Posted on 12/30/2004 12:26:25 PM PST by K1avg
For the past several months, fate has conspired to keep me away from the computer. I haven't posted nearly as much on FR as I used to. With the holidays, though, I've had an opportunity to catch up a bit.
What I found on my return is a bit disconcerting. While there's always been an element here that refuses to reason and does little more than insult Democrats and RINOs, it seems that this mentality has taken over a large portion of our membership. I've encountered more shrill, radical nonsense in the past couple of days than I had in the months before my absence.
Certainly it's acceptable to gloat a bit after our enormous gains on November 2, but I do believe it's about time to get back to normal business.
Referring to Democrats as “Rats” or some variant thereof may be somewhat amusing, but seeing the reference in nearly every other post really gets annoying at times. Pet names for Democrats and RINOs may be funny the first time, but quickly get old. It's one thing to respect someone, and it's certainly acceptable to not do so for one reason or another, but it's never alright to be downright incivil.
Just the other day, I was in an argument here with some other members who were supporting Yanukovych over Yushchenko because Yush had pledged to remove Ukraine's 1600-some-odd-strong force from Iraq and was *gasp* more liberal than Yanukovych. Seriously, that's absurd. I'd be happy to debate with you here, but anyone can tell you Yushchenko as president will be much better for the Ukrainian people, our interests in Iraq be damned.
But I'm getting away from the subject at hand. These are just a few examples of the devolution of discourse here. While everyone is certainly allowed to have their own opinions, there is a certain level of civility that should be maintained, regardless of the context.
This is the sort of stuff you find at DU, not here. I recognize there's plenty of good, civil users here, and I'm thankful for that. To those guilty, though, it would be nice if you could tone it down a bit.
I love being here. Things like the Undead Thread, Daily Dose, and crushkerry's Lib Pundit tournament, along with the usual daily banter of normal news, makes FR like no other political site on the web. Let's keep it that way. Thanks for your time, and have a lovely day.
I'll be back later this evening, though, to address any concerns. This is one of the best political sites on the web, and I'd like to keep it that way. Only a select few are guilty of what I've alleged, but as the saying goes, one proverbial rotten apple spoils the barrel.
Cheers!
You think the Left isn't a danger anymore? Are we supposed to go back to September the 10th complacency?
And in case you didn't notice, we almost had Hanoi John in the White House.
Go back to Krusgnet you liberal RINO! (Just kidding)
Yeah, so cut it out.
I've been busy with the kids the last few days, and didn't have time to upgrade the Molasses Miasma of Niceness generator. You could try building your own. Bless your heart :-).
Sn0rE_FeSt
You haven't been here long enough to know what its like.
Same as always, grow a thick skin or go elsewhere.
No. Over at DU they are not doing much bashing. They are trying to figure out whether Ramsey Clarke is a hero or the devil.
Daaaaaaayum. THAT'S gonna leave a bruise.
}:-)4
Why the delay?
From your homepage:
"please be contented in simply reading my amazingly well-crafted posts. The knowledge and wisdom one can gain from observing my superior intellect at work is astounding."
You want a return to civility...how about a return to humility????
I guess you're a RINO.
Oh, I don't know. As a recovering 'Rat I find the name quite apropos :)
I think people should be allowed to post virtually anything they want at FR (with some obvious exceptions). If you don't like what some people are posting, then just ignore them and reply to those FReepers you want to. There are some immature FReepers, just as there are immature people in general life. But I don't think asking them to tone it down will accomplish anything whatsoever. If anything, it will only egg them on. Ignore them.
Typing "rats" instead of "democrats" saves bandwidth, and it's much beter than typing "demokkkrats".
Well, I didn't bless his bowels, even though the short version of the post might be, "Somebody disagreed with me, and wasn't particularly diplomatic about it!"
...better put some ice on it.
It's one thing to fight the left, and hopefully accomplish something, it's another to simply throw insults at them, usually accomplishing nothing.
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