Freedom of Speech... "I think.. "

[Zee.]

And this is a thread to exercise it.


I think...
the ban surrounding political discussions around here should be lifted. Why?

this site celebrates and supports the liberty writers have/should have to write freely and publish freely without fear of persecution for their thoughts and views. This site embraces books that have been banned, burned and spat on.

This site promotes the idea that if you don't agree with a view, then the simple act of avoiding it so that the person who expressed it is ensured their right to exercise their freedom of speech, is a necessity.

In short, this site to me, promotes freedom of thought, feeling and speech simply by it's support of education, intelligence, freedom and our ability to exercise our imagination.

[Jozanny]

lima:

Although I do tend toward a little less moderating on LN, the neutrality that Sche and Logos maintain has earned my admiration, not the least of which is due to the behavior of other moderators I've dealt with in the past--but on the politics issue I respectfully disagree with you.

On Politico, one site I frequent, the comments section doesn't even really involve discussion of issues so much as name calling: denigrating the President, members of the opposition, the Speaker, and the most fun of all, each other. I rarely post on Politico for this reason, that the issue isn't debated. What people enjoy is the attack.

And, even at The New Republic, where Harvard professors meet policy wonks, the staff sometimes draws blood on each other, and we all get into emotional arguments. I think stuff like that would harm the tone of the forum, which despite my occasional despondent mood, is a kind of fun environment.

[sprinks]

isn't the rule that we can post political things in the blogs, but not here in the forum threads? In that case I think things are good the way they are.

[Logos]

http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44220

The politics issue was brought up recently :)

Yes sprinks that's correct, you _are_ allowed to blog about current politics, unless it becomes an explosive discussion with too much fighting/acrimony among the blog's comments and or we get complaints/behind the scenes.

[sprinks]

That's completely understandable :). I think it's a good system.

[Chava]

There are many people here with very passionate beliefs, and these are often based on different world views, which like religion are very hard to discuss without offending the other. Yes, freedom of speech is important, sure, but thats no reason to discuss politics on the litnet.

[Lokasenna]

Its very true. Most online political debates degenerate to vulgarity. Just reading what people say here about various other issues, I can see that we have a wide variety of opinions and beliefs. Most of my best friends have opposite views to myself - as such, we just avoid politics as an issue, as all we do is bicker continually until we all feel miserable if it comes up. I wouldn't want that to happen here.

Ha... reminds me of an argument I once had with an extremely left-wing anarchist student, who when she found out I was a Lit student informed me that I shouldn't be studying it because, and I quote, "you have no soul!!!!":lol:

[Buh4Bee]

My first reactions was to say to go to another site to talk politics, but then I thought you may want to specifically talk politics with your friends on this blog. So at least you can do this in the blogosphere. I suppose that is fair!

[EAP]

this messageboard is to 'freedom of speech' what the revolutionary guard is to atheism.

[Zee.]

My first reactions was to say to go to another site to talk politics, but then I thought you may want to specifically talk politics with your friends on this blog. So at least you can do this in the blogosphere. I suppose that is fair!


I have no desire to talk politics. That isn't what my post was about. My post was about censorship on a site that is against the banning of books. That is for progression and freedom of ideas and thoughts.
It seemed a bit contradictory to me.

[Emil Miller]

I have no desire to talk politics. That isn't what my post was about. My post was about censorship on a site that is against the banning of books. That is for progression and freedom of ideas and thoughts.
It seemed a bit contradictory to me.

In the final analysis it's the owner of the site who determines its content. He has recently dealt with this query and has firmly rejected it. I happen to support his viewpoint but, even if I didn't, I would have to accept it because once again he owns the site . Moreover, if it wasn't for him there would be no website anyway.

[Jozanny]

What Brian says. Most web sites are not bound by American First Amendment rights lima, because they are owned. Poets & Writers banned me because I got really angry and cried out about the extent of my poverty. The only thing a lawyer might have been able to do was look at how much money I gave them since university, but that in itself might have been problematic.

I did not get cured, by the way. My mother died and I made a home movie version of The Towering Inferno about five months later. So I asked myself what people on their pc's were supposed to do with my rage and pain, and I eased up.

I do not give Lit Net anything, so if Chris decided my goose is cooked, then c'est la vie. Hopefully, I would not sulk too long in that case. :)

[Logos]

I have no desire to talk politics. That isn't what my post was about. My post was about censorship on a site that is against the banning of books. That is for progression and freedom of ideas and thoughts.
It seemed a bit contradictory to me.

You've got two issues here you're addressing: "censorship" in the hosting of books on the site (http://www.online-literature.com/author_index.php), and, "censorship" in the discussion forums.

There is no "official" stance here about "the banning of books" by either the website owner or moderators--but sure, it hosts some public domain etexts that might just happen to be banned in some countries currently, or are, or were, banned in any of the counties or states of the United States (where this site is based), currently, or in the past at some point. So one could presume from that fact that the owner indeed is not against "censoring" certain works even though they're controversial or have caused a lot of censorship uproar in the past. (Mark Twain for example..)

As for "censorship" in the discussion forums, yup, that's what us moderators are for; to see that the Forum Rules, as set out by the website owner, are upheld. There is no true "freedom of *expression* here; if there was, you'd see all kinds of porn images, pharmaceutical ads, members attacking each other publicly, vitriolic current political discussions going on, etc. etc. ugh :goof:

[Jozanny]

And to follow through on Logos distinction, freedom of expression online can be a double-edged sword, and not just for me when I yield to self-revelation. Do I really help myself by narrating personal experiences? Interweaving them with other discussion points? I've read that it can make the people behind the posts feel worse, and some times I actually do feel more poorly after I let my hair down--but I do not post revealing photographs--I've read about that too, and the problems it causes young people when they expose these things on Flickr.

I don't know lima. I think the team is fair, given the age range and diversity of users who participate here. I have been edited, and had a thread closed, and yes, there is the temptation to react to that in a regressive fashion, but it really isn't that important in terms of it being electronic conversation. Even live discussion groups have live moderators sometimes.

I did not learn how to keep it level overnight, goodness knows, but I have learned that the emotional investment meter can play tricks on you.

In a way I've been more successful in this forum by not having absolute freedom, and in the old days I did. That power is not all it is cracked up to be.

Now, now that I am nearly 50 going on adulthood, I could use a professional freelance community, but that responsibility is on my shoulders. I don't demand and don't expect the Literature Network to meet all of my online community needs.

[blazeofglory]

All I feel is that to a certain extent or the extent that is likely to hurt somebody, there should be enough freedom, the freedom of expressing all that one wants to. Today we as writers do not want to be crippled by any particular censorship. We are in a democratic domain want to utmost freedom in everything we do and when something or someone limps us we feel uncomfortable.
Let us value freedom of speech. And why should anybody feel hurt by particular sets of ideas or ideologies. If we cannot digest ideas or opinions we are at liberty to criticize and I think no one here will mind if they are criticized here.


But one thing we must keep. Respect others' opinions,and do not be harsh on others at all even if you do not agree. Take a mild way.