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!
This is a very contentious and revolutionary election. All factions have become very antagonistic to one another. Don’t take it too personally as it’s gonna get even worse before it gets better...if it ever does!
Put up just hours ago, in this longish (14 minute) TRIFECTA, these three guys pretty much echo my thoughts and rantings of the last few months.
We are in the midst of one of the most revolutionary elections in our lifetime. It could go either way. How it DOES go largely depends on how informed YOU and those around you become between now and November!
In the interests of “diversity”, there’s something in this one to delight or anger everyone.
EITHER WAY, THIS ELECTION WILL START A REVOLUTION!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yy2xvXbxRQ
“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.”
I agree with your well written post. It’s when a poster descends into clever-witty-snarky-insults that it becomes ugly, and genuine civil discussion gets flushed down the toilet. At first I thought it was probably mainly noobs who were engaging in such, but then when I started wasting a lot of time looking at a person’s sign up date and their recent comments, I realized that such was not the case. Even on this thread there was a poster accusing another of being one of ‘the sort’ causing the turmoil, but a brief look at the accuser’s history showed that even the accuser himself has used snarky little insults like “Trumpertantrum” and such.
Yeah, much of the snark is funny, and witty, and displays the above average intelligence level of FReepers that makes this website so attractive to thinking people. The problem is that a large proportion of Free Republic has turned into a circular firing squad. The snarky remarks are driving people away.
Free Republic is my number one go-to news source, but for a while there, I just avoided all threads with either Trump or Cruz in the title. That was around the time when the term “Trumpanzee” became fashionable. However, the term quickly fell out of fashion when some reporter or such made the comment about the Cruz family Christmas photo how the children looked like chimps or something. The FReepers who had been using the snarky little “Trumpanzee” label seemed to have felt the sting when it was turned around on them.
Our lives and our Country most certainly ARE on the line. And “It’s hard to be civil when we’re watching our country dissolve right before our eyes.” But somehow, we’ve got to stop the fratricide, and instead, start focusing our fire on those who wish to destroy these United States.
A voice of sanity in the wilderness. No flames from me.
Thread winner right there.
Your Mother Was a Hampster and Your Father Smelled of Elderberries!
Your Mother Was a Hampster and Your Father Smelled of Elderberries!
Your Mother Was a Hampster and Your Father Smelled of Elderberries!
Oops, triple post
Thank-you!
I agree with you 110%.
Try getting that point across on a forum with several liberals...I’ve been trying to get them (on a musician forum) to exhibit some plain old common respect and courtesy for each other for 2 years, all I ever see is insults and name calling.
Are we no better than idiotic liberals who would rather shut down the debate altogether than admit their side might just have a problem? Do we have no more respect for other like minded or mostly like minded people than that?
I have to think that also infers that we have no respect for people in general either.
I missed Jim’s post, I’ll have to go try and look it up if it hasn’t disappeared down the list yet...haven’t been here in a couple of days.
I always try to remember the one comment oin the Bible considered the golden rule by most of the world’s major religions. (and I’m not religious at all, I just believe it to be an excellent guideline.)
Treat other people the way you would want them to treat you.
That pretty much covers it all. If you try to live your life that way you’ll never insult anoth3er person, you can even forget about the 10 commandments.
Don’t believe me? Think about it. In everything you do, ask yourself, would I want him to do that to me? If the answer is no, then you shouldn’t do it to him. (or her) Apply that to any of the 10 commandments, you’ll see what I mean.
Thou shalt not steal.
Nope, I wouldn’t want him to break into my house and steal my TV, so why should I do that to him?
Same for them all. Follow the golden rule and you have it all covered. Follow the golden rule and we’d never see an insult or personal attack on here or other forums.
But you can’t get that across to people, I’ve been trying for at least 2 years on another forum.
Why?
Look at what’s going on in DC and on the TV News every night. Arguments, blame passing, question dodging...gone is the civility we could see when Walter Cronkite or Johnny Carson interviewed people. Gone are the days when Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich butte heads but still got people to come to the table and hammer out a balanced budget. (That’s probably the only positive thing you’ll ever see me say about either Clinton.)
I think I can safely say I practice what I preach, and I’ve never indulged in any personal attacks on any person here on FR and only general attacks on the individuals on the other forum I mentioned earlier as a group, telling them point blank it is completely stupid to avoid at all cost any intelligent debate. (and that goes for both liberals and conservatives) But no personal attacks at all against any specific individual.
I fully intend to continue conducting myself that same way.
Thanks for posting this, I hope some of these people pay attention. I get really tired of seeing it too.
If you want a country where everyone thinks the same, then you get North Korea.
That's the point exactly. Ad hominem attacks, abuse, unwillingness to change you mind, or rethink your position on something, when presented with new information, etc... is not vigorous debate, it's the opposite of it. It is North Korea.
He charged me $900.00. for the lifetime membership.
Hah. He got you both good. He offered to pay me $100 for a lifetime membership. All I had to do was send him my banking information.
I could not agree more. The degradation in terms of civility and intelligence here has diminished greatly. It is a reflection of our society. Our arts, entertainment, schools and media became populated with nitwits and leftists. What we need is a national enema.
I’m going to kick both your butts at recess.
LOL!!
National Enema!!! I pray daily for a restoration in this country and for forgiveness for my part in making it what is has become.
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