Posted on 08/30/2004 10:05:23 PM PDT by ChicagoHebrew
I enjoy this forum, but lately I've noticed a troubling tendency for posters here to descend into horrible and immature name-calling. Such name-calling, and extremism without reason does nothing but harm our cause. It turns off casual lurkers and readers of this forum. It provides fodder for this forum to be demonized and non-respected elsewhere. Below I provide a few examples. I call on Freepers to stop using such terms voluntarily. If that doesn't work, I call on the moderators to warn, if not censor, posters who use such terms. I realize that Democratic Underground uses even more ridiculous terms sometimes. However, your opponents' choice to frolack in waste does not provide an excuse to do likewise. Rather, it provides an opportunity to rise above, and show one's intellectual and moral superiority. Without more, I present a few examples of the type of garbage I'm talking about. I call on fellow posters to add their own.
1) "Hitlery" -- I dislike Hillary Clinton's politics, and what I know of her personality. However, nothing she has said or done (including her love-fest with Suha Arafat) justifies comparing her to one of the worst monsters in all history. Doing so not only demeans the Holocaust, and all the war dead of WWII, it makes a mockery of this forum to allow it to be posted.
2) "Demorat" -- This is just stupid. Calling your opponent a rodent does nothing to promote conservatism or libertarianism. It does everything to make posters and this forum look like intellectual infants, prone to tantrums and incapable of rational debate. We disagree with Democrats. We should not dehumanize them, or think them so below us that we need not engage them in debate and triumph.
3) "McInsane" & etc. -- John McCain is a conservative, loyal Republican. Indeed, in some areas -- such as controlling spending -- he's far more conservative then Bush. However, he is also a mavarick who doesn't tow the party line -- and, in my opinion, sometimes perhaps puts his principles below his desire to win applauds from the media. That being said, his ACU rating is strong, and he has put legitimate personal disagreements with Bush behind him to support what's best for his party -- and, more importantly -- his country. Feel free to critique McCain. Feel free to disagree with him when he criticizes fellow Republicans or takes an odd liberal stand. However, do not resort to petty name-calling -- especially not name calling that implies he lacks mental faculties, and/or is evil. It's just not right.
So I have written. I hope that a silent majority of Freepers agree with me here.
McCain did better than I would have thought (I heard him via radio)
Guliani is a better speaker than I knew.
It was a nice centrist feint and should help get votes. Guliani is well liked and for good reason....especially within 100 miles of NYC.
My favorite GOP person is these days probably Laura.
I hope not!
He should Terry Kerry! :-)
It's not "Right and Left". It's "Right and Wrong".
Worth repeating.
I noticed the poster was only concerned about hurtful words directed towards liberals. I guess they've missed the crap the usual suspects call the President around here.
Oh perish the thought........alas and alack,oh woe is me,oh woe is me,I refuse to relinquish my beeber;stuned or otherwise.
My favorite GOP person is these days probably Laura.
I would expect nothing lessfrom you!
I think she speaks tonight (Tuesday)
along with Zell Miller... and I am
anxiously awaiting his speech.
Considering what democrats call the president, I don't feel all that guilty calling Hillary names (esp. when they are TRUE).
He's a damned newbie...hasn't even been here a full year yet.Instead of fulminating over FR history/words and phrases,he should just put some ice on it. ;^)
The whingers here are guilty of far worse violations,than what they're whinging about.
But they ARE 'rats!
He's obviously not met the Patsies. Heck, calling Hitlary, Hitlary is downright polite compared to those ankle bitters.
I suppose if someone has some personal issue with Hitler and is really bothered by usage of 'hitlery' then that's one thing. However, Hillary never met an abortionist she didn't like!
Aren't we all?
And I guess he's also never been on an old Libertarian thread either. Those were the days. LOL
Not us!
(I have no illusions about an unfettered Hillary Clinton regime, last time was close enough.)
FYI, I AM being civil, but I guess you haven't seen a real blue-lightning-bolt uncensored biker rant (and won't on these pages, at least not from me).
I suppose I could call the 60's hijacked version of the Democratic Party the CPUSA (the ties are there), but that would be leaving out all the other damaging dimensions which the party supports in its war against everything I consider good in American Culture as it once was.
"Demonrat" comes so much closer. I won't let them censor me, and I'll keep calling them as I see them.
Please note that the Demonrats have their extremist elements, real wackjobs, to make the rest of their garbage seem "moderate".
The field of argument keeps creeping to the left as a result.
SOmehow, Republicans have ignored the value of framing their platform with their own extremists (NOT neoNational Socialists), and have let pretty moderate policies be branded as extremist as a result.
Of course as some of us were pointing out some of the more idiotic things pat was saying his loyal minions where here on FR demanding links.
No,we don't get Medved here;more's the pity.
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