Before I begin I truly don't expect anyone to care or take notice. That's just not what this place has become or is now about. I guess this thread is really just for me and expressing my opinion for good or bad.
I'm just dropping in real quick to say hi and give my opinion of this place after having been gone for awhile. The last thing I want is for this thread to become an insult fest. I have no intention of reengaging in the forum. This place is far different than when I first starting posting here.
I check in here every so often. Read a couple of threads...shake my head and move on to other news sites. I used to get my news from here as I abhor the mainstream news sites. I haven't joined any other forums and was never looking for an echo chamber. Fact of the matter is I and several other legacy forum members left because of the sheer frustration of trying to have a conversation on this site and having it devolve in personal insults and ad hominems.
Insults were a big deal. No shortage of those here. Accusations of racism, bigotry, white supremacy were a big problem for me. For some of the remaining members here it seems to be a go-to. Unregulated and even regarded as an acceptable retort to an argument. Sure there are some here that may deserve it but the vast majority don't.
Implications of being a lemming to whatever political party that happened to fit the bill was also an issue. It was a struggle to deal with some who called me a a Rethuglican and in the same thread have someone else call me a libtard. No, I'm not going to go research those threads and link them. Suffice it to say it took place and is still taking place.
It got to the point where I found myself partaking in the same behavior of those who were instigating and it made me feel ugly inside. Reporting these issues came to no fruition. I even kept a spreadsheet of my reports and the results they represented. The returns were inconsistent to say the least. I ended up apologizing for my behavior specifically naming those I was apologizing to however; I got no response from them. I wasn't apologizing to get a response but I think it would have been nice of them to acknowledge my apologies.
Trust me in that I was never looking for an echo chamber as some have suggested after my and others departure. Yes, I was keeping track. It was the nastiness and vitriol (which I ended up contributing to) that was the ultimate factor. The problem I still see is that it still continues. There is no honest debate taking place. It always just ends up resulting in insults and nastiness. The forum might call it "snark" but it is far from that.
At some point one has to feel good about taking part in a true and honest debate where different perspectives are expressing themselves in a healthy way. In fairness and like I've said I haven't joined nor have I found a place on the interwebs where that actually takes place. For awhile though this place had that. It had liberals, conservatives and everyone in between coming together to express their differences in a respectful manner. Knowing we may not change each others minds but also learning from each other and actually listening...not just hearing each others opinions.
Anyway I suppose that's all. I hope something good, respectful and meaningful comes of this thread. I'll stick around to answer any questions and respond to any retorts but I don't expect that to end up in me returning in any meaningful or long standing membership way.
I hope you're all well and healthy.