Will there ever be a truce with freepers?

[JackBeck]

Is it possible that one day in the future we will all find common ground and unite for what's good for this country?

Am I just being too idealistic, or will we see this day?

Or is JackBeck completely out of his mind and waisting his time by posting this?

[tinfoil tiaras]

1. Only the loony Phelps crowd can unite us both

Or at least it united Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes on their amazingly childish (but funny) excuse for a news show...

[JackBeck]

8. Shirley Phelps, I believe.

I've had my run-in with the Phelps clan in the past. Was able to raise about $1600 for a GLBT group in NYC.

[Guava Jelly]

2. Probably not

both sides are pretty extreme in their dislike toward the other.
Best we can hope for is civility

[WhollyHeretic]

3. Individuals can grow

but there are always going to be assholes and morans

[JackBeck]

11. I never get tired of that picture.

He must feel totally screwn.

[Kutjara]

14. He probably doesn't even realize why people are making fun of him.

"Maybe my sunglasses look silly," he's thinking.

[trof]

4. "...and the lion shall lie down with the lamb."

But the lamb still keeps a damn close eye on Leo.
;-)

[matcom]

5. mmmm Lion-chops

:7

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. You might as well ask

"Will there ever be a truce with terrorists?"

[skygazer]

7. I would like to see more unity

Things are so polarized now - it's the worst I've ever seen it and I grew up during the Vietnam war. Back then, there were some intense political discussions within my family - opinions ranged from my dad who is ultra-conservative to his sister who was a proud, card-carrying Communist and included everything in between - but they were always tempered with respect.

Now I see families literally torn apart over politics. I can't discuss anything political with my older daughter because she's a Bush-bot and takes anything I say personally. And to be honest, her views infuriate me.

So I don't know the answer. There are always extremists on either side but I hope people can find some common ground and work for the good of all.

[Oeditpus Rex]

9. Not bloody likely

since they aren't concerned with the good of all.

The Freeper "ism" was lyrically summarized in this bit from the Foremen song, "Ain't No Liberal" (a parody, as was everything the Foremen did):

Oh, on that joyful day, yes, on that glorious day
The day I burned up all my macramé
The angel told me, 'What is good for GM
is good for me
and me
and me
and to hell with the rest of them'

[JackBeck]

10. I got in a knock-down, drag out with my BIL while Katrina was going on.

Yes, both sides have their extremists. I'm only 33, so I don't remember the Vietnam era. But my hope is that we start to find some common ground as well. As a gay man, I still can't understand why there is so much hatred for me over there. And it's really uneducated stuff that's regurgitated.

[hsher]

12. Never

[Connonym]

13. They have some evolving to do

before they'll understand what it means to be civilized. Until that time a great many of them will just be animals wearing shoes. I don't mean to make blanket statements but I'm baffled by their position on gay marriage, war, labor issues and so on.

I think that part of the problem is many of them don't WANT to think for themselves. Childlike, they want their god and their government to tell them what to believe and what to do. They absolve themselves of responsibility. They're manipulated into fear of people who are different. If they're busy hating women, minorities,non-xtians and gays they don't have time to realize they're being screwed. Instead of being outraged by the manipulation they will happily hate us and blame us for their rotten lives.

So I guess I really don't see us finding common ground any time soon.

[JackBeck]

16. Some great observations.

And if it hasn't been mentioned yet, Welcome to DU!

[Skip Intro]

19. You just changed my mind

I looked at this from a view of politics, thinking that they'd have to move more to the center in order for there to be any closing of the gap. But considering their point of view, which is that we are evil liberals because of what we believe, we'd have to move some too. That would be the only way to close the gap, or so I thought, until I read your post.


They are, as a whole, willfully lead by flag and Bible. Wave a Bible at some of the people in my town, and they'll follow you right off a cliff. They don't think, and they don't want to think, for themselves. We can't come together for the good of the country until that changes. Its got nothing to do with a linear spectrum, and everything to do with a fundamental mindset that rejects reason.

Wow.

[Neoma]

15. No.

[ForrestGump]

17. Not even

And I'm okay with that.

F*** them.





Of course, some will cross to the light, inevitably, but it's parsimonious to view them, collectively, as essentially lost causes and pitiful excuses for human beings. Humans are far from my favorite species, for sure, but it'd be hard for anyone to deny that the human 'race' has always included a certain cadre of scum and coprophagic detritivores and that it always will. In the USA, today, some of the most ridiculous milquetoast examples of irrational hatred (my hatred of them is quite rational, thank you very much) just happen to be clustered in the godawful clusterf*** known as FreakRepublic.

[Race4Peace]

18. if we could all be civilized yes, if we still keep this primitive bitching no

if we can just get along, drop all grudges against each other, and quit biting each other's heads off, it'll happen. i've pondered this a lot, it's not a waste of time.

[JackBeck]

24. What would we have to compromise on, I wonder?

Do you think they would give a little as well?

[Race4Peace]

28. both sides would need to cut the generalizing, to be more forgiving, and

to accept that we all have oppinions that contradict one another, and that that is ok.

if a truce were to begin, it would not start as both parties collectively signing a treaty, but rather an individual from one side and an individual from the other side becoming friends and after awhile, everyone involved will realize "hey, this is my buddy im trashing, what am i thinking?" in the end, it will all be clear, and we will all finally, at long last, after thousands of miserable years, be at peace.

i for one would be willing to show an olive branch to my counterparts at FR and begin the healing. all we have to do is set aside our differences and say we are all one human race, and nothing else matters.

[Oeditpus Rex]

30. Let us know how it comes out

Y'gonna tell 'em to lighten up because they're just expressions?

:P

[Deja Q]

20. One would hope, but one also believes they think 'truce' is

a device that's used for hernia patients...

[Redstone]

21. Fuck, no.

Redstone

[deucemagnet]

22. In short, no.

DU is full of liberals. Liberals are bad and hate America. Therefore, DUers are bad and hate America. Q.E.D.

How can you even open a dialog with somebody who thinks like that?

edit: typo

[JackBeck]

25. I try every holiday season.

But they all think I'm the main jihad in the war against Jeebus' birthday.

[AspenRose]

23. I've seen temporary truces at Christmastime

Otherwise, NO

[Anarcho-Socialist]

26. when they move out of their momma's basement

and give up on their creationist, nationalist, racist, misogynist bullshit.

[JackBeck]

27. But it's so nice and moist in momma's womb.

Why give up a good thing?

[Skittles]

29. no

they care more about the GOP than they do about America - they are TRAITORS