[Albion Wilde]

I began to notice that on Free Republic, Trump supporters were continually bashing pro-Cruz FReepers with vile personal attacks, and in Alinsky fashion.

Here is what I've noticed:

1) Trump has operated on the top levels of business and finance, in a world few people ever experience or know about.

2) Ignorance of the workings of finance, conracts and the private sector is displayed emotionally every day on FR by attacks on his business dealings, most of which required the unemotional legal oversight of local, state and Federal regulators at many points along the line.

3) Business-experienced freepers attempt to explain this financial illiteracy and provide education around the frequent misstatements about legitimate business processes.

4) When they do so, many of those with emotional opinions often do not attempt to research the point or gain greater understanding of how business works; they instead "feel attacked" and claim victim status.

Victimology is not a conservative value.

[SZonian]

Both sides are complicit. There are folks on both sides who attempt to be civil, but then there are folks who are merely engaging in flame bait.

For me, the worst has been an image of Jonestown, one where the dead are lying all about with the word “Cruzers” super-imposed over the bodies.

Gross generalizations about supporters of either candidate are inappropriate, but based on what I’ve seen, condoned and sometimes encouraged.

Then there’s the cheering and celebrating about long time FReepers who have been goaded into saying something inappropriate in response and getting the zot. Not counting the number of opus’.

Not something FR should be proud of, IMO.

[Covenantor]

A++

[SamAdams76]

Very well said. I also notice Freepers getting emotional over things they know little about. For example eminent domain. They resort to emotion (i.e. Trump is "throwing" some poor old lady out of her home to build a parking lot) when that is not the case at all. Everything has to move through a legal process and FMW has to be established. No developer can just throw somebody out of their home - that's nonsense.

Eminent domain is a part of our society and utterly necessary if we are to build or upgrade infrastructure. Just a few years ago, I had some of my property claimed in order for the town to install city sewer (they decided a pumping station had to be built in my yard). My lawyer and I negotiated with the town and we came to an amiable and reasonable agreement. I also know somebody who lives near where they are building the replacement for the Tappan Zee bridge. Years of major disruption going on there and the state has obtained some properties already. Others are living through years of noise and construction. It sucks for them but the alternative is having the current bridge eventually fall into the Hudson.