I received a response post from Dale today regarding my "belligerence" on the board. I've given it some thought and here's where I'm at:
First off, I think he's right: I have grown snippier and less patient with some DBIS regulars. The allure and the downside of DBIS for me is that I can engage with people I will probably never sit down and share a beer with and get my ya-ya's out without any consequence greater than a nasty flame in a rapidly forgotten thread.... Not really any different than the talk radio shows I hear on my car radio and detest so much. So it seems kind of hypocritical....
The weird thing for me is that I'm actually a really non-confrontational guy. If we were sharing a beer I would certainly call you on your bullshit but I'd be very therapeutic in my attack. We might disagree but we'd probably still be friends after the fur flew. I realize I'm not going to change any minds by being sarcastic and snotty.
That's not to say that that I don't feel a sense of community here at DBIS. I've corresponded with several regulars and have exchanged CD's, tapes, and other totems. I have honestly missed the presence of several DBIS'ers who have taken a sabbatical or who have left in a huff. And most of them have been people I took issue with.
I thought about a sabbatical of my own today. Maybe my own posting on DBIS is too much of a negative spiral for me. Too easy to retaliate. Too easy to be anonymous. I believe what I believe and nobody but me is going to change my mind so I wind up in scrapes with the same few people all the time. Different day-same old shit. The truth is though, I like most of the people I disagree with - even though I think they act like zombies most of the time. That's the difference between DBIS and most forums Americans have to argue their differences: there is, at least for me, a tangible sense of community here that doesn't exist in other formats like talk radio.
So... having written all of this I apologize for being "belligerent". I don't apologize if my views are offensive though. I'll try & argue them without being an asshole. You can let me know. For now, I'm staying in.....
Just so I'm not too contrite, here's a lyric from the new Steve Earle CD that I think is just right:
