Freedomain Radio: Insight from a member.

Well, the story goes like this: there is a website known as Freedomain Radio where a gentleman by the name of Stefan Molyneux runs a podcast series, forum, book corner and chatroom to discuss the ideas he puts forth as a methodology for figuring out how to better one's life, particularly in terms of personal relationships. A major focus is on familial relationships, the effect they can have on an average individual, and how those relationships are so often utterly twisted into something monstrous and inhuman. When the familial relationship in question is particularly bad, and no other recourse is possible, Stefan does remind people that they don't have to be in that relationship. The process of extricating yourself from such a damaging relationship is known on the site as "deFOOing."

Of course, both members and haters have taken this all and run with it, twisted it around and made it sound like Stefan thinks that everyone should cut EVERYONE out of their lives who doesn't PERFECTLY match the moral ideals that Stef has laid out. More specifically, haters have taken the ideas of FDR to mean that ALL familial relationships should AUTOMATICALLY be cut off. This is simply not the case. As someone who has deFOOed, I can tell you that I only cut ties with members of my family as they proved to be more and more negative influences on my life. For instance, I cut ties with my parents after they advocated and enacted violence and verbal abuse upon me. Same with my brother. As for my sister and her family, I cut ties with them after they tried to dictate morality to me and threatened to cut me off when I wanted to have a drink for my 21st birthday. A. Drink. I'm one of only a handful of FDR members who has actually gone through a deFOO.

In conclusion: FDR has been totally misinterpreted by a great deal of people, and I fear that this misinterpretation will be spread to people who will thus have no interest in exploring the site at all, or worse, will come onto the site as trolls and then think that what they were told is confirmed when Stef brings the banhammer down on them for being adversarial, condescending and totally closed to any ideas but their own preconceptions.