Censorship On Amiga.org...

[Franko]

It will have been noticed that Argo has decided to shutdown the interesting and sometimes highly amusing Amiga vs PC thread.

Now I dunno about you, but to me that's censorship and while part of a moderators job is to moderate the forums & topics to make sure things don't get out of hand, with regard to use of bad language or insults being made towards individuals. I don't agree that he should have the power to bring to end the subject on which some 360 opinions were expressed and had been viewed over 11 thousand times. (were all these folk wrong and you were the only one right Argo ?)

It's like if you held a rally in a public place and some folk didn't agree with what you were saying or were shouting louder than you and not even about the same subject on which you were speaking, would you stop the rally and storm off in a huff or would you have the courage of your convictions to carry on. I know what I would do.

I know you said "This derailed off-topic some time ago, around 15 pages back it look and going nowhere...." but is this really a good enough reason to stop folk expressing their views.

There are many threads here that have gone "off-topic" far sooner but I don't see them being locked, why...

My point is this, is it right for one person to have the power of censorship over many or has freedom of speech been dealt another blow here. It may have helped if you had given a bit more detailed and reasonable explanation for the action you have taken.

I probably won't get an answer to this or will be censored myself, but sorry, I really can't stand it when someone abuses the power of censorship.

[Franko]

I'm not attacking anyone, I just feel very strongly about all forms of censorship, wether it be in the hands of an individual, a group, an organization or the worst of all a government.

I have spent many years in the past fighting for the rights for freedom of speech and campaigning against censorship and yes It has got me into trouble in the past, but it will never stop me expressing my views & opinions no matter what the cost is to myself.

Here however I am merely hoping for a bit more detailed explanation from Argo about why he chose to take this action, nothing more, and it certainly wasn't meant as a personal attack on him.

I know that Argo does not owe me an explanation nor do I have any right to expect one, but if we are all wishing to express and exchange our points of view on things, then it would be a very sad day indeed if we couldn't at least do so without being censored on them.

Merely hoping that Argo is willing to respond and we can either agree or disagree on the subject.

@kolla, like it or not, if something is locked from public debate then that my friend is censorship in the true meaning of the word...

[Franko]

Freedom of speech has nothing to do with it. You're always free to express your opinion, but nobody has the obligation to provide you with a medium for it.

When you have paid for membership as I have done, then that does indeed give me some form of right here, to express my opinions in this medium...

[Franko]

Yes, you always have the right to express you opinion, but you don't own this particular medium and must still follow it's rules. Just because I've paid an entrance-fee to a bar doesn't mean I don't need to follow the rules of said bar, and if I break the rules the staff can ask me to stop or throw me out. Locking a thread is the staff asking people to stop, and if they still continue (in another thread) they can very well ban (throw out) the offender.

I don't claim to own this particular medium, If you had read what I said correctly you would understand that I am merely expressing what I feel about this matter and hoping, not demanding, that Argo would be quite simply willing to explain with a bit more detail why he chose to take this action.

[Franko]

Two famous but very opposing views of the term censorship...

"All censorships exist to prevent any one from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorships." 
-- George Bernard Shaw

"Vietnam was the first war ever fought without any censorship. Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind."
-- William C. Westmoreland, General and U.S. military commander

The folk who have stated their opinions that just because you can still read the thread therefore it is not censorship are totally wrong, if the individual is not given the opportunity to respond then that is indeed censorship.

My own view and taking into account that I am medically diagnosed as being Schizophrenic.

"Censorship is something I have to battle on a daily basis, two minds in one body with very opposing views, on which I have try and censor myself, not through choice but through necessity" -- Franko

Its not an easy thing to admit to but perhaps it may help folk to understand why I try to write with a touch of humor in my posts but don't always succeed. I guess today was just one of my bad days...

[youtube]ZE2t6HWmquc[/youtube]

Perhaps I'll be back on form tommorow, unless of course I get barred/censored...

[Franko]

Right, first things first... had me happy pills... in a much better mood now...

@Argo, thank you for the explanation, I know you didn't have to but it's much appreciated and I have to say I agree with the points you made and hope I didn't offend or upset you... :biglaugh:

Now I could start ranting and raving again, but I'm in too good a mood and can't be arsed getting involved in any more crap about censorship...

So I think I'll step out of this whole debate that the other me started and have a look around for something just plain daft to comment on...

Cheers :drink:

Franko (the happy one !!!)

[Franko]

Yawn... Just woke up , spotted this thread by the other me, what the F$&*k... :huh:

seems to have started off about censorship, now it gone waaay of topic on to food & drink and CPUs... :crazy:

I've got a faulty CPU,  it's a B.R.A.I.N. 1 but it was made way back in 1964 and can't seem to find a replacement anywhere, any ideas...

On the subject of food, it's brekky time, think I'll have a tortoise an mushroom sarrnie, washed down with a nice cup of melted car tyres and tree trunks... :drink:
 
censorship... never heard of it... :rolleyes:

PS: why isn't this thread locked yet !!!

[Franko]

Hi fishy_fiz, I agree with the majority of what you say in your post, but then you went and shot yourself in the foot with the statement "In short the needs/wants of the many are more important than the right to free speech.....".

In posting this statement you have just elected to use the ability of free speech but what if the majority had decided that it didn't suit their 'needs/wants', by the virtue of your own statement then you shouldn't have been able to place your post to start with.

If you restrict the ability of even one individual or a minority to use free speech, no matter how much you disagree are insulted or find objectionable what those views are. Then as a society we would be saying that censorship is more important than free speech just because the 'needs/wants of the many' who are either too blind to see, or have chosen to ignore the harm and injustice this would cause to the few is more important.

A simple and perhaps the most obvious example of this would be the abhorrent and crazed views of a certain Adolf Hitler, he used the right of free speech and somehow managed to pursued a whole nation that the 'needs/wants' he expressed were more important and a whole nation blindly followed him.

So by your statement he was right and the right of free speech by others, the minority, in this case the Jews was wrong.

It may be an extreme example but sadly it's part of history and true, and only points out that the right to free speech whether it be an individual or minority far outweighs the 'needs/wants' of the many.

This thread has been a very good example of the right to free speech & censorship, it started of with me using free speech to make a minority viewpoint heard, and resulted in the person at whom I was expressing my viewpoint to ie: Argo, having the decency to respond and not being upset at my viewpoint or using the power he has to censor me. That on behalf of Argo shows the true meaning of how important free speech is in a civilized society.

(can I get back to some nonsense now...)