LD_Tickler
3rd Level Yellow Feather
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2005
- Messages
- 3,748
- Points
- 38
I vaguely remember discussing this topic a long time ago (years, maybe?). I thought I'd bring it up again, rather than perform thread necromancy, and get the opinions of newer people.
Every now and then, I see a discussion about censorship on the TMF. Putting aside illegal content that can get the site closed, sometimes, people get upset when they feel censorship is taking place.
So my question is: what's wrong with there being censorship on the TMF? What makes the TMF owe us a censorship-free environment? Censorship from governments is one thing, since, generally, we're citizens with rights and protections that we secure through compliance and taxes, social contract theory, etc etc. So I understand when people get peeved at Big Brother stepping overstepping his bounds - we're owed better than that by our governments. But on the TMF? What exactly are we owed? What are the "bounds" here, if not whatever the mods/admins please?
This is a free website, and is, to my knowledge, not-for-profit. As I see it, we're not entitled to any sort of freedom of expression. I can understand when people get upset about inconsistency - that is, when the rules set one standard and the mods follow another - because it's hard to behave when you don't know what behaving is. But in a more general sense, why do people feel entitled to anything more than being at the mercy of mods on a free, elective website?
(no explicit or implicit commentary on mod/admin behaviour intended, purely hypothetical)
Every now and then, I see a discussion about censorship on the TMF. Putting aside illegal content that can get the site closed, sometimes, people get upset when they feel censorship is taking place.
So my question is: what's wrong with there being censorship on the TMF? What makes the TMF owe us a censorship-free environment? Censorship from governments is one thing, since, generally, we're citizens with rights and protections that we secure through compliance and taxes, social contract theory, etc etc. So I understand when people get peeved at Big Brother stepping overstepping his bounds - we're owed better than that by our governments. But on the TMF? What exactly are we owed? What are the "bounds" here, if not whatever the mods/admins please?
This is a free website, and is, to my knowledge, not-for-profit. As I see it, we're not entitled to any sort of freedom of expression. I can understand when people get upset about inconsistency - that is, when the rules set one standard and the mods follow another - because it's hard to behave when you don't know what behaving is. But in a more general sense, why do people feel entitled to anything more than being at the mercy of mods on a free, elective website?
(no explicit or implicit commentary on mod/admin behaviour intended, purely hypothetical)