Censorship

[cynthia Hunter]

There is a lot of censorship going on these days. A few people where offended by what one person said, and the man would not say he was sorry for what he said. Because he contintuned to speak the Truth is has been kicked off.

My Faith has been insulted and I have been called all kinds of names.(one the old TBD and here on the new as well) Yet the people who did this are still on TBD.

What is the difference between them and the man who was thrown off.

I didnt go crying to the Adm. about the offenses. I let the people who offended me what I thought and ignored them.

What a novel idea! Im not the only person who has been attacked verberally,others have too..

Im not saying Im perfect I have let my tongue go before my brain, but I have never gone out of my way to be mean. (You know who Im talking about there are 4 who are really bad at this)

[cynthia Hunter]

yea that way we know who is spying and who really is taking part in the debate.

[Bull]

The community guidelines have a tab at the top of the page. I have seen a couple of question as to who the moderators are. We are listed at the bottom of the guideline page. I would recommend people familiarize themselves with both the guidelines and the moderators.

[cynthia Hunter]

Never said it was for the faint of heart. It does get on the out spoken side at times. When get its to heavy I drop back and let them go at it. What you saw there is nothing like what has happened to some of us,its quite mild actually.

[animak]

I just perused the "we the people" site; a thread on censorship. It is totally unpleasant. I don't think I will be back. Censorship or not, have fun with that you folks who need it.

[Vernon Windsor]

As I'm sure most of you know, the creators and/or administrators of each group are responsible for what tone and manner of discourse they will allow in their group. They can also control the membership, if they choose to do so. Some prefer as little restriction as possible, others want more control. If someone is kicked out of a group, look to the administrator for answers. If someone repeatedly violates the community guidelines, the moderators can take action, once it is brought to their attention.

After having my threads hijacked a number of times by alternately inane and malicious postings on the original TBD site, I made the decision to moderate the membership on the groups I created here. This was a source of much irritation among some members who found they either could not get in (I took good notes) or could not flame indiscriminately and thus torpedo meaningful dialogue when it got uncomfortable for them. I require a certain level of maturity and respect in my discussions because I desire an exchange of ideas. Let's face it, not everyone is up to the challenge.

In reading Cardan's account of the incident Cynthia blogged about, I'm sure that is the way it appeared to him—that is, from his point of view. There was however another point of view that made a persuasive argument that the community guidelines were being violated and action should be taken. Sometimes just bringing the concern to the attention of the various parties, can have the desired effect, and people will do the right thing and adjust their actions accordingly. Sometimes they will not. When the community guidelines are violated, the moderators always (in my experience) choose to issue warnings (except to habitual offenders). If the warnings are not heeded, there will be consequences, naturally.

There are times when someone brings a complaint to moderation, where it is subsequently determined that the guidelines have not been violated. This too often causes consternation in the person who brought the complaint. I have come to Cynthia's defense when I thought she was under personal attack. At the same time, I have disagreed vigorously with Cynthia's assertions and ideas at times. Such is the nature of healthy debate. Most people can grasp the difference. Some can't.

[cynthia Hunter]

No, it was personal from what Ive seen. People have been kicked out of groups. Im sure that others have most likely been kicked off of TBD. Its just that no one was around at that time to speak out. Now there is. Like we said before its their site they can do what they want. Almost all of his posts have been removed so most people who didnt see them wont know that it wasnt justifed.
TBD house their Rules. Right or wrong its just the way it is.

[animak]

I don't know the details here, so feel free to ignore me completely, but in my experience with the TBD moderators (I don't know who all of them are, I don't think) I have found them to be eminently reasonable and fair. I wouldn't always agree with their decisions, but I believe they are doing their best to keep this place comfortable for the largest number of people. If Hawk is Hawker DeHaviland, I have seen his posts around here and there, and haven't noticed anything objectionable, but I don't travel far on TBD. You say he has been banned? If so, I can guarantee that it is not a conservative/liberal thing because there are lots of extremely conservative people on here, and they don't get banned. Probably don't even get a talking to. So he must have been doing something special to get singled out. If it was personal attacks, as seems to keep coming up in this thread, well, duhhh! what do you expect. As I have said before, if you can't call someone an asshole with grace, dignity and eloquence, then maybe you should refrain from personal attacks, cuz, I guarantee you, they turn ugly. C'mon kids, let's comport ourselves with perfect dignity and courtesy and respect.

[cynthia Hunter]

Thats what Im talking about. They can call you names,and nothing will be said yet if a certain somebody would have be called a name or talked about well,you know the drill. Just ask Hawk.

[Whiny Old Bastard]

This morning I was called a whiny old bastard. I thought about complaining to the moderators, but after giving it some thought I came to the sad conclusion that whiny old bastard is an accurate description.

[Quinn]

Cardan, you missed my point.
Freedom of speech does not preclude one from censorship. Anyone is free to censor whatever they please--anytime, anywhere. It doesn't matter if you think it's fair or not...