Free Republic

Psychological studies show that swearing and name-calling in Internet discussions shut down our ability to think. 2 professors of science communication at the University of Wisconsin, Madison - Dominique Brossard and Dietram A. Scheufele - wrote in the New York Times last year: In a study published online last month in The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, we and three colleagues report on an experiment designed to measure what one might call “the nasty effect.” The results were both surprising and disturbing. Uncivil comments not only polarized readers, but they often changed a participant’s interpretation of the news story itself. In...

We've received many requests from freepers requesting that other freepers not post to them. There are several problems with this. 1. It's impossible for us to enforce.2. We don't have the time to enforce these requests.3. We don't have the software to keep track of these requests.4. Thick skin helps.5. Ignore the poster, if you don't reply, they won't reply. Free Republic does not need a bozo filter, bozo filters are for wimps. Final note: Trolls, troublemakers, disruptors, forum pests, malcontents, RINOs, liberals, stalkers, et al, would continue posting to (harassing) someone after being asked to stop. Conservative FReepers would...

SALT LAKE CITY — First off, I am not talking about those silly wild haired dolls with jewels in their belly buttons. I am also not speaking about the ones that live under bridges and eat small children. I am speaking about the spineless bottom feeders who sit at their computer all day bullying other people with inflammatory comments and remarks. A troll's sole purpose in life is to comment about an article, statement, question in a forum or other Internet venue so that comment will upset the target person or persons to the point where they are yelling at...

The word “troll” no longer conjures up a dumpy little plastic figure with brightly coloured hair: nor a monster from The Lord of the Rings. If you live even a part of your life online, you’ll know that trolls today are better known as the angry and usually anonymous commenters on web forums, whose aim is to shock, offend, annoy or upset fellow users. Trolling made headlines this week when Sean Duffy, a young man from Reading, was given 18 weeks’ imprisonment for defacing Facebook tributes to four dead teenagers whom he had never met. The abuse was vile: on...

A troll 'beauty' contest, is there a more perfect oxymoron? That was the name of the game Saturday evening at Norsk Hstfest, where a dozen local elementary and middle-school students donned grotesque masks, scary wigs and trashy threads as each vyed for such titles as "Longest nose", "Best horn", "Biggest wart", "Best eyebrows" and several other characteristics atypical of a traditional beauty contest. "We wanted to do the contest to recognize the efforts these kids put toward creating their costumes," said Tracey Lawson, who helped coordinate the event. The troll costumes were made at the Scandinavian youth camps, held the...

There are some really annoying liberal trolls on Free Republic who have survived for months and years without being banned. Why is Free Republic allowing them to stay? We have enough liberalism and left wing lunacy on 90% of the media and we do not need this crap on this forum. It is not difficult to spot these trolls. A quick review of their posting history will prove without any shadow of doubt that they are liberal trolls. Some of them try to mask it but they cannot fool the vast majority of us. There are plenty of left wing...

Thanks to many FReepers who have sent us this information. Apparently, this is floating around the Internet now. It is a guide to trolling. While it may or may not be fake in its origins, we do see these techniques all the time and felt it would be good to share with everyone. ______________________________________________________ COINTELPRO Techniques for dilution, misdirection and control of a internet forum.. There are several techniques for the control and manipulation of a internet forum no matter what, or who is on it. We will go over each technique and demonstrate that only a minimal number of...