Question for Trump supporters

Thank you to those of you who took time to consider and respond to the thread's question. Most everyone contributing to the thread posted their thoughts in the spirit it was intended and created. I applaud and appreciate the cooperation of the great majority of those who contributed.

Too Hot being a place many of us gravitate to on a regular basis. We're a diverse, patchwork lot, a cross cut of America. And it's becoming more evident some of us are ready to rumble.

Though it is not always, or even usually a convivial scene, it's familiar, somewhat like the bar / pub in the television series, 'Cheers' - 'Where everyone knows your name' and a postman could sit at a bar rub shoulders and share a beer with a psychiatrist served by a bartender who was a former major league pitcher.



A cross cut of our nation is microcosmically represented on Too Hot by an architect, contractors, building inspectors, teachers, lawyers, doctors, dentists, biology, criminology and economics professors, food truck owner, accountants, chemists, engineers, a U.S. post office employee, artists, musicians, a pub owner, a pharmacist, a sanitation company owner, a retired judge, a mushroom farmer, a retired long distance truck driver, a homemaker, some working, some retired. Mothers and Fathers. Assertive Gator Country/Too Hot posters with strong opinions, diverse political leanings, spiritual or religious convictions.

Within this diversity of occupation and income we disagree; we argue - a lot. Some of us are not kind and tempers rise. Resentments fueled by anger and insult flourish in the virtual reality sphere we share. Our presence on a thread may set certain others on edge, waiting to land verbal smack downs for our political views, or punish us for simply for being who or what we are. Not much is forgotten or forgiven as tensions and unbridled urges to retaliate escalate.

Displayed as it is on this forum, our animus projected towards our perceived opposition is a microcosm of the broader spectrum where divisive hostile attitudes are found most everwhere in America today. It is greatly troubling; an ugly crippling, festering, wound of anger oozing with dissatisfied resentment.

Though I and concerned others have encouraged, and will continue to urge those who participate in Too Hot threads to temper their hostilities and address each other with courtesy and respect, I've only observed an overall increase in hostilities. And it will continue as long as each and every one of us nurtures those ill feelings, using them to justify and fuel an equal or greater insulting retaliation that tops the one received. Until one exercises self control, discouraged or prevented by moderation those destructive impulses will continue and increase, carrying over into other areas and facets of one's life. Completing the circle of hate and resentment.

The idea of this thread came to me only an hour or so before I made the initial posts. The objective was to establish a thread where discussions and exchanges of ideas would remain civil. I did not know how successful it would be but the idea struck me as worth the effort. I have frequently urged people posting here to back off the insults and without exception they justify their insults by shifting the responsibility, pointing virtual fingers towards the ones they are returning insult. No one has been willing to back off and exercise civility to have constructive exchanges. Consequently there is little to no consensus in a nation that desperately needs it as it blindly navigates a path leading to destruction.

What makes any of us think the world as we know it will continue as it seemingly has to this point? We are not exempt from destructive forces, be they natural or unleashed by man's selfishness and greed for wealth, fame and power. Through our pride, our ambition, our selfish pursuits of pleasure and power we are headed for a reckoning. But enough of that.

When the bad times come, and they will, we must hold together having found our areas of agreement, and cooperate in trust. Most especially if there are outside forces out of our control. For this to be workable, essential bonds of Trust must be established. That does not come easy to people who cannot find, define or establish areas and points of agreement where workable ideas can emerge. It does not come from, or for, people who insult one another or carry long standing grudges driving wedges of hostility that hinder or prevent reconciliation and cooperation.

This thread went a remarkable time before some gave into their baser inclinations and insulting language appeared in their posts. As anticipated a few have stepped over the lines I set. Their posts were deleted to eliminate the temptation to pile on as people do. Objections were raised and questions were asked, but letting those posts remain on the thread would have begun to subtly erode the lines, destroying the thread's intent.

There were objections to my decision to leave post #6. Even before the objections were posted I had spent time wrestling with what to do about the post. I let it remain because I have no reason to distrust that poster. He is not a person who regularly insults others as some on here. I hoped the post would not be an encouragement to others posting on the thread to kick their toes over the line set, requesting all participants to have civil conversations. For the great majority of you, this was enough.

Post #3 addressed to 92 was made to encourage participation. 92 had given an invitation to 'come on with him someplace, though taking me for a man' . It was the first negative rating placed on the thread. He did respond to my response to his negativity, but later deleted that post. It would have been the 4th post on the thread if it had not been deleted by 92. Before he deleted it I had posted a reply to him, post #8. He responded to it later in the thread.

It was not an especially good day for me to make the initial post, there were medical appointments and other obligations to be met, but I was impelled to go ahead even though I was not online to keep up with the thoughts and ideas being exchanged. I know there is some good stuff on the thread and I intend to take my time reading and giving consideration to what was posted.

JW

 

Friday morning