I’ve been here since 1998 and I’ve never once pushed the abuse button. I figure if I can’t take the heat I’d better stay out of the kitchen. I’m surprised more ppl don’t feel that way and instead go crying to mommy and daddy.
Totally agree. Usually the ones crying just cry to Daddy because they are ticked off that others have a differing opinion. I have said this for many years around here now “ I come here to get my daily insult because I know I can get at least one a day”. Toughened me up.
It isn’t hard to stay off a thread when it is a subject you don’t agree with.
We are in a battle for our very freedoms and this is what a person is upset about. More censorship and control makes the problem even worse.
There does seem to be some people here who are too thin-skinned.
The first time one of my comments was removed was in 2006 on an obituary thread about the death of Segregation RAT Senator Byrd's wife. I wrote that her death was the first confirmed case in the U.S. of a human dying of "Bryd Flu." I thought it was pretty funny. Some putz took offense and hit the abuse button to have it removed.
And stupid crap like that still goes on here.
From the Free Republic Home Page:
Please enjoy our forum, but also please remember to use common courtesy when posting and refrain from posting personal attacks, profanity, vulgarity, threats, racial or religious bigotry, or any other materials offensive or otherwise inappropriate for a conservative family audience...Free Republic is a site dedicated to the concerns of traditional grassroots conservative activists. We're here to discuss and advance our conservative causes in a more or less liberal-free environment. We're not here to debate liberals. We do not want our pages filled with their arrogant, obnoxious, repugnant bile. Liberals, usurpers, and other assorted malcontents are considered unwelcome trolls on FR and their accounts and or posts will be summarily dismissed at the convenience of the site administrators.
Free Republic does not advocate or condone racism, violence, rebellion, secession, or an overthrow of the government. Free Republic advocates a return to constitutionally limited government, reserving all government powers not expressly delegated by the constitution to the United States to the States respectively, or the people, emphasizing sovereign state governments, local government, self-government and self-rule, while restricting government powers to only those enumerated in the constitution...
This is why I personally try to find a constitutional aspect to whatever issue or thread that I choose to participate in.
I try to write in the third person indefinite style and avoid direct personal statements (like how Congress has rules that debate must be directed at the Chair and not other members).
I try to state my case concisely (but completely) so that others have the opportunity to understand my complete thought process before engaging me. I find that short, terse fragments of thoughts only leads the reader to fill in blanks that were not intended but that provoke unwanted responses.
I believe that once I speak on a matter and complete a dialogue with another reader to make my thinking clear, I am done with the matter. The reader is free to decide who made the better point; hounding the other person into submission to my opinion is pointless.
And I avoid the ad hominem at all costs. Name-calling, taunts, profane accusations, and closing posts with insinuations or putting words in the other person's mouth goes against everything that a reasoned debate should be about.
-PJ
Sometimes, you should hit the abuse button for the good of the forum.
Since I joined 22 years ago, several times, I have hit the abuse button to ask the Moderator to delete my own posts - for example, if I mistakenly shared information that was inaccurate.
Only a few times, I reported posts by other people. Why? Because they were really bad. For example, one was a photo depicting an underage girl in lingerie. The Admin Mod deleted it immediately.
I don't remember ever reporting a post directed at me personally. I want to see those posts. But, a few times, someone's reply to my post was deleted before I could see it.