Posted on 04/01/2005 4:26:00 PM PST by Poohbah
First, this is NOT an April Fool's joke.
I am leaving Free Republic.
Over the past two years, civility and thoughtful discourse has vanished from this site, replaced with demands for ideological conformity that are straight out of Stalinist Russia or China's Great Cultural Revolution, and unrelenting uncivility if said conformance is not forthcoming. This trend began with the California recall election, where certain posters were allowed to flame the living beejezus out of those who didn't wholeheartedly support Tom McClintock, or thought that he wasn't running a campaign capable of winning. It extended into the Keyes campaign last year, where any critique of Keyes' campaign strategy was shrilly flamed, despite the obviously flawed execution of his campaign.
(Aside: one person who flamed me during the Keyes mess later said that he hadn't intended to start a fight with his remarks that accused me of homosexuality, pedophilia, and other evils; I was instantly reminded of the time I had to bail one of my Marines out of the local lockup. "Honest, Sarge," this Marine told me, "I didn't mean to start a fight when I called that Army Ranger a faggot." My response was not [and still isn't] suitable for public consumption.)
Since then, the Terri Schiavo case has pushed FR over the edge. We had posts calling for people to ensure that "accidents" to befall Schiavo and Judge Greer. We had posts praying that Iran would soon develop nuclear weapons, so that they could destroy the United States. And until the FBI started making arrests, those posts were allowed to stay up, completely abnegating Free Republic's standards.
We had people on both sides of the issue point out that the Schindlers were associating with some people of extremely low character, and that our uncritical embrace of these parties would not rebound to our favor. Rather reasonable attitudes to take, actually; but the loudest of the loud were in no mood to think.
My personal favorite was the following exchange:
The issue is not legality, but public opinion. Which will not be helped in this case if the pro-Terry side becomes associated in the media with Christian Identity, white supremicists, neo-nazis, racists and/or anti-semites.
Diva Betsy Ross made a valiant attempt to...ahem...whitewash Christian Identity, but it didn't work.
To top things off, we had people embracing as some sort of conservative icon, to the extent of posting a fundraising link.
I always thought that conservatism valued thinking over feeling, careful contemplation of facts over wild-eyed repetition of every damn rumor to come down the pipe, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. For a while, Free Republic met those criteria in spades.
Those days are long gone, and I have serious doubt as to whether or not they're coming back.
I know that many of the usual suspects will cheer this on, as their longtime nemesis is leaving them the field.
Be careful what you wish for; you are in the process of getting it. You may succeed in driving the folks who disagree with you from the site; but you will end up being just another collection of shrill voices in Bedlam. When everything is an over-the-top scream, no one will be heard.
Farewell.
Good post, Mona....
=== (SP?)
No joke.
I say we drop the Nazi buzzword to which we've been conditioned to salivate like good like Gramscian organic intellectuals and call the eugencists bastards out as the Biological Robber Barons of Utopia they are.
Read an interesting line in Camus's "THE REBEL" the other night which applies in spades where eugencists are concerned: "They love a man who does not yet exist."
Probably the most deadly "human" compassion there is.
Words to remember, thanks.
I'm for losing the nazi buzzwords...
I did not see a lot of posters accusing others of being Nazis, I did see alot of posts trying to draw an analogy to the Nazis. And I thought the argument had merit. Not a slam dunk, at least not yet, but worth considering.
I've read a couple of these posts today, from people who have been around along enough to know the score: Whenever stuff happens, be it elections, terrorist attacks, war, the expulsion of Elian Gonzalez, or Terri Schiavo, we get an influx of newbies, including those from the radical fringes, as well as disruptors who merely come to post extremist lunacy to discredit the conservative movement.
It is up to us, the FR veterans, to attenuate the fringes, and enforce the discipline of reasoned discourse. Why leave now, when you're needed most?
Two out of three ain't bad.
I'd be open for a second venue, an alternative site, if someone were to identify one.
So far that hasn't happened.
That leaves it up to those believing themselves to be ... whatever Poohbah thinks Poohbah to be ... to stay and hold the center.
Having said that, disallowing posts that do not support GWB's partisan stance on illegal immigration amounts to censorship - I guess that means FR is moving away from the fringes and into the (gasp) mainstream.
Oddly enough, i ceased posting at Lucianne's site because the discourse had become too nasty and contrived;
now they are too clubby and structured and folks are abandoning FR for ....for...?
I don't ignore insults. Its not in me. I don't work that way and never will. Why do I have to let others take free cheap shots at me? NOT GONNA HAPPEN
Insults are one thing. You made a threat. Go back and read what you wrote.
Hell yeah... I'd say about 80% of the forum was against Tom, and often in the most strident way imaginable... but I agree with him when it comes to the Terri situation.
Well, that was back in the old days when posters weren't as ... er, uh ... prolific as they are now.
WERE TOO!!!
WERE NOT!!!
LESS FILLING!!!
TASTES GREAT!!!
YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS
TROLL!!!
YOU HATE BUSH
I'M HITTING ABUSE
TROLL!!!
ZOT!!!
Since you got it erased, I think that is not possible. I did not make any threats. I said they were on my list meaning that I would forever skip reading anything they write on FR.
Why don't you go read what they posted to me before you harp to me on this subject. You aren't gonna change my mind.
They are likely not politcal
And where actually believed indicate a sentimentality that is difficult to comprehend.
Sentimentality? Difficult to comprehend?
He didn't remove any family members
Your opinion of the actual legal evidence is far too dependent upon the claims of those without any real knowledge.
No, Greer admitted the mistakes himself.
Nor do you understand the action of Congress and its limits.
You apparently think courts can't be limited, which is scary.
It would not surprise me to learn that this lawyer contributed to Greer's opponent's campaign as well.
It would surprise me since his last opponent was pro Terri.
Who really believes Terri would have said "Oh, MIke if I ever become brain dead please keep me alive as long as there is a flicker of life no matter the cost no matter if I will ever be me again."
Apparently she did say something that can be construed as this. Her friend testified that she believed Karen Quinlin should not be removed from life support
and having buried another beautiful young lady of my own.
I'm very sorry for your loss but that does not make the Schindlers bad people or liars.
If I can't change your mind, then that's pretty much it.
Take care.
=== The Congress and Bush should not become involved.
I hope that, if you're headed to the March for Justice, you'll print this up in block letters on a neon sign so I can pick you out of the crowd once the pics are posted.
I'm hitting it. Good night. Things should cool down in a bit.
=== I did not see a lot of posters accusing others of being Nazis, I did see alot of posts trying to draw an analogy to the Nazis.
I couldn't watch most of it ... but if Thoughtomator's excellent work during the first 150 posts of the patently offensive WPPFF thread was any indication, I think you are correct.
I don't know what the reluctance is to even entertain the fact that, indeed, there are analogies to be drawn. But I guess we're getting a look at what it must have been like to live in Germany in many respects.
I think one reason Hitler was allowed to come to power -- even encouraged in some respects if you look at the odd acts of appeasement and encouragement and studious indifference where the key Allies were concerned -- was to destroy Germany utterly. Allow it a false head of steam such that the world would understand it had to be thoroughly demolished.
I think that may explain a lot of our more curious post-war actions ... even if it were the Communists biding their time in the wings who'd planned on the last laugh as Germany, freshly burdened as the Wall fell INTO the West, became a linchpin of the Euro Soviet about which Lenin had dreamed and whose finishing touches -- particularly where the collectivized security forces were concerned -- we put on courtesy of Kosovo.
You lost me right here. Comparing the goings-on at a website(!) to Communist governments that caused the deaths of tens of millions is insulting. It's just as bad, if not worse, at those who trivialize the Holocaust by calling everything they disagree with "Nazi."
For pete's sake, this is a web site, not a gulag! You really do need to take a break from this place if you can't tell the difference.
That's a lot of tin foil, sure your head can handle it?
We are lucky here in the USA, since we have utterly lost our morals, we at least have history to keep us from making mistakes. So drawing analogies from the past are valid and not name calling.
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