[thelist] Angora socks comment on DJC article

[Erika Meyer]

>I think we do need some ToS to cover stuff like this (like you need a
>valid email address etc), but a move towards community moderation
>may be A Good Thing.
>
>Models include /. of course, but also Motley Fool.

I seem to remember seeing one or two inappropriate/offensive posts on /. ...

***

Here are my thoughts:

I didn't find the comment offensive.  "The Christian Right" has about 
as much meaning as the word "Liberal."  It is basically a label one 
group applies to another group to make them seem weird and vaguely 
frightening.

BUT ASIDE from that: Noam Chomsky said:
You can take one position of free speech.

(implicit: either you are FOR or you are AGAINST free speech.)

Having run a college classroom with free speech as a backbone, these 
are my thoughts:

1. Free speech is free speech.

2. Free speech is no longer free speech when it interferes with 
another's right to free speech.

Example: if someone decided to fill the boards with lots of ascii 
crap or whatever, just as an act of sabotage, causing interference 
with others' ability to use the boards, that is not free speech.

3. It is reasonable to ask a person to put his/her name behind 
his/her words.  Sure, ask for a vaild email address.  Though I might 
write as "Dr. Strangelove" from bomblove at hotmail.com (or something 
like that).

I think the discussion is valid, and I think the post was okay. 
Okay, I didn't really get it, to be honest.  I didn't even know there 
was such a thing as angora socks.

To be honest, one of the things I REALLY DIG about evolt.org is that 
I can write a long rambling post like this one and not have to worry 
about getting flamed for not being terse and technical.  Evolt has 
given me (and I think others) more freedom to share information both 
on the micro and macro level.

THE BEST THING about free speech is that in a healthy community, when 
someone is way off base, there will always be someone to pipe in and 
say, "hey, are you sure you meant what you just said?  Because if so, 
you should know why you're totally off base...."

And healthy discussion ensues.

Like now.

Go ahead and filter by subject line, Anne.
Personally, I think this has been an excellent thread.

Erika































erika at seastorm.com
http://www.seastorm.com