well put inbloom, you still suprise me at the depth of your thouights sometimes.


MM aka

Elie {one of the good republicans}

~well put inbloom, you still suprise me at the depth of your thouights sometimes.~

Thanks, Elie. Well, I tell ya, I'm not completely made of fluff...there is a bit more substance to me than the eye can see (although, gosh darnit, I love the fluff stuff on Joeuser...puts smiles on my face).

--Rose (leaning only slightly to the Left) lol

I've learned from experience that people you might think are enemies can sometimes be the best of friends if you put aside your misconceptions and prejudices. Marcie and I had a really rough start last year, we hated each other....and now, we're pretty tight. Phoenix and I were a bit shaky to start, and now...well, we've talked on the phone and are even planning on visiting each other some day. LW and I beat the blogging crap out of each other a few months ago....but now? We talk on the phone at least once a week. She knows things about me that nobody else knows...she knows my heart, and that's something I don't share often.

There are a few people here that I'd LOVE to get to know better and have a friendship away from JU with. it's kind of hard though....I mean, I don't want to email thses folks and say 'will you please be my friend?'.....

There are a few people here that I'd LOVE to get to know better and have a friendship away from JU with. it's kind of hard though....I mean, I don't want to email thses folks and say 'will you please be my friend?'.....

I would... e-mail away. What's the worst they can say? "No"? I doubt you'd get that response... and if ya do, then it's their loss. K... will you please be my friend? *grinnin*

Seriously, the biggest problem with blogging is that you can't communicate emotions effectively through phone lines and computer terminals. HOW you say something, is often as important, if not more important, than WHAT you say, and it's easy for that to get lost through this medium. Just a few weeks ago I remember emailing dharma to be sure that a comment I had made wasn't misinterpreted. Thankfully it wasn't, but that's not always the case. When you're face to face with someone, able to see their expressions and hear the tone of their voice, communication is better understood. Call it the human touch. We need to remember that as we read and respond to one another. We need to take time to reflect before flying off the handle... see if there's a chance we're missing something, or reading more into a comment than is actually there. It takes effort, but in the end, is worth it, because at the very least, it helps civility to be maintained, and at best, creates lasting friendships that can sustain us during difficult times down the road.

Thanks for an insightful article, Inbloom!

Often, writing about a particular topic doesn't always convey all of the nuance of the spoken word combined with body language.

A lot of people here would likely be perceived in a totally different light if discussing the same topics face to face. Building a full, three dimensional image of a person based solely on words written in a blog site is nearly impossible.

I agree, we are all far more than what is exposed in a single article or topic.

I think to follow this premise you'd have to assume we want to be friends, or that differences, however bitter, are "troubles." The fact is, there are people here I couldnt' be friends with no matter how hard we tried to put the differences to the side. Some of them, frankly, are jerks, and they think the same of me, and getting to know each other better would just reinforce the idea.

When I see "can't we all just get along" blogs, I ask myself... why? Granted, I hate meaningless feuds. So-and-so is mad at someone because they blacklisted them and they are mad at them for calling them a homosexual, blah. When it is about real issues, though, let fly as far as I am concerned.

There are people who differ with 99% of what I say, and that I would consider friends. Others more often agree with me and don't think much of me. I make others gag AND they disagree with everything I say. I don't think this bitterness is necessarily ignorance, though sometimes it can be.

So, to pull this together, if you dislike me feel free to continue. It makes the place a lot more interesting. I'm not into group hugs. Since you mention Marcie, I'd bet there's a not snowballs chance in hell we'd ever be friends.

Now that she's blacklisted me I don't even have to bother to read her prozac rants. She, along with Dabe, Gene Nash, and a few others have done me the service of not having to worry about answering their crap. Would this place be better if we tried harder to get along? I don't think so. We'd just be more fake.

While I agree with you in principal, the reality is that JU is a diverse group.  Most are much more complex than they appear to be, and that usually comes out in the diversity of their articles.  However, some are as unidimensional as they first appear, and they never grow.

But you will find that the unidimensional people are rarely if ever at the center of the disputes.  Why?  Because everyone knows where they are coming from and going to, so no one takes them very seriously other than to poke fun at them and be sarcastic in their replies.

I mean, does any one doubt what Col Gene's next article is going to be about?

~~There are a few people here that I'd LOVE to get to know better and have a friendship away from JU with. it's kind of hard though....I mean, I don't want to email thses folks and say 'will you please be my friend?'~~

I am sure most people wouldn't reject a friendship. It's definitely worth a shot. Besides, you are very well liked around here.

~~We need to remember that as we read and respond to one another. We need to take time to reflect before flying off the handle... see if there's a chance we're missing something, or reading more into a comment than is actually there. It takes effort, but in the end, is worth it, because at the very least, it helps civility to be maintained, and at best, creates lasting friendships that can sustain us during difficult times down the road.~~

I agree. I think some people say things in the heat of the moment too often...this in turn, can lead to personal, vicious attacks. It's no longer just about the issues or topic. It turns into something nasty.


~~When it is about real issues, though, let fly as far as I am concerned.~~

I agree with you 100 percent. Nothing wrong with voicing opinions about a TOPIC or ISSUE...but, as I am sure you have seen, many of these discussions head into the competely wrong direction...with the personal jabbing and such.

~~So, to pull this together, if you dislike me feel free to continue. It makes the place a lot more interesting. I'm not into group hugs~~

If you go back and read what I shared, I did say that I don't expect everyone to become buddies. I do, think, however, that it is ignorant to base your (and I am saying "your" in general, and not specificaly meaning you) OVERALL opinion of a person solely on a party affiliation, viewpoint, stance, etc.

~~Would this place be better if we tried harder to get along? I don't think so. We'd just be more fake.~~

I want to emphasize again that my point is not to have everyone become friends. I mean, if people around here want to create relationships, then more power to them! Friendship is a beautiful thing. But if that isn't possible, simply being civil and respectful towards one another would be enough, and this I don't think would be considered "fake."

This exchange between you and I is a prime example. We are each sharing different viewpoints without attacking or belittling each other. We may never go out and have a cup of coffee together (hell, I can't drink coffee anyway), but at the very least we are showing respect towards on another, and that would be enough for me.

~~However, some are as unidimensional as they first appear, and they never grow.~~

Well, that's a sad thing.

~~I mean, does any one doubt what Col Gene's next article is going to be about?~~

I'll be honest and say I don't really read much of Gene's stuff, so I'm Not in the know about him (I might have read one or two things that had nothing to do with politics, but that's about it).

Nicely said Rose!

I'll be honest and say I don't really read much of Gene's stuff,

Gene Nash or COl Gene?  They are 2 different people, and to my knowledge, Col Gene has never posted anything but Political stuff.

I am sure most people wouldn't reject a friendship. It's definitely worth a shot.

Okay...Baker, will you please be my friend? You too, Rose. And you, Forever Serenity, and you, Dr Guy. There are more, I know...I'm just too excited at the prospect of having Bakerstreet as a friend that I can't think straight!

K... will you please be my friend? *grinnin*

Oooh, yes please!

~Nicely said Rose!~

Thanks, serenity. Very nice of you to say.


~Gene Nash or COl Gene? They are 2 different people, and to my knowledge, Col Gene has never posted anything but Political stuff.~

Yikes...I think I have confused the two. No, I guess I have not read Col Gene's stuff.


~Okay...Baker, will you please be my friend? You too, Rose. And you, Forever Serenity, and you, Dr Guy. There are more, I know...I'm just too excited at the prospect of having Bakerstreet as a friend that I can't think straight!~


Well, of course! Now, how could I reject an offer like that.