Like many other Americans, I have seen the writing on the wall. Free speech is and has been under attack for some time now. Most recently it began with creating buzz words that paint a negative picture of a previously acceptable subject matter. Honest and open discussion has taken a back seat to political correctness. I understand we all have opinions about acceptable subjects of conversation. It used to be something we learned from our parents as to what is ok to discuss in front of the kids, choice of language with granny in the room, or among our co-workers, etc. It was just common sense, common courtesy. However, some politicians and corporations have now taken it upon themselves to mandate their definition of civil conversation and punish those that don’t comply with censorship. Now, I will freely admit, there are a few words that I will ask you not to use in my presents. Words that truly evoke your hatred of a group of people, and encourage a negative and unfair stereotype based on your opinion. However, I only ask that so I don’t discount every word you say as strongly biased. You have the right to say whatever is on your mind. If we are afraid to have uncomfortable conversations with people who have a difference of opinion, we lose the chance to learn from that conversation.
Now we can go on about how to change people’s minds on this subject. I would say, more conversations, not less should be the path forward. Talk to those people that disagree with your freedoms and explain how this affects their right to express their ideas. Today my opinion is under attack but tomorrow it could be yours.
But what else can or should we do in this uncertain environment? Prepare for the worst, hope for the best is a common phrase. A lot of common sense in that philosophy. It’s easy to be drawn in by the simple and frankly addictive social media apps and sites. We all use it, some more than others. But IMHO it would be wise not to put all your eggs in that basket. If you are part of a group on Facebook, have a group of friends you share info with on twitter or other sites, keep in mind . . . It can all go away at any time. All it takes is for a few people in these huge leftist run corporations to determine that you are racist, sexist, or some other “ist” of the day, and you may find you and your whole group have been deleted from their pseudo Utopian society.
I would encourage you to consider backup systems. As we can no longer depend on mainstream media to bring us the news, we have found alternative media in the form of websites, podcasts, blogs, and talk radio as additional sources to the information we seek. The same holds true for online communities. Decades before Facebook, myspace, twitter and other popular social media there were forums. Online communities for people with similar interests to share opinions, information, and engage in conversations. There are hundreds of thousands of forums on the web that engage users on virtually all subjects.
True story . . . I was tasked by my father in law to run a towing company 10 + years ago. Although I had plenty of years of experience driving all kinds of trucks, I had zero experience running a tow truck. So, I faked it the best I could but sometimes took a lot longer to do a job than an experienced operator. Then I found a couple good forums for towing professionals. For weeks, if I wasn’t out on a call, I was reading and asking questions on their forum. I not only learned about techniques for recovery but best business practices, different streams of revenue, insurance concerns and more. It was made easier by the categorized information that allowed me to focus on the subjects of most interest to me.
That is one of the main reasons I prefer forums over something like Facebook. Facebook is fine if you just want to scroll along the time line and see what was said or shared today. But it’s really just one stream of un-organized random information, rarely validated and fed to you by their algorithms. A forum is organized in categories and sub-categories under that to allow you to find or share information in a way that is easier to navigate. You can comment, ask questions, share links, photos, video, etc.
As many of you know, I have been working on a forum for Patriots to exchange information and ideas for over a year now. It isn’t designed to replace your favorite social media but to provide another source of information and conversations not controlled by liberal or socialist tyrants. Like other online social sites, you can post a comment or a whole article, read others, send private messages to members, chat live and more. It is constantly growing as I implement new tools and respond to your ideas and requests. It can even provide you with much of the latest news from the feeds that come into the board. Many important news stories affecting your life and liberties, are ignored or barely glossed over by the mainstream news sources. This is a resource I use every day to quickly scroll thru the headlines and drill down to the things that catch my eye. Mainstream news is based on high profile stories and generating ad revenue. It is a business more than a service to the public.
So, how much would you pay for such a service that in many ways supports your values and provides all these benefits? “here comes the sales pitch, sigh”. Well, for a limited time, this service if available to you for the tidy sum of just $0!!! Ok, just kidding around with the sales pitch. Really, this is totally free, no ads, no popups, none of the crap you have to deal with on many other sites. You can read most everything anonymously or better still, register for free and contribute to the conversation. We don’t need or want your personal information. Make up a username, nickname, whatever you want to be called. We just need a valid email when you register so we can send you an activation link. If you don’t see it in a couple minutes, just check your spam folder. It’s that easy. And no, we don’t share your email with others or blow up your inbox with useless crap. I have sent a total of 4 emails to users in the last year about updates and changes to the forum.
The more you use the forum, the more you discover the benefits. One of the primary reasons I created this is because I love to learn new things. We all have strengths in certain subjects. I have shared some information in several articles, and others bring to the table their knowledge and experiences. We are all richer for it.
So, don’t wait till the next time you’re banned from your favorite social media platform. Stop by the All Patriots Forum and join us in the conversation. There are still many places your opinion is valued, especially if it’s not “Politically Correct”
The All Patriots Forum can be found here
Author – David Cunningham
Background in Radio, Television and music production, IT, Web Design/Marketing, Alternative Energy, and whatever my ADHD latches on to today.
