Is Debate Politics a good and fair representation of society overall?

mak2 · Feb 21, 2014

There might be one or two...

Muhammed said:
Do you think that it is even remotely possible that DP foumers are a bunch of extremists?

Smeagol · Feb 21, 2014

I think we see most perspectives represented but not in equivalent percentages. People with libertarian political leanings in no way represent one of the most popular political ideologies in America, for example. There are also a decent amount of strict constitutionalists here when I personally think most people couldn't paraphrase more than 2 amendments, the first, the fifth and maybe the second.

Slartibartfast · Feb 21, 2014

Gardener said:
Absolutely not.

Since it actively protects every nut job conspiracy theorist, knuckle dragging bigot and pieces of human filth from the sort of derision they would face were they to spew their idiocy in public, it tends to attract more than its share of nut jobs, bigots and human filth. Of the rest of us, this is still a sampling non-reflective of society at large because we are more zealous about politics to begin with. THis isn't a random sampling, but a sampling based upon degree of interest.

This I can agree with. Some of the people here would be marginalized (and most often for very good reasons) in real life so fast it would make your head spin. Here they are given a voice and protected.

Kreton · Feb 21, 2014

In some ways DP is a good representation. A large portion of people on this community are extremely politically biased and have blinders in place to support their ideas. People outside of DP are pretty much the same. Whether it be DP or anywhere else when discussing topics regarding beliefs most people are trying to push their own agenda and dont really care what the opposition is going to say. So yes, DP is a good representation of society overall.

AlbqOwl · Feb 21, 2014

ATTENTION: After spending some days on various threads at DP, after a rather lengthy absence from DP, I now feel qualified to respond to the poll question on this thread. My summary opinion:

1. DP attracts some people who are head and shoulders above the general population when it comes to general knowledge and information on a broad spectrum of topics and who are able to apply logic, reason, and intellectual honesty to the discussions they participate in.

2. DP also attracts some people who are so stupid and/or ignorant and/or inept in debate it would make your eyes cross. And while of course there are stupid and/or ignorant and/or inept people in the general population, most of them aren't so stubbornly obvious about it as they are here at DP.

Conclusion: DP is not a good and fair representation of society overall.

Thanks for asking. That is all.

Navy Pride · Feb 21, 2014

radcen said:
Is Debate Politics a good and fair representation of society overall?

Yes?
No?

I'm going to purposely leave out a "Maybe" option. For this question I think people should be able to make a choice one way or another.

In some ways it would seem so. We have the whole gamut of ideologies, genders, orientations, ethnicities, and so on. But, I would say 'no' for the simple reason that the vast majority of people here are here because they care deeply about social and/or political issues. Deeply enough to actually discuss them. The majority of average society does not care that deeply, and is seemingly perfectly fine with hiding their collective heads in the sand and willfully ignoring issues that affect them directly. They are fine with letting others make critical decisions for them.

I believe that we here at DP are in the minority.[/QUOTE

I have been a member of DP since 2005 and I find the members here lean left even though they say they on moderates or centrists........Still I like it here and have many friends and enemies.......

Navy Pride · Feb 21, 2014

AGENT J said:
in general to double down on what i said id say my friends and people i encounter everyday are very much like the mix here and a mix of

captain courtesy
Gina
Goshin
Bodhisattva
StillBallin
Serenity
Maggie
Cardinal
RiskyTicket
Wiseone
lizzie
Josie
Tacomancer
jetboogie
Clax1911
LaMidrighter
YourStar
Roguenuke

and many more that i just cant think of but in general its a good mix and very much like real people in the real world

Seems like a bunch of Liberals are your friends and that is OK........I have close to 60 friends and they either lean Conservative or Moderate to Conservative.

AlbqOwl · Feb 21, 2014

Navy Pride said:
radcen said:

Is Debate Politics a good and fair representation of society overall?

Yes?
No?

I'm going to purposely leave out a "Maybe" option. For this question I think people should be able to make a choice one way or another.

In some ways it would seem so. We have the whole gamut of ideologies, genders, orientations, ethnicities, and so on. But, I would say 'no' for the simple reason that the vast majority of people here are here because they care deeply about social and/or political issues. Deeply enough to actually discuss them. The majority of average society does not care that deeply, and is seemingly perfectly fine with hiding their collective heads in the sand and willfully ignoring issues that affect them directly. They are fine with letting others make critical decisions for them.

I believe that we here at DP are in the minority.[/QUOTE

I have been a member of DP since 2005 and I find the members here lean left even though they said they on moderates or centrists........Still I like it here and have many friends and enemies.......

Click to expand...

I set up my DP account in 2005 too, but have been only intermittently active from time to time--returned a few weeks ago after a lengthy absence. The last time I was active the board seemed to tilt more right than left. Now it seems that it does tilt significantly more left than right, and you seem to concur with that perception. So that too would be a piece of evidence that DP is not representative of society as a whole as I believe a majority of Americans, if they are polled via issues and ideology rather than via people and political parties, are more right than left.

Navy Pride · Feb 21, 2014

AlbqOwl said:
Navy Pride said:

I set up my DP account in 2005 too, but have been only intermittently active from time to time--returned a few weeks ago after a lengthy absence. The last time I was active the board seemed to tilt more right than left. Now it seems that it does tilt significantly more left than right, and you seem to concur with that perception. So that too would be a piece of evidence that DP is not representative of society as a whole as I believe a majority of Americans, if they are polled via issues and ideology rather than via people and political parties, are more right than left.

Click to expand...

Please hang around my friend, we need your input.

AGENT J · Feb 21, 2014

Navy Pride said:
Seems like a bunch of Liberals are your friends and that is OK........I have close to 60 friends and they either lean Conservative or Moderate to Conservative.

i dont even know if all those people are on my friends list lol and some of them most certainly arent liberals LMAO thats the most mental retarded "statement" i read in this thread

ecofarm · Feb 21, 2014

Navy Pride said:
I have close to 60 friends and they either lean Conservative or Moderate to Conservative.

That proves what?

americanwoman · Feb 21, 2014

Navy Pride said:
.I have close to 60 friends and they either lean Conservative or Moderate to Conservative.

Even me, my friend?

radcen · Feb 21, 2014

Navy Pride said:
I have been a member of DP since 2005 and I find the members here lean left even though they say they on moderates or centrists........Still I like it here and have many friends and enemies.......

This made me chuckle. Of course everybody here seems to the left of you, because pretty much everybody IS to the left of you. You're so extreme that you are incapable of seeing legitimate nuances in others. They're either with you, or they're not.

Is Debate Politics a good and fair representation of society overall?