Too long, don't bother reading. Congressional behavior and tiny sexy.

Day 997, 14:49 • Published in USA USA • by Candor


In reference to Killerballerina’s article HERE about Congressional behavior.

I would have put this in the comments section, but realized it would be better presented in a different article.



Congress is full of people. People have different personalities. Some people are naturally sarcastic, snide, and even rude. Other people are quite friendly and typically polite.

Congress is the place we come together to set policy. The reason 42-60 people participate is to exchange and debate ideas, and come to a consensus conclusion. If every idea was irrefutable, there would be no point in 42-60 people participating at all. One guy would just naturally make all the best choices for us.



But rarely can one person make the best choices for everyone, and so we “Congress” together to discuss the options, and decide by majority vote the best among them.

It isn’t always a pretty exchange of ideas.

But neither is it fair to label all of Congress one way or another in the personality and behavior department. In every Congress there are at least a dozen people who lean towards snarky and rude. Some of these people have been around Congress a long time, no doubt. Typically, the fact that they are snarky bastards isn’t a secret, and most of these make no attempt to hide their nasty reputations.



They can equally be very proficient Congressman, none the less, and equally strong contributors elsewhere in their parties and the government.

But in every Congress there are equally civil and polite participants, and some of these have been around quite a long time themselves. Some big names, actually, some truly “old fags”. Labeling broadly rarely works.

There are both kinds of people in the world, and in our game, and in our Congress. Rarely do they announce whether they are polite people or snarky people going in. I’ve seen few people post as part of their profile signatures that they are one way or the other. But some actually do! My friend F-Bomb Custer, in example, tells you right up front that he’s an asshole (See his Congressional avatar).


("Off my lawn, you snarky punks!")

So I suppose my point is this: Don’t take it personally; it’s them and their personalities. It isn’t that you are particularly offensive, in most circumstances. Snarky is practically a sport for them. They're the ball, you're just a random hoop.

Chose for yourself how you want to be, and model the behavior for others.



Also, know that you aren’t alone. In every Congress I’ve watched, it’s a minority who prefer rude and snarky over civil debate. Keep speaking on topic, on point, and do your best to ignore the personal attacks. To be fair, accept that not every idea you throw out will be warmly received, either.



If there’s any truth at all to the oft repeated claim that a few “run” things, it most likely has its roots in the fact that polite and civil participants eventually go home. They stop participating, because that behavior isn’t natural to the majority of people, in game or in real life. In real life, we disassociate ourselves from anti-social people, rude people, and snarky people. In game, we naturally do the same. Killerballerina’s article points this out in prime example, really.

The problem with Congress, then, is two fol😛 One, by joining the group, you aren’t choosing your associates.



Secondly, polite and civil participants quit participating. They disassociate themselves, as they would anywhere else, in game or real life. It’s our natural inclination and tendency.

If you want to go to Congress and make a difference, stay on topic, stay on point, and refuse to get drawn into the personal attacks. These are all just words, free speech, really. You can never control what others do, but you can control how you react to what others do.



Last point: As snarky and rude as some can be by personality or choice, don’t disregard any actual merit their presentations may hold. Some of our best citizen participants lack good social skills, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t smart people.