What happened to Sophie?

[Smith1776]

I miss her insightful and informed perspective.

[vnatale]

I miss her insightful and informed perspective.

Looks like she has had nothing to say here for about 9 months. Here was her last communication. Nothing in it would indicate her displeasure of what was going on in this forum.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12350&p=234721#p234721

Just a typical post from her.

[Smith1776]

I miss her insightful and informed perspective.

Looks like she has had nothing to say here for about 9 months. Here was her last communication. Nothing in it would indicate her displeasure of what was going on in this forum.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12350&p=234721#p234721

Just a typical post from her.

Indeed... I hope wherever she is that she is okay.

[sophie]

Hi all,

I've been lurking occasionally, and was quite surprised to find this - thanks Smith for the shout-out.

I stopped posting for several reasons. First and foremost, between my demanding job/career and my role as an Alzheimer's caregiver for my mom, plus getting elected to my coop board of directors, I've had to dial back on most recreational activities.

The other two reasons are not as much fun to contemplate, but I have to say something. First, in the current political climate it has become frankly dangerous to spout off your opinions in public, if they are in disagreement with the government-approved narrative. People have lost jobs and suffered other, quite serious consequences as a result of their political views - and things could get worse before they get better. I have too much at stake to risk that.

Second, it is no longer possible to have a well-informed, enlightened discussion between people with different viewpoints on this forum. It is quite telling that there's still a lot of fretting about how one should go about expressing opinions without upsetting someone's delicate sensibilities. In the past, I learned a lot from this forum because posters fearlessly "read between the lines" of current events instead of simply swallowing government & mainstream media pronouncements. They also listened to different viewpoints and provided thoughtful and on-point responses. It was not uncommon for discussions to change my thinking about the topic at hand. I can't think of a single instance of that happening in the past few years on this forum.

I think, in sum, that you can either have a healthy, active and interesting forum, or you can have a "safe space". You can't have both.

[Mountaineer]

Well said Sophie. And, I too have missed you. My very best wishes for you and your Mom. Your Mom is blessed to have a caring daughter like you.

…Mountaineer

[Smith1776]

Hi all,

I've been lurking occasionally, and was quite surprised to find this - thanks Smith for the shout-out.

I stopped posting for several reasons. First and foremost, between my demanding job/career and my role as an Alzheimer's caregiver for my mom, plus getting elected to my coop board of directors, I've had to dial back on most recreational activities.

The other two reasons are not as much fun to contemplate, but I have to say something. First, in the current political climate it has become frankly dangerous to spout off your opinions in public, if they are in disagreement with the government-approved narrative. People have lost jobs and suffered other, quite serious consequences as a result of their political views - and things could get worse before they get better. I have too much at stake to risk that.

Second, it is no longer possible to have a well-informed, enlightened discussion between people with different viewpoints on this forum. It is quite telling that there's still a lot of fretting about how one should go about expressing opinions without upsetting someone's delicate sensibilities. In the past, I learned a lot from this forum because posters fearlessly "read between the lines" of current events instead of simply swallowing government & mainstream media pronouncements. They also listened to different viewpoints and provided thoughtful and on-point responses. It was not uncommon for discussions to change my thinking about the topic at hand. I can't think of a single instance of that happening in the past few years on this forum.

I think, in sum, that you can either have a healthy, active and interesting forum, or you can have a "safe space". You can't have both.

Hey, Sophie. Sorry to hear that you’ve had kind of a rotten experience here the last couple of years. Best to you and your family.

Do check in every once in a while!

[Kbg]

+1

[sophie]

Thank you all - I'll try to keep up the "visits" when I can!

And, special thanks from my mom, Mountaineer. She's had a tough couple of years but is relatively stable now...for a while I hope.

[Mountaineer]

Thank you all - I'll try to keep up the "visits" when I can!

And, special thanks from my mom, Mountaineer. She's had a tough couple of years but is relatively stable now...for a while I hope.

Give your Mom a hug for me Sophie; she sounds like quite a special lady.

[Pet Hog]

Glad to know you're well, Sophie. For me, you've always been one of the most thoughtful and eloquent posters, and your contributions have been missed.