Anybody on LJ or DW interested in doing a sort of... political friending frenzy?

[conuly]

Most of those tend to be fannish in nature, and there's nothing wrong with that, but lately all I want is more news, more articles, and more vicious condemnations of the evil within our government. And I want more conversation in their comments, darn it! I keep thinking "More people ought to read this person I follow, or that person, because then we could all talk to each other". (Gosh, I miss the golden days of lots of highly active comms.)

It doesn't even necessarily have to be liberal/progressive-flavored, just so long as it's thoughtful and interesting. I am, of course, terrified to do this sort of thing myself, buuuuut if other people agree to promote it I guess I can host it. But there won't be an image or anything.

(And on that note, btw, you can all do worse than to join thisfinecrew.)

Comments

[alatefeline]

I am not likely to join, because frankly sometimes it's all I can handle to follow the political commentary of the people that I know from other contexts, including fannish and queer circles; people are very concerned. But I think it' an excellent idea.

[sathari]

Oh, wow. On the one hand I would like that. On the other I have been doing SO MUCH meatspace political stuff (as in, in the preceding week, I did Something Political that involved leaving my house and interacting with people I did not know in large numbers--- as opposed to just cold-calling my elected officials' offices to tell their staffers to tell them things they don't want to hear, which is rough enough--- on five days out of seven) that, WELL. (Honest to fuck, there's a part of me that would give a body part or two just to be fannish about something that didn't ping my political radar for a while in between political-things, because nearly all the fandoms I have loved in the past, like, DECADE PLUS have something political all up in them for me. I am seriously considering taking up a handicraft of some sort, except that even then I suspect I would use it to make political things, but at least the process might be less fraught.)

[conuly]

I feel you. It's important to make some time to just chill.

[st_aurafina]

I would probably be cautious about adding people under that context because it's so easy for me to overload on bad news, and at the moment, I'm keeping my head above water with all of that. I think it's a good idea, for people who aren't struggling, though, and a good way for the people who are good networkers and politically active to find each other.

And I'll totally make you a banner, if you'd like one.

[marahmarie]

Most of those tend to be fannish in nature, and there's nothing wrong with that, but lately all I want is more news, more articles, and more vicious condemnations of the evil within our government.

Hear, hear!

I'm of exactly the same mindset, and came across you, solarbird and a few others in preceding months and subscribed for exactly that reason (not to mention I'm a linklist junkie and you are, like, Supreme Ruler of Link Lists).

I'm always looking for more political reading (even if there's days enough of it makes me want to go jump off my balcony, a fact I'm even considerate enough to mention in my comments sections, at times). And thisfinecrew has been a great resource, indeed, though so far I just lurk there.

[kyrielle]

You know what might be even more awesome?

A journal that just exists to friend all those things, so that its feed can be viewed to read, at least, all the public stuff.... I mean, I guess we could each make one, but just having one might be easier.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Well, no, because of 195 people who already have me on their Friends List, guess how many of them have commented at all to ANY of the hundreds of political posts I've posted in the past year-to date?

Of the handful of people who do occasionally comment, guess how many of them ever post an actual thoughtful paragraph rather than a one-line 'tweet'?

Of the people to whose posts I comment, guess how many of them ever reply to my comments with anything but a one-line 'tweet'? - if they acknowledge them at all! It's like getting the fucking Silent Treatment, and conveys the inescapably-clear message that I am wasting my time trying to converse with them.

I am totally not interested in giving any more silent, lurking strangers access to my friends-locked posts. If anyone wants to talk to me, they can start a conversation in the comments to my public posts, but I'm not holding my breath.

I'll think about joining Dreamwidth communities when I have time and spoons to claw my way up the 'learning wall' that is Dreamwidth: in other words, not this month, and maybe not next month either.

[conuly]

I don't know about everybody else, but I can feel so awkward replying to people when I haven't said anything in a while and nobody else seems to be commenting.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

It probably IS everybody else, and that is how active, thoughtful communities go silent.

Want to talk "awkward" - there's nothing like posting a three-paragraph comment to someone who replies with a one-liner. I have made a deliberate attempt to keep my comments shorter, and to comment less frequently, because commenting often and/or at thoughtful length is apparently not welcome. I post almost nothing but lists of links to political articles now - primarily for my own reference - because I don't think anybody really cares about the rest.

Now that I have my stuff backed up on Dreamwidth so I won't lose it, I am disinclined to arse meself up the 'learning wall' to actually post there, because it would be just the same there as here. If anybody wants to talk to me, they know where to find me.