Mainstream news reader comments / opinions. aka Do you argue on the internet?

[Juvenile]

So how many people here get involved in debates about drug issues in the comments sections of news.com.au, ABC news and the like? I often used to attempt to post my opinions on news.com.au but rarely bother these days as they seem to censor my posts any time I create (imo) thoughtful ones.

Any time I read the comment sections it is usually the same types of comments there. Some fool always says we should have Singapore like drug laws, a bunch of other morons will give us anecdotes about their sister's friend's cousin's boyfriend who was a heroin addict and because of that we should go to jail for life if we try Cannabis or MDMA. Sometimes I think ah well, everyone is entitled to an opinion, no matter how ill-informed it is. But then I think no, fuck that. These people vote, and that impacts MY life. If they have such strong opinions on drug use, they should at least justify them with facts. (which they can't, because their opinions are based on media hysteria and they wouldn't know how to find other information a topic to save their life)

Do you think we can have any impact on public opinion by putting our point of view out there?

I started thinking about this after reading some of the comments section of the article in this thread: http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=460937
There are a few good comments there. I suspect some of them could be from bluelighters.
Warning, "inept's" posts are so stupid you may go blind if you read them.


should have been a poll

 

[Jordan`]

I usually read them for pure comedy value and never would consider replying. That said some portion of those people that post those blatantly stupid comments have been affected by drugs in some way.

The essence of it is we should be free to do what we want with our own bodies, we are a free country after all. Let people make decisions for themselves and don't let Australia become a totalitarian state.

 

[Dannyburr]

I'm much in the same boat as Jordan on this one - I'll read the comments quite often, grinning to myself as I do so, but bother replying? Nah... Just like you said mate, what's the point of typing up an intelligent and supported argument, when it's just going to get shadowed and ignored by responses along the lines of, "OMG i hate drugs they shuld stey illegel!"

Just not worth the effort.

 

[hyroller]

Laziness becomes me, as does a sense of futility when it comes to the masses.

Much prefer to discuss this sort of thing within the realm of BL.

 

[Jakeperson]

My posts are always deleted or not approved.

It's not worth it.

You can't convince the ignorant.

 

[Jordan`]

Wow I find that hard to believe! It's hard to scroll through the section without seeing a derogatory comment of some sort.

 

[Jakeperson]

Mine aren't always derogatory in that sense. And usually only do so on main media websites.

 

[8L4YN3]

My posts are always deleted or not approved.

It's not worth it.

You can't convince the ignorant.

Same hey, i see the stupidest posts getting approved then i post a half decent post and it dosnt get approved.

I usually read them for pure comedy value and never would consider replying. That said some portion of those people that post those blatantly stupid comments have been affected by drugs in some way.

The essence of it is we should be free to do what we want with our own bodies, we are a free country after all. Let people make decisions for themselves and don't let Australia become a totalitarian state.

+1 FUCKEN OATH! Jordan for pm

 

[Juvenile]

Interesting to hear that others are getting their sensible/intelligent posts not approved. I have long suspected that news.com.au deliberately skews debates in their comments sections to reflect their owns biased opinion. Maybe this is just an off the wall conspiracy theory, I mean how many people would it take to sit there and skim read every comment before hitting the approve button? Still it would explain why often well worded responses get rejected when peoples garbled lies are allowed through.

 

[hoptis]

So how many people here get involved in debates about drug issues in the comments sections of news.com.au, ABC news and the like? I often used to attempt to post my opinions on news.com.au but rarely bother these days as they seem to censor my posts any time I create (imo) thoughtful ones.

I've never had a problem getting my thoughts published online or in print. What sort of stuff are you saying?

Laziness becomes me, as does a sense of futility when it comes to the masses.

Much prefer to discuss this sort of thing within the realm of BL.

There's no point in preaching to the converted.

Some of you can spend all your days here talking amongst yourselves and pushing points on drug policy back and forth but until you're willing to have your ideas and beliefs challenged, to have to face what is often a very hostile reaction from the "mainstream" of Australians, you will never be able to get a message across to people who really do need to hear from us.

This isn't my subtle way of saying I don't love all of you and instead want you to go away, but you have to realise how distanced we are here from the way urban, middle-class Australia thinks (don't even get started on rural or senior Australians).

It's one thing to read here every day about the injustices committed under the guise of a "war on drugs" but until enough people become politically active about it, things will never change. In all honesty, I couldn't care less if you go out and argue that drug users should be exterminated with Zyklon B, just be passionate about something, give a shit about something, be willing to risk something to stand up for those beliefs.

Otherwise you can sit around here all day talking to other drug users about how unfair it all is, just don't complain if you're treated like a second-class citizen by the police, media or employers because of your choice to use drugs.

 

[hoptis]

Some related threads:

Harm Reduction - Where do we go from here?
The 'Harm Reduction' party
Declaring War on the “War on Drugs”
Harm Minimisation/Harm Reduction Organisations

 

[madmick19]

hoptis i could happily have youre babies

but you are right about what you say, as good as anonmyity is on bludelight it also gives people the chance to be complicit in the status quo. all great changes in public policy have reflected public sentiment. there is alot of other political/sociological forces that would determine how far you got in not only making it an public issue. but rallying people behind it and getting enough momentum to get things changed.

there is a good artcle that discusses how this takes place.

most of the best harm reduction ideas are privately supported by many people but are publicly denied. the moral issues around drugs. Because people are not willing to stand up both privately and publically the movements and enthusiam of maintaing these initiaitves dies out.

Johnboy and Phase dancer did an amazing job becoming political activisits, but alas there was a lot of private anonomus support here on bl that did not transpire into public support. I would have to also give special mentions to the other bluelighters (nick the cheese, BT and Tarsarlan) and peer drug advocates who carried the courage of their convictions to the press such as sbs insight and various other shows like beneath the mirrorball. One of the most liberating things and proud moments of mine was standing up for what i believed in and support the harm reduction intiaitves in australia.

But standing up for these things do have trade offs- especially if your opinion is divergent with the status quo. It could cost you a lot. Or like me; it could feed into your career as work experience about advocacy. but it is good to be well informed prior to making these decions

i did a analytical essay on how drugs are kept a personal problem that requires a social response, i'll see if i can dig it up and post part of it on here.

 

[Jordan`]

Mine aren't always derogatory in that sense. And usually only do so on main media websites.

Didn't mean it in that way I just see way too many senseless comments on there.

 

[Crankinit]

For the most part, I don't waste my time these days. I've spent far too much time arguing on the internet to have any illusions about ever being able to change peoples opinion. Most people have the opinions they do because they're emotionally or psychologically invested in them in some way, it doesn't matter how much common sense or logic you throw at them, they're not going to change their mind. It's not worth investing your energy in lost causes.

 

[Sustanon]

Yeah it gets boring and tiring after repeating urself all the time.

 

[CrackSnapplePot]

I usually read them for pure comedy value and never would consider replying. That said some portion of those people that post those blatantly stupid comments have been affected by drugs in some way.

This is an important point. I'd bet that a significant amount of people blindly arguing against drugs have had someone close to them die "because" of drugs - and these people then have a vastly skewed view of how dangerous and deadly all drugs are and seem to think that anyone who's ever had a puff on a joint or popped a pill is responsible for their dead son/brother/auntie/dog.

How then do you convince these people that all drugs are not evil, prohibition makes drugs more dangerous through adulterants, contaminants and unknown purities, and all drug users are not the scum of the earth? Well, if we knew the answer to that, drugs would be legal by now.

 

[Sykik]

I have enough problems trying to convince my GF... she's educated and has done MDMA with me many times. She's intelligent, educated, can make decisions based on logic, however the "drugs are bad mmmmkay" argument has been drilled so deep into her psyche that even all the logic I present can't penetrate this barrier. Sometimes it does for a while, till a friend of a friend says they have a problem with my drug use, then back to square one.

If I can't convince an educated intellectual, goodluck convincing emotional idiots. I try, I fail. But I will keep on trying cause it is the only thing I can do.

How then do you convince these people that all drugs are not evil, prohibition makes drugs more dangerous through adulterants, contaminants and unknown purities, and all drug users are not the scum of the earth? Well, if we knew the answer to that, drugs would be legal by now.

Yeah emotional connection is hard to overcome.

 

[Jordan`]

The Australian government's drug campaigns are extremely effective with respect to scare tactics. Personally I think it is the only way to get a lot of these ignorant individuals to listen with their views being extremely hard to control in regards to certain topics (illicit drugs, smoking, speeding, etc). Once convinced it's pretty hard to use something as effective as these shock approaches to even slightly change their views on a subject. There's really no hope to reason with someone once they've been scared so to say...

 

[drug_mentor]

I never really bother writing comments in those articles, its not worth the time and effort. Too many ignorant people.

 

[madmick19]

The Australian government's drug campaigns are extremely effective with respect to scare tactics. Personally I think it is the only way to get a lot of these ignorant individuals to listen with their views being extremely hard to control in regards to certain topics (illicit drugs, smoking, speeding, etc). Once convinced it's pretty hard to use something as effective as these shock approaches to even slightly change their views on a subject. There's really no hope to reason with someone once they've been scared so to say...

from my experience/ understanding of federal politics, social problems power and control- there are many differnt ways that the governemtn are tuned into current society. One of the ways is by making the perception of drugs bad or putting a negative connotation onto it. By tapping into a society that jumps onto negative / values/ moral labels very quickly half the argument is already made by the public. we just accept the status quo for what it is.

it took a wide public attention and opinion to have the last referendum!!!!

I have enough problems trying to convince my GF... she's educated and has done MDMA with me many times. She's intelligent, educated, can make decisions based on logic, however the "drugs are bad mmmmkay" argument has been drilled so deep into her psyche that even all the logic I present can't penetrate this barrier. Sometimes it does for a while, till a friend of a friend says they have a problem with my drug use, then back to square one. If I can't convince an educated intellectual, goodluck convincing emotional idiots. I try, I fail. But I will keep on trying cause it is the only thing I can do. Yeah emotional connection is hard to overcome.

drugs and most things known as immoral has been a cornerstone of these substances being known as they currently are. within the whole addiction and even mental health field most of the terminilogy used is referred to a moral position

This is an important point. I'd bet that a significant amount of people blindly arguing against drugs have had someone close to them die "because" of drugs - and these people then have a vastly skewed view of how dangerous and deadly all drugs are and seem to think that anyone who's ever had a puff on a joint or popped a pill is responsible for their dead son/brother/auntie/dog.How then do you convince these people that all drugs are not evil, prohibition makes drugs more dangerous through adulterants, contaminants and unknown purities, and all drug users are not the scum of the earth? Well, if we knew the answer to that, drugs would be legal by now.

Not even logic can shift some of these people, i guess that people are sometimes too wrapped up in their guilt, grief and loss as a motivator against drugs: i refer back to anna woods dad- tony

As for Mr Wood... I went up to him afterwards and shook his hand, saying I felt for him but wanted to assure him that although we were on different sides of the fence we were after the same thing. He took this well but very quickly the conversation turned surreal.

He said "I just wish Australia was more like Singapore". We thought he was joking but he was deadly serious. He went on. "They got it right there, zero tolerance, put them against a wall. If only we had that system"

"Err but we have a democracy. In Singapore there are no free elections, you can't protest and a show like this would be impossible" I stammered, not really believing he was saying this. "It's a police state".

"Australia is the police state" he said. "Decent people have more freedom there".

*me, nick and mick gobsmacked*

"But are you saying that places like there and Saudi Arabia where they kill dealers in the city square is where we should be headed?"

"Yes"

"But what if it was your daughter was the one being beheaded?"

"She'd be alive to day if we had that system"

*our brains explode*

I honestly had sympathy for him before he said this. I approached him to try and build a bridge and found the distance was way more extreme than I ever could have imagined.

I never really bother writing comments in those articles, its not worth the time and effort. Too many ignorant people.

Be the change you want to see in the world- Ghandi

All great things start with one person, as does all bad things