walpurgis nacht Posted February 5, 2003 Posted February 5, 2003 The thread "Crappy Russian Tanks" was locked due to thread hijack, so this debate on name-choice in the forum can continue here, now that it has been labeled "appropriately". I thought we were having an interesting, cordial debate on an issue that is always problematic in a democracy: How much freedom is too much freedom? Of course I should not be "free" to commit murder, I should be "free" to live in a society that condemns and punishes those who murder, etc. _Lock n Load_ responded very elequontly to some of the criticism in the previous, now locked thread "crappy russian tanks". He wrote, "Attempting to objectify that which is subjective is obviously impossible. There are a million different reactions one can have in response to displaying an offensive (whatever that means) name on public domain, ranging from complete indifference to utter indignation. The fact that somebody's feelings are hurt is obviously not a reason to censor another human being's rights of free speech. We only have the right to muffle another if the offender DIRECTLY assaults a person through PHYSICAL means (stealing,striking,coercion through force, etc). If a person is offended by the phrase "purple horses", does that give them the right to try and stop the person using the phrase -- no. If you are offended by a person's statements, the only recourse you have is either intelligent debate or to completely ignore what he/she has to say. Censorship is far more insidious than the pain one may get at having their feelings hurt. For those interested in a fascinating book on the subject, I would recommend the book "Kindly Inquisitors" By John Rauch. At around 150 pages, it is a very quick read and brilliantly exposes Political Correctness for the abortion of human thought that it truly is." So thank you Lock n Load. And please express mail a copy of Mr. Rauch's book to Soddball. Regards, Walpurgis [ February 04, 2003, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: Walpurgis Night ]
mike the wino2 Posted February 5, 2003 Posted February 5, 2003 I want to hear more about MasterGoodAle's "Freedo Of xpression". I really like Fritos, I am a long term supporter of expressing it.
Guest Mike Posted February 5, 2003 Posted February 5, 2003 Dear Mom.... It's a lovely sunny day here, and I'm jsut setting up my deck chair and pouring a G 'n T before watching the afternoon's entertainment. I've got the freezer handy so there's lots of ice, and the lemon tree is fruiting at the moment too - isn't that a wonderful coincidence!! I should be plastered and rolling in the aisles in no time at all. Your loving son
SgtMuhammed Posted February 5, 2003 Posted February 5, 2003 Mom, Gotta type fast. I think they are coming for me again. Just the other day I saw a.......
Moon Posted February 5, 2003 Posted February 5, 2003 There is a more appropriate place to discuss name choices, and that is the General Discussion Forum. I am moving this thread there. It will remain open as long as the discussion remains civilized. For the record, UBB has a filter function which allows us to block certain names. Except for the name Battlefront, no filters are in place currently, because we do believe in freedom of speech, and because we think that reasonable people can behave in a reasonable way. Some names are tasteless, but unless they are clearly offending, we do not judge the person behind it. All too often, however, the alias somebody chooses does reflect on their behaviour on the forum, and it is the latter that will get somebody banned. Martin
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