Crashing the Doghouse (Edited)

Dog-gate, lol.

Edit#2: be sure to go read Michael’s great piece also.

Edit#1 all the way at the bottom…LL.

Okay look, its raining and Im fingers-numb cold and my connection might fizz out, but I want to talk about this little bru-ha.ha on another level, with a new spin. “Crisis equals opportunity” and all that.

We have a record-breaking number of comments in the essay up there on the top of the List and a sheepish, wait, wrong word, maybe sobered? Underdog this morning who I imagine is feeling like its been much ado about nothing. Well, I dont think its nothing but I also dont think it should fall on the shoulders of Underdog alone, nor should he be somehow a Martyr for the Cause re censorship or CT or that.

Id like to look at this, a step further, and see if we can shift it into a “teachable moment”, a more activist moment. I encourage your thoughts in comments. A few of my own across the divide.

Yes, there are numerous other headlines and issues we could be discussing, of course. And we are, we do, we will. But, let’s face it, we are really “preachin to the choir in here (DD).

I read through all the comments in the afore-mentioned essay and I can bounce around and be convinced pretty quickly, lol, but I had to step away and think about this from afar.  Let me say, Im not talking about CT censorship or specific issues or items exactly. Its more…hmmm… a matter of, oh what am I trying to say?

How are we going to make any kind of headway, change, growth, progress, if, as Progressives, we only manage to get ourselves shut down or locked out of mainstream? And I am tagging dKos blog as mainstream here. What’s the point of YELLING LOUDER in the back room, the soundproofed rubber room doghouse? (Sorry, no offense to DD, I meant this Shangri-la we got here, really!!) We can SCREAM BLOODY MURDER in here all we want. So what? if only WE can hear us.

Does it not make more sense to also Yell Smarter, and of course sometimes also LOUDER, in other more mainstreamish venues? Not just DK but, as several folks here often urge, in other blogs, and LTE’s and wherever whenever.

FWIW I never read markos’ book, crashing the gates, so I dont even know what that theory is, but… hmmm. (Feel free to enlighten me!)

A lot of people, bloggers, are really good writers with a pretty solid grasp of things. Buhdy has certainly hit on his own “formula” (lol) that works, and Im thrilled that MoT is really hitting his stride these days too. We need more like that. More and better, and better yet again. Like Underdog. And we shouldn’t be waylaid or overthrown or bamboozled by bullshit like this Rule or that. Fine, there’s Rules. Theres “decorum”, even in the halls of Congress. If you violate* them, theres consequences.  Not just the official formal Rules, but the subtle ones. Like you get tagged as a Nut or Fringe or whatever.  So… what good is that?!? If we Progressives cant even crash the dKos gate, what the fuck are we doing? How the hell are we gonna effect ANY kind of sea change in this country, this culture, if we cant figure that out.

And … dont you think that Meteor Blades is about at least a nano-light-year ahead of ME in this line of thinking? fer petes sake.

*okay, in my opinion, underdog did NOT violate that Rule, so thats a different discussion, but… okay here I go. Coming in here to DD and refusing, on principle, to put up with that shit etc over there … fine, good solid principled move there, but… what does that accomplish? Where does that get you (or you, or you, or me) in the end? If we all, one by one, roll over and fall out the bed, who does that leave.

What goal or ideal, or purpose, does that serve??

(Im sorry Underdog, to be calling you out, Im using you, your example, and I do not mean to make a martyr of you. Its not just you.)

Is it possible to instead capitalize on this incident as a “teachable” moment? Test the rule. Challenge the thought police gray-ish alleged “violation”. And the Warning System attached to it. “Banned” until you agree that you committed some offense? Oh yeah, that does burn me too. But dont get mad get even… lol… no, thats not it, but challenge. If you stand on principle… then, commit to the follow through. I’ll stand with you.

Im not telling anyone to do this, Im brainstorming and thinking out loud here on this. I admit Im the biggest chickenshit in the room so maybe Im lecturing my own self, I dont know. lol. The thing is… me personally, I dont waste my time or energy fighting or debating with idiots. Id rather spend my energies luring and winning over those who may be wafflers, or leaners, or maybe just under-informed. Im not one of the Movers & Shakers, in any environment, just not my skillset. What I do tend to do, and often not very well, is… nudge. If I see someone I respect & admire veer off course a bit, I’ll go in and nudge them back on track. Sometimes I step on toes by accident in the process. So my apologies if Im doing that now.

If Im just full of shit, dont hestitate to blast me. LOL. Okay, Im takin a deep breath and steppin out for a smoke. I dont… its rare for me to post something like this.

Peace.

EDIT/UPDATE: I should try to clarify here… my thinking… I do NOT mean to challenge the Rule about CT specifically (over there). The Principle, the issue for me, is more narrow and smaller scale. The Issue being…  regardless of the reason, that Offficer Kos-Kop would issue a Citation, a Warning, that includes a Ban until you acknowledge the Offense.  The catch-22 of that, the unfairness of accepting a slap on the wrist that requires you to apologize or concede a wrongdoing PRIOR to there being any kind of Hearing or opportunity to defend, or Guilty Plea or Finding. sheesh, now Im going all lawyery. The pre-emptive Banning, thats what I object to. And the blackmail Confession requisite.