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As many long-time R&Rs can attest to, I’ve posted on RantRave for some time. More recently I’ve been back and forth about it. I check the site almost daily, but rarely write anything. Unfortunately, I believe I’ve figured out why.
Upon reading HeyNoni’s final posting I observed an interesting dynamic. Instead of the respectful, intelligent debate between friends, which is what RantRave used to all about (a pseudo-community if you will), even the users think it’s some sort of “war” where there are “opponents” who’s ideas need to be crushed. I think this is the main reason people like Coloranter_Raver, whose ability to write and debate in a respectful manner is still unmatched, have left our community.
I encourage you to think about the things you say and the ways in which you say them. To you, the person you are ‘opposed’ to in this ‘war’ is stupid, naïve, or both. Most likely, they are none of the above. People hold their ideological and moral beliefs for many reasons, interaction with peers, such as here on the site, is only one ways to develop such traits. If you are talking as a hard-line, foul-mouthed, disrespectful person who also happens to be conservative the inference is you are that way because they are republican (or something to that effect).
But if you can cite sources, speak with respect, and supply positive feedback you may not only get your point across, but you could possibly make a new friend.
So you see, when you step back and think about it, treating the person you are talking to as you enemy and not as your friend is just a waste of your time, since you will most likely not convince them of anything you intended to. Not only that, they may attribute your negative traits to your political party.