I guess this site will always have snarkies like him.
I am PROFOUNDLY glad that I don't know him or that he doesn't live next door to me.
There’s one in every crowd. Some posters (and trolls) seem to gravitate to attacking a specific individual poster, not (just) for the content of a current post, but some long imaged personal grudge.
The level of discourse has coarsened a good deal over the years.
I assume it means FR is attracting younger contributors but it does stifle conversation when someone viciously attacks rather than presenting a reasoned counter-argument.
Well ... I’ll tell you where I’ve been hammered in the past. It was on the question of Obama’s birth. Of course the disclaimer that I always have to put in here is that I’m not a supporter of Obama, never voted for him and I can’t wait until he’s out of there.
SO ... that being said, I said immediately after his election that those who were pursuing the birth issue for Obama were going to get nowhere. That was my prediction. I had some good, down-to-earth practical reasons why - and that’s how most people operate politically.
In fact, one of my sayings was that these people (who are adamant about the issue) - would still be hammering away on the issue even after Obama does the ribbon cutting on his Presidential library.
But - the more adamant a person was on that issue, the more vicious and irrational they became on their posts. The conversations went off into the irrational to an amazing extent.
I figured it was a waste of political effort to go down that rabbit trail — as there were more “solid” issues to go on. AND ... if any of them see this post of mine, here — this will immediately devolve into another irrational and vicious thread.
BUT ... as I always said, my viewpoint will BE PROVEN in time - and it has been. And that’s the best proof - that the actual situation, on the ground, turns out exactly as you say.
There are several “hot-button issues” that I’m on the wrong side, it seems ... :-) ... And those who are adamant about them will hammer anyone, viciously and irrationally - no matter what.
SO ... welcome back and I hope you don’t run into many unpleasant situations here.
I hear you. I’ve drawn my share of fire on FR too. I have since learned that I have got to be the adult in the room when the other person is throwing a keyboard temper tantrum. It certainly doesn’t feel good to let them get the last word, inevitably an insult, but it will at least shut them down. Small minded people enjoy bating others and the game collapses when their target ignores them.
I am getting better at picking the unstable ones and try to leave the gauntlets where they lie. I enjoy trading ideas and having intelligent discourse which can include respectful disagreements, but that is impossible when the other person is irrational.