Animal Farm and freedom of speech

I'm going to rant a little bit for a second and surely offend some of you.

I am really getting sick of people who try to argue that they have unlimied rights to speak on private websites. 

Freedom of speech doesn't exist in the private sector.  The first amendment applies to what the American government can do in terms of passing laws against freedom of expression.

The private sector, such as websites like these, can restrict speech in any way they want.  That may seem harsh and unfair but ultimately the private sector is governed by the open market.  A website that is excessively restrictive will find itself lost in the dust as users go to other places to express themselves.

However, sites that are too free with letting people speak will end up a nasty mess of anarchy as the lowest common denominator of users end up taking over.

And in between there is admin discretion.  For instance, I am sometimes amazed at how much effort some users will go to antagonize an admin.  As if admins are "the police" and there's some sort of federal rules to govern them.  Admins can zap users on the sites they admin for any reason they choose. Yet some people don't recognize that.  They keep pushing and pushing until they get kicked off and then start screaming censorship.

4,787 views 14 replies
Reply #1 Top
What some don't realize is that there's a backend, if you will, to freedom of speech. Yes, they have a right to say what they want, but there is no right that forces others to listen to them. And there's no right that forces anyone to give them a venue.

If you're standing at someone else's podium, they can take it away any time they want.

That's their right.
Reply #2 Top
Well all i said was "here we go again, blah blah blah" and i got exiled...

Frogboy, this is a little extreme. Sure we have our differences and we have our own views, but those are just black and white. You exiling me is a personal insult which I do not deserve. I am a very well known user of WC, contribute wildly to many MB and front page posts, and have well over 100,000 DLs.

So please, exiling me isn't doing anyone justice. Yes, I know freedom of speech is something that can be taken based on various Internet laws, etc, but I think lots of people will agree with me that this is an extreme measure that did not need to be taken.

Call this an apology, I guess, and a call for reconsideration, as you and I both know that I don't deserve to be exiled.
Reply #3 Top

You're not exiled. Just your title is. If you were exiled, you would not be able to post.

But let me be plain: This isn't a democracy. I make no claims to fairness or reasonableness. I like to think I am reasonable. But I don't have to be.  Antagonizing the admins, particularly me, is a sure-fire way to not be welcome.

Reply #5 Top
Nothing I said was personal Frogboy, just my opinion, and I mean that. I respect you not only as a person but as the co-creator (creator?) of this site and company.

I mean well in everything I say and do. I'm a very amicable person, but I do love the occasional flame war or two. It's all in good fun, Frogboy
Reply #6 Top
I really wish you'd reconsider the demotion. I always take the time to help out anyone I can on the message boards, have plenty of downloads of my work, and have been here for a long time. I know that a title is exactly that...just a title. But there is a very high-held meaning in the title, and I believe I have earned through hard work on this site and hard work on my own, to hold the Apprentice title.

Please Frogboy, this is just one slip in the year plus I've been here. Everyone's got a little downfall here and there, and mine was really just something stupid and childish. Look at my posts, look at my threads, look at the time and the effort I've put into my work and this site, and you'll see that this site is really a big part of my life, and as much as I love getting help from those who can give it, I love even more helping out the newbies.
Reply #7 Top
This is nuts. What are you doing frogboy? Everything he's said (that I have seen) is fair and amicable. Its not a good idea, I'll admit, to take on the creator of a site of something as personal as taste in computers, but I mean, c'mon. What this looks like is a "I dont like you're opinions, therefor you are demoted."

He HAS contributed a ton of stuff to this site...more than me...more than most people. This is a childish waste of time and abuse of power. This thread should be deleted in my opinion. Or am I gonna get Exiled for that too?
[Message Edited]
Reply #8 Top

I might just exile both of you for getting on my nerves or being incredibly dense.

What imaginary access level do you think Macrobaye used to have that he no longer has?

Reply #9 Top
(in other words, did you bother to check his profile before posting? He has been citizen access the whole time - that is why he is able to post).
Reply #10 Top
Frogboy I was an Apprentice, now I'm a Citizen.
Reply #11 Top
If that is the case, *I* didn't change you to citizen from apprentice.  That will have to be looked at.
Reply #12 Top
Haha really??? Hrmmmm...well I'd really appreciate it if you'd look into it a little bit... You can ask Jafo about it, he's the one who made it official a while back... I think it was when I only had about 25,000 DLs... which was a while ago
Reply #13 Top
any news on the ranking?
Reply #14 Top
Conner, might want to wait and check back later this morning on it. just a thought



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