Subject: RE: BS: Censorship on Mudcat
From: Joe Offer - PM
Date: 19 Mar 05 - 10:52 PM

Well, the irony of it all is that Shambles has never been censored. He has always been allowed to say exactly what he wants to say. Now, I will admit that we have sometimes thwarted his desire to post multiple copies of the same message in multiple threads, and we have combined threads when he has see fit to start multiple threads on the same subject - but at least one copy of every word Shambles has written remains posted here at Mudcat.

I have just tried to establish the true situation and present this here for our forum to judge against the 'spin' - the extent and manner of which the ordinary poster's freedom of expression is slowly being eroded on our forum by imposition from their fellow posters.

Please note the date of the above post. The claims contained in it were incorrect then. Dispite this being corrected by me at the time - the same incorrect claim has publicly been made again in this thread. Any reassurances given - that are based on knowingly incorrect information - should be seen in that light and raise the question why.

Anywhere else it would probably not need to be pointed out that the victim of imposed censorship may be more likely to remember this imposed curtailment of their free expression - that those who are imposing upon them - as a matter of routine.


Jeri - this talk about anyone 'choosing ememies' is just silly (especially coming from a volunteer fellow poster. There are simply different points of view being expressed in this thread on a discussion forum - provided for that purpose to the public by the site's owner Max.

Do you still accept that all of these views are equally valid. Ignoring these views and facts - again and again may become tedious - but they do not lose their validity - however tedious ignoring them and making personal judgements upon the poster expressing them - becomes

Most folk only have the perfectly sufficient choice to open this thread or not - to respond in it or not or to ignore it. Some have a further option of imposing their judgement upon the views of their fellow posters. And following this public judgemental example - it often appears that whole point of our forum has become to encourage all posters to feel they have to also judge every aspect of each others personality and motivation.

Perhaps a more welcoming and more tolerant example can now be shown by those who appear to ready to accept their privileges but less ready to accept the responsibility that goes with it (especially the right to be known and to stand by your actions)?

All this imposition and judgement upon fellow posters displayed here - changes nothing - it just makes further pointless judgement by fellow posters - of fellow posters more likely.