Could we please be a bit more polite and mature this time around?

[Mahkato]

Don't:

• Throw snowballs at our opponents.
• Leave signs and materials on others' private property without permission.
• Leave signs and materials on public property unless your local laws allow it.
• Get into fights at conventions.
• Talk about 9/11 conspiracy or other conspiracies unless your listener broaches the subject.
• Litter your speech with obscenities, vulgarities, etc.,
• Make condescending remarks about a person's religion and other beliefs.
• Wear grubby or overly casual clothes to political events.
• Dump huge political and economics books and DVDs of Ron Paul on people who don't care.
• Make every single statement on your Facebook/Twitter pages about politics.
• Inundate opponents in the media with angry emails and phone calls.

But do:

• Teach people by asking them polite, thought-provoking questions, not telling them what to believe.
• Gently guide people to liberty in the course of many conversations. (Remember they've had a lifetime of training in statism and apathy.)
• Build personal relationships with people who are politically active, and those who might become active.

Remember, it's not what you say, but what they hear. Ron Paul got where he is today because he's able to keep cool in the face of adversity. Manners matter.

 

[klamath]

You can hope I guess. I had to cringe the other day when I went to Oregon and saw a huge ugly Ron Paul graffiti spray painted on a brand new decorative freeway isolation wall. That will never get RP votes.

 

[MRoCkEd]

Post of the year!

 

[fade]

It all comes to down to if you want to win or not. I don't think the truthers really want to win so I fear they will continue with their antics. I pray I am wrong.

 

[Jeremy]

Don't yell Rand Paul / Ron Paul during Trump's speech. (or anyone's speech)

 

[thedude]

+1 rep for the op... I agree 100%

 

[Jeremy]

Don't go "BOOOOOOOOOOOOO" when someone says something you don't like and chill with the nonstop applause for something you do like.

 

[gtjarruda]

Also, no booing of opponents. Just applause for the stuff we agree with will suffice.

 

[Jeremy]

Stop shouting "End the Fed!" at things that have nothing to do with the Fed.

A lot of these rude people are also a bit nuts.

 

[HarryBrowneLives]

+1776

 

[specsaregood]

good luck

 

[blakjak]

And stop referring to non-supporters as sheeple!

No one's going to listen to you if you immediately insult their intelligence.

 

[MRoCkEd]

> Don't overuse the word "neocon" by applying it to everyone who disagrees with Ron.

 

[acptulsa]

But what if I want to throw a snowball at Romney? Come on, admit it. Wouldn't you love to throw a snowball at Romney? Be honest.

And stop referring to non-supporters as sheeple!

No one's going to listen to you if you immediately insult their intelligence.

Please note my sig. Come on, some 98% of this forum membership was once sleeping like a baby. Stop playing the 'I woke up before you did' card. You get a lot more out of people if you waken them gently.

 

[RM918]

There's no point in asking things like this. If you somehow, magically, got 99% of all RP supporters to do things you ask, you'll have the 1% who won't and the media WILL focus on them and everyone else WILL equate their actions to the rest of us. I'm certain most supporters are courteous, but everyone focuses on those they dislike anyway to paint a bad picture of us. If people can really be persuaded by our side and what's holding them back are our supporters, it's clear they're only in it for their own vanity and we'll never change their minds anyway unless we're some sort of exclusive club they can brag to their friends about belonging to.

I'm certain there's a ton of Palin supporters who are a bunch of assholish douchebags. I KNOW there are a ton of Romney supporters who are, but no-one ever talks about them. No-one else is expected to police their supporters, because the idea of it is ridiculous. Why are we the only ones? It's a little strange, isn't it?

 

[klamath]

> Don't overuse the word "neocon" by applying it to everyone who disagrees with Ron.

Neocon comes across as an insult anymore like the word liberal did. That is why liberals started calling themselves Progressives. If you start off calling someone a neocon they know you are against them and will resist anything you talk to them about.

 

[georgiaboy]

So turning this around, what's the list of what we Can or Should Do? I understand rudeness is bad, but I want to keep the enthusiasm.

If we're in the presence of what we think are rude RP supporters, we should be the first to call out our own.

 

[thedude]

There's no point in asking things like this. If you somehow, magically, got 99% of all RP supporters to do things you ask, you'll have the 1% who won't and the media WILL focus on them and everyone else WILL equate their actions to the rest of us. I'm certain most supporters are courteous, but everyone focuses on those they dislike anyway to paint a bad picture of us. If people can really be persuaded by our side and what's holding them back are our supporters, it's clear they're only in it for their own vanity and we'll never change their minds anyway unless we're some sort of exclusive club they can brag to their friends about belonging to.

I'm certain there's a ton of Palin supporters who are a bunch of assholish douchebags. I KNOW they're a ton of Romney supporters who are, but no-one ever talks about them. No-one else is expected to police their supporters, because the idea of it is ridiculous. Why are we the only ones? It's a little strange, isn't it?

This is true, but I know a lot of Paul supporters who acted like this last time that were not covered by the media. They will do what they do. But if we work really hard to present Ron Paul to the majority, then these minor instances wont have such a negative effect. When the media covers us, and the tea party, being rude and disruptive, then we are rude and disruptive, it only confirms what they were told. Many of these occurrences happen right here in the forums, so we can't say it is only the media portraying some fringe element.

 

[klamath]

There's no point in asking things like this. If you somehow, magically, got 99% of all RP supporters to do things you ask, you'll have the 1% who won't and the media WILL focus on them and everyone else WILL equate their actions to the rest of us. I'm certain most supporters are courteous, but everyone focuses on those they dislike anyway to paint a bad picture of us. If people can really be persuaded by our side and what's holding them back are our supporters, it's clear they're only in it for their own vanity and we'll never change their minds anyway unless we're some sort of exclusive club they can brag to their friends about belonging to.

I'm certain there's a ton of Palin supporters who are a bunch of assholish douchebags. I KNOW they're a ton of Romney supporters who are, but no-one ever talks about them. No-one else is expected to police their supporters, because the idea of it is ridiculous. Why are we the only ones? It's a little strange, isn't it?

I disagree, because the strongest thing that can effect someones behavior is to be looked at disaprovingly by the group you associate with. Some never will quit insulting people of different ideas others can learn. A huge amount of this stuff has nothing to do with the press, it has to do with direct interaction with fellow americans. That graffiti I mentioned probably never made the news but hundreds of thousands of people driving the I-5 corridor, that don't know RP will have a bad taste in their mouth the next time they see his name because it will be associated with ugly vandalism.

 

[thedude]

You can hope I guess. I had to cringe the other day when I went to Oregon and saw a huge ugly Ron Paul graffiti spray painted on a brand new decorative freeway isolation wall. That will never get RP votes.

If we are to be Ron Paul's message of private property rights... Let's not go violating other's property rights!!!! This should be common sense! Let's practice what we preach, folks.