I have some fruitcake you can eat!
Posted on 12/30/2004 12:26:25 PM PST by K1avg
For the past several months, fate has conspired to keep me away from the computer. I haven't posted nearly as much on FR as I used to. With the holidays, though, I've had an opportunity to catch up a bit.
What I found on my return is a bit disconcerting. While there's always been an element here that refuses to reason and does little more than insult Democrats and RINOs, it seems that this mentality has taken over a large portion of our membership. I've encountered more shrill, radical nonsense in the past couple of days than I had in the months before my absence.
Certainly it's acceptable to gloat a bit after our enormous gains on November 2, but I do believe it's about time to get back to normal business.
Referring to Democrats as “Rats” or some variant thereof may be somewhat amusing, but seeing the reference in nearly every other post really gets annoying at times. Pet names for Democrats and RINOs may be funny the first time, but quickly get old. It's one thing to respect someone, and it's certainly acceptable to not do so for one reason or another, but it's never alright to be downright incivil.
Just the other day, I was in an argument here with some other members who were supporting Yanukovych over Yushchenko because Yush had pledged to remove Ukraine's 1600-some-odd-strong force from Iraq and was *gasp* more liberal than Yanukovych. Seriously, that's absurd. I'd be happy to debate with you here, but anyone can tell you Yushchenko as president will be much better for the Ukrainian people, our interests in Iraq be damned.
But I'm getting away from the subject at hand. These are just a few examples of the devolution of discourse here. While everyone is certainly allowed to have their own opinions, there is a certain level of civility that should be maintained, regardless of the context.
This is the sort of stuff you find at DU, not here. I recognize there's plenty of good, civil users here, and I'm thankful for that. To those guilty, though, it would be nice if you could tone it down a bit.
I love being here. Things like the Undead Thread, Daily Dose, and crushkerry's Lib Pundit tournament, along with the usual daily banter of normal news, makes FR like no other political site on the web. Let's keep it that way. Thanks for your time, and have a lovely day.
Well, not exactly - though it does play a large part in your emotions, especially as it relates to your life experience/perspective. That's not being condescending, it's just fact. And it thusly relates to your interaction with others.
Heck, who among us at 16 didn't act a little condescending/arrogant?
And I find it pretty sad that it took several hundred posts for someone to do enough clicking to figure it out.
Don't sweat the gruff ones. Earlier I posted a comment about someone else's DU comparison. I'll stand by it - at least the ones who come across rude here have no real ill will toward you - though sometime's it's hard to tell.
I have some fruitcake you can eat!
Nope. Now follow along here boyo. Your pal called me a jackass. That wasn't nice. I am from a generation that had to teach a bunch of brats how to stand to pee after the dopers took over the education of the masses.
Your pal started a thread on civility and called me a jackass...I called him a punk...and you criticized me.
That doesn't follow. You know it doesn't follow and yet you persist. You want an easy out or the last word? Not this year.
It's all in the inflection. I used to work for a very profane lawyer...except when he was on the phone with clients, when all I would overhear was "Bless your heart...well, bless your heart." I had that one decoded by about the second phone call.
You are correct - he did come calling. And you'll see my comment above about arrogant teenagers. But it would be nice to see some of those folks show back up to at least acknowledge this guy's rare interest in politica at this age. I know I wasn't this locked on.
But how many hundred posts before someone quit knee-jerking and checked a little further? That's the sad part....
Affirmative...
Young man, I haven't read the whole thread nor do I plan to. I'm VERY glad that you're a Freeper at such a young age. And I'm equally glad that you have the intestinal fortitude to hang out all day defending your position.
However.
It was MOST rude of you to come on here when you're relatively new to the forum and tell us how to handle things. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. I would no more go into someone's house and criticize the running of such than come into a forum and put people down for the wording they use in their posts.
Since I saw this thread earlier today...the one thing that gets me the most is...if this is ALL you have in your life to worry about, get on your knees and thank the good Lord, as you DO have a wonderful life!
Now. Please. Get active in politics. Change the world. Get your friends A-W-A-Y from the Dems. NOW! I'll look forward to your posts in the future.
I don't believe I did - because it doesn't matter in the least to me.
I don't like your attitude. It's got nothing to do with your age, although I will admit if you took that kind of attitude with me in person I would have a different attitude. But this is the internet.
I'm glad to read that the schools in Florida have improved since my experience there in the 70s.......
You're absolutely right - you calling me "punk" was just as deserved as me calling you "jackass."
However, I think it's pretty easy to tell which one of us is the worser from your continued ad hominems.
Wrong again BOYO. You're just a walking cliche, aren't you?
I acknowledged that I was premature in questioning the "punk" term. You either didn't notice, or are being deliberately obtuse. And he's not my pal. I just showed up and offered my (correct, as you keep demonstrating) opinion on his being right or wrong about the overall tone of FR. My question to you came much later, and when you WERE a jackass to me - I re-read the thread, saw what you were talking about, and posted as such.
Outside of that, all that's left is your repeated use of insulting nicknames. Which apparently is your MO.
Happy New Year to yourself too...
it didn't NEED to be that way... but they MADE IT THAT WAY and now they will have to live with it.
I think you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders.
What you are seeing here is part of the "mob mentality". The more people that start attacking and tormenting, the more bravery you'll see as the crowd gets bigger and bigger. I've noticed it alot here lately. When you see someone pinging all of their buddies to a thread, it's time to disappear because it's gonna get ugly.
And, BTW - My original quetion to you was along the lines of:
"How does that make him a punk?"
Nothing more, nothing less. That's criticism? Sounds like you're the thin-skinned one.
I'm sure you were an upstanding, respectful, even-keeled teenager at all times, right?
Cut some slack. He was a little rude/arrogant, but nothing to warrant the vitrol coming his way here....
tsk, tsk, tsk...
Thank you, although I still do not see what my age has to do with anything, and yes I am already very deeply involved in politics, and no this is certainly not the greatest of my worries, not anywhere in the top 50%.
However, I take issue with your house analogy. I think of it more as walking into a Wal-Mart and telling people to tone down the raucousness. Sure, it's privately owned, but it is a very public place, where anyone can waltz in off the street and start talking - or shopping, or whatever. I think that's a significant difference, and I'm glad you could be civil AND disagree.
If, however, you are as you say? Be quiet until you pass puberty.
It can be rough, I learned from the flame wars of '98. Heck, then, somebody would even show up, and punch, or sue you. Ask those around here about when clinton would sic the damn USSS on us. Those a$$holes in the White House (nice to use uppercase again) basement would try and shut us down every stinking night. Yes, those were the days.
No, this thread is going to leave a mark.
5.56mm
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.