Posted on 02/04/2016 8:06:14 AM PST by HonorInPa
I’ll start off by saying, according to my profile, I’ve been a member of FR since September 2000, long enough to see the site evolve. I think the last three months have been a low point for FR with new lows being set every day.
FR used to be a place for interesting, sometimes contentious, but always considerate debate about issues important to the Conservative movement. Yes, during election cycles there was some push and shove concerning favorite candidates, but mostly involving their true conservative credentials.
Lately it is has become a reflection of the overall decline in civility in America. Gone are the reasoned arguments, peppered with humor, that were meant to persuade. Now many of the posts are nasty, ad hominem attacks – if you can’t use reason as a tool attack the person.
We’ve become, much like society, repeaters of the vulgar; he who speaks loudest or brashest must have the right opinion. We now live in a world where fame can start with leaked sex tapes, conspicuous consumption, and bad behavior (e.g. any Kardashian, Housewives of pick a city, etc.). No longer is much of the discussion here reflective of conservative principles – respect for the individual, reasoned consideration of all sides of an argument, and – dare I suggest – some level of morality.
Today, instead of working through solutions to the big problems facing America, our potential leaders toss out 140 character tweets meant to inflame their supporters or ridicule rivals. You can look at my post history and figure out who I’m supporting in this cycle (just as you can for previous elections) but I’m pointing my finger at all candidates. Put down the smartphones and talk to me like the intelligent adult I am. I know few of today’s issues are 100% black or white but I want to hear how you arrived at your solutions, your thought process, your ideals, your foundation. We’ve had enough of leaders who speak in platitudes or take a poll to decide what to have for lunch.
As a group we’re supposed to better than this. Over the years we’ve made fun of the idiocy over at DU but sadly of late, idiocy has found a new home here. We can raise the quality of the debate at this site. We can use this as a forum to demand that our candidates do the same. I will try my best to not get sucked into the morass and join in any undisciplined discussion.
I ask that each of us – myself included – take an extra second before pressing “post†to think about what we’ve typed. Does it insult needlessly? Does it raise the level of the debate? Is it a good reflection of our Conservative principles? Does it add fuel to the perceptions of others that the Right is made up of heartless, mean luddites?
Rather than sinking to the lowest common denominator, let’s all try to lead by example. Ok, flame away!
>> I didn’t start in until I’d gotten a bellyful of The Usual Cruzer Suspects, day after day after day after day after...
You have done a GREAT job of making up for lost time, I must say. :-)
LOL! There was a memo?
“Bet you didn’t preview your posting before hitting post.”
...which is all that one has to do to eliminate the distracting symbology. It’s so easy; I do not understand why people don’t do it.
“I’m wondering if FR life would be better if anyone working for a campaign had to divulge that information with their postings.”
It certainly does seem that there are those who’s only intent is to create division and turmoil so that all time is spent bashing each other rather than going after the establishment candidates on both sides of the Uniparty. Unfortunately, there’s probably no way to positively determine someone is a candidate or Uniparty troll other than by what they are posting, and if they’re good at what they’re being paid to do, they’d never say anything that clearly gives themselves away. There’s doubt that such operatives are here, but the finger pointing game of accusations works in the trolls favor, creating more division.
No flame here, friend. I agree wholeheartedly. And I’ve been here a long time too, as a lurker from the beginning, then a member since ‘99.
Been very sad to see the digression and declension here, especially since the primaries have started.
But then, it’s the way of man, the way of the fallen nature, the way of flesh - over time, every thing that began as good declines and is taken over by fallen men and their fallen nature........
>> If we were 8 year old children in elementary school, then I would agree with your point.
But it’s not, right? It’s ADULTS in the alternate reality of an internet forum, who REGRESS to 8 years of mental age!
That’s totally DIFFERENT. ;-)
I admit that I as a trump supporter flew off the handle a couple days ago. I had completely had it with the name calling from the Cruz supporters. I’ve been very even keeled up to a week ago. I never posted more than a couple times a week. Then, seeing some of the stuff flowing on here, the lies, the snide remarks, the name calling of trump supporters. I lost it.
It felt like Bush and mittens, trying to take the high road while your just getting ravaged and made a fool out of. This not respond is just wrong in my opinion.
Check your freepmail. :)
A big part of the problem is that FR allows posting of inflammatory opinion from sites like RedState which is pure opinion and one-sided blather as “news”. That results in counter-attack from the other side and the whole thread degenerates into name-calling and juvenile crap (not that I haven’t participated, just saying what it is).
Posting a CNN story like “Rand Paul Suspends Campaign” is legitimate news. No problem.
Posting a Leon Wolf screed from RedState like “Trump is an Orange-Haired Poopy Head” is not news. It is opinion and belongs in blogs.
The smart thing for intelligent adults to do is to skip the low-hanging fruit and just ignore such tripe. But it’s hard to do and the old mop psychology kicks in after the first person does it, and we each come up with a clever rejoinder.
I’m not singling out Cruz supporters here, both “sides” are guilty. The posting of inflammatory “my guy is great your guy sucks” material isn’t going to advance the argument, unveil any new issues, or change anyone’s mind. As long as it’s allowed, human nature is that we’re going to keep getting what we’ve been getting.
I refuse to be PC and unnecessarily polite to those wishing me harm. We’re done with that now. We were told by the liberals to be nice while they were mean and nasty.
We were told for decades that “the high road” the “road of civility” was to play by Queensberry Rules and not hitting below the belt while the liberals and our own GOP establishment played by Schoolyard Rules and smashed us in the balls.
Sorry, not going to play that “be polite while losing” crap anymore. Get used to it! America is back and she’s pissed!
I don’t have a problem with people arguing about the candidates.
When they start to call each other names over who the other is supporting though...
And the endless pissing matches. Very little real discussion and too much shouting others down.
Everyone here supports their guy for whatever reason.
If it doesn’t happen to be your guy, that doesn’t make the supporter a mouth breather of some kind.
Nobody is going to be perfect. Nobody.
All of them will let us down in some way.
On this forum we demand perfection.
Every single one of the candidates has flaws. Every single one.
Our job is to pick the one with the fewest based on the information we get. Many times the information is faulty but most of us on this forum are well informed and striving to make the best decision.
It’s hard not to get too passionate regarding our choices.
Our country is on the line.
And our very lives too.
I can hear myself think and when it gets too ugly I ask God for help to make my mind right.
It’s hard to be civil when we’re watching our country dissolve right before our eyes.
I was in The Show in 1997. Learned to come in to base with spikes up with Eschoir, billypaul & ash.
They played rougher. :)
LOL! Thank you.
Just be advised that you are one of the troublemakers JimRob talked about yesterday.
I say we should let the candidates fight it out and not be so eager to trash either one of our leading candidates. Digging up and publishing dirt and rumors on either is not doing our side any good and is potentially destructive in the long run.
And trashing our fellow FReepers is something that should never be done. This is going to be a long fight and we do not want to lose too many of our friends.
Hear hear!!
And when the general starts, hopefully we can all hug it out, and turn our
collective ire toward the real Enemies of freedom.
****Anyone who knows American history knows that American election campaigns are not for the faint of heart, especially in the early years of the Republic.****
One thing missing now that was present then was a much better use of the English language. The level of discourse was richer and flowed more like poetry. I love reading letters from the Civil War period from soldiers and officers alike that show a much better grasp of descriptive phraseology and sentence construction.
Sweet, you just gave me a new tagline. :)
We usually do. I’ll take ANY republican candidate over ANY democrat right now.
I do know that I am learning to stop and think before I post. Some of my jokes may be too ribald, my pattern of logic may appear too obscure or out of synch. Some of my remarks may need to be supported with verified events, not just my opinion. It’s called learning to be a better writer and more concise in thought. I try never to openly insult somebody unless I’m very clearly joking and not trying to wound.
I don’t come here to make anyone feel bad. I stay for the chatter and exchange of opinions. I have discovered that everyone has a different take on certain issues we may have in common, such as work, getting along with people, pursuit of faith, pursuit of wisdom and general knowledge. Pursuit of freindship too.
Nice! I’m honored!
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