Guilds hark back to medieval times when craftsmen and merchants cooperated to advance their joint business.
And that's how I view Free Republic, a guild of American patriots who are professionals in many spheres of work and life.
And aside from reading perspective on topics of the day and making a few witty remarks, another treasure of FR is to hear the learned opinion of FReepers who are experts in countless walks of life -- and to interact with them.
So if the Writer's Guild can multiply the number of FReepers who share such expertise and wisdom, that's a very valuable contribution. And that might entail pairing writers with experts.
I can't think of a better example of FReeper writing than rlmorel's March 2023 vanity, A Day in the Life of a US Navy Plane Captain.
Most of us have seen the Top Gun and Maverick movies which glorify U.S. Navy pilots. But this story looks at naval aviation from the perspective of a Plane Captain, the guy responsible for the safety and performance of the plane a Top Gun is flying!
And besides Plane Captains carrying a huge responsibility on their shoulders, the story tells you what these guys think, what they worry about, what they are proud of, and also gives us the flavor of the after hours drinking experience with buddies.
It's a masterful work together with some great pics. Believe me, the fake news journalists at the New York Times and the rest of them can't produce a story of this quality because they are Intellectuals Yet Idiots.
And as the comments confirm, FReepers got excited about the vanity encouraging rlmorel to add a ton more perspective in the comments which expanded to 120 comments overall.
So I ask: how can the Writer's Guild drive more contributions like this?
Nice - bump for later