What is the biggest difference between DU and freerepublic?

[Quixote1818]

Here is my take. Feel free to post your own take.




Those at Freerepublic think more like this:

The Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 ¶ And God said, Let there be light: 2 Cor. 4.6 and there was light.


We as Democrats think more like this:

"Shake off all the fears of servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call on her tribunal for every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear." - Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, Aug. 10, 1787



Those at freerepublic think more like this (certanly not all at freerepublic though):

Lev 20:13 "If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death."


We at DU think more like this:


"He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty."
-Proverbs 22:16



Those at freerepublic think more like this:

"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
--George H.W. Bush


We at DU think more like this:

"This I believe:
That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.
And this I would fight for:
The freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected.
And this I must fight against:
Any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual."
John Steinbeck




Those at freerepublic think more like this:


"So one kid says, 'I don't want to pray'. Fine, bow your head and shut your mouth. Let the rest of the kids pray. It's not that big a deal."
--Ben Kinchlow (Pat Robertson's 700 Club co-host, on school prayer.)



We at DU think more like this:


"The ultimate court of appeal is observation and experiment... not authority." Thomas H. Huxley

Those at freerepublic think more like this:


"If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, then it is good enough for Texas children."
--Texas Governor Ferguson (on Spanish being taught in Texas public schools.)


We at DU think more like this:

"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own - a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in Nature." Albert Einstein


Of course we at DU have all kids of beliefs and some may differ from what Albert Einstein suggests. And that is totaly cool.



The biggest difference is that we are freethinkers and they are not.

[Richard Steele]

1. We have the courage to face TRUTH, even if it is unpleasant to us.

They live in a cowardly fantasy world of projection and denial.

[Mugsy]

38. One word: "Credibility".

Republicans live in a State of Denial, devoid of truth and ignorant of the facts.

More on the subject on today's blog entry of "Mugsy's Rap Sheet".

[Richard Steele]

58. Well, that just sums up everything I was trying to say- in one word!

A fine example of why some people have BLOGS and I don't. :toast:

[provis99]

2. plus their website is incompetently done.

True!

[GOPBasher]

3. Those are good ones. Here is my lazy answer.

I'm too tired to come up with a good answer as you did. Here is my quick, lazy answer.

:A problem is presented:

DUer: "Hmm, let me think."

Freeper: "Drrrrrrrrr."

[The Straight Story]

4. Fear and control

They fear choice. They want people to be like them, and when they are not they demonize them.

So they try to control all avenues and force people to do and act as they would.

They say they want freedom, but only if it conforms to their world view. They fear real freedom.

They ignore the plight of others and ridicule it, using themselves as an example of perfection (ie, I got a job and savings, you are where you are because of your own actions).

They are blinded, they suck up to corporations while spitting on the poor here.

I could go on all night :)

[Quixote1818]

7. "They want people to be like them"

Interesting, that would seem to stem from insecurity of their own beliefs.

[The Straight Story]

11. Yes Indeed (nt)

[Ecumenist]

5. Well, let's see, shall we...

The majority of Duer's have BRAINS they catually use for somthing other than keeping our heads round. That's a good start...

[LaPera]

63. It's easier to be told what they want to hear - They will look no further.

[grasswire]

6. I monitored freerepublic.com every day for about six years

God, when I think what I could have done with all that time!

One particular thing I learned was this: because they are consistently fed lies by their propagandists and they know it, they think that Democrats lie and are deceived to a similar degree. If I would post something there that I know to be factual and provide the documentation, they would simply close their minds to the evidence.

My sister, a fundie, does the same. If I tell her something about Bushco, she'll cry "How do you know this?!?" I'll give her the source, and she'll just dismiss it.

They think we are as deceived as they are.

[Quixote1818]

9. Brainwashed

I don't see nearly the number of arguments and the amount of decent their as I see here. We argue about everything, from John Kerry to Terri Schiavo. I have also seen us change our minds frequently, when presented with a well documented article that goes against our origional reasoning.

[grasswire]

14. over there they've had massive purges

the smartest of them left a long, long time ago.

[grasswire]

15. oh, and when JimRob betrayed his core principles to support Bush...

...that's when he had NO credibility left. It was a pathetic thing to see.

[Spider Jerusalem]

8. The biggest difference? Ideology and dogma.

Beyond that, there are more similarities than most in either forum would be willing to acknowledge; the social behaviour of humans in groups is remarkably consistent.

[Quixote1818]

10. I agree, we also have our problems. nt

[elocs]

28. Now there is a spot-on reply that many here will not like.

We come from opposite ends of the spectrum and we both believe that we are absolutely wrong and the other side is absolutely wrong. We are very different, yet oddly similar in our differences.

[tavalon]

50. I was waiting for someone to point that one out!

Even unto demonizing the opposition. We have our freeper jokes, they have their DUmmie funnies. Not so different.

[TygrBright]

12. ummm... DU is a really kickass site with current technology...

...and FR is a junky POS holdover from 1993?

What do I win?

eagerly,
Bright

[Quixote1818]

13. Here is what you win

:donut:

Enjoy

[symbolman]

16. on thing an on thing onlie

SPELING. :)

Done be a LOOSER, cum to FreperLand..

[arewenotdemo]

20. "Looser"

I love it!

[OffWithTheirHeads]

17. Those at freakypubic think like this

"I hate the fact that I like to fish for brown Trout but I get real excited when I see an ad for "Young mens pants, 1/2 off." I hate my self soooo much that I will rant and rave against the things I secretly desire so people will think I don't think of these things. God, please whip me and punish me for these unclean thoughts. Make me lick your boots, Jeff. Oh, and torturing people is soooo good. People who publicly do what I only do in secret deserve pain.

We think,

I don't care if you fuck goats as long as they are consenting, adult goats. Just don't try to get me to fuck them and be a good person.

[orleans]

18. we have better soup

our decorating is far better

the company is more interesting

our chairs & couches are more comfy

our pillows are fluffier

we have cozy pajamas at night

we have room service

everyday we get to open another great present

we don't grade on a curve

we can sleep in late if we want to

[arewenotdemo]

19. 20-25 IQ points

on average.

[hfojvt]

21. then it is all about religion?

We are all atheists here?

I cannot find my quote from Ruskin about freedom vs. discipline. I am not disciplined enough to be organized. It is something like - people find truth or discover falsehoods not because they are "free" thinkers, but because they are such careful and disciplined thinkers that the BS cannot get by them.

[NMMNG]

29. No. There are plenty of religious people here.

We just support freedom of religion and free thought, instead of "One Religion in which you march lock step".

[Quixote1818]

48. Thank You. I wrote the OP and I am very spiritual

The life and teachings of Jesus Christ also bring tears to my eyes. Many of the people I quoted above were very spiritual people.

[The Count]

34. Much better framed than the OP. Agreed. Truth finding vs propaganda worship.

[Quixote1818]

47. I also used a quote from the Bible for OUR side in case you missed it

The difference is we look at books like the Bible with critical thought. If something makes sense in a religious text or other text and it passes the test of observation and scientific experiment we embrace it. If it doesn't we discard it. That goes with any kind of text. For example:

We believe Global Warming is impacted by humans because every peer reviewed scientific article on the subject comes down on that side. They often don't believe it, because they don't believe in science they believe in the Bible and they tend to listen only to other Republicans who fudge the facts. Most of their lack of critical thinking stems from their fundamentalist beliefs.


P.S. I am not an atheist, I am a very spiritual person who believes in the good parts of many religions. My spirituality is much more like Jefferson's and Einsteins though. I am a big admirer of Jesus Christ as well.

[Mythsaje]

22. Read the quote by the Texas Governor and thought

:wtf:

I'm in complete agreement with Einstein, however.

[Phrogman]

23. We don't make for good Nazis over here.

But we make for damn good Americans.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

24. We have black people?

:D

[Raine]

25. They only want to hear what they already believe

so they can keep reinforcing their stands. People in DU don't want to keep hearing only from their side but like to hear opposite points of view and are not afraid of it.

[snot]

26. Republicans don't mind the gummint in their bedrooms as long as it stays out of their pockets;

Dems are the reverse.

One (of more than one) thing my ex-husband said that I liked.

[The Count]

35. Actually, it's gummint in other people's bedrooms. They are in massage parlors

at the time, so they figure they won't be found.

[kdpeters]

27. Their obsession with gay sex has to be pretty high on the list

They're obsessed with gay sex. Almost all of what passes for humor over there ridicules appearances, fantasizes about killing, or makes a lame pun implying gay sex. You'd think you were in a junior high school.

[NMMNG]

30. I'll say

They think about it at least 50X more than I do, and I'm gay.

[Control-Z]

31. I hadn't heard this one.

"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
--George H.W. Bush

Did he really say that? Oh, my fucking god ...

[Quixote1818]

45. He sure did! nt

[phylny]

32. Two words:

Critical thinking.

[Vinca]

33. Our site doesn't require straitjackets. nt

[EstimatedProphet]

36. You assume that they do think at Shitheel Republic

but if they do, it's probably something like this:

"Og smash! Og come first! Og get what Og want!"

[Toots]

37. They would rather be feared than loved

We prefer the opposite..

[ananda]

39. A reality-based heart!

That's the difference. DU speaks truth and from the heart.

Freepers speak hate from a wildly skewed view of humans
that has nothing to do with humanness.

[cassiepriam]

40. We know truth from lies, and right from wrong. They don't. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

41. Freepers are more prone to tribal behavior. The Democrats have

a truly big tent and we can agree in an abstract way, even though our lifestyles may clash and even though we tend to avoid each other socially because of it. While the Freepers seek to unite by agreeing to hate a target group. They repeat the same ideas for self-identification like the way wolves exhibit face licking behavior. New ideas threaten them. It's the traditional repetition that unites them. While Democrats are more tolerant, even if it is in a stretched handoffish sort of way.

[tavalon]

51. There are an awful lot of DU people getting together in real life

Here in Seattle we have had DU gatherings and in Austin I know they do, though I never got my feces consolidated enough to attend. There were a lot of us who came together over Andy's funeral and there was a significant group of us that met up in Washington for the Sept 24th march and I know that the Boston folks have get togethers.

[The Backlash Cometh]

54. Glad to hear it.

Unfortunately, what constitutes a Democrat changes from state to state. I tend to have more in common with Greens, than I do old guard Democrats that exist in
Florida. There are too many old guard Dems where I live, and I don't know that the practice of cronyism is going to change if the parties change.

It will take a national airing of the backroom behavior in this county, to change anything.

[tavalon]

55. True enough

But DUers getting together seems to be more about a DU lovefest than a continuation of our differing political opinions here. Mind you, Dubya bashing is always acceptable. At least that has been my experience with it so far.

[Ioo]

42. We are critical thinkers, they are cowareds... Needs daddy to protect them.

bunch a fucking cry babies

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

43. Book lernin'.

[in_cog_ni_to]

44. Bleeding hearts

compared to NO HEARTS.

Our hearts bleed for the forgotten poor, for the senior citizens who have to choose between taking their medicine and eating food to sustain their lives. Our hearts bleed for the soldiers who have died because their party lied us into an illegal invasion of Iraq. Our hearts bleed for the 665,000 innocent Iraqi men, women, and children who have died because of THEIR LIES. Our hearts bleed for the homeless who live in cardboard boxes and freeze and starve. Our hearts bleed for the Veterans who have served this country and been shit on by this administration by cutting the funding of Veterans
's Organizations. Our hearts bleed for our environment, to have the ability to breathe clean air and drink safe water. Our hearts bleed for people who can't afford health care for their families. Our hearts bleed for the children who have to go to schools with no heat, books to educate and walls that are crumbling. Our hearts bleed for our COUNTRY'S Democratic Republic that is in the grasp of their DEAR LEADER'S FASCIST GRASP. Our hearts bleed for the gay community that has been ostracized by the repuke party. Our heart bleed for women who NEED to have a CHOICE of whether they have an abortion or not.

It's better to have a bleeding heart than no heart at all.

[Ioo]

46. Oh I have another one - We have Out Gays, they are all in the Closet

:)

[flvegan]

49. FR has 90% more selfishness.

FR, like most right-wing bullshit centers around one thing: "I" (or "me" depending on usage). Their belief system isn't based on religion nor politics, it's based on certain other dogmas:
What I want;
What I believe;
What I care about.

Sure, we have a good amount of that on DU. Look at any thread about guns, abortion, the death penalty, smoking...you get the idea. However, from my experience, here at DU, the division is on single topics for certain posters. Those posters don't (usually) drag it all over the board, hating everyone in every other situation because they disagree on one point. One point is about I/me, the rest is open to debate. I think DUers are much more open minded in that. Not so much about I/me, but about we/us. Not just we/us as DUers, but we/us as in everyone everywhere.

FReepers (the 90%ers) are the perfectly able folks that park in the only available handicapped spot so that they don't have to walk so far. They don't give a shit about anything but their individual selves.

[orpupilofnature57]

52. Objectivity

[agincourt]

53. Our opinions are our own,

not regurgitated Ann Coulter or Glen Beck shit.

[NashVegas]

56. Sensible Page Layout, for Starters

FR is just horribly designed, very 1996.

Oh, you meant something else?

:evilgrin:

[spanone]

57. Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

[slackmaster]

59. DU's format is far superior, for one thing

I can't even read FR.

[wickerwoman]

60. Most of us have had sex

:shrug:

[Lindacooks]

61. We have logical reasoning skills!

They swallow (and then regurgitate) all the crap that any fundie or whacko repuke tells them to.

[GreenTea]

62. They believe without questioning authority, ignoring facts, we search & scrutinize for the truth.

They don't care, they think it's a football game...cheat, do whatever it takes to 'win' no matter what the consequences of the lies may be...they really don't care...as they are getting fucked along with everyone else...then they keep listening to the bullshit and believe without question...Very sad...they refuse to do their homework, it's much easier to hate, than to think for themselves! They do & believe all that they are fed, no questions asked! Just blindly hate & attack, while listening to their rich elite with a elitist agenda, not including them as they are also simply workers...They all believe they will be making 12 million a year...Silly, but it keeps the hate at a fever pitch as if their fellow worker is trying to take something they don't have away from them...But as long as it's divide & conquer, which is impossible for them to see...HATE others who are different, they are told and believe, then, that will make their life better...As they keep getting it in the ass...But they must blame others as they are told...Not the ones who are indeed fucking them in the ass. Never questioning, just listening and finding ways to believe the bullshit.

It's been this way all through history and these sheep are no different...They really believe the obvious and ridiculous lies they are fed daily aa if the wealthy 1% really care about them, Oh they preach that they do...One just needs to understand history of the rich who care about one but themselves. But they need them to make the lies work.

[VOX]

64. Freepers worry about their flag; DUers worry about their **country**.

They seem to be overly concerned with vaguely representational surface "issues," while ignoring the actual far deeper and greater dangers. Examples:

-Flag desecration, while, in reality, the Constitution is being shredded.
-Freedom in Iraq, while, in reality, freedom in the U.S. is rapidly shrinking.
-Abortion, while, in reality, stem-cell research could save millions of lives.
-Car flags and magnetic troop-support ribbons, while, in reality, those objects are made in China and are emblematic of sending jobs overseas for cheap-labor profits
-"Get the U.S. out of the U.N., and the U.N. out of the U.S.," while, in reality, the U.S. must increasingly rely on the good will and efforts of other friendly nations in a world that is becoming smaller by the second.
-Preemptive warfare, because kicking ass feels good, while, in reality, a muscular diplomacy would save hundreds of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.
-"Welfare cheats," while, in reality, corporations are receiving windfall handouts by their deadly coziness with government.
-Lowering taxes, while, in reality, the deficit has grown to monstrous proportions, and will have to be dealt with sooner than later.
-What Rush or Hannity says, while, in reality, one's heart and soul are saying something about common sense, teamwork, and looking for the good in others.