LOL! Last couple of weeks FR was swarmed with (simpleton) vanities. Now I know when you graduate from newbie to veteran FReeper. You start really dreading the duplication posts and simple vanities!!
I do appreciate seeing that some of you are acknowledging courteousy is the best practice.
Yes, I too noticed the massive increase in one paragraph posts. And yes, it is irritating. But to ask someone to take a hike instead of referring them to the rules of posting on the threads is pompous and belittles new posters.
As for thick skin, I am a thin-skinned woman, it's my blessing to be this way (NOW has never brainwashed me). But a Spine of Steel can be of tremendous value.
Newbies will either weed themselves out when they realize their posts are not being responded to or they stick around just enough to notice that there are correct and polite ways to post.
Newbies told to take a hike will, however, go running to other sites exclaiming what a bunch of snobs are at Free Republic, and with the momentum this site has got going for itself, word of mouth needs to be kind words.