certainly, the right-of-center has some ranters and the far-right and fringies their own stoops-to-ad-homenims; however, I don't see the same level of obscenities.
Hmmmm.
Posted by Darleen at November 17, 2004 06:27 AM
Comments
You're absolutely right, and I've seen a variant of this on the comments on my blog. Right wing commenters have been almost uniformly polite and logical, while almost all of the name calling and ad hominem attacks have come from the left.
Posted by: Eric Scheie at November 17, 2004 07:42 AM
I think it's the company you keep- and perhaps the filter through which you look at things.
"The truths we desire support what we already know. We become victims of our own opinions and rationalizations." -Shimon ben Shetach
I find that the fringe left and the right are equally nuts and rude.
I keep waiting for you to take a slightly less us vs them tone, but that must just be your thing. Finger pointing becomes so tiring doesn't it and it doesn't do a whole hell of a lot to help anything. It's what I am working on in myself.
Have you ever heard of Pirke Avot? The sayings of the fathers? It is the teachings of 65 rabbis who spanned the last six hundred years. It is a book on justice, integrity, and virtue.
Be cautious in judgement. What passes for truth is often only hallowed opinion.
Find a teacher to challange your answers. Acquire a friend to challange your questions. Allow everyone the room to doubt: the ability to challenge opinions-even your own.
Posted by: Mieke at November 17, 2004 09:08 AM