Originally Posted by Guest

I am relatively new to the Politics Forum, so am only now starting to recognize behavior that deserves condemnation.

I will speak in a metaphor. In the rough and tumble game of football there are rules that are intended to keep the game fair. I'm not referring to the rules of handling the ball, and advancing it down the field, but rather the rules of player's personal conduct.

For example, there is a rule against "Taunting." There is a rule against "unnecessary roughness." There is a rule against "piling on" after a tackle.

I am seeing posts that relate to these offenses.

I can only wonder what cruel streak exists in some people that produces such practices. I suspect that being anonymous to the other posters is one factor. Surely our community of posters would not be so rude to a person in a face to face conversation.

Also, do these hurtful posts indicate a lack of empathy on the part of the posters? That shows a personality deficiency in the posters. Why would you want to inflict emotional distress on a person just because you disagree with their positions or find them irritating?

This plea may fall on deaf ears, but I am appealing for more civility and less abuse in future posts, in particular in posts to those among us who are the most vulnerable to hurt.

Carl in Tampa

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