This may be the most unintentionally hilarious thread we’ve had in some time.
To recap: Democrats have their panties in a bunch because those evil Republicans have the gall to call them “The Democrat Party” instead of the Democratic party. This is apparently an insult beyond the pale. Demands for civility are made.
Then, in the same thread calling out Republicans for being so horribly uncivil, we have these choice statements:
Then we have this very funny question from one of the most uncivil people in this thread:
Given that several of the quotes above are yours, I don’t think you’re in any position to be a champion of the ‘Don’t be a jerk’ rule.
[client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=UJiDU_LpJMKCqga84oDgBw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=831#q=%22vote+democrat%22+campaign+signs&rls=en&tbm=isch"]Ahem…](vote democrat - Google Search
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When people go through election cycle after election cycle seeing campaign signs like these it’s hardly any wonder they refer to the Democrat party. I realize that slamming your political opponents for being stupid, uneducated, bigoted morons worthy of little but mockage is de rigeuer around here but in reality you’re largely pointing the finger at yourselves.
The phrase “Hoist by your own petard” comes to mind. :D[/QUOTE]
For the phrase ‘Vote Democrat’, the word ‘Democrat’ is a noun and the object of the phrase, not an adjective or adverb – just like for ‘Vote Romney’, Romney is a noun and not an adjective or adverb. So the above post does not follow.
Democrat is the noun form. Democratic is the adjective form.
Meh. People of his ilk say words like ‘feminist’ or ‘socialist’ in a context and sneer that’s meant to make them derogatory. It’s really too much work to punch my Give-a-Shit clock.
I’m what you would call a Librative Republicrate. I don’t vote for parties. I vote for people and let the parties wallow in their own mess. I do side with the Democrats about 90% of the time but I really can’t see why so many on either side allow themselves to be angered by those who are clearly out for that effect.
Those who use derogatory remarks or remark in a derogatory manner have no respect for those to whom they speak. They are after a reaction and in giving them it satiates some sick desire within that person. This is not a tactic of a rational mind, but of a disturbed and miserable individual that desires to spread this misery. In giving that person what he desires you give him a sense of accomplishment that he can’t get by being constructive. If you dismiss his words, then he will have no gratification and his misery will stay with him.
Why should anyone let themselves be categorized solely by their political stance? No two people are alike and none of us are equal to each other in the sense that we all have strengths and weaknesses. We all have talents and skills that set us up as the unique beings we all care. If someone calls you stupid and you allow it to color your spirit you just proved that person correct in their assessment, because he just took control of your life.
You still aren’t getting it, Sam’s Tone. Nobody is demanding (or expecting) that Republicans stop saying insulting things to Democrats. Political adversaries are always going to trade insults to some extent.
But Republicans should stop coyly pretending that deliberately garbling the official name of the Democratic Party is an okay thing to do when they’re not trying to insult Democrats. And if they garble it inadvertently and somebody corrects them, they should accept the correction instead of offering lame rationalizations about why their garbled version is actually okay.
In short, it’s not about being insulting, it’s about dishonestly claiming that garbling the names of your opponents is inoffensive and acceptable in civil political discourse. Y’all need to cut that shit out, Sam’s Tone.
Then we can all go back to calling each other “libtards” and “cretins” like honest ladies and gentlemen.
I think you’re stretching the meaning of “garble” beyond reason. Democratic --> Democrat is hardly “garbling”. It’s hardly… anything. Which is the point of this thread.
And it’s hardly… anything if I call you John Mays instead of John Mace, either.
But if I were to do it deliberately when I know that it’s not the correct form of your username, I would be committing a discourtesy.
And if I were to do it inadvertently and then not correct it when my mistake is pointed out to me, that would be discourteous too.
And if I were to pretend that either of those actions is perfectly acceptable in polite conversation and anybody who objected to them must just be ridiculously hypersensitive, I would be kind of a dick.
I don’t refer to myself as a “Mays”. Barbara Boxer calls herself a Democrat.
But if you insisted on spelling my username that way, I can’t imagine being upset. I’d just think you were a bad speller, dyslexic, or maybe just had the wrong spelling imprinted on your brain for some reason.
This should settle it. In other forums that do not have the same rules (or, the rule against not being a jerk) as in this forum, it would scarcely matter. Because in other forums, posters can call other posters cocksuckers and that would be that.
But in this forum, since there is that rule and all, this is how it should go:
Poster A: Blah, Blah, Blah, Democrat Party.
Poster B: That is a known epithet. [Cite]. Please don’t use that term anymore.
If Poster A does a mea culpa, pleads ignorance, apologizes, and/or doesn’t use the term again, the problem is solved. However if Poster A, upon learning that the term is an epithet that does offend some people, continues to use the term, then the moderation here should take the usual steps they take when someone has jerk-ish behavior pointed out to them and they continue to be a jerk.
I fail to see any way to deal with this while remaining true to the “Don’t be a jerk” rule other than to treat those people just like any other jerks. Because they’re being a jerk.
And the Democratic Party calls itself the Democratic Party. Your point?
In civil/neutral discourse, it is appropriate to call an individual or organization by the name that that individual or organization uses. This is not difficult to understand, at least for people of reasonable intelligence.
In uncivil/hostile discourse, of course, you can call them whatever you like. But you don’t get to pretend that deliberately misrepresenting their name is not an uncivil thing to do.
[QUOTE=John Mace]
But if you insisted on spelling my username that way, I can’t imagine being upset. I’d just think you were a bad speller, dyslexic, or maybe just had the wrong spelling imprinted on your brain for some reason.
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Nonsense. If you knew that I was doing it deliberately because I wanted to be pettily discourteous to you, you’d think I was kind of a dick. And you’d be right.
And a list followed, most of which are truths obvious to any serious observer of the political scene. :rolleyes: But that’s not what this thread is about. What it’s also not about is raising the quality of political discourse; I’ve spent most of my life around Chicago and wouldn’t know a polite political discussion if it bit me on the ass because I’ve never encountered one. What it is about is the way some people on my ‘side’ waste energy arguing over the most pathetic excuse for an ‘insult’ I’ve ever seen, and I want them to stop it because it makes them look as petty as the people who use it.
Then why did you waste the energy to start a whole thread about it? You’re the one who opened this can of worms in the first place, and you’re complaining that it’s getting too much attention?
If Republicans want to make themselves look dickish and/or clueless by using an incorrect name for the opposing party, that’s their right. I don’t mind pointing out that they’re being dickish and/or clueless when somebody brings the matter up, but I would never have bothered to start a conversation to complain about it. Nor, AFAICT, would any of the other Democrats here.
I’ve always heard it referred to as The Democratic Party ever since I was young, so why would I call it anything else? That said, I agree with what you said in the last paragraph that the word “democratic” could sound confusing when saying something like “democratic views vs republican views.” I myself would probably use “democrat” in that case just to be more clear. But I totally see why someone consistently calling my party the Democrat Party, for obvious partisan reasons, would get on my nerves.
The difference is we admit that “Tea Bagger” is meant as an insult. The assholes who say “Democtat Party” pretend they mean no offense.
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If it’s not about being insulting why bother to correct it. If apparently most here are certain Republicans are doing it to be insulting then it must be about the insult. If not why bother to correct them or ask for their reasoning behind the usage of the term? If someone spits in your face but smiles while claiming he didn’t do it, would your reaction really be that different?
I would agree with this too. There’s no reason to be a jerk to people since we’re here to discuss issues and become more educated in the process.
Because I want you and your ilk to stop being such a over-sensitive pussies. You are the ones making a BFD out of the most measly “insult” that can be imagined, and you are giving the rest of us a bad name. As I have said repeatedly, attack their ideas, not their epithets.