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.
Is it okay to discuss "Old Crusty"?
>How's "Hildebeast"? Is that sensitive enough for ya?<
Good point....
Personally, I prefer "the most dangerous person on the planet" or "bitch".
Last time I checked, the name of this forum was FREE Republic?!?! Right?
McCain is the "Manchurian Candidate" for a reason!
But I will agree about the uses of infantile grade school level name-calling.
"Mean spirited" is the stupidest! (most stupid?)
Its not Demorat its DEMONrat.
Jinx u owe me a beer
I was hoping this post was calling for civility among ourselves, but alas, you want us to tone down our criticism of the other side? Please. They are not just of another tame political party, they are the enemies of our constitution and our security.
I would cheer a post about Freepers not attacking each other and to unite in our effort to defeat the real enemy, the leftist, Marxist democrats.
I use Hitlery at times but prefer Broom Jockey. lol
This is quite civil. You should have been here in 1999-2000.
Nope.
Been on this site several weeks. But calling me a newbie is like calling someone who bought a new computer a "newbie" because they have not had THAT particular computer a long time. It's silly.
If Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter posted here, would you guys call them newbies? Nope, because the content of their posts would set them apart from those who don't know how to use the system.
I do.
They are nicer on Krusgnet.
She endorses abortion on demand.
These words/names are in the Freeper Dictionary. Look it up.
> name-calling
I agree, but there is a "Report Abuse" link on every post.
Use it if you are really offended.
(Or just send the poster a private msg asking
if they're a DU troll. :-)
> Hitlary is fun to use.
Boortz does that too, and it really undercuts his
complaining about people who compare Bush to Hitler.
I got a real lesson in that when following a link to DU from a FR thread recently. Talk about potty-mouths!
Or as Guiliani said tonight when relating that he couldn't repeat what the New York construction workers were telling W after 9/11 what he should do to the terrorists: "Since this is the REPUBLICAN convention, I can't repeat what they told him he should do to the terrorists!"
That said, McCain is bad news. It's really sweet that he's decided to bring his toys to the campaign and play nice for a few weeks, but for those of us who used to think (from afar) that McCain was really something back in the 1980's but who have since seen his true colors, he will have a national ticket future in the Republican party only over our strongest efforts.
My profile sig was intended as a joke, a play on the old Reagan episode. Perhaps, in all honesty, I should change it -- as it might give the wrong impression out. At least I don't quote that sig on 1000s of posts a day.
I don't care much for "Hitlary" myself (the name or the person), Hildabeast is much more creative and descriptive.
As for 'rats, Demon-rats, and the like, I think these are reasonable usages. Given the word's connotations (furtive, parasitic, disease-ridden, work in packs), it perfectly summarizes our perceptions of the 'rat party. Nor is it simple name-calling, since the relevance of these connotations is routinely supported by the facts and anecdotes cited here.
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