Is there any good forum online where people seriously discuss about USA?

November 10, 2013 11:02 PM

Wondering is there anywhere online where people seriously discuss about USA as a nation, as a home? I am not talking about tourism or which town to move to and such but the actual things and problems that we should all work on together and improve. Not sure if I am worried too much, I do feel that there is a need to get the voice out now because the politicians are losing it, and so are the citizens. If there is a good one, please share with me, thanks!
posted by lanhan to Law & Government (6 answers total)

A lot of local political parties (and other large political groups like community organizing groups and special-interest groups) have listservs and google groups. That might be a good place to start. I'm on the mailing lists of Planned Parenthood, the Working Families Party (a small social-justice oriented political party), my state gay rights lobbying group, and my former* neighborhood anti-war group. It's really easy to keep up with nearby political happenings and find out how I can help various groups accomplish specific goals I agree with, whether that's calling my state rep's office, voting for a particular candidate for local office, attending an event, or whatever. I'm also in a few facebook groups for similar local issues.

Joining the mailing lists, listservs, or google/facebook groups of local political groups will help you feel like politics is connected to people, and like you have a real voice and a role in the process beyond just voting in huge national elections for people who will never really represent you.

*I moved away but can't seem to get them to stop sending me stuff.
posted by Sara C. at 11:10 PM on November 10, 2013

Look into the Transition Network which is international and devoted to refashioning our lives and culture in the face of climate change and energy crises. The American chapters have a website: Transition US


posted by shibori at 12:04 AM on November 11, 2013

I think you have to be careful with the majority of sites/forums out there because they tend to have such a partisan agenda that can be dangerous. There also is too much negative propaganda that emphasizes divisions without finding a common ground. City-Data is bi-partisan and well used but there too much noise from people that are propaganda-pushers and can be light on facts and heavy on opinion. That is a dangerous mix.

Start off with the issues that matter most to you whether it is education, military spending, health care, or taxes. Go to the sources to learn the facts. Do not learn facts from internet news groups, forums, or email forwards. Good sources of information can still be found the major news sources like New York Times or your local newspapers that do their own journalism. Some good politicians will provide detailed summaries of legislation that is being worked on. There are also many good university professors who study US politics or economics and have blogs that analyze the issues without bias.

It also is worth belonging to a responsible political organization which is honest about various issues and doesn't try to use opinion-based propaganda. Again, you have to be careful with these because some of the crafty ones have a front which makes them see like they are non-partisan when in fact they are heavily funded by corporations that have a very specific agenda.

Always write to your legislators or representatives for clarification on these important issues or to voice your opinion. A good representative will listen and respond. A poor one will not respond.
posted by JJ86 at 6:08 AM on November 11, 2013

The SomethingAwful Forums have a Debate and Discussion subforum that has an incredible amount of informed (and non-partisan) discussion on this issue.
posted by Jairus at 7:53 AM on November 11, 2013

I've been trying to read news sources forum out of the US to get a different perspective. Maybe there are some good international forums that cut out some of the madness?

Internations.org is a community of expats and their politics and society forum is globally focused but has a fair bit of USA discussion. You still won't avoid the crazies.

Maybe forums on something like the Economist.com?
posted by Che boludo! at 12:41 PM on November 11, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for all your suggestion as well as reminding how online source can be tricky.

In fact, I am not interested in any of the political debates and such. We have our representatives and government that are doing the jobs so I would just leave those with them.

What I am actually looking for are things we, fellow citizens, can work together and improve our society, communities, and lives as a family. Things can be as small as how we can improve the cleanliness on our local streets and can be as big as how to bring back jobs.

I actually like City-Data forums, which are great with states and even cities divided into sub forums but it's more relocation oriented so people might not be serious about discussing problem and solutions there.

A lot of things can be done if we work together, come up new ideas, be innovative. But only if we would work together, and that's where I am looking for.

Thanks again for all the info!
posted by lanhan at 12:30 AM on November 13, 2013