# Is the SDMB an echo chamber? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2016, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190 "2016-11-09T13:40:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/21 "2016-11-09T15:25:51Z")
Fox News is not accepted as a cite here. I am a conservative that posts here, and have been subject to some extremely vicious attacks, with no real defense or pushback from the non-attacking members. Posts that are consistent with liberal orthodoxy are accepted generally uncritically compared to posts the challenge liberal orthodoxy, which are subject to exacting scrutiny while their authors are often subjected to personal attack. My answer to the OP’s question is: yes. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/22 "2016-11-09T15:26:21Z")
Yes it is an echo chamber, and not just about politics. Aside from politics, there are certain subjects that you risk crossing the accepted party line at your own risk: The amazing awesomness of Joss Whedon, and all his works That everyone must love tattoos That pot smoking is not only awesome, but is the only way to live That drinking milk at a wine bar is the gravest social sin of all time That OpalCat was the greatest poster ever That Anthropogenic climate change is absolutely 100% true and anyone that denies it is not just incorrect but evil note: it’s not the correctness of any of these positions I am stating, but the rigidity of thought this board has about them. No dissent is allowed. (well, hardly any) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/23 "2016-11-09T15:29:05Z")
> [@Waymore](#): > > And the people who will mock this very post are simply in denial. No I’m not! 😉 Yes, it’s an echo chamber. And ISTM that how the SDMB treats conservatives/anyone who deviates from the liberal line reflects much of why the polls all said that Trump would lose. A media establishment or a messageboard that spends so much time shouting down anyone who dissents is in for a surprise eventually when it encounters a situation where the dissenters can’t be overruled or silenced. I have been trying to glean some good news from the Trump victory. One part is that we will hopefully have reasonable Justices appointed to the Supreme Court. Another is to see **Debaser** and **OMG A Black Conservative** post again. Hi, guys! Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![epolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/24 "2016-11-09T15:34:36Z")
This board is an echo chamber for people interested in fighting ignorance. It says so right on the label. It’s therefore not shocking to me that we missed out on voices from groups promoting ignorance and thus underestimated their prevalence in our society. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/25 "2016-11-09T15:34:42Z")
Yes it certainly is, but everyone with dissenting viewpoints just learns to nod and smile politely or post what they really think and get into a 20 page flame war. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/26 "2016-11-09T15:34:42Z")
Nothing is more amusing than a thread full of right-wing posters(some of whom have been here a _very_ long time) complaining about the dearth of right-wing voices on this board and the horrible oppression they face. And that bit about how people on right-wing boards just don’t treat people as badly for their political views as this board does with it’s right-wing brethren? Simply priceless. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/27 "2016-11-09T15:36:28Z")
I’m sure it is an echo chamber to some degree. But I think the board culture has a good record of learning from mistakes (in terms of things like misunderstanding how this election would turn out), and hopefully we will be more skeptical of liberal conventional wisdom and the like in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearl_Clutching_Provocateur)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/28 "2016-11-09T15:37:33Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No I’m not! 😉 > > I have been trying to glean some good news from the Trump victory. One part is that we will hopefully have reasonable Justices appointed to the Supreme Court. Another is to see **Debaser** and **OMG A Black Conservative** post again. Hi, guys! Another positive will be that the main stream media will do its job and keep Trump in check. Obama got a complete pass. They even hid the fact that Obama knew about Clinton’s server and lied the American public. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/29 "2016-11-09T15:43:18Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Yes it is an echo chamber, and not just about politics. > > Aside from politics, there are certain subjects that you risk crossing the accepted party line at your own risk: > > The amazing awesomness of Joss Whedon, and all his works > That everyone must love tattoos > That pot smoking is not only awesome, but is the only way to live > That drinking milk at a wine bar is the gravest social sin of all time > That OpalCat was the greatest poster ever > That Anthropogenic climate change is absolutely 100% true and anyone that denies it is not just incorrect but evil > > note: it’s not the correctness of any of these positions I am stating, but the rigidity of thought this board has about them. No dissent is allowed. (well, hardly any) I think you may be confusing “Somebody is disagreeing with my opinion” with “I’m being oppressed and everyone is against me!”. If you have an opinion on a subject, there’s a chance someone else may have an opposing opinion. There may even be a chance that your opinion is in the minority-This isn’t “oppression” or an official “party line”. This is merely you having the minority opinion. Deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/30 "2016-11-09T16:00:34Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think you may be confusing “Somebody is disagreeing with my opinion” with “I’m being oppressed and everyone is against me!”. If you have an opinion on a subject, there’s a chance someone else may have an opposing opinion. There may even be a chance that your opinion is in the minority-This isn’t “oppression” or an official “party line”. This is merely you having the minority opinion. > Deal with it. Did I use the word oppressed? I posted an opinion about the treatment of different opinions, and you jumped right in and confirmed it. Thanks! Let the “twenty page flame war” commence! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/31 "2016-11-09T16:01:58Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Did I use the word oppressed? I posted an opinion about the treatment of different opinions, and you jumped right in and confirmed it. Thanks! > > Let the “twenty page flame war” commence! That, too, is just another figment of your imagination. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/32 "2016-11-09T16:06:08Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Yes but I think people here still try to be factual. As I’ve said before, liberals on this MB can be counterfactual with little fear of being called on it while conservatives will be set upon as if by a pack of wolves if they do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/33 "2016-11-09T16:07:08Z")
Yes it is an echo chamber. Just peruse the thread titles in this very forum! ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/34 "2016-11-09T16:07:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That, too, is just another figment of your imagination. That is a good example of condescension. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/35 "2016-11-09T16:08:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think you may be confusing “Somebody is disagreeing with my opinion” with “I’m being oppressed and everyone is against me!”. If you have an opinion on a subject, there’s a chance someone else may have an opposing opinion. There may even be a chance that your opinion is in the minority-This isn’t “oppression” or an official “party line”. This is merely you having the minority opinion. > Deal with it. And I think you’re confusing “opposing opinion gets shouted down” with “help help I’m being oppressed”. I’m not even a conservative and I see it all the time. The most recent was how many times I had to explain the FBI statement. Posters point blank refusing to accept that the text of the law allows prosecution for gross negligence. People dancing around and saying “extreme carelessness” isn’t the same as “gross negligence”. Nope, all that happened was Clinton was cleared, it was all nothing. Now I agreed with Comey’s recommendation not to prosecute but people around here refused to even acknowledge the kernel of the Clinton haters’ objections. That’s an echo chamber. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/36 "2016-11-09T16:09:39Z")
The short answer is yes, it’s an echo chamber, but it is still considerably more balanced than most other places on the internet. It’s also, for the most part, a contingent of people capable of understanding intellectual and political nuance, which places it 100% above social media, in my view. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/37 "2016-11-09T16:12:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That, too, is just another figment of your imagination. I never new I had already displayed a figment of my imagination. Which was that? I missed it. Was it how I agreed with the opinion that the board is an echo chamber? This really bothers you for some reason, doesn’t it? Odd. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/38 "2016-11-09T16:14:37Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Yes it is an echo chamber. Just peruse the thread titles in this very forum! Okay. Were there some conservative/right-wing threads that were pulled that I don’t know about? Are there topics that the right-wingers are forbidden to start threads about? Were there any threads shut down for being too conservative? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/39 "2016-11-09T16:17:03Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Here is the nature of my question - did we here only pay attention to the polls we liked? Did we accept them at face value, without questioning them (like was done for polls originating from sources we don’t like)? Yes. Every day Drudge listed polls (including one by the LA Times that tracked the same likely voters) showing Trump ahead. No one paid the slightest attention because the info came from Drudge. The mainstream media in this country has essentially become a liberal echo chamber itself, and its polls and its reportage reflected that. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190/40 "2016-11-09T16:20:11Z")
There’s a lot of echoing of leftish views and assumptions here, and lots of posters deep inside a liberal bubble, to the point it’s amusing in some cases. However forums rise or fall IMO mainly on the best and worst frequent posters. And some of the better posters here are thoughtful liberals, which is not common IME (please just take it as a compliment rather than flaming back 🙂 ). And the more intolerant posters tend not to be persistent or articulate. I’ve left right leaning fora because of persistent and articulate trolls, even though I didn’t so fundamentally disagree with them, and not because they ‘proved me wrong’. They were just effective enough in a personal, unpleasant way to be too unpleasant to want to deal with. This forum is not too bad by internet standards in that respect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-an-echo-chamber/771190.md?page=3)