Posted on 10/07/2001 5:34:17 AM PDT by vannrox
A lively and controversial discussion of what direction Americans want their country to take is needed now more than ever, and agree with the Freepers or not, political Web forumscanprovide a great public service.
At the very moment that Bill Bradley was wailing about "the poor man's soapbox" being overwhelmed by "the rich man's wallet" FR and the others were rising to prominence. TV and radio ads are the venue of "the rich man's wallet"--but FreeRepublic enables any interested individual to read my insightful posts without charge. ("He that tooteth not his own horn getteth it not tooted.")
FR represents what I call "the way news will be 'viewed' in the future". As you've stated, articles, vanities, rants, etc. are posted.........but then cussed, discussed, analyzed, flamed, praised, dissected, and otherwise commented-on in real time. It's this immediate feedback that truly separates FR. It matters not the content of a post; there is, invariably, at least a handful of FReepers who are FAR more knowledgable on the topic than the author. It's an amazing thing to see, an amazing thing to watch. It's akin to watching, say, CNN or (gulp) Dan Rather while sitting in a huge auditorium with thousands of fellow citizens, the newscasters' words being ripped apart for accuracy, spin, etc. on the spot by this housewife over here, this retired "spook" over in the corner, an Army Colonel here, a computer programmer from the Bay Area on this side, a stock broker or two, a journalist or two or three, maybe even a CongressCritter or three............at the same time. In fact, I find it very frustrating to watch news on TV (well, except for Fox News Channel) due to the lack of real-time feedback and analysis that FR brings to the game.
This also results in something unusual: action. FReepers act, they don't just talk, and it's a direct result of this immediate-analysis environment.
THIS, IMHO, is what separates FR from the rest.......and it is this that makes FR truly revolutionary rather than merely an Internet-spawned evolution. The intelligence, insight, experience, humor, and common sense of my fellow FReepers never cease to amaze me, and it explains what has kept me here for nearly three years.
God bless.
Uh huh, that's what we do. At this very moment I am sitting here with an eye patch petting a Persian cat, planning and pulling strings for the sole purpose of depriving others of a decent living and their liberties. Especially the liberty thing. Can't let people have that, you know.
Ours is Jim Robinson
Thanks again, Jim.
Throw in the occasional stupid reply, the tin-foil hat wearer, the conspiracy nut, and the Liberal disrupter. What's great about them? To see them attacked, rebutted, and refuted! Gotta love the FReepers.
HI, BUBBAFREE!!!!
Free Republic, to me, is like a giant political rally with hundreds of discussions, disagreements, angry fights, quiet intellectual seminars, etc, all going on at one time and you can join in, if you dare, at any of them. Even with the thousands who do join in, you come to recognize and appreciate the regulars whether you agree with them or not.
Then there are the smaller forums, like the one at IronPants.com, which is more like a small town diner where regulars get together several times a day to discuss whatever is happening in the world, and voice their concerns and frustrations, and they are delighted to welcome the views of drop-ins or new immigrants.
I hop over to Lucianne often, first to check out "ShortCuts" which is always a treat, but also to see what articles have been posted that I've missed. A few very nasty posters pretty much made it imperative over there to ban chatting, but Lucianne has a regular weekend thread where the regulars can let it all hang out. Not much flaming going on there, though. What I so appreciate and cherish about all the news forums, but especially FR, is the opportunity for discussion and argument. I feel more free to say exactly what I think, admit my ignorance, share my knowledge, etc, in these forums than in any other life situation. And nowhere else do I find such a variety of opinion on every subject. For all of that I am eternally grateful.
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