Not to go off in a different direction…but…
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4321860/posts
Others have also pointed out the racial ugliness, as well as other beastly mindsets and Godless trash (quoting AAABEST).
I believe we are seeing a few things that are creating a perfect storm:
-people feel more comfortable wearing their bigotry nowadays. I believe it started in 2020 with the riots. Little by little, people’s masks fell off, and few people chastised them. Safety in numbers. Parenthetically, the left is more bigoted, but they have the media and Hollywood to give them air cover.
-free speech can be ugly. FR has a commitment to free speech, within the boundaries of the owner.
-this is speculation, but I think some older member have joined the dark side and are paid provocateurs.
-Mods can’t be everywhere.
-FR depends on donations. The trolls probably donate. Good people leave. Rinse and repeat.
Recall the quote attributed to Churchill: Democracy Is the Worst Form of Government Except For All Others Which Have Been Tried.
Freerepublic Is the Worst Form of bulletin board Except For All Others Which Have Been Tried.
When I was active in Boy Scouts, we would always police our camp site. That included a full sweep of the grounds before we left, to leave the site cleaner than when we got there.
Same here. I’m a lowly sinner. I’m not beyond reproach. But I’ll continue doing what my Lord expects of me - point out Truth, and call out idiocracy to their face. It’s a different way of picking up trash and doing a good turn daily.
And you never know…someone may change their mind.
Have a great day.
I agree with you that ever since 2020, people's masks fell off.
Still, we should do what we can to chastise other FReepers. We shouldn't tolerate bigotry.
Like you said, mods can’t be everywhere. But we can point out to other FReepers that they are using language that is considered to be inappropriate for this forum.
If they are trolls, then it's a different story. Especially if they donate.
Thanks for your post.
You’ll find very little disagreement from me in what you’ve posted, FRiend.
Thanks for the post and the ping, DoodleBob. All good points in your post.
As long as I’ve been on this forum, a certain element has always been here. Often, I was the only person arguing with them. But, in those days, this forum was enormous with many other posters and many topics to discuss.
Unfortunately, as the years passed, most posters either left the forum, or they lurk but rarely (if ever) post, and sadly, many of the nicest posters passed away.
Nowadays, there are still good people who post here, but that one element has taken over.
I don’t believe all the comments are made by bad people. Some people just have a rough way of talking - they make racial comments about every race, including their own.
Then there are the people who were victims of violent crime, and it formed their whole worldview. There’s nothing anyone can say to them.
Also, some people just make dumb comments. And sometimes posts are misunderstood. I have written posts that were unclear myself.
But, without a doubt, a large number of posters only want to write negative comments about one group of people in particular. They have a narrative in their heads, and nothing anyone says will change it.