Freedom of Speech

[MassageGirl]

The First Amendment covers political speech- that is protected. However, there are a great deal that is not protected-

Obscene Speech, Advertising and other Commercial Speech, Threatening Speech, etc..

However, I would think that a private message board called "US Message Boards"- as it is- would respect the constitution, rather than censor posts, as a way of keeping out opposing views. I havent been here long, so I cant say I have seen this happen on here. I have been on other message boards that do this frequently, though. I think its ridiculous.

 

[AllieBaba]

Freedom of speech. We have the right to say it, but that does not preclude the right of people who own the method of our madness to remove, ridicule, or change our words.

If you don't like the edit job, then open your own shop.

Having said that....I prefer messageboards where there's not a lot of editing of bickering between posters.

Though I actually have run my own message boards where my greatest delight was to restructure the things that visiting posters said. With the proper disclaimer, it can be horrendous fun.

 

[Gunny]

The First Amendment covers political speech- that is protected. However, there are a great deal that is not protected-

Obscene Speech, Advertising and other Commercial Speech, Threatening Speech, etc..

However, I would think that a private message board called "US Message Boards"- as it is- would respect the constitution, rather than censor posts, as a way of keeping out opposing views. I havent been here long, so I cant say I have seen this happen on here. I have been on other message boards that do this frequently, though. I think its ridiculous.

I have censored ONE post since becoming a mod on this board and it was to x out obscenities levelled at a member's family members and had absolutely ZERO political merit. I'll do THAT again.

Nothing has been censored to keep out opposing viewpoints. I just think it's not too much to ask that certain level of decorum be maintained in general and if you want to rant, there's a forum for THAT.

 

[Gunny]

Freedom of speech. We have the right to say it, but that does not preclude the right of people who own the method of our madness to remove, ridicule, or change our words.

If you don't like the edit job, then open your own shop.

Having said that....I prefer messageboards where there's not a lot of editing of bickering between posters.

Though I actually have run my own message boards where my greatest delight was to restructure the things that visiting posters said. With the proper disclaimer, it can be horrendous fun.

That doesn't happen hear. No posts nor threads have been editted nor deleted. Posts/threads DO get moved.

When I have a conspiracy theorist and a 1st grade level racist who will spam every thread if allowed, I WILL cut their irrelvant crap out and place it in an appropriate forum.

 

[pegwinn]

Everyone has figured out that the fighting first amendment only applies to protect us from U.S. (Bad Joke)

A message board is not covered. The owners/admins can do as they please. If the members don't like it, the only real recourse is to go here.

 

[Annie]

Everyone has figured out that the fighting first amendment only applies to protect us from U.S. (Bad Joke)

A message board is not covered. The owners/admins can do as they please. If the members don't like it, the only real recourse is to go here.

that was good!

 

[Gunny]

Everyone has figured out that the fighting first amendment only applies to protect us from U.S. (Bad Joke)

A message board is not covered. The owners/admins can do as they please. If the members don't like it, the only real recourse is to go here.

LMAO!

 

[Psychoblues]

So,,,,,,,,wuz the prob?

 

[Doug]

Laws regulating free speech by the state, or the absence of them, are irrelevant to the question of "free speech" on a private discussion board.

We can only answer the question, Should all contributions be allowed? by first asking, What do we want from a discussion Board?

I can only speak for myself, but what I want is, first of all, an audience. I want to think that thoughtful people are reading what I have to say, people whom I have some chance of convincing, if they disagree with me. And if they already agree with me, I hope that we will be able to reinforce each other's belief by exchanging information.

Second of all, I want to find people who do not agree with me, but who can give me a fight. I want to find intelligent opponents who will challenge my thinking -- because either I am wrong, and need to change my views. Or I am right, and need to find out the best case that my opponents can make, in order to be able to answer it.

Thirdly, on the social level, I enjoy meeting people who are interesting, and who, if they lived down the street, might become friends. One of the wonderful technical developments of the last couple of decades has been the internet with its possibility of extending our lives beyond the physical confines of job and neighborhood.

So what I want from a Discussion Board is that it attract interesting people.

This means: I want the administrators to exercise censorship: drive away the trolls, the people whose contributions are simply personal insults, the unpleasant and insane.

Because like attracts like.

In theory, you could have a Board with lots of morons posting, and also, mixed in, the non-morons. But in practice, who has time to sift through every thread and ignore the eruptions of angry teenage boys who can't get dates, the psychopathological, the autists, the neo-Nazis, the people foaming at the mouth from Bush Derangement Syndrome, etc.

The more you have of them, the less you will have of ordinary people who know how to be courteous even to a political enemy. There will be a kind of Gresham's Law of Discourse: Bad contributors will drive away the Good. I saw the Protest Warrior discussion forum absolutely wrecked by cretins from both left and right who just flung feces at each other.

So I hope the Administrators here will use their power to banish trolls and persistently sub-standard contributors (not in terms of content, but in terms of decency) ruthlessly.

"Better fewer but better," a slogan of which I believe Lenin was fond, and which the USMC practices today.

 

[watermark]

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

As it pertains to internet message boards, do you think members should be able to post whatever they please wherever on the board they please and cry like little babies if their threads/posts are moved, or do you think there's a reason why subforums broken down into categories exists?

...

The ammendment clearly only applies to government. You aren't congress. You have a right to do what you want with your property.

 

[watermark]

Laws regulating free speech by the state, or the absence of them, are irrelevant to the question of "free speech" on a private discussion board.

We can only answer the question, Should all contributions be allowed? by first asking, What do we want from a discussion Board?

I can only speak for myself, but what I want is, first of all, an audience. I want to think that thoughtful people are reading what I have to say, people whom I have some chance of convincing, if they disagree with me. And if they already agree with me, I hope that we will be able to reinforce each other's belief by exchanging information.

Second of all, I want to find people who do not agree with me, but who can give me a fight. I want to find intelligent opponents who will challenge my thinking -- because either I am wrong, and need to change my views. Or I am right, and need to find out the best case that my opponents can make, in order to be able to answer it.

Thirdly, on the social level, I enjoy meeting people who are interesting, and who, if they lived down the street, might become friends. One of the wonderful technical developments of the last couple of decades has been the internet with its possibility of extending our lives beyond the physical confines of job and neighborhood.

So what I want from a Discussion Board is that it attract interesting people.

This means: I want the administrators to exercise censorship: drive away the trolls, the people whose contributions are simply personal insults, the unpleasant and insane.

Because like attracts like.

In theory, you could have a Board with lots of morons posting, and also, mixed in, the non-morons. But in practice, who has time to sift through every thread and ignore the eruptions of angry teenage boys who can't get dates, the psychopathological, the autists, the neo-Nazis, the people foaming at the mouth from Bush Derangement Syndrome, etc.

The more you have of them, the less you will have of ordinary people who know how to be courteous even to a political enemy. There will be a kind of Gresham's Law of Discourse: Bad contributors will drive away the Good. I saw the Protest Warrior discussion forum absolutely wrecked by cretins from both left and right who just flung feces at each other.

So I hope the Administrators here will use their power to banish trolls and persistently sub-standard contributors (not in terms of content, but in terms of decency) ruthlessly.

"Better fewer but better," a slogan of which I believe Lenin was fond, and which the USMC practices today.

That's not true. All the best forums I've ever been on basically didn't restrict speech. If they're the kind of people who whine and want everyone who disagrees with them banned or they'll leave, let them leave.

 

[Taomon]

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

As it pertains to internet message boards, do you think members should be able to post whatever they please wherever on the board they please and cry like little babies if their threads/posts are moved, or do you think there's a reason why subforums broken down into categories exists?

I agree that members of a message board community should be allowed to post whatever they want, but not where ever.

We have threads with titles under categories so that we can find our particular interests faster and to keep the "conversations" valid and understandable.

We should always consider the people who are reading and may or may not contribute.

 

[Taomon]

And for the record, I don't care if my posts are moved to a different thread if that is where they belong...so long as the threads are not in some restricted area that cannot be viewed or responded to.

But I don't believe anyone here would do such a thing anyhow.

 

[Annie]

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

As it pertains to internet message boards, do you think members should be able to post whatever they please wherever on the board they please and cry like little babies if their threads/posts are moved, or do you think there's a reason why subforums broken down into categories exists?

Ok Gunny, out with it, who's whining.

 

[watermark]

Ok Gunny, out with it, who's whining.

I was gravediggin Kathy.

 

[Annie]

I was gravediggin Kathy.

I realized that, after the fact.

 

[Gunny]

...

The ammendment clearly only applies to government. You aren't congress. You have a right to do what you want with your property.

I'm aware of that. Was just looking for opinions.

 

[Gunny]

That's not true. All the best forums I've ever been on basically didn't restrict speech. If they're the kind of people who whine and want everyone who disagrees with them banned or they'll leave, let them leave.

Speech as it pertains to ideals is not restricted and no one is banned or forced to leave for their ideals.

Speech as it pertains to over-the-top trolling, insulting, and/or just continual foul-mouthed trash IS restricted, but not censored unless it's so far over the top it's unacceptable to most civilized human beings, or is a clear violation of USMB rules. The former is moved to an appropriate forum for such garbage, where all members have access. The latter is moved to a forum where only staff has access.