Long-winded Post About Political Discussions

Shuke-D · November 4, 2008

This is a long one. Here's a summary to evaluate if you want to read on or not:

1. I ask a question about the current tenor of political discussions on this board.

2. I call certain people out, but not by name.

3. I clearly like to hear myself type.

I’m just a long-time lurker who found gomeangreen.com way back when it was called Harry’s Mean Green. I had moved out west and wanted my fix of North Texas football any way I could get it. I don’t post much at all, nor do I care to. I’m not looking for friends, just stuff, football and otherwise, about my alma mater to which I owe everything and miss very much.

And that leads me to the subject of today’s semi-annual missive: The postings on this “Non-Unt Sports” board (and often the football one) have moved me to have to ask a simple question that in some ways I don’t think anyone will care to answer, or worse will be moved to answer in a rather, er, vigorous way. And for the record, I’m more being rhetorical here as opposed to earnestly interrogative. But I am genuinely curious.

This political season has brought out a level of discourse that is, beyond even the usual form, heated. The free exchange of ideas is of course the hallmark of American democracy, and part of what has made us so resilient as a country. But there is an odd edge to it this year, and it has manifested itself on this board as of late.

My question is to the members of this board who have posted frequently and arduously against one of the candidates. Not for their candidate of choice, but rather almost exclusively against the other. I am somewhat baffled by the reaction of some who’s motivation is to STOP the other as opposed to support their candidate. I’m baffled because this election cycle has produced two candidates (at the top of their ticket; VP’s on both sides are a whole other matter) who have laid out very traditional, clear and articulate platforms that conform to the historical principles of their party. McCain is a fiscal conservative (though he seems to personally be a social moderate, but he does emphasize state’s rights in determining such moral matters as abortion and capital punishment); Obama is progressive-minded in economic and social matters. That’s pretty matter of fact there. And both candidates, to their credit, have not hidden these tendencies behind misleading slogans/prettily-worded initiative names. Obama is spread the wealth (social-equality to some, socialist to others; depends on your own ideology, but he’s not lying to you); McCain is pro-growth (empower the producers to some, trickle-down economics to others; again, depends what you read and who you believe, but he’s telling you the way he is). There is so much to recommend each based on their articulated ideas. And conversely, there is plenty to use to critique the other, based on their expressed ideas. I’ve actually enjoyed this election cycle as far as the choices presented to me.

So here’s what I don’t get: It’s one thing to make a point, even on a public message board. This is a pseudo-community, and it’s natural to want to air out your ideas. However, some of you have exhibited a zealous sense of transcendent mission in this matter. It has gone beyond “just saying my peace” or “exercising my right to speak my mind.” Their has been a tone in some of your postings that you fear with a dead certainty for the morning of November 5th should the “wrong” person get elected, that you have had a premonition of the future that is unshakable, incorruptible, pure. You are not speaking about concerns you have about the ideas and proposed policies; instead you are prophesying doom on the ignorant masses who are not so nearly informed as you. You have even pleaded with other posters on this board who have voiced ideas different than your own to wake up, to stop being mislead or fooled, as if you are the only one who has the pure ability to interpret the dense field of policy-proposals, economic, social, legal and otherwise, that in the immediate future no one is 100% sure what they will lead to, that even experts will only speak about ‘probabilities’ in regard to the outcomes of those ideas. Your tone, style, and text speaks of an almost omniscient understanding of the wrong candidate’s mind, spirit, and heart, as if you’ve looked into his eyes and seen his soul. Your railings against your fellow Mean Green brethren speak of an almost exclusive understanding of the future.

My question is not how you were blessed with this inspired vision of the future, of truth beyond mortal human reasoning. My question is this: Why are you wasting your time on a football message board? Seriously! If you are so damned blessed with intuition and temporal foresight, why waste your time trying to convince the 3162 currently registered members here? I mean, that’s roughly 10% of the current student body, a miniscule fraction of the alumni of North Texas, and a truly infinitesimal amount of the registered voters in the state of Texas, not to mention the entire country. If you truly believe that you have the ability to see through the illusion of the media/social system of informational oppression, so much so that you MUST excoriate your fellow alums for their own imperfect reasoning, why not do so on a more grand, effective scale? Many, many members of this board post statements of their personal beliefs and understandings, but they are doing so to contribute to the discourse at hand and do not do so with an overweening sense of personal entitlement to “Truth.” They do not question the morality, reasoning, patriotism, and faith of others who disagree. They have put in their .02 FOR their candidate and not thrown an entire dubious kitchen sink AGAINST the other guy.

If you are so truly sure of EXACTLY what will happen in the future, why waste time here where virtually no one’s mind will be changed. Why waste precious hours researching obscure websites mining for information, and even more hours typing text that a few people will read. If you truly must Save The Future, are their not better places for just such an inspired mission? Are there not more efficient uses of your special gifts? Perhaps you could figure out the final intricacies of the Flux Capacitor and go Back to the Past and warn the masses before your personal agent of evil made that first break into politics (whether it was 10 years ago or 30 years ago)?

So again, this is all meant as a sincere question that I’m not sure anyone will care to answer. And I am not here to make friends or be one of the gang. After posting this, I will slink back into my comfy obscurity, happy about the goal-line stand this weekend that showed some heart, almost hearing Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Going to Take it Anymore” as Nwigwe and others just simply refused to lose.

A blanket statement: If I have offended, please feel free to PM me, to which you will receive an apology. I do not see the point of sullying up the boards with more pointless vitriol. My intent is not to mock, though clearly my effect has shown a little of that. This all began because, as the postings continued, I just got so ding-dang curious that I had to ask. I just feel that as North Texas alums, students, supporters, we already face enough derision and underestimating out there that we should be talking each other up at all times, especially when we disagree, and not calling each other douches (as much fun as that is to say under different circumstances). Our country is in a situation similar to the football team’s at the moment. We’ve had a bad run lately, and we need everyone to stay on board and watch each others’ backs.

Seriously, take care. I’ll dole out the apologies on PMs, and I’ll keep on relying on everyone here for info, inspiration, and entertainment in all other Mean Green Matters. I’m out.

Bryan316 · November 4, 2008

I've been wondering about this change in tone since this hidden corner of GMG became a place for personal soapboxes. I mean, on the other boards, it's "Rah, go team, maximum support!" But you come in here and your respect for members starts dropping based on what they come up with and their way of presenting it. The points you make and the questions you pose are valid, and you shouldn't need to apologize to anyone for them.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · November 4, 2008

Why not?

The Fake Lonnie Finch · November 4, 2008

No, seriously. Why not?

ColoradoEagle · November 4, 2008

I enjoy reading and talking politics, and exactly in the way that you describe. I have no vision of the future, but I do know where I stand. What bothers me, particularly about this election cycle, is the uninformed on both sides. If you want to discuss focusing on offshore drilling and nuclear power vs. green power, that's great. Instead it's "Barack HUSSEIN Obama" and "stupid, ignorant rednecks." Reading a lot of the posts in the politics threads here, I'm actually embarrassed that some people with degrees from North Texas have been reduced to the same debate tactics as someone who didn't even graduate from high school. We're graduates of a great university, and I feel we need to demonstrate that.

Edited November 4, 2008 by ColoradoEagle

ADLER · November 4, 2008

You are prophesying doom on the ignorant masses who are not so nearly informed as you.

Damn, and you don't see the sport in that?

ia55gxVlu-o

Cerebus · November 4, 2008

I was against opening this forum to non sports related posts in the first place.

I believe there are already places on the internet to discuss those other subjects.

I believed that allowing this would splinter the fan base, when this site is supposed to do the opposite.

I have heard from so many people comments along the line of "he is a good fan, but I never knew he was such a loon, I can never be fully comfortable with him again".

I don't think anything productive has come from opening this up to non sports topics, no ones mind has been changed, only divisions have been highlighted.

I am going to talk to Harry and see if we can't get this back to a sports forum.

I believe more of you should start your sentences with "i", it's a lot of fun.

I also think my avatar sums up the state of the board pretty concisely.

Mean Green 93-98 · November 4, 2008

I disagree. I enjoy the diverse, non-sports related threads. I don't read them all, but as mentioned above, they're in a back corner of the board. Nobody has to read them who doesn't want to. If the politics didn't have a vent here, they would probably find their way into the sports threads a lot more often.

Green P1 · November 4, 2008

I believe more of you should start your sentences with "i", it's a lot of fun.
I also think my avatar sums up the state of the board pretty concisely.

I believe that the recent jump in gif images on this site has really upped the fun level a substantial amount.

I believe last weeks win might in fact be a direct result of the increased usage of gifs.

I believe I've got just the thing to get the good guys a win at FAU this week:

Mean Green 93-98 · November 4, 2008

I believe that the recent jump in gif images on this site has really upped the fun level a substantial amount.
I believe last weeks win might in fact be a direct result of the increased usage of gifs.
I believe I've got just the thing to get the good guys a win at FAU this week:

Uhh, no. That's got to be more of a performance de-hancer than the best doobie money could buy. Remember how Hayden Fry used to paint the visitors' locker room pink?

Quoner · November 4, 2008

I believe that the recent jump in gif images on this site has really upped the fun level a substantial amount.
I believe last weeks win might in fact be a direct result of the increased usage of gifs.
I believe I've got just the thing to get the good guys a win at FAU this week:

RIP - last week's avatar....

Cerebus · November 4, 2008

RIP - last week's avatar....

I am ok with it if its one just one post... but if I have to see it every time you post... :blink:

Green P1 · November 4, 2008

I am ok with it if its one just one post... but if I have to see it every time you post...

I see it when my eyes are closed.

mad dog · November 5, 2008

I was against opening this forum to non sports related posts in the first place.
I believe there are already places on the internet to discuss those other subjects.
I believed that allowing this would splinter the fan base, when this site is supposed to do the opposite.
I have heard from so many people comments along the line of "he is a good fan, but I never knew he was such a loon, I can never be fully comfortable with him again".
I don't think anything productive has come from opening this up to non sports topics, no ones mind has been changed, only divisions have been highlighted.
I am going to talk to Harry and see if we can't get this back to a sports forum.
I believe more of you should start your sentences with "i", it's a lot of fun.
I also think my avatar sums up the state of the board pretty concisely.

It'd certainly make the job quite a bit easier.