Please let down your guard long enough to consider this

[lady raven]

Not all new people are freepers. Not all new people who mention something unpleasant are trying to upset people.

I made a mistake on the Campaign board. I mentioned a rumor I'd heard that is also over at FR and asked what the basis of the rumor was. I didn't try to say it was true. I knew it wasn't. I simply haven't been around the block as much as others and was curious. I was attacked viciously as a result. I probably deserved it for not getting more familiar with things around here before I started posting.

PLEASE. Before attacking someone, read their posting history to get an idea what kind of person you're talking to. My feelings have been honestly very hurt by this, but I'm staying for now because this is one of the only places I can find like minded people.

I realize from what I HAVE read that there are lots of Freepers trying to cause trouble here, but shooting first and asking questions later is a good way to run off nice people who might one day become savvy enough to contribute something useful here.

Rebecca

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. Never ever take something that happens on the internet to heart ...

Not everyone is going to agree with each other either . Stuff happens :shrug: . Just relax . Come into the lounge , and relax .

[rockydem]

2. don't let it bother you

[bluestateguy]

3. I understand your frustratuion

Many people here are in an ansty mood. Personally, I am very nervous about the prospect of a Freeper "coming out" party on Nov. 2nd over here, so many people are in a suspicious mood. Plus, many people, myself included are losing patience with doom and gloom posts and sky is falling scenarios. I for one am content to finish out the campaign with one rule: Only Positive Kerry Spoken Here.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

10. I have had to bite my tongue many times at the doom and gloom posts ...

I wanted to post to someone to stop playing the role of Chicken Little but I knew I would get banned or flamed . I wish people would just turn away from CNN for the next 9 days ...

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

4. Yeah...I know what you mean.

I've been accused of being a repug out here on more than one occasion. Weirdly,it has never been about politics. I voiced my distaste for rap music...incredibly it started this huge flame. On another occasion I said something negative about Jon Stewart and people went ape-shit.....THERE ARE MANY OUT HERE WHO WOULD DO WELL TO LISTEN TO REBECCA.

[pauliedangerously]

12. WHADDYA mean you don't like rap music...

you alice cooper ass motha!!!

:toast:

[FunBobbyMucha]

46. Yeah, I think about 9 million DU'ers put me on Ignore

after I responded to a post about Tupac. I always assume the reactionary folks are the young ones; certainly when I was 18, 20, I assumed that if you wore certain clothes and listened to certain bands, you had to be on "our side," and that any deviation from those tastes meant you were a greedhead yuppie. But I'm sure there are old DU'ers that think that way as well.

I think as soon as we start discriminating against anyone with a differing opinion, we become some lefty version of Rove Inc and their marching orders/talking points.

I can be a liberal and still think Tupac was an over-rated punk.

I can wish and work beyond all reason that Kerry wins next week but still live in the real world where it is still very much a crap shoot.

I drifted away from activism and left concerns for a while in my life because I didn't like being made to feel that my resolve depended on how much hemp I was wearing (none, btw).

And for the record, I think the Ignore feature should be banned from DU. I think it defeats the point of open discussion that DU is about.

[sandnsea]

5. We're just tired

You should have been here two weeks ago. Your thread would have turned into a war over free speech. We're all on one page now and that's pro-Kerry for 8 more days. That's all.

[Birthmark]

6. Don't take it too personally.

First, as someone else said: This is (one of) the internet(s).

Second, there have been a lot of freeper-types around lately posting stuff about which they are "genuinely concerned" or "want to get the facts" or "need help in a debate." This has naturally enough made some DUers a bit leery about the motivations behind such posts. It's a bit unfair of them, but I think that it's also understandable.

Welcome to DU. :)

[Gothic Sponge]

7. You must be a FREEPER!

Why do you hate America?

;)

I think many on here are so "on edge" about the election, and we have had a bunch of tombstones show up not too long ago. Ignore them! Even DU has some zealot jerks.

[Rhiannon12866]

41. I LOVE your new sig line!

How did you do that, anyway?:shrug:

[shraby]

8. Hang in here, you'll survive.

Everybody gets flak once in a while. The freepers pretty much have everything wrong as far as I can tell. Blind adoration of another human is never good..as any abused wife can tell you.

For the most part here, if we bring something into the forum we try to provide a link to where we found it. Most times the info is good, but if it's from a questionable site, others who has been here longer will let us know. Always try to document anything you say. It helps the credibility of this site.

Stick around, you'll really enjoy this place.

[lady raven]

11. thank you, but...

When I posted the links, it got worse. Like I said, I am going to stay, but I probably won't be posting much.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

13. Just shake it off :)

I understand how you feel , I felt like that after someone told me I was too young to be involved ( WTF ) :shrug: but I got over it . Called the person an idiot in my head and just continued posting on . This is a great place to learn lots of information . So hang in there :) Alles wird gut ! ( Translated : Everything will be alright :) ! )

[lady raven]

17. I'll try, but

I'm not a person with a very thick skin. Sometimes people forget that the person they're talking to is a real human being. Some of us are thick skinned and can take it and some of us are sensitive types, and unfortunately I tend to be the latter. I wish I hadn't posted, because this next week is going to be so stressful, especially where I live- I don't have ANY friends who are Dems. Not a single one- and I really need a place like this.

[jdots]

39. Damnit stay right here you are not alone !!!!!

The net has one very bad shortcoming,we can't read body language,all of are challenged at a new site.Your friends are here.

[sendero]

51. It'll get better....

... nerves here are frayed since there is a cadre of paid disruptors sent here to try to sway opinion.

They usually don't get very far, but sometimes innocents get caught in the crossfire.

Hang in there and just avoid negative topics for a while. I know you shouldn't have to, but even DU is not perfect.

And BTW, welcome to DU!

[punpirate]

18. A few posts...

... and a casual mention that you'd just been over visiting Free Republic causes ears to perk up, especially when you're discussing a subject the truth of which can be pinned down with a few minutes' web searching.

The problem is, as it has been for years, that there are many people coming to the board to spread dissension and doubt for purposes nefarious. Most are unsophisticated about it and are tombstoned in a matter of minutes. However, some have discovered that asking questions, building posts and vaguely commiserating keeps them around long enough for them to sow dissent without being noticed.

People here are now overly sensitive to that tactic.

Cheers.

[lady raven]

22. Believe me, I wish I hadn't.

I only found out about FR from reading HERE. Someone I know who isn't a Freeper (as far as I know) mentioned it. I had been curious about what they were saying over there. I shouldn't have even looked.

[pauliedangerously]

9. What rumor?

It's not the one about some story coming out on Monday, is it? Something about foreign policy?

Here's my advice: Hang out here for awhile and ignore Freeperville. I just checked it out for the first time today, and found it to be patheitc.

If you say something controversial, put on your asbestos jacket. A lot of people here don't pull punches and are sick and tired of hearing repukelican propoganda. I've been flamed a few times. So what? It's just text on your computer monitor. Don't let it offend you.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

14. Just curious.

You "asked what the basis of the rumor was. I didn't try to say it was true. I knew it wasn't."

Do you know what a rumor is? Do you know why they are
started? If you knew it wasnt true, and you got it from FR, why
repeat it here? What did you expect would happen? Did you ask
at FR when you were there where it came from?

[rockydem]

16. Thomas Merton

[A-Schwarzenegger]

20. You are correct, Sir.

[lady raven]

19. I didn't

No, I didn't post at FR. If I had, they would have skewered me. I expected THAT. I didn't expect it here. I made a MISTAKE. I only asked because it's apparently spreading around quite a bit. That's all. Now I'm just tired.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lady raven]

27. You caught me.

I did not realize I was doing any harm when I repeated it here. I thought someone here would know. I didn't want to ask someone who believed it- I wanted to ask someone who was on TERESA'S side and wouldn't spew a bunch of anti- Teresa BS. That's all. But you're right, I'm just faking innocence.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rockydem]

30. I think it was more along the lines of wanting to vent

Sometimes we all post right-wing BS here cuz we want to vent about it with others in a public forum.

Not that it really matters - this is *just* the internet and this little 'controversy' will be forgotten in about two hours.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tcfrogs]

15. Don't worry about it

I think I was called a freeper when I had under 100 posts. It happens, so don't sweat it!

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lady raven]

25. DUers can check my posts for themselves

Again, I never said it was legitimate. They repeatedly called her a drunk on those threads. You can see that for yourself. But I'm not going back there to find something to quote. I should not have posted at all, but I'll be damned if I'm going to be accused of INVENTING the rumor.

[enigmatic]

31. Stop apologizing..

I believe you; just let your posts stand on their own. If you're articulate and sincere , the smart posters here will understand.

Peace:)

[Zero Division]

23. I'm sorry you were treated that way. The damage done by a few freeper

trolls getting a few posts in before getting banned is far outweighed by the damage caused by DUers who jump on every single new poster who posts something slightly suspicious, IMO.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

26. Some people here are sanctimonious asshats

Here. Have a kitty.

[ogradda]

29. o! if i get flamed can i have her?

she is adorable!

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

35. Take her, she's yours

Found her pic online. Don't wait to get flamed to enjoy a nice kitty break!

[Rhiannon12866]

44. What a darling kitty!

You sure know how to put out a flame war!O8)

[FreedomFry]

28. Don't let the DU old-timers get you down.

Two days ago, I was a newbie and felt like a stranger in a strangely familiar land -- treading cautiously, lest someone think I was lurking on the other side. So I know how you feel. But please remember that the oldies were once newbies, too, and probably (hopefully) received their own fair share of hazing from DUers even more ancient than they are. I think it's great you're here. And please DO continue to post. Sarcasm and Freeper-hunting aside, we genuinely want and need to hear what you have to say.

[izzie]

32. Oh forget freepers and keep putting in both sides of things.

Makes things interesting and new views are great.Putting odd things together is also interesting. I am from New England so ever day with sun and warm winds are just not to my liking or at all normal.

[Rhiannon12866]

36. I agree. I give every new person the benefit of the doubt

It's likely that more people will join during this election season. People feel passionate and are looking for an outlet. Last night, a fairly new person sent me a PM, a helpful comment on an animal post that I had made, quite some time ago. I tried to reply, and explain, but kept getting an error. I checked out this person's posts, and discovered he had been tombstoned. I could find nothing suspect in anything he said. In fact, he promised to find more articles for another poster, to support his cause. Maybe I missed something that was deleted, but this guy seemed like one of us, to me.:shrug:

[lady raven]

37. .

Thank you all for your kindness.

Rebecca

[MichaelHarris]

38. don't let them bug ya

there are more than a few DU'ers who buy tin foil by the case. I think it was Stephen Stills who said,

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away
We better stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down
Stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

Let the few be paranoid, we the children will stop whats going on.

[Rhiannon12866]

40. You're welcome, joshuasmommy, aka Rebecca

and welcome to DU. I understand the paranoia, but think we must realize that most new people are seeking solace, and give them the benefit of the doubt. I am so glad that you found us and are with us, especially at this crucial time. Please hang in there. I promise it's really worth it. PM me, anytime, if you ever have any questions.:hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

42. I'm just so glad that you found us and are with us

DU is my home, and now yours.:pals:

[donheld]

43. Ignore people who call newbies "freepers"

It is sad and stupid IMHO. What's to say a poster who has 750 posts or 7500 post couldn't be a freeper. Yes, some freepers may just pop in for a wee bit and post a few ugly posts. Some freepers, however, may have been around a while, tried to "blend in" with postings sounding nice only to infiltrate our midst.

Yes freepers are going to come in from time to time to torment us. Not unlike some DUers do to the freepers, but we can deal with those as they arise.

It's not a good idea IMHO to concider all newbies with suspicion and hostility. Many in these day's of political hell are seeking places like DU to help them through. We need to welcome these people with open hearts and arms.

[lady raven]

45. Thanks to all

First of all, thank you all for hearing me out. I am feeling MUCH better now than I did yesterday, and I'm feeling hopeful again about my membership here.

Rebecca

[donheld]

47. DU has to have new people new blood new ideas

IMHO if we don't have new people Du will die from stagnation.

[Rhiannon12866]

50. Please stick with us. This is a particularly tough time,

as I'm sure you'll understand. I have been on DU for going on three years and I have run across exactly three Freepers. I just hit "alert," if I am absolutely sure, and then move on. But, as I said, I will give anyone the benefit of the doubt. The ones I spotted were flagrant and unmistakable. Democrats and progressives have a big tent. I'm just glad that you found us and hope that you don't give up on us because of a few misguided comments. We need you here, and welcome you. I was welcomed on my very first post and that has set the tone for my entire experience on DU. Please let this positive message set the tone for you and not the negative comments. You will get to know people here and, I promise, that they will welcome you, as I have.:pals:

[skygazer]

48. Don't give up on us, Rebecca

And don't stop posting. It is hard that one has to be so careful, especially when you have a low post count but it is unfortunately a fact of life that someone will get their back up if anyone with a low post count (and even sometimes someone with a high one) posts something the least bit controversial. A lot of it is stress and a lot of it is because we so often do get freeper trolls here. I'm sorry you were bruised by your encounter.

Whenever you need a break from all the drama in GD or GD2004, come to the Lounge. Click on a kitty thread, join a silly discussion or start a ridiculous poll. Guaranteed to make you feel better.

Welcome to DU. :hi:

[JimmyJazz]

49. If it's any consulation to you, I read GD and GD2004, but rarely

post there at this time. It's too crazy. I feel like every time I wander out of the lounge, I get smacked in the nose. I've never been accused of being a freeper, but I've had some opinions shot all to hell. You'll see, after next Tuesday, it'll be a lot better.

:hi:

[SarahB]

52. Try not to take it personally.

It takes awhile for people to warm up. I first signed up here about 2 years ago, I barely even posted the first six months or so and just lurked, read, etc. I remember when I was first posting, I got accused of things too. There's other sites out that brag about infiltrating us and gaining our trust here. People who really are freepers aren't above this. In other words, people here do have a reason to be cautious and even suspicious. Still though, you know what's inside yourself and have a right to your opinions and to create discussions. As time goes on and people get to know you more, it'll be less of a problem. Remember, it's not you and it's not personal. DU has taught me to be much more thick-skinned than I used to be and so much less afraid of what people thought of my opinions. That, I think, is a very good thing.
Good luck and welcome to DU! :)

[Rhiannon12866]

53. You have voted? Congrats to you. I have to wait until Tuesday

and I am afraid, not for myself, since I live in NY, a blue state, but in the battleground states, like Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada and West Virginia.
:scared:

[freeplessinseattle]

54. I've noticed the same thing

not much to me personally, but I have noticed that high # posters and a relative newbie could say the sme thing and the newbie would be regarded with suspicion. I really think a lot of true-hearted and potentially valuable contributors have been turned-off by the suspicious, guilty until proven innocent attitude and blatant clique-like longtimers are better than newbies attitude. just b/c someone has only recently started posting on DU doesn't mean that they aren't equally or even more politically passionate in life before DU; conversely simply havinga high post count doesn't make someone more of an activist than lower posters (who very may well have less time to post being so busy with activisism of their own) I do realize why long timers would be embraced more, but the rudeness and superiority complex of some long-timers to newbies is astonishing on a board that otherwise admirably enlightened and anti=discrimination. If someone is a freeper they will show their true colors eventually and as we heard there are some longer timers that have sucessfully passed themselves off as sane, and yet anything they said that might have been regarded with suspicion if said by a newbie is accepted without question. (newbie seems to be perceived as anywhere from 100-999 posts)