I know what you mean. I used to be really involved in fighting on FR all the time back in 2007 and 2012 to a lesser extent. It used to be all about fighting the people who are paid to be here riling us all up, but now there are people I have known (if you can call being a fellow FR poster really knowing someone) for years, who appear (in my eyes) to have lost all of their intellectual honesty.
Not only do we not understand each other, people REFUSE to even TRY and understand each other. I’ve tried to extend a hand a number of times to people and it just gets slapped away, which sucks when it’s someone you otherwise respect.
Heck, there’s a couple who have been friendly with my wife and I whom I consider middle-of-the-road Republicans. Theyo have refused invitations to our home because we like Trump and ‘Trump is not a conservative’. These are people that I consider NOT conservative and would probably be considered raving liberals by many here.
A few years ago, I had to stop ‘fighting the good fight’ on the internet for the most part, because I just don’t have space for that kind of negativity in my life.
I want to stay out, but I also want these people that I see lying and insulting people around here have to answer for their behavior. That’s what gets me caught up in all of it.
My wife was taking me to task for it yesterday, saying that it brings out my ugly side.
If it makes you feel better my parents, whom I love dearly, are Trump supporters ; )
“Not only do we not understand each other, people REFUSE to even TRY and understand each other.”
Bingo! Moreover, the style of argument/rebuttal is genuinely misrepresentation, obfuscation, cherry picking, etc., rather than factual. This is truly the liberal style of debate, which is being used by so many posters here that I previously thought were credible. Not so much anymore. Can’t believe it!