Posted on 10/04/2004 2:33:37 AM PDT by borntobeagle
I actually partly agree with you, about how we comport ourselves, because I've seen some threads that gave me pause...but on the other hand, some of the posters going overboard were newbie trolls trying to make FR look bad.
I'm going back a year here, when I remember those threads...
I hope it is not a matter of conservative elitism, for I really don't belong here then. Elite is not how I'd like to be defined.
I do agree that the welcoming comittee may need a "looksee", and hope that they are not the best of the best on FR.
No one is flamed on FR because of a recent signup date. I've been a newbie twice, and neither time did I encounter any rudeness solely on account of being a "newbie".
Most noobs who receive the treatment, do so because they are liberal trolls, or mistakenly think (although I don't know how they can remain ignorant of FR policies if they've lurked more than once) that FR is interested in liberal/leftist viewpoints.
I have NEVER in my admitted many hours and thousands of comments made on FR seen people hassled, harrassed or otherwise nitpicked or assaulted solely for being noobs.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1234374/posts
this was the thread I took offense to.
I am happy that you have not seen or been party to any of this, it's good to know it doesn't happen to everyone.
Just checked the thread you linked to. I consider that rather mild hassling, and the vanity posted deserved criticism, as Jim Robinson regularly tells us to curb the vanities. In fact, in the last few weeks there's been threads about Too Many Vanities. So a vanity consisting of one or two sentences, and also by someone who hasn't been around long, is a target for criticism. The poster being critical may have been not real "nice" about it, but that's FR.
A little rough around the edges sometimes. On FR I have learned to debate with people without losing my cool. It's a useful skill.
"I consider that rather mild hassling..."
I think it is a horrible shame that this assinine, gang of thugs is tolerated as the FR Welcome/Hazing Committee.
I think the solution is to spell out the standards.
Require newbie’s to learn the standards and rules,
prove they know them, and agree to live with them
before they are allowed to post here.
Then, if they violate the rules they can be reported and banned.
Anarchistic gang enforcement is not even advocated
by libertarians like me in private spaces. Set the rules and enforce the rules. You don't need a gang of thugs for that here.
I'm really surprised that you consider the stupid, childish insult "go take a hike" to be worthy of such heated reaction.
Or worth bothering Jim Robinson about.
You want everyone (else) in the world to be perfect or you're going to complain to the authorities?
I have found that polite, intelligent, and warmhearted people vastly outnumber the opposites on FR.
Posters from 98, 99, 2000. and 2001 chastised the take a hike poster..So why start a thread on Old Timers versus newbies? I am at a loss if this thread was the catalyst for your Vanity...Color me puzzled.
He likes to call anyone he disagrees with hiim a bully.
Likewise anyone who doesn't care for whining vanities whining about vanities that aren't vanities because he doesn't call it a vanity.
He sure took a long time to come back from the hole he hid in after his trhead was pulled.
Nevermind Tobor.
He's a retread troll with some attitude about being outed the last time.
(I.e., he was banned before for something and has a vendetta.)
If he behaves himself this time, he'll stay.
If he keeps with his calling people directly "bullies" as he did in a thread he posted that was pulled, he's going to draw the ire of the mods.
You seem much wiser than he does.
You'll do fine.
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