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My uneducated opinion of the cooler.

Eppy99

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Gold Member
Oct 27, 2001
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As I’ve mentioned before I tend not to spend much time here as I find it divisive and the tone isn’t my cup of tea (yes my parents argued and it scarred me for life!)

So in my ignorance as I haven’t read every thread does the cooler ever find solutions to the worlds problems? Do you guys ever constructively agree upon subjects?

Maybe I’m just a pussy and don’t like arguments or prefer the T&A of the AOTF. I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

Thats all. I’ll go back to hugging a tree or playing with my Jewish laser.
 
As I’ve mentioned before I tend not to spend much time here as I find it divisive and the tone isn’t my cup of tea (yes my parents argued and it scarred me for life!)

So in my ignorance as I haven’t read every thread does the cooler ever find solutions to the worlds problems? Do you guys ever constructively agree upon subjects?

Maybe I’m just a pussy and don’t like arguments or prefer the T&A of the AOTF. I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

Thats all. I’ll go back to hugging a tree or playing with my Jewish laser.
Be sure and take your Pen with you!
 
As I’ve mentioned before I tend not to spend much time here as I find it divisive and the tone isn’t my cup of tea (yes my parents argued and it scarred me for life!)

So in my ignorance as I haven’t read every thread does the cooler ever find solutions to the worlds problems? Do you guys ever constructively agree upon subjects?

Maybe I’m just a pussy and don’t like arguments or prefer the T&A of the AOTF. I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

Thats all. I’ll go back to hugging a tree or playing with my Jewish laser.
There are some good posters, Eppy, and you're one of them. Your posts about Israel/Palestine were informative and insightful, and I learned something.

I think most posters are actually trying to meaningfully contribute to a discussion. Not surprisingly there are a few trolls, and one guy in particular is simply an ignorant asshole and just here to pick fights. (He'll probably blow up this thread before too long).
 
As I’ve mentioned before I tend not to spend much time here as I find it divisive and the tone isn’t my cup of tea (yes my parents argued and it scarred me for life!)

So in my ignorance as I haven’t read every thread does the cooler ever find solutions to the worlds problems? Do you guys ever constructively agree upon subjects?

Maybe I’m just a pussy and don’t like arguments or prefer the T&A of the AOTF. I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

Thats all. I’ll go back to hugging a tree or playing with my Jewish laser.

I think there's a lot of agreement on the Memorial Day Movies thread. My experience has been there weren't a lot of minds changed until Trump came along. He was the tipping point for a lot of "moderate" conservatives, IMHO.
 
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I think most posters are actually trying to meaningfully contribute to a discussion. Not surprisingly there are a few trolls, and one guy in particular is simply an ignorant asshole and just here to pick fights. (He'll probably blow up this thread before too long).
No I'm not.
 
I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

The dialog can sometimes lead to a softening of attitudes. Or so it appears. People have lightened up on the condemnation of the working poor since I showed up and gave them a little perspective from inside the trailer park.
 
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There are some good posters, Eppy, and you're one of them. Your posts about Israel/Palestine were informative and insightful, and I learned something.

I think most posters are actually trying to meaningfully contribute to a discussion. Not surprisingly there are a few trolls, and one guy in particular is simply an ignorant asshole and just here to pick fights. (He'll probably blow up this thread before too long).
Well you weren't here a lot in the Trump years so some are just giving back what they received during those years when 90% of the threads were about Trump. And if you'll take note there are a few that try bring Trump into every thread. Can't we just agree that he's an asshole and leave him out of every thread. And then there's a couple other poster that must spend all their time trying to find something bad about a Republican (whether it be a dog catcher in Podunk City or some politician). I forget which thread it was yesterday that I was actually enjoying reading (then a certain poster had to throw in a comment about Trump U when it had nothing to do with what was being discussed). Luckily I deleted pretty quickly before it turned into a pissing contest.
 
Well you weren't here a lot in the Trump years so some are just giving back what they received during those years when 90% of the threads were about Trump. And if you'll take note there are a few that try bring Trump into every thread. Can't we just agree that he's an asshole and leave him out of every thread. And then there's a couple other poster that must spend all their time trying to find something bad about a Republican (whether it be a dog catcher in Podunk City or some politician). I forget which thread it was yesterday that I was actually enjoying reading (then a certain poster had to throw in a comment about Trump U when it had nothing to do with what was being discussed). Luckily I deleted pretty quickly before it turned into a pissing contest.
Did you delete last nights thread about Biden?
 
As I’ve mentioned before I tend not to spend much time here as I find it divisive and the tone isn’t my cup of tea (yes my parents argued and it scarred me for life!)

So in my ignorance as I haven’t read every thread does the cooler ever find solutions to the worlds problems? Do you guys ever constructively agree upon subjects?

Maybe I’m just a pussy and don’t like arguments or prefer the T&A of the AOTF. I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

Thats all. I’ll go back to hugging a tree or playing with my Jewish laser.
I don’t post here to agree or to change peoples minds. Both could happen as a byproduct of discussions, but I don’t see that as the objective. I see this place as kinda like a petri dish for ideas. It’s also resistance training for your mind. There are a lot of smart people here. However, you need a thick skin and well developed coping skills. Both are useful in any situation.
 
Did you delete last nights thread about Biden?
Yeah I did... nothing but a pissing match. And besides that I don't agree with making fun of his dementia (even though he's never been diagnosed with it I really believe that he has it because I've dealt with it before and it's nothing to make fun of).
 
Yeah I did... nothing but a pissing match. And besides that I don't agree with making fun of his dementia (even though he's never been diagnosed with it I really believe that he has it because I've dealt with it before and it's nothing to make fun of).
So can I call Biden “ Stutter Bug “ ?
 
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IMHO... the level of discussion has generally been trending downhill here for a number of years.

It's become more and more about personality and whatever is the gotcha quote du jour.

But that's likely just a symptom of our body politic, at large.

There are still the occasional intriguing policy debates where one can both learn something and offer something of substance... but scroll through the most recent pages of topics and you'll find that the vast majority of commentary is on par with middle school playground insults.
 
IMHO... the level of discussion has generally been trending downhill here for a number of years.

It's become more and more about personality and whatever is the gotcha quote du jour.

But that's likely just a symptom of our body politic, at large.

There are still the occasional intriguing policy debates where one can both learn something and offer something of substance... but scroll through the most recent pages of topics and you'll find that the vast majority of commentary is on par with middle school playground insults.
I think the topics are more interesting than having to listen to lawyers practice their litigation skills like they did when I joined the board!
 
IMHO... the level of discussion has generally been trending downhill here for a number of years.

It's become more and more about personality and whatever is the gotcha quote du jour.

But that's likely just a symptom of our body politic, at large.

There are still the occasional intriguing policy debates where one can both learn something and offer something of substance... but scroll through the most recent pages of topics and you'll find that the vast majority of commentary is on par with middle school playground insults.
it's the eleanor roosevelt: great minds discuss ideas; avg minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. perfectly fitting for the board. topics centered on trump/biden go to shit. likewise for any people-based discussions. policy debates go much better
 
it's the eleanor roosevelt: great minds discuss ideas; avg minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. perfectly fitting for the board. topics centered on trump/biden go to shit. likewise for any people-based discussions. policy debates go much better
Thank you for your explosive prose over the years.
 
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The moderators here are okay with dragging things down into the gutter. I'm pretty much an outsider now here. I occasionally do a drive by. Pretty much everything becomes an expose about Trump and patriotism.
 
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So can I call Biden “ Stutter Bug “ ?
Well he's always been that just like Trump has always been an asshole so yeah you can call him "Stutter Bug" but if he has dementia that is something that he can't control. Who knows.. any of us could end up that way.
 
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Well he's always been that just like Trump has always been an asshole so yeah you can call him "Stutter Bug" but if he has dementia that is something that he can't control. Who knows.. any of us could end up that way.
So you want to give Joe A pass? Joe sold his soul ( what he had of one) to be President of the United States. While I agree that Trump is an a**hole and obnoxious, Joe is far more dangerous than Trump. He truly is the Muppet President. I doubt that Joe is even aware of many of the policies his administration is putting forward. My wife bet me that Joe wouldn't last a year in office. I not sure it matters, but it's hard to believe he will serve a full term. He will then be replaced by a radical left winger who couldn't garner more than 2% support of her own party in the primary. For some of you that may be politics as usual...it should scare the sh*t out you.
 
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it's the eleanor roosevelt: great minds discuss ideas; avg minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. perfectly fitting for the board. topics centered on trump/biden go to shit. likewise for any people-based discussions. policy debates go much better
The opening page of the Water Cooler states that its purpose is to "Discuss politics and current events." I don't see how to avoid Trump and Biden completely if that's what people are going to discuss here.

Trump controls everything in the GOP, intends to have approval rights for every Republican primary candidate in the country, and faces numerous, continuing legal problems that could reach unprecedented historic importance. Trump will continue to be a legitimate news topic for the next 3-4 years or longer (barring a dramatic reversal in his health).

Biden will be President for the next 3 1/2 or longer barring his own health problems. Like every other President, he'll be in the news every day, making announcements, appointing officeholders, signing and proposing legislation, floating policy ideas etc.

My only suggestion about those two would be to try to limit discussion to their policy statements if possible instead of their personalities.
 
The opening page of the Water Cooler states that its purpose is to "Discuss politics and current events." I don't see how to avoid Trump and Biden completely if that's what people are going to discuss here.

Trump controls everything in the GOP, intends to have approval rights for every Republican primary candidate in the country, and faces numerous, continuing legal problems that could reach unprecedented historic importance. Trump will continue to be a legitimate news topic for the next 3-4 years or longer (barring a dramatic reversal in his health).

Biden will be President for the next 3 1/2 or longer barring his own health problems. Like every other President, he'll be in the news every day, making announcements, appointing officeholders, signing and proposing legislation, floating policy ideas etc.

My only suggestion about those two would be to try to limit discussion to their policy statements if possible instead of their personalities.
Trump is fading. His hour long tv interview couldn’t beat reruns of chopped and peppa the big. The truth is trump struck a cord (chord) with many that continues to resonate today in obsessed hatred for the man. There’s a cult that love him and a cult obsessed with hating him. That it plays out daily on the board is unfortunate bc everything trump is so played out - including his adherents in Congress.
 
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IMHO... the level of discussion has generally been trending downhill here for a number of years.

It's become more and more about personality and whatever is the gotcha quote du jour.

But that's likely just a symptom of our body politic, at large.

There are still the occasional intriguing policy debates where one can both learn something and offer something of substance... but scroll through the most recent pages of topics and you'll find that the vast majority of commentary is on par with middle school playground insults.
It's been going downhill ever since I got here.

Oh, wait...
I think it's been going downhill since I got here, and that was over twenty years ago.

Some of our current problems are problems we've always had. Some of us are assholes to each other. Some of us are bad faith posters who seem to think discussion is a game to be won. Some of us are just plain not very smart, and yet somehow very arrogant.

The one thing we seem to have now more than ever, though, is an infestation of trolls. There was a time when the most-banned poster on this entire website was Kurt, because he was such an obnoxious troll that he made every other poster's experience miserable. He was even banned repeatedly by the OTF mods, and that's a forum where clever trolling was regularly celebrated. Now, Kurt is back, and he wouldn't even show up in the "Also Receiving Votes" list of a Top Ten Trolls poll just for the Water Cooler, much less the site writ large.
 
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So you want to give Joe A pass? Joe sold his soul ( what he had of one) to be President of the United States. While I agree that Trump is an a**hole and obnoxious, Joe is far more dangerous than Trump. He truly is the Muppet President. I doubt that Joe is even aware of many of the policies his administration is putting forward. My wife bet me that Joe wouldn't last a year in office. I not sure it matters, but it hard to believe he will serve a full term. He will then be replaced by a radical left winger who couldn't garner more than 2% support of her own party in the primary. For some of you that may be politics as usual...it should scare the sh*t out you.
None of the following things you wrote were proven; most are not even provable:

-- "Joe sold his soul ( what he had of one)"

-- "Trump is an a**hole and obnoxious"

-- "Joe is far more dangerous than Trump"

-- "He truly is the Muppet President."

-- "I doubt that Joe is even aware of many of the policies his administration is putting forward."

-- "My wife bet me that Joe wouldn't last a year in office. I not sure it matters, but it hard to believe he will serve a full term."

-- "He will then be replaced by a radical left winger who couldn't garner more than 2% support of her own party in the primary."

You didn't really give us much to discuss here.
 
As I’ve mentioned before I tend not to spend much time here as I find it divisive and the tone isn’t my cup of tea (yes my parents argued and it scarred me for life!)

So in my ignorance as I haven’t read every thread does the cooler ever find solutions to the worlds problems? Do you guys ever constructively agree upon subjects?

Maybe I’m just a pussy and don’t like arguments or prefer the T&A of the AOTF. I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

Thats all. I’ll go back to hugging a tree or playing with my Jewish laser.
It's nice to have a forum of really sharp minds who can discuss some pretty complex concepts in a way that I tend to learn from, which I really like.

The bickering is pretty much standard Dem vs pub stuff, which I like also because I'm having these conversations in real life so it's nice to get some run on here where I'm not concerned about offending family and friends too much.

It's a nice catharsis without it delving into an 8chan level of hate.
 
I think it's been going downhill since I got here, and that was over twenty years ago.

Some of our current problems are problems we've always had. Some of us are assholes to each other. Some of us are bad faith posters who seem to think discussion is a game to be won. Some of us are just plain not very smart, and yet somehow very arrogant.

The one thing we seem to have now more than ever, though, is an infestation of trolls. There was a time when the most-banned poster on this entire website was Kurt, because he was such an obnoxious troll that he made every other poster's experience miserable. He was even banned repeatedly by the OTF mods, and that's a forum where clever trolling was regularly celebrated. Now, Kurt is back, and he wouldn't even show up in the "Also Receiving Votes" list of a Top Ten Trolls poll just for the Water Cooler, much less the site writ large.
Everything you said has to do with reading posts, not writing them. It’s pretty easy to inoculate yourself from trolls and bad faith posters.
 
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So you want to give Joe A pass? Joe sold his soul ( what he had of one) to be President of the United States. While I agree that Trump is an a**hole and obnoxious, Joe is far more dangerous than Trump. He truly is the Muppet President. I doubt that Joe is even aware of many of the policies his administration is putting forward. My wife bet me that Joe wouldn't last a year in office. I not sure it matters, but it hard to believe he will serve a full term. He will then be replaced by a radical left winger who couldn't garner more than 2% support of her own party in the primary. For some of you that may be politics as usual...it should scare the sh*t out you.

You need help
 
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Everything you said has to do with reading posts, not writing them. It’s pretty easy to inoculate yourself from trolls and bad faith posters.
You can only read what has been written.

It is, indeed, easy to inoculate oneself against trolls and the like. It's built into the forum functionality. However, I have been repeatedly told by one of the posters here that availing oneself of said functionality is a sure sign of one's weak-mindedness.
 
As I’ve mentioned before I tend not to spend much time here as I find it divisive and the tone isn’t my cup of tea (yes my parents argued and it scarred me for life!)

So in my ignorance as I haven’t read every thread does the cooler ever find solutions to the worlds problems? Do you guys ever constructively agree upon subjects?

Maybe I’m just a pussy and don’t like arguments or prefer the T&A of the AOTF. I don’t know, but I just get tired of the divisiveness. I’m ready for solutions to our problems and dialogue that leads to change.

Thats all. I’ll go back to hugging a tree or playing with my Jewish laser.
The point isn’t even really to solve problems. No legislation or policy is being enacted based off of Cooler consensus. Nor is the point to change peoples minds. If someone changes their mind based off an interaction on the Cooler, that’s great.

But if you dig through the personal attacks you’ll often find a POV contradictory to yours that makes you think. That’s why I like it at least.

I’m firm in my conservative positions but being here has helped me understand the other side, and a lot of their arguments have merit.

It just that only a few of the left leaning posters can even articulate said arguments.
 
The point isn’t even really to solve problems. No legislation or policy is being enacted based off of Cooler consensus. Nor is the point to change peoples minds. If someone changes their mind based off an interaction on the Cooler, that’s great.

But if you dig through the personal attacks you’ll often find a POV contradictory to yours that makes you think. That’s why I like it at least.

I’m firm in my conservative positions but being here has helped me understand the other side, and a lot of their arguments have merit.

It just that only a few of the left leaning posters can even articulate said arguments.
Dude, you're like sixteen years old. You only think you're firm in your positions. :D
 
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