Exactly... I'm seeing that attitude on FR, as well as some others that tick me off, more and more, and I'm seeing less and less thoughtful analysis.
It used to be, "back in the day", that someone would post an article and within the first 10 or 20 comments FReepers would dissect and analyze and provide links to other articles and bits of information that might reflect on the original article. That just doesn't happen very much any more, and it's a great loss IMHO.
I'll give a big double-AMEN to that, Bear.
There isn't debate anymore, just attacks and name-calling. We're becoming more like DU every day.
Yah, Bear... I know what you mean. I started lurking in around 98. We have always had our share of knuckledraggers... but what I think is happening is that they've become louder and regular thoughtful people have become quieter.
There's only a small handful of them, and it would only take a small handful of us to fairly effectively counter them. I think.
In fact... more to the point... Remember how nuts things got around here in 99? In the lead-up to "Y2K" things got positively *brutal*. It was just plain crazy... so much so that it was finally the thing that pushed me over the edge to register and fight with some of the nutbars that were posting all of their end-of-the-world crapola.
In some ways... things may have changed, but it many ways they have not. In crises, the fringes seem to control the dialog. We just have to speak up.