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.
You appear to be a bigger supporter of hypocrisy than of civility.
Hey, why don't you start your own website like
www.nicepeoplediscussthenews.com.
Here are some Rules you could use:
"Find a way to make a point without humour, parody, satire or hyperbole."
"No photoshopped pictures!"
"Link all articles to the main-stream media, so we know they are true."
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"
"Remember, some people opted out of an excellent education, so please keep all posts to no higher than an eighth grade reading level."
"No hate speech!"
Get a thicker skin and stop whining like a girly man.
Okay, how about Shrillary, Demon-crat, and McLame then ?
LOL I hadn't heard that one yet ! Funny !
Vagino-Americans
LOL I hadn't heard that one yet ! Funny !
How about the financially backed Mc Cain being one of the starting five of the Keating 5?
It's interesting that you should mention this. I have been pondering, given that Kerry may be forced off the presidential ballot, if Hitlery would be less likely or more likely to stage a bloodbath of Americans?
That's the Texas translation of Jesus's words: He who is not for me is against me.
Personally, I have nothing against both "Hitlery" and "Hellery" and if lurkers are so sensitive, they will probably be DU trolls anyway.
"It's interesting that you should mention this. I have been pondering, given that Kerry may be forced off the presidential ballot, if Hitlery would be less likely or more likely to stage a bloodbath of Americans?"
She was at the 1968 convention in Chicago, and there is nothing I would put past this woman.
While I tend to personally avoid profanity (with some notable exceptions), FR provides me a chance to vent at the pencil-necked, lard-ass Moore-onic, Hitleryish, hypocritical a-hole, Demo'rat geeks.
Oh my, there I go being uncivil and intolerant again....
Funny, but those are exactly the kind of things I envision her doing. No concrete evidence, just a feeling, admittedly. But I've always thought she loved socialism because she is one of those who understand the socialism can really give her power.
"John McCain is a conservative, loyal Republican. "
LOL!
Actually I prefer to call Democrats, Demoncrats. I don't repect evil. I call it as I see it. If this hurts your feewlings, so be it.
Yes, yes I know that's not politically corect. You'll just have to be tolerant and learn to live with it.
Been around since Sept. 25,
2003 .... and
"My fellow Americans, I have just signed legislation to outlaw Islam. The bombing began in October 2001. "
Really? Then how come Islam is alive and thriving? That's not very tolerant of you is it? LOL!
Ah, what "bombing" are YOU talking about?
Wouldn't want to hurt any RATS feelings now would we....sheesh...
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