# I pit exaggeration about SDMB partisan-ness **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 6, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968 "2010-01-06T22:30:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/1 "2010-01-06T22:30:18Z")
So, first of all, the SDMB absolutely clearly definitely leans left (in US political terms). There are more more people who like Obama and disliked Bush than liked Bush and dislike Obama, by a fairly wide margin. This has various implications: -If you post something right-leaning, more people will disagree with you than if you post something left-leaning -If you post something left-leaning, more people will agree with you than if you post something right-leaning -Because every group has a fringe of jackasses, if you post something anything-leaning you are quite likely to engender some number of vitriolic and poorly reasoned responses, probably more from the left (due to larger overall population) than the right HOWEVER, I’m getting very sick of people overstating how left-leaning and partisan this board is. How often have we read something like “but we all know that if you post anything even remotely supportive of Bush you’ll be treated worse than Hitler” or “I learned a long time ago not to post my conservative views because I’d be shouted down by gangs of morons” or “and then the SDMB liberal hive-mind…” or what have you? Thing is, the vast majority of these hyperbolic statements are just plain false. It is absolutely possible to espouse a conservative viewpoint on the SDMB and have people respect you as a poster and respond to your views with (mostly) reasoned non-personal attacks. Granted, it’s probably not as easy as it should be, and granted there will likely be a fringe of responses that do in fact fit the stereotype of rabid blindly liberal hive mind… but in fact polite debate about issues can and does happen here all the time. And not all pro-Obama or anti-Bush threads immediately descend into left wing crotchgrabbing. I distinctly remember a pit thread started around 2007 whose OP was basically “my neighbor has a Bush sign in his yard. My neighbor is so dumb! LOLOLOL!” and it was met by a resounding chorus of “you’re an idiot”. (I wish I’d saved a link to it…) So, why do I care enough to rant about it? For three reasons: (1) It’s an easy way to avoid having to actually discuss issues. “Sure, I’d like to defend my claim that (some right wing position), but we all know that there’s no point in arguing with the SDMB left blah blah blah”. Which is a shame. If there’s one thing this board desperately needs it’s more reasoned arguments from the right. (2) It’s insulting. I’m generally on the left and I post on the SDMB. Every time I see someone talk about how the SDMB left is just a bunch of monkeys (or whatever) I take it as a personal insult, because, as far as I know, they’re talking about me. Thus, rancor grows and the likelihood of reasoned debate decreases. (3) It’s self-fulfilling. The more people make hyperbolic comments about the board’s partisan nature, even if they’re consciously meant to be partisan, the more the meme perpetuates itself… when right-wing SDMB users read such things it just puts them in the mindset of starting out super defensive and combative, ready to defend their beliefs against the presumed onslaught of assholes. And the more left-wingers read them, the more they bristle about how unfairly they’re being misrepresented, and the less likely they are to be in a mood to engage in polite debate. So… cut it out, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/2 "2010-01-06T22:43:04Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > (1) It’s an easy way to avoid having to actually discuss issues. “Sure, I’d like to defend my claim that (some right wing position), but we all know that there’s no point in arguing with the SDMB left blah blah blah”. A-fucking-MEN. Have any of the people who use that excuse actually _tried_ arguing their points? ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/3 "2010-01-06T22:45:06Z")
How dare you tell people what kind of content to post? Who made you boss of political content? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/4 "2010-01-06T22:48:38Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > How dare you tell people what kind of content to post? Who made you boss of political content? At this point I can’t tell if you’re completely serious or self-parodying. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/5 "2010-01-06T22:48:49Z")
Halle-fuckin’-lujah! Instead of concentrating all their negativity on the left, they should be looking closer to home for why everything seems to be going to shit. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/6 "2010-01-06T22:51:48Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > At this point I can’t tell if you’re completely serious or self-parodying. Those are indeed the only two options, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/7 "2010-01-06T23:04:23Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > Those are indeed the only two options, eh? completely seriously self-parodying? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/8 "2010-01-06T23:33:16Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > So, first of all, the SDMB absolutely clearly definitely leans left (in US political terms). There are more more people who like Obama and disliked Bush than liked Bush and dislike Obama, by a fairly wide margin. Actually, this is true in the country as a whole too, so it’s not really much of a lean. It’s more a bias towards a center that the so called conservatives _wish_ was further to the right. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/9 "2010-01-06T23:33:19Z")
The thread has gone this far and no one asked for a link yet? 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/10 "2010-01-06T23:53:48Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > The thread has gone this far and no one asked for a link yet? 😛 [Here ya go,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11963560#post11963560) **xt**. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/11 "2010-01-06T23:54:51Z")
Well thank you Squink! Of course, I was only asking tongue in cheek, but I appreciate it. (and now that I’ve checked out the link I’m even happier…a link to me asking for a link! How good is that?!?) -XT ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/12 "2010-01-07T00:16:47Z")
The OP is exactly what you’d expect one of _them_ to say. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/13 "2010-01-07T00:56:26Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The OP is exactly what you’d expect one of _them_ to say. Oh shut up you evangelical ignorant hummer driving war mongering nazi. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/14 "2010-01-07T01:01:33Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > HOWEVER, I’m getting very sick of people overstating how left-leaning and partisan this board is. How often have we read something like “but we all know that if you post anything even remotely supportive of Bush you’ll be treated worse than Hitler” or “I learned a long time ago not to post my conservative views because I’d be shouted down by gangs of morons” or “and then the SDMB liberal hive-mind…” or what have you? > > Thing is, the vast majority of these hyperbolic statements are just plain false. It is absolutely NOT false. I still occasionally get attacked for having an opinion that runs conservative in nature, and I am on record as disliking Bush from 2003 on and voting for Obama. It’s amazing how quickly the attacks stop when that simple fact is pointed out to people, as if that establishes my credibility. > [@](#): > > It is absolutely possible to espouse a conservative viewpoint on the SDMB and have people respect you as a poster and respond to your views with (mostly) reasoned non-personal attacks. Granted, it’s probably not as easy as it should be, and granted there will likely be a fringe of responses that do in fact fit the stereotype of rabid blindly liberal hive mind… but in fact polite debate about issues can and does happen here all the time. Really? When? There is no thread safe from the vitriolic rhetoric of **Der Trihs** , **elucidator** , or **Diogenes the Cynic** , to name but a few. It’s simply a matter of time in any given thread until the trend repeats itself. So no, I typically don’t waste my time anymore. I am representative of the very type of poster that you are decrying. I simply tired of it. > [@](#): > > So… cut it out, everyone! I understand your position and I respect your viewpoint. Because of that, I remain largely silent. I can tell you that this subject has been raised before, and you can see where it has lead… absolutely nowhere. The mere fact that the topic must be raised yet again is indicative of that. And it won’t lead anywhere this time, either. More’s the pity. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/15 "2010-01-07T01:07:12Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > It is absolutely NOT false. I still occasionally get attacked for having an opinion that runs conservative in nature, and I am on record as disliking Bush from 2003 on and voting for Obama. It’s amazing how quickly the attacks stop when that simple fact is pointed out to people, as if that establishes my credibility. Maybe they’re attacking your opinion, and you’re taking it as a personal attack on your political position? When you take time to explain where you come from, you gain a lot more credibility. Seriously, spend some time on other forums and you’ll see how tolerant this board can be. For example, go to the [Hannity.com](http://Hannity.com) forums. Dissenting opinions get deleted and banned in _minutes_. Compared to them, we’re… something incredibly tolerant. Can’t think of a relevant yet humorous comparison item right now. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/16 "2010-01-07T01:09:46Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Really? When? There is no thread safe from the vitriolic rhetoric of **Der Trihs** , **elucidator** , or **Diogenes the Cynic** , to name but a few. It’s simply a matter of time in any given thread until the trend repeats itself. So no, I typically don’t waste my time anymore. I am representative of the very type of poster that you are decrying. I simply tired of it. I have no doubt that that is true, at least often. The question, though, is whether you get 8 responses of which 3 are vitriolic and you ignore those 3 and respond to the other 5, or whether you respond to those 3 (because, naturally enough, everyone wants to respond to someone who has insulted and belittled them) and the conversation implodes. My claim is not “no conservative argument is met with vitriol” or even “some conservative arguments are not met with vitriol”, it’s “conservative arguments are not met ONLY with vitriol”. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/17 "2010-01-07T01:15:03Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Seriously, spend some time on other forums and you’ll see how tolerant this board can be. For example, go to the [Hannity.com](http://Hannity.com) forums. Dissenting opinions get deleted and banned in _minutes_. Compared to them, we’re… something incredibly tolerant. Can’t think of a relevant yet humorous comparison item right now. [freerepublic.com](http://freerepublic.com) comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/18 "2010-01-07T01:15:24Z")
Well…you could ask yourself a couple of questions here. You could ask yourself…why aren’t there more conservatives on this board? One answer could be that conservative positions are so discredited that a large percentage of the boards conservatives have left. Of course, another answer could be that the boards former conservatives were driven out…or chose to leave because they were increasingly harried by other members on this board. Personally, I think the answer is somewhere in the middle (heh). Secondly, you could ask yourself…what makes a ‘conservative’ poster? And who are the conservative posters on this board, exactly? For instance, I’m considered a ‘conservative’ on this board. This despite the fact that, by US standards I’m actually left of center and am fairly liberal, especially on social issues. However, many, if not most people on this boards, if asked (and if they actually knew who I was) would say I’m ‘conservative’. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/19 "2010-01-07T01:29:53Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > My claim is not “no conservative argument is met with vitriol” or even “some conservative arguments are not met with vitriol”, it’s “conservative arguments are not met ONLY with vitriol”. So once they are inevitably met with vitriol, are we to ignore the insults for your benefit, just turn the other cheek? It appears that you are suggesting that we do exactly that, and that is unreasonable. Of course, if we respond the thread descends into madness, which plays right into the argument you’re making in this thread. I hope you can see that we’re damned if we do and damned if we don’t. ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968/20 "2010-01-07T01:32:52Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > So once they are inevitably met with vitriol, are we to ignore the insults for your benefit, just turn the other cheek? It appears that you are suggesting that we do exactly that, and that is unreasonable. Why is it unreasonable, exactly? 😕 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-exaggeration-about-sdmb-partisan-ness/523968.md?page=2)