Why I Am Proud of Caucus99percent

Some of us disagree with some others. We are strong enough to tolerate disagreement. There is no hatred here, and little vitriol that I've seen.

Macabre, murderous circuses like Charlottesville and the corresponding media furor do not shake us from our principles of reason, truth, and civility. They do not destroy our friendships.

For instance, GeorgeJohn and I like each other very much. He came here because he and I were Twitter friends, and I invited him over. We are in disagreement on this issue. That has not made us hate one another or stop talking. That pattern is repeated over and over again on this site. That is why this site is important. That is why every place like this is important.

We need to create Semi-Permanent Autonomous Zones. This is one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporary_Autonomous_Zone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_autonomous_zone

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Pricknick's picture

that so many of such varied backgrounds could get along so well.
I mentioned to another member just the other day about why I love it here. A myriad of opinions with little to no retribution or ongoing ill will.
Very rare.

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Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.

thanatokephaloides's picture

Orgulously so! Smile

We've managed to create something rare and beautiful here. The ancient Greek agora as the Greeks best imagined it. A genuinely civilized forum, where a real community discusses issues in freedom and loving, kind respect.

Let's hang onto that!

Give rose

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Bollox Ref's picture

@thanatokephaloides
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Smile

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@thanatokephaloides Very well put--better than I put it, in fact!

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

in an other wise turbulent tempest once again. I want your meds.

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There is no such thing as TMI. It can always be held in reserve for extortion.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@ghotiphaze Wellbutrin helps, yes.

Doesn't make it easy, though!

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Mark from Queens's picture

is always worth it. Because it lands on an understanding that we're mostly all coming from the right place, rendering it safe, sound and rewarding in the end. Thanks for pointing this out, CStMS, and all of your cogent points throughout, as usual.

I like that we keep hammering away at this. It's the best way to get the clearest understanding of a situation that has many layers to it.

Thanks to aliasalias for excepting from this Democracy Now segment in another essay tonight. The segment was with a reformed white supremacist who formed an organization called "Life After Hate," a nonprofit helping people disengage from hate and violent extremism.

I think this sums up a lot of what we're discussing today, which to me is empathy and seeing the Big Picture, which is always "what kind of society do you want to live in?," and realizing people are fundamentally the same in so many respects:

...our approach is to work with people in a compassionate and empathetic way and to listen to what they have to say, instead of arguing with them ideologically or pushing them further away.

And what I listen for are these things that I call potholes—what existed in their path that deviated it. And then, my job becomes to fill those potholes, whether it’s job training or life coaching or tattoo removal or mental health therapy.

And what happens inevitably is, when people are more equipped, understand what they’re dealing with internally, they don’t necessarily need to blame somebody else for what they feel is being taken away from them, because now they’re more resilient and they’re more able to compete and they’re more self-confident.

However, I do challenge their ideology, as well, but not by debating. What I do is I introduce them to people that they think that they hate. And I’ve introduced Holocaust deniers to Holocaust survivors, Islamophobes to imams and Muslim families to have family dinner. And it’s those types of connections, those opportunities to humanize, that really bring people back, because people join these groups because they’re out searching for something that they’re not getting in their real life."

So I bid you all good night with this. And say, when all else fails, use humor, music, breaking bread, art, a smile, a friendly gesture, an affirming nod, and wit to defuse - sometimes a sousaphone:

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"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:

THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"

- Kurt Vonnegut

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Mark from Queens

So I bid you all good night with this. And say, when all else fails, use humor, music, breaking bread, art, a smile, a friendly gesture, an affirming nod, and wit to defuse - sometimes a sousaphone:

Sometimes bagpipes work, too:

[video:https://youtu.be/JwLaDzKFiBY]

Wink

edit: Supplied subject line.

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Mark from Queens That's what Bernie gave them with his campaign. Worked pretty damned well.

There are still those on the far right who respect him.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

smiley7's picture

a little music i ran across on the street late afternoon, first i'd heard "June Apples," down below, between the place for provisions and my flat; two young violin players, fiddlers, grabbed my senses and i stopped to celebrate their skill, making sure they were more than welcome on main and please return and we high-fived, and being locals and young, i expect many return performances, that good!

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Place to be. Free and independent thought flourishes here. It doesn't get sat in a corner.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

gulfgal98's picture

and the tone was set from the beginning by the admins here by having only one rule. And that was to keep it civilized.

I enjoy coming to a place of like minded individuals. And by like minded, I mean folks who are willing to listen to one another and hopefully learn from one another. I cannot begin to tell everyone here just how much I personally have learned and grown as a result of this site and the people who come here.

No one of us has all the answers, and sometimes each of us may realize we had a faulty answer. I can speak from experience in that case. Disagreeing without being disagreeable makes these conversations possible.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy