Many don't seem interested in discussion so much as safe harbor and some kind of confirmation that they aren't alone in a world gone mad.

I completely understand the desire for a safe harbor. I just think that once that need has been sated, people should move on to more intellectually nourishing discussions. I don't see the point to reposting bad news here when you can just turn on the TV. This should be the platform to think up constructive solutions.

I think the admins are on board with this conception of saidit, but it would need to be done with individual users. I really think the way to do it would be to reach out and get interested individuals to host quality discussions together. These discussions would attract other people, and the ball would start rolling from there.

Maybe do something like have everyone make a quality text thread every day, and they could PM others they trust and ask them to comment on the thread. That's a basic idea but it would be a start