I was going to post this in response to another thread, but decided to start a new thread.
Every day I am reminded how fortunate I am to belong to a forum that has so many intelligent and well-reasoned posters. They are visible on pretty much any thread where there is discussion on current events. There are too many to mention, and I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out - but I just want to say thanks to Dan, the new ownership, and the contributing members here for making the LR the place that it is.
I have mentioned this before, but respectful and thoughtful discussions here have led me to change my mind on a number of topics. In any thread, you can expect some humor, some trolling and some disagreement - but there will always be excellent opinions that lead you to think, and to sometimes question your own beliefs and opinions.
Twelve years ago I resigned my office job and now either work from home or on the road. Outside of my family, I don’t really get a lot of social interaction - so I really appreciate the discussions here. I couldn’t think of a finer group of people to call my internet friends.
Okay. I got that emotional silliness off my chest. What do you appreciate about the ST/LR?
I appreciate the countless number of times l have seen various things here that have been gut-splitting hilarious. No way would l have found them on my own.
I’ll echo your sentiments as well! I don’t contribute much, but my worldview and positions are constantly challenged by reading here. I wasn’t so sure about the new format but I’m glad I stuck it out.
I appreciate how well informed a lot of posters are and that, by and large, they bring receipts to back their positions (looking at you specifically, @Nutella).
I appreciate the wide variety of topics being discussed and the great participation we get in those threads.
I’m glad that I can’t see much, if any, difference in activity since the migration to the new ST interface. That was an interesting time and there was much unrest so I’m glad to see the place thriving.
I appreciate in most cases the open and honest discussion and debate regarding current issues, and others sharing their own personal issues and concerns.
More focused than reddit randos, and less trolling. LR, imo has a good balance of trolling/shit talking vs constructive contribution.
It’s a low bar but the standard of discourse here is better than 99% of the general internet, especially when you look solely at anonymous message boards.
For US based, politically and generally engaged folks of a certain age it’s also an excellent decanting of current events. It’s never going to replace actual journalism of course, but some days I do check “what’s going on in the world” by skimming the LR.
I’ve got some excellent real life tips here - my wife’s favorite Christmas present came courtesy of a random @ironclm post some years ago, I’ve planned holidays based on recommendations from the board, and been turned onto excellent movies, TV and music.
Finally, I’ve seen a few people treat this as a real community in times of need and the response has always been gracious and affirming, and that’s cool.
(p.s. I like the new format, once I was over the hump it’s far more user friendly than the old version),
I appreciate having been able to meet a lot of STers in person over the years and all of the womens camps we had. I still think we need to have a LR meet-up.
