Remember: our rules allow pointed disagreement, but require respectful discussion.
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Why I would consider leaving this list:
A couple of clips of comments about me from some recent posts. You can see
why I would tire of this.
>I empathize with Ms. Becker's frustration and anger about the second
sunning setback of her mayoral candidate one week ago....
(From someone who I've met once, amazing divination of my emotions. This
person may have a future as a psychic!)
>I respect Ms. Becker enthusiastic support of the status quo leadership...
(Hey, it is much more fun to shoot at people who are really working in the
trenches, making the sausage that is public policy than try to understand
why they do what they do.)
This type of hysterical rhetoric coming from the Colvin Roy camp through Ms.
Becker....
(It's OK, being hysterical. Women are like that. And apparently my own
opinions are so weighty that I am now a "camp"? Must be because I've gained
some weight...)
And about a friend of mine...
>I sometimes get the impression that Colvin Roy doesn't even know what she
is voting on half the time. What will she do without Joan Campbell?
(Let's see how much more demeaning can we be? Can we add that she beats her
dog too? Maybe we can just spread that rumor...)
Those were responses to just the last post I made. Makes you wonder why I
continue here. A question many of my friends have asked.
I think there are three groups of people who do these kind of things:
1) The people who temporarily lose their temper but don't do this routinely.
They later feel bad and wish they could take their posts back. These folks
I accept as part of a group of human beings because I think everyone
sometimes loses their temper. Even me.
2) The people who really don't understand what they are doing. These people
do ultimately get banned because they really aren't interested in civil
discourse. Mr. Brauer does a good job of policing this.
3) The groups of people who are doing this as an organized tactic to tear
other people down. They seem to be on some holy war where any means is
justified by their end. Past elections were contentious but were not like
this in part because of folks in this group. This group I don't know what
to do with. If I call them on it, I am lowering myself to their level. If
I say nothing, my silence gives them consent. And encourages them do to
more. I am in a Catch-22. In situations like this, I try to figure out
what the kindest thing is to do. I expect that the kindest thing is to just
sit and take it. But I get angry. And I get tired of it. Bone weary tired
to the point of not wanting to participate. But then that also lets the
people using this tactic win. And I don't want to give into that either.
If anyone has any solutions to this, I would love to hear them.
I agree with Ann Berget. I think Minneapolis deserves better.
Carol Becker
Longfellow
PS I also have an article from "Finance and Commerce" from February this
year eerily predicting that we would get to this point. I have hesitated to
post it to this list because some people may find it inflammatory as it
names one group who engage in this tactic. But I will send it out privately
to anyone who wants to send me a private post. Please note in the subject
of your e-mail that this is a private post so I can distinguish this from
the torrent of other posts.
PPS - the opinions in this post and every post under my name are the express
thoughts, ideas, and opinions of "Carol Becker", and do not represent anyone
other than the aforementioned "Carol Becker". I do not post on behalf of
any campaign, organization, or group even though there are many people who
continue to try to label me. Because, as I have noted in the past, once you
can label someone, you can dismiss them.
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