freediver wrote on Sep 8^th, 2014 at 6:17pm:


How is that:

A. "spineless" and;
B. "apologetic"?

You have not as far as I can tell defined either, FD.

I am happy to earnt myself a place in this thread though!  It seems I have arrived!  I feel pride!  I have graduated!   

What was the explanation HB?

Thems spineless apologetics HB.

The evolution of the post-2007 FD is a fascinating study in social and political psychology.

FD starts out believing in classical liberal values - liberty, free trade, the rule of law, the right to fair trial, equal opportunity, freedom of thought and religion, etc, etc, etc. FD defends people’s right to have their day in court, opposes racism, and argues against stigmatizing entire groups of people based on their race or religious beliefs. All through the War on Terror era, FD defends the rights of Muslims. FD calls for reason and justice, and points out that all Muslims should not be tarred with the brush of the handful of Sept 11 terrorists.

Enter Abu, a gen-u-wine Muslim. FD starts out as curious, but discovers what he sees as a sinister undertone to Abu’s posts. FD questions this, and Abu gives intelligent, but rather stroppy answers. FD gets stroppy back, Abu ignores him. FD harangues him with questions and puts him in the Wiki for evasion. Abu leaves, mission accomplished. FD has turned into the very anti-Muslim crusader he used to stand up against.

FD is now out for Muslim blood, but with Abu gone, who to target? FD decides on those who, like he used to do, stand up for liberal Western values. FD has a new target - "spineless apologists" - and he goes after them with the same zeal in which he once hunted Abu.

FD has gone full circle - an entire social and political world view reversed in its tracks. And it all started with a few catty posts on this board.

The lesson?

Be nice to others. If you’re mean, you may well assist in the creation of a terrorist, a bigot, or at the very least, someone who, like FD, has turned against values he once firmly believed in - decent values; human rights; an open and tolerant world view. As FD says, he changed his mind.

But be careful. FD would like you to change your mind too, just as Abu did, just as many of us do. We all change our minds.

Just be watchful of where that change takes you.

As the RSL say, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. 

Karnal wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 12:05pm:



Oh, good, then all my time here hasn't been wasted?   

Quote:


Soon after that, FD started an entire Wiki with the sole intention of scruitinizing what someone doesn't say, and condemning people for giving tacit approval to views they've never even heard of.

FD, you see, changed his mind.

We can all change our minds. Consider the words of another member here - a poster who goes by a thoroughly shameless name, a typical spineless apologetic attempt at irony:

Freedumb wrote on Sep 9^th, 2014 at 5:26pm:


Without good directions, we can go either way. Freedumb is my current favourite poster here. Freedomb understands that the only worthwhile form of knowledge is that which comes from experience.

Some would have you scrutinize things that aren't said, seen or heard. Others will only scrutinize what they can see in their own hearts and minds. Where is the spineless apologist?

As the 2007-FD would no doubt agree: the spineless apologist lies within.

Brian Ross wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 12:57am:


|dev|null wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 12:03pm:

FD, I'm still waiting to see you define what is:

A. Spinelessness
B. Apologetics

That way we can ascertain whether or not a statement actually fits your criteria.

I suppose you'll just keep it ambiguous that way you can claim it means what ever you like.