Agree it is much more profane that when I joined.
It is not a recent thing I noticed, and DT had no input, as I can see, as profanity was a problem well before he entered the public stage (your linked thread is from 2010).
What has changed, in my view, is FReepers no longer self-censoring and the admin mods—due to overwork, I imagine— easing standards and either missing or allowing things to get personal and profane.
In years past such rants would never get near the low level they are today. . .and such low-level exchanges are not limited to political threads, but any thread.
It seems to take just a few posts, if that, before an exchange is personal and profanity begins to show itself.
A: “I think this”
B: “You are stupid and wrong”
C: “No, you are not only stupid and wrong, but also XX%%@$$#”
D: “HDHGX%#@%$&*%”
And it is not uncommon for this to happen:
A: “I say this”
B: “HDHGX%#@%$&*%”
Cheers,
:: What has changed, in my view, is FReepers no longer self-censoring ::
Might I drag you back to my post #10 wherein I used a cultural anachronism yet, substituted characters in the vulgar word so as not to offend others (self-censoring?).
To wit, I posted “Ain’t that the sh*t”.
Y’all’s overt and extraneous piousness is stifling.
You definitely get it.
One thing I try to do is compliment good postings. We still have good thinkers and good writers who need to be encouraged, especially when the jackals come calling.