The term "Freeper"

[Ishoutandscream2]

I know about Free Republic, but I still need to ask. There are so many that I work with (and who I consider friends) who vote Republican no matter what, and still fully support Bush. Even though they have no idea about Free Republic, they would still go under the heading "Freeper." Am I correct about this?

[provis99]

1. yes. And calling them Freepers is more polite

than calling them dumbshits.

[hootinholler]

13. Dumbshits?

Either you're being generous, or yore bein ass nine.

:shrug:

-Hoot

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I use it to describe people whom I think would fit in there, yeah.

[EFerrari]

3. That is correct. Don't tell the freepers but it describes them perfectly.

They are 100% thought free.

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. In my mind a freeper is anyone who still supports Bush or the war

So not all Republicans are freepers.

[mike_c]

5. it's both a self identification and to a lessor extent, a generic pejorative....

FReeper in the strict sense. Many folks use the term as a broader pejorative term to represent the general mindset of the dyed-in-the-wool FReeper, and apply it to others. Kinda like "asshat."

[zabet]

6. I think any Republican who still

supports bush qualifies as a freeper.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Is the term that widespread?

I know we use it here quite often. But is it well-known in other online communities?

[Ishoutandscream2]

10. I seriously doubt it

Ever I ever called one of them a Freeper, they would not know what I was talking about.

[Webster Green]

8. Correct! They need not ever visit the dark site to qualify..

It's more of a brain malfunction than a browsing history.

[proud patriot]

9. I used to call'em Crispies before 2001 and learning of

free republic and freepers .. I still use the term Crispie though .

there are worse things than freepers and they call themselves
protest warriors .

[krispos42]

16. Why "Crispies"?

I mean, apparantly I'm something of a object of ridicule on the CU in that they call me "rice krispos", but why "Crispies"?

[proud patriot]

18. As a 80s Gen X Metal Head , crispies often protested AC/DC

Iron Maiden and Ozzy Concerts ...

They told us to repent and to stop listening to
rock and roll . We laughed at them as kids and
thought they would go to hell for judging us.

Hence they are crispie souls from burning in hell
for judging others .

It's kind of evolved with me as I've aged to mean
any nosey judgemental hateful uptight "Crispie"

[krispos42]

22. He he he... crispies...

Nice

"How do you want your soul? Regular? Or Extra-crispy?"

:rofl:

[Gman]

11. In the purest sense it is someone over at FR

they all fit a certain stereotype that we all know. And, they call theirselves "freepers". However, the term has been expanded to mean any white batshit nuts right wing whackjob that may or may not be a member of FR. If they're not, they ought to be.

[Trajan]

12. In our own minds it makes sense ....

Because it is part of the DU lexicon we have experienced here .... But in the wide wide world: the terms 'DUers' and 'Freepers' would have little meaning .....

You might just as well refer to them as republican extremists ... They don't have to consider unknown terms when they realize they're identified with extremism: They will understand that term completely ....

[Downtown Hound]

14. To me, there are various traits that define a freeper

For starters, yes, you have to be a Republican and fully support Bush. But it's a little more than that. You also have to believe that posing for pictures with your firearms is the height of manliness, even though the only thing you've ever shot with it was a defenseless animal. You have to display xenophobia towards certain types of immigrants, preach the word of The Good Book while relishing every Iraqi that dies as a victory against terrorism, eschew everything and anything that might be environmentally friendly, believe that Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility even though every Republican president in the last 50 years has been the exact opposite of that, and in many cases, but not all, display extreme difficulty in spelling basic words.

If your co-workers display any of those traits, then yes, they're probably freepers.

[Ishoutandscream2]

15. That is an outstanding description

I can't say they exhibit all those traits, but you pegged a lot of it.

[Warpy]

17. Well, not quite conscious Freepers

since they really have to inhabit that particular online insane asylum to be official Freepers.

Freeperish or Freeperoid might be a better description of people so disinformed and bassackwards that they still support Stupid.

[uppityperson]

21. Freepers. It's not just an attitude, it's a lifestyle!

[K Gardner]

19. It really doesn't matter tho, if you're a Freeper or a DUer..

once they pass the Homegrown Terror Act, we'll all be fucked. Count on it.

[grasswire]

20. not technically -- "wingnut" is a better characterization.

As someone who monitored the freerepublic site every day for six years, I can tell you that "Freeper" is a word coined by Lucianne Goldberg during the Lewinsky-Clinton years. Members of that web site are the only true Freepers. Use has widened to denote any slightly crazed and excitable conservative. I prefer to use the word "wingnut" for that -- a term also brought into common useage on the Internets.