# Is the SD Message Board "Fair and Balanced"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038 "2003-08-18T20:29:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/21 "2003-08-19T21:47:18Z")
I tend to be a moderate (except in some issues: gay rights, for instance), and it seems to me that the average poster here is moderate, also. Even the most heavily debated topics seem (to me) to reflect a moderate viewpoint, although, of course, there are posters on the extreme right (few extreme left). Given that, I certainly learn a tremendous amount from all posters and appreciate the time and effort they devote. Bob ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/22 "2003-08-19T21:57:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil One \* > I’ve seen many anti-Bush threads, for example, with posters piling on with glee. I don’t see nearly the same number of pro-Bush or pro-Iraq war threads. That’s because the pro-Bush, pro-Iraq war position is the “overdog” view, the one already supported by Fox News, CNN, _etc._ I’d wager that if you could check the SDMB threads from six or seven years ago, you’d find a lot more anti-Clinton and anti-Bosnia threads, with a smaller number in the opposite direction. (Besides, you’ve already got **december’s** infamous random-blogging already, what more do you want? 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/23 "2003-08-20T07:36:20Z")
I’m just a whacko. Crazy I tell you. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/24 "2003-08-20T11:49:28Z")
I can’t think that merely having the same number of political extremists from the left and right represented here would count as ‘fair and balanced’. GD in particular seems to have been hijacked of late by a crowd of ideological pixies who have no real interest in debate, but simply ranting on endlessly on their favorite talking points. A perfect example is the recent thread on the death of the Reuters cameraman in Iraq; the OP asked the specific question “what may be the effect on the occupation?” Hardly anyone who responded addressed this question directly; the thread quickly devolved into a pointless sniping match between regular posters arguing whether or not Bush was somehow responsible for the act. Chances are the political makeup of persons who read is here is fairly centrist; of those who post most often, though, it’s my impression that views hewing pretty far to the left or right tend to show up more often here than they would in real life. Part of that is likely due to the anonymous nature of this board. Part of it is due to, well, there are some fairly obsessive people here who feel a compelling need to rehash their already well-known views in ANY thread that touches on their politics, no matter how tangentially. I think those who feel that their voices are somehow ‘drowned out’ should try to remember that once their posts are made, they remain for all to see; if their arguments are logical and backed by facts, then they will be recognized as valid. If not, it’s just more noise in an already noisy environment. I’ve said this before, but IMO one’s voice cannot be ‘drowned out’ here in any meaningful sense. And believe me, looking back over some of my own posts, I sometimes wish the opposite was true. ---
**Author:** ![Moe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moe/32/2972_2.png) [@Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/25 "2003-08-21T05:21:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kallessa \* > \*\*I think of it as Chagrined and Bewildered. \*\* Yeah, I guess “shocked and awed” was already taken huh? 😉 > [@](#): > > _El\_Kabong_ > I think those who feel that their voices are somehow ‘drowned out’ should try to remember that once their posts are made, they remain for all to see; if their arguments are logical and backed by facts, then they will be recognized as valid. If not, it’s just more noise in an already noisy environment. > > I’ve said this before, but IMO one’s voice cannot be ‘drowned out’ here in any meaningful sense. Exactly. The (or “A”) difference between a message board and realtime media (TV/radio) is that in the case of the latter you have extremely limited time to get your points across, and furthermore you have people constantly cutting you off. That putz O’Reilly for example has never let a guest whom he disagrees with complete a whole sentence. Bill Maher on PI almost never had more than a single guest (of a total of 4, plus himself) from the extreme right, so the righty always got ganged up on and had to fight off 4 people cutting off her every attempt. (For some reason I had Ann Coulter in mind). The assertive (or even aggressive) will almost always beat out the more introverted. But here every poster has the opportunity to pick and choose their words carefully and to fully make their case at more or less their leisure. The points made in any one post are a lot more powerful than any number of “I agree with (poster)” posts. To be honest when I first came here I had a cynical attitude towards the entire Christian population in the world, believing them all to be homophobic and bigoted in various ways. Though my ignorance there has been defeated any number of times by any number of posters since, it was actually a thread where **Lib** stood almost alone, or at least in the overwhelming minority, against many that changed my perspective forever. The numbers that stand behind each opinion here are a great deal less important than the fact that each of the opinions are represented, and represented by people who are passionate about facts and truth. When logical flaws or factual inaccuracies make their way into posts, people are called on it. Even if there’s only one poster who makes the call, if it is valid the first is expected to respond and is chastised if they don’t. I’ll agree that, if I had to take a guess, I think the actual distribution of posters here along the political spectrum might favor the left slightly. And it’s all but impossible, certainly highly improbable, to ensure a truly perfect “fair and balanced” population without some use of controls (perhaps even with), but as **Shirley** said: > [@](#): > > I’ve learned more from the Left Side since arriving here. > > I’ve learned more about the Right Side since arriving here. > > I’ve learned more about the Way Out There Side since arriving here. _I_ am a more fair and balanced person since coming here. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/26 "2003-08-21T07:23:53Z")
I am a more thoughtful person since I came here. To me - and perhaps to other cloggies - the posters on this board are pretty right-wing. There are still things that can’t be discussed without posters getting nauseous at an - admittedly - gruesome subject. See: ‘paedophila your thoughts please’ [You’ll have to find the link yourself. I’m grateful this board lets me _post_. I don’t want to scare the hamsters by doing a search] I \*do \* think, however, that the American ‘right-wingers’ are attacked en masse. Not fair and balanced, no. Most of those ‘right-wingers’ are perfectly capable of defending themselves, but I bet there are a lot of people who just don’t post their opinion because of the chance they’ll be eaten alive by the ‘left-wingers’. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/27 "2003-08-21T15:02:48Z")
The boards are biased to the left. There are far more liberal posters than conservatives. Adding international posters to the mix also pushes the boards father to the left, because they are usually liberal by American political standards. However, the internationals aren’t the source of the problem. IMHO, just looking at the American dopers you would still see conservatives under represented in comparison with the US population as a whole. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/28 "2003-08-21T18:53:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Debaser \* > IMHO, just looking at the American dopers you would still see conservatives under represented in comparison with the US population as a whole. Well, this board _does_ attract the more intelligent members of the populace… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/29 "2003-08-22T03:45:21Z")
Or, at least, those who think they’re intelligent and invest in their image as an intellectual. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/30 "2003-08-22T04:50:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*Well, this board _does_ attract the more intelligent members of the populace… 😉 \*\* Wow, if that’s the case, I guess we conservatives are the silent majority on the boards after all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038/31 "2003-08-22T07:44:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gex gex \* > **I was trying to make the point that both liberals and conservatives alike on this board tend to be more tolerant to other sexualities, races and cultures than the general population does.** I agree. For example, cultural conservatives opposing “the homosexual agenda” will rightly get a lashing here, as will members of fringe liberal groups like PETA. It appears to me that at least the first group is more highly represented in the American population at large\*, and the second one may be more highly represented in the relatively young, Internet-savvy types than on the SDMB. But the mission of this board, combined with its wide demographic, tends to make the users a more tolerant bunch. \*I know, I know, this board isn’t just Americans. But it seems American politics dominate political GD discussions here, and American life dominates discussions on other forums. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sd-message-board-fair-and-balanced/196038.md?page=1)