I agree.
JimRob’s rule on no name-calling goes a long way toward civility for just a little effort.
The more it is ignored, the more it is ignored.
Pretty soon it sounds like “them” around here.
Plus, the value of FR is, at bottom, when it is used as a place for people to have substantive, intelligent discusions and analysis. If every thread is nothing but “you stupid,” “no, you stupid,” FR stops providing value.
I think its more than just Free Republic. Civility in general has been in steep decline. You see it on the road every day. You see it as you shop. You see it in our government. You see it in the schools. You see it in the workplace if you are lucky enough to have one. Society has started to apply more importance to how loud you say something, rather than actually considering the content of what was said. It seems to me that the content of what was said is now the last criteria being considered.
Nowhere is that more clear than in our federal government. The senate used to be the greatest house of debate on the planet. But alas, today senators speak, but there is no real debate. There is posturing and making public statements, but do they actually consider what each other is saying? Do they actually have an honest debate where facts are separated from conjecture? Do they honestly consider or even think about what any one else is saying? It doesn’t appear to me like they do. Heck, they don’t even read the bills they vote on any more.
I would be in favor of every bill being posted on the internet for a minimum of 30 days. There are enough people who still care about this country that would take the time to actually read it, and report their findings via multiple avenues. With all the social networking options available today, controversial aspects of the bills could be found, disseminated, and discussed in many venues, Free Republic being one of them. At least our representatives would become aware of those areas that are controversial to the country. Perhaps they would be shamed into actually reading what they vote on, especially if their constituents are pointing out things in the bill which they personally agree/disagree with.
I might not agree with others perspectives, but I gain nothing by being rude, yelling and screaming, insulting or demeaning others.