Posted on 06/10/2025 11:32:39 AM PDT by Jaysin
Dear Freepers
After almost 25 years of freerepublic.com being a rare bastion of sanity in this crazy world, I will be ending my time as a member of this once great site.
The quality of FR has degraded to the point that I no longer find much usage for the site that I can’t find on other platforms and sources. I have had multiple conversations with many freepers, both in the forum and privately and many of them agree with some of my points of contention:
A) The primary reason I am leaving is the failure of FR to address the rising and blatant antisemitism on here. Yes, a vast majority of freepers call them out and see right through it but the failure of the FR leadership to deal with this issue is not acceptable. There are a few dozen of these posters on here who have a very clear track record of posting their jew-hatred over and over again. Of course they will mask it under the cover of “I’m criticizing Israel, not Jews” or “I’m an American Firster” label or my favorite one “I’m an Appalachian Christian”. But if you look closely at what they comment on and how they do it, it is clear they have a JEW problem. These posters will ignore the atrocities committed by the same types of people who committed 9/11, killed RFK, blew up the USS cole, the marine barracks in Lebanon, shot up a club in Florida and countless other horrific acts that have killed and maimed thousands of people, orphaned many children, and left multi-thousands of grieving loved ones behind. The moral compass of these posters is quite shocking to say the least. And they always use the same tropes–foreign aid, the USS Liberty incident, war-mongering BiBi, AIPAC controls xxxxxx, and my favorite one is when they link to sites like the UN and Amnesty International as their “proof” that Israel is violating some international “law”. Some are more blunt and vicious than others, but it’s come to the point where much of my time is spent responding and commenting to the crazies on here. And of course most of them will deny they hate Jews, they just don’t want American foreign policy dictated by Israel etc….. FR is not twitter and is supposedly a tightly monitored site of like minded conservative individuals. Most of these loonies should be formally warned or banned, but they are not. Whatever happened to zotting?
B) Another significant reason I’m leaving is sadly, the quality of the discourse here. This was a website that was once feared as a threat by the left and helped expose the Dan Rather scandal. Those days are long gone. There was a time when I would come on here to get genuine and insightful opinions on politics and world events from intelligent people. Many of my political understandings and positions over the years were molded from what I read on this forum. Nowadays most of the comments to the real issues facing the USA are nothing more than silly venting comments in the vein of “we should lock up everyone of these rioters and throw away the key” or “Trump needs to fire these judges ASAP” or “It’s time for public tarring and feathering to return” level of quality. I can read through multiple threads without finding a useful insight to glean from it. It is really nothing more than venting and wishful thinking but not really practical–the same level of commentary can be found on a foxnews comments section. The personal assaults and attacks levied against each other don’t bother me so much and are often a natural response and I do sometimes like seeing someone get slammed down. I know I have been guilty of some crude and impolite commenting over the years. It’s the overall value of the content that has declined.
C) As a follow up to B, A vast majority of the articles that are being posted nowadays are from very mainstream fake news sources such as the NYtimes/Reuters/AP/DailyMail/MSNBC/CNN/SFGate etc… with a solid supplement of other almost useless sources such as foxnews/nypost/breitbart. Any halfway intelligent freeper on here KNOWS darn well that there's NOTHING useful published on these websites or articles so the comments turn into nothing more than “this article is such fake news” and similar style comments. It’s the same story over and over and over again and we all point it out. But real thought provoking ideas are not to be found. And of course we have the endless BOMBSHELLS and BOOMS and BREAKING headlines from the gateway pundit and dailymail posted on a daily basis that never amount to anything. Sites like American Thinker / townhall / Sultan Knish and some others are the only ones with real content worthy of real discussion If anyone dares to post some thought provoking article from some small blog or some less-known unfamiliar site, you’re instantly accused of blog-pimping. As a lead on to my next issue, the same news event is often posted multiple times just from a different source.
D) Leadership–I know I’m going to get flamed hard for this but who is steering the ship here at FR nowadays? I have much respect for Jim and what he’s built but I really feel like he only appears when appealing for money. He certainly is not actively involved in leading and guiding the site into the future. Perhaps it is time to pass the torch on to someone else who can keep the site as a useful and relevant place on the internet. Sadly, I feel that there is no one clearly calling the shots and no leadership here anymore
E) My final issue with FR is the functionality of the site. There hasn’t been a single update to this site since I joined. Not a thing. No, we don’t need flashy profiles and avatars and other silly bells and jingles but it’s 2025 and simple features like the ability to edit your comment or even delete it would be nice. A like and dislike option to a post would also be a nice feature and save a lot of the commenting issues I mentioned above. The ability to respond inline to comments would also make the flow much easier–If someone makes a comment at #12 and I dont join in until comment #93, I’m forced to copy/paste what they wrote so my comment can be understood in context. And no in 2025, I shouldn’t have to use html to post a picture. The breaking news is often hours behind an actual event happening. The search features are primitive at best. The site can still be very basic looking but can still be user-friendly.
I would love for FR to become a political powerhouse again that it once was but it will need to look in the mirror and decide what it wants the future to be. Or it can bury itself in the sand pretending that young 27 year olds are jumping on here and using the site (they aren’t!) I’m in my early 50’s and I sometimes feel like I bring down the median user age by 10 years. That’s not a bad thing per se, but what's going to be in 5-10 years? I really wonder how FR is going to make it into the next decade without some type of overhaul.
I truly wish FR the very best going forward and I wish only the best. I genuinely hope something good will come out of this final post. I will not be responding to this thread but will probably read direct freepmails sent to me regarding the thread before I log off for the last time. Some of you will tell me good luck and some of you will me good riddance. I understand.
GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL FREEDOM LOVING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
That should be Good for you. I'm really not a narcissist.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/fellow-travelers
That doesn’t jibe with the above. Perhaps you are referring to a different branch of the “fellow travelers” family. Are you sure John Bunyan “popularized” it? Have you got a link? Ihave always and only know it to mean commie. When I see/hear fellow travelers, a red flag goes off, if you catch my drift.
I did have AI write me a program that scans the feed, counts the number of occurrences of an article, and presents them grouped by count, which is pretty cool. I can immediately tell what's popular and then click right in.
As for being here for 21 years, all that makes you is a "youngster"!
Many things you mentioned I too have problems with, and could add more. I stopped really engaging long ago after being hounded for posting my own work. So I seldom if ever post anymore. Been here since 2/98, but I won’t be leaving, I’ll lurk post from time to time, but not much more.
I pray you find what you are looking for, but I must add, that some of what you complain about as being archaic are things I still find unique and enjoyable.
Good hunting, but newer and updated for the times is not always better.
I saw that post and was disgusted. I didn’t remember who posted it, but if it was Jaysin, then he really has no right to complain about anyone else.
you shower with tamato plants?
great way to save water :)
Live your updated images on your personal about page.
I may be barrowing a few
Thx!! Please, feel free :-)
They turned me into a newt!
But I got better.
I play the clown to make people see there's absurdity or humor in nearly all situations. At this fairly good nursing home (Ben Stiller doesn't work here) I'm reminded each day that someone's always worse off and time is the most precious thing we have.
Jimson did point out the inescapable fact that most of us are old and dying off. There's been a big surge in young people going conservative between Pelosi's "Insurrection" and President Trumps resurgence that don't know about this forum and believe ALL the net to be a leftist wasteland.
We need outreach that doesn't involve embarrassing attempts to appear cool. Or sniffing hair. As often as I've heard Fox News people repeating our posters' stuff nearly word-for-word it would be nice if they'd throw us a bone now and then.
+` bump to top
5.5 / 10 for sad pathetic goodbye posts. Wish you wee still here, but not totally saddened because you’re gone.
"I play the clown to make people see there's absurdity or humor in nearly all situations."
I try to do that as well, without turning into an obnoxious, arrogant condescending person like some of them are on FR. Sadly, there's a lack of sense of humor in some folks here. Some people just can't help offering their advice on how you should be living your life. They haven't figured out yet that there are just some old horses here that refuse to be taught new tricks.
I found Free Republic years ago from the Drudge Report. There was a link called Whitewater Files. I clicked on it, and been here ever since.
I stopped watching Fox News twice. The first time was in the aftermath of the 2000 election, when they called Florida for Gore before the polls in the Panhandle had closed. I went back on 9/11, then stopped completely when Obama was selected. I couldn't stand seeing his face, or hearing his voice over and over again throughout the day. I haven't watched any news programming on any platform since then.
Had you not have watered that sod, it never would have rained!
Worry not, that sod loves the water right now.
However, there are a few things that might not slow FR down but add t its experience. Such as adding a Like button. Maybe simple to do, maybe, and would cut down on posts to say someone likes something.
Same here.
I lump together, the Jewish issue, with the poor adherence to, and double-standard of, the enforcement or lack thereof . . . Jim Robinson’s code of conduct.
That apparently does not apply (is now a double-standard) re how Freepers treat one another . . . and thus, brutal flame wars continue, including a lot of smash face defined as (I paraphrase:) “being conservative and honoring Jim’s rules.”
I make a point of almost never using the word: you <— because it tends to become the tip of a stick that is thrown as an arrow.
I favor a code of conduct, and adherence, and enforcement. I grew up among warriors, all of whom are now gone. There was a very large amount of integrity, that I miss very much.
Presently, I stick around FR despite all the damages, noise, and tears, because somebody has to try and set an example for good behavior.
There is a long-running Freeper, Nathan Bedford Forest (I do not recall exactly his FRname), who took a breather some years ago, and then returned to FreeRepublic.com, determined to write well. In my humble opinion, he has done that. There are other members who are determined to write well.
Meanwhile, I have no money for bad behavior.
You totally missed the most offensive part. The first thing you said.
*female reproductive body part*?
What? He’s an ovary? A uterus?
And this response is not much better. Your anger issues are getting the better of you.
Hilarious besides. Have his mobile app.
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