1. Take an interest in other people. I know you have the MOST fascinating life, and you tell a story SO well, but seriously, drop a comment or some karma on some motivators*.
2. If you don't know anything about something, stop pretending like you do. Remember the saying (attributed to many, but rooted in the Bible), "Better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt".
On the topic of abortion, I am notoriously hostile to men. I contemplate and appreciate the positions and thoughts of women who have been through pregnancy/still-birth/miscarriage/abortion, but when a man has a definitive position on it, I generally (some exceptions apply) just can't take it to heart.
I will respect the opinions and stances of those with wisdom and experience, even if their beliefs do not match up with mine. If you have no clue about the topic, STFU.
(And I know many men will contest and think it is unfair that on the explicit topic of abortion I feel their opinion holds little weight. What can I say? Until you've been there, you have NO IDEA. Seriously. Ask any woman, pro-life or pro-choice, who has been pregnant.)
But beyond that topic, in general, if you don't have experience, and you haven't done your research, STFU. What are you going to ad to the discussion. Might as well just say, "I was here" and avoid distracting everyone.
3. Be real. Be vunerable. You don't have to give out your address or phone number, just stop protecting yourself out of fear. You can say your kids name. You can admit your flaws. You can say what you're thinking that you're afraid everyone will shun you for. Just be out with it. Stop hiding. No one respects a fraud and no one believes a perfect person.
4. Say something new. Elaborate. Give us an idea. Give us something to chew on, or chew and spit out. If you're personable and reasonable, people will still respect you even if you vehemently argue that aliens caused 9/11 and candle wax makes great personal lubricant. Look at Tracy Givens. The guy is crazier than a fuckin' loon, but no one picks on him because he's crazy as hell and cool as shit.
5. Don't mess with the untouchables. There are certain JUs who are either skilled cult leaders or lovable cool kids who are just not to be messed with. I won't name names, cause you know who they are. Don't go head-to-head with them. No one will respect you. You'll just look like the A/V Geek on a mission that you are.
I understand your plight, believe me. I have a personal "cool kid" who drives me crazy. I don't take this person on, though because honestly, it's not worth the grief it would bring me. So I see through this person's lies. So what. So I think this person is a fraud and not worth the praise others heap on him/her. Not my problem. May this person live a happy life and all his/her dreams come true. Nothing could be more terrible for him/her. Heh.
*motivators is a euphemism from a TV-editted version of a movie.
These aren't all my thoughts on the topic, just all for now. Expect to be enlightened further in the future, since you all love me so much and since I'm so cool and so popular with my barely any karma! ha!