Quote:
Originally Posted by mentor
He is clearly baiting the liberals. Huffington is a more mainstream site than this one, with all the folks who came over from Bill Maher who clearly thrive on irreverent religious humor. I think we need a place like this where "in your face" atheists trade lines with fundamentalists of many stripes. It's good that we feel comfortable with all that, and the emotion that goes with it too. Though most of us wouldn't say things at a diner party that we say here, it is fun to have a place we can just throw those things out.
Funny thing though, the belligerent rhetoric from the right is not toned down in the main stream media, on the huffington post, or at the diner table.
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I am mixed on their format. Each commenter acts as if they are having their own little private audience with the "famous person" and there is little interaction. That kind of sucks. I even posted once and tried to engage someone and it's kind of like talking to a stranger on an NYC streetcorner -- first they can't believe you are doing it and second they don't respond. That's actually sad.
It got a little better when they added the feature so that commenters could apply to one another.
Still I feel like I am praying to a statue of Buddha or something because the poster never interacts with the blogger. That is very artificial.
I've comments in 3-4 blogs there over the last 6 months, most during Christmas holidays. I do appreciate the differences between there and here.
I also spent some time at
http://www.mahablog.com . Barbara O'Brien (maha) is driven and brilliant (well, maybe just super-motivated) and her sidekick Moonbat is good too. She has the same burr in her saddle about religion that I do. She makes no bones about it though -- it is her site and her way or the highway. She presses people who slam a comment without engaging the substance of the points they are slamming to spit out their points or they are booted. I can't say that I disagree with her assesment of which people are unwilling to engage in sincere dialog...she'd 100% on that count. The stern demeanor and lack of patience I can do without. Mud and some others would not last 1 post there.
What bugged me though is if you embellished her points or if something triggered another thought then you remarked and it seemed slightly OT to her she'd be there right in your face. I forgot what it was but I had not been clear about something and she wrote "If you mean this you are an asshole". I was flummoxed and tried to come up with a snappy comeback that was not too hostile. She's incredibly controlling and her sense of humor is severly challenged. I replied "I vote not an asshole" then clarified. She took the fun out of it.
However, her content and discussion are a cut above most anything else I've vound intellectually speaking. Members cannot start threads there. You just have to like what she writes enough to hang. She had a series called The Wisdom of Doubt that really went after the entire fundie schtick that was incredible.
So there's all sorts of places out there. Something for everyone and every mood. You're right though, this place (as was the Maher board) is more fun.
I am also going to check out a board dsolo knows about, Rumbleville.
L8R dude.