Agnostic.com

38 5

Let's discuss censorship.

Earlier today I made a post that someone at the Admin level appears to have deleted within minutes of its posting. I nicely asked for an explanation on the community senate board several hours ago but none has been offered. No post of mine has ever been deleted by anyone but myself but with no explanation for it having been a site glitch I have to assume it was deleted intentionally.

So let's take it to the people for discussion.

Now I saw nothing wrong with the post. It was a satire on population control that was written as an attempt at being intentionally controversial. That was one of the suggestions made when I asked for ideas on how to create a successful post -- be controversial. It explored a ridiculous idea to manage human overpopulation. It was written in a semi-serious tone to give it some credibility but it was satire and not meant to be taken seriously. I thought that was still obvious.

Clearly I was successful at being controversial or it wouldn't have been deleted. Controversy tends to inflame people's emotions. If it doesn't, it's probably not going to be especially controversial. My post was controversy wrapped in satire. Another thing, if a post sucks people will ignore it. If they hate it, they'll say so. Point being, a post should be allowed to rise or fall on its merits rather than the random stroke of a censor's hand.

How do you all feel about Admin deciding for you if a post is acceptable or not? Wouldn't you rather decide for yourself or do you require a safe space?

Assuming this post won't be deleted just for asking.

Sgt_Spanky 8 Apr 18
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38 comments

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0

I'm not advocating really harsh or abusive attack(s).

I have been blocked by what could be described as folks not responding to (what I think) are legitimate issues. One blocker, having responded last, accused me of trying to 'get the last word', then blocking me so I could not respond, then UN blocked me the next day. wth ?

17

Let's discuss the purpose of the site.

Agnostic is a non-profit organization that provides a safe place for people to share their thoughts and opinions, get involved in secular causes, keep up with news, and even meet others. Our funding comes from private individuals who want to promote a positive image of atheists, agnostics, humanists and other secular views.

Your post, a satire as it may have been, was about euthanizing people for population control using a scale of earning potential, and solely for the purpose of being controversial. Mission accomplished, controversial it was, and we've allowed plenty of controversial posts before without much censorship. It was removed for the simple reason of wanting people dead. Same goes for every post wishing religious folks and Trump followers die of COVID-19.

Satire or not, figure of speech or not, joke or not, meme or not, making posts about killing people or wishing people dying just doesn't sound like "promoting positive image of atheists, agnostics, humanists and other secular views" does it?

I've put the post back up, hope you are satisfied with the result. If one more member flags it, it would be removed.

cs10 Level 7 Apr 18, 2020

Dark humor and edgy satire are commonplace. Ever hear some of the stuff Carlin used to joke about? Have you ever listened to Jim Jeffries or Bill Burr, or any number of comics or satirists with a harder edge? Admin has never censored any of my posts in the past and no one was ever traumatized by them and many of them displayed the same dark humor.

I was banned for life from the Xian Forums when I re-posted a post that I made here a long time ago. What that demonstrated was how much less anal and uptight this site was than they are. That's a good thing and a point of pride.

My sense of humor can skew dark but I don't advocate for hateful things like racism, misogyny, etc... That post took an idea currently being proposed by our government and took it to its absurd conclusion.

I think you should be more offended by the government's position.

@JohnnyQB Kinda feel I was clear about that above.

@MissKathleen Are you? Without even having read it? That's pathetic. Please block me.

@Sgt_Spanky I'll go with her...self-important old fucks are annoying and life is too short. PS. You're not that funny.

@cs10 It’s a shame he’s making such a big effing deal about it. He needs to move on and find more important things to worry about. I don’t think you should have to defend your decision. Since you have, I 100% support you.

Thank you for this site and for making it such a positive experience.

@Sgt_Spanky the government doesn't have a position on this site. admin does. and by the way, you can call what you do biting satire and someone else can just say it bites. i notice you flatter yourself in that regard. i liked admin's explanation AND they put it back up but you were not finished pouting yet and deleted it. so whose fault is that?

g

11

Their house, their rules. While I probably would disagree with some of the censors, in general I am glad it is not a free-for-all. If I had to deal with offensive material much of the time, then I would probably leave.

@Itsmedammit True! And crazy conspiracy theories. This site could easily go downhill fast if we let any and everything through. Then it would be a miserable vs. a positive experience for the rest of us.

10

They don't always get it right but on the internet it is imposible to have a decent place without people enforcing and deleting stuff. I am grateful to the people that put time and effort into trying to keep.this a decent place.that isn't overrun by trolls and bullies.

MsAl Level 8 Apr 18, 2020

My post didn't fall under either either category.. I wasn't trolling or bullying anyone.

@Sgt_Spanky It does suck when your stuff gets deleted. I've had it happen.

I would say suck it up and move on. Sometimes its just not fair.

9

A) Censorship generally means something the government does. This is a private site, it's their house and their rules. The 1st Amendment has nothing to say about it.

B) That said, I self-censor more than anything. I have a skewed sense of humor, but I ask myself, "Would I want to read this, if someone else wrote it?" and I dial myself back 2 notches.

C) Last but not least, you play with matches, sometimes you get burned. I was once cited (on a gun owners' site, of all places) for using the acronym "WTF". (Which made me say, "What the fuck...?) We have... considerably more leeway here.

I am grateful that this site is pretty hands off about bad language. Otherwise, I would feel seriously handicapped in expressing myself (kind of like driving without ever having the use of my middle fingers) and probably move on from here. I suspect many others feel the same way. We are all adults and can handle profanity.

@TomMcGiverin Moreover, for those who so choose, there's a filter control that actually bleeps out the bad language in your view if you turn it on. It actually turns "fuck" to "f^^^" or "shit" to "s^^^". So users on this site have no excuse for being offended by language; they are in fact choosing to be offended by leaving it unfiltered.

I remind myself, whenever I find myself getting a little salty, that "Anyone who doesn't have the filter turned on must not mind this kind of talk, so... fuck 'em."

7

I am Not known for being "nice" but I have never had a post banned or removed. I have, however, failed to hit that last "post" button & had to start all over! Occam's Razor......
Oh, and BTW, how much are you paying to use this site?

It was posted then censored by Admin.

@AnneWimsey Exactly!

6

Post it again Sarge. I’ve had that before and just reposted and the item has stayed

Admin put it back and I deleted it. They poisoned it so much with their overreaction, it would just get a lot of hate that it likely wouldn't have if they'd just left it alone.

@Sgt_Spanky Aw, Geez Spanky build a bridge and get over it for a change why don't you?
There are much, much bigger problems in the world today than one mere posting.

6

I’ve come to trust their judgement, whoever they are..

Varn Level 8 Apr 18, 2020

Same here.

6

I detest all forms of censorship.
I'm an adult, and I'm completely capable of deciding FOR MYSELF what is offensive,
and what isn't.
I'm also completely capable of ignoring, or responding to, that which I find
disagreeable to me.
For anyone else to make that decision is abhorrent to me.

That said, I don't own this site, and I am not an administrator of this site.
I didn't see the original post which has since been deleted, BUT, I've seen
plenty of other posts that I found particularly unpleasant.
I either ignored them outright, or expressed my displeasure.

Unless it's some sort of legal issue, I would vote an emphatic "NO" against
@Admin, or anyone else other than the OP, electing to delete a post.

There, that's my two cents.

@JohnnyQB I acknowledged that I don't own this site.

@JohnnyQB They don't need my support to do anything.
If someone came in and started doing that, and I didn't want to see it, I'd simply block them.
If Admin wanted to delete said posts, that's their right to do.

That's reasonable to me. I also feel if someone in Admin chooses to delete something they could at least have the courtesy to explain what the issue was in a brief message.

@Sgt_Spanky Agreed. A quick message to explain the purpose of the deletion is reasonable.

@JohnnyQB Has this happened, or just a hypothetical? I doubt it would last long, folks like me would have not trouble confronting someone who would proselytize their religion here.

@JohnnyQB I don't understand why you're forcing the issue with me.
I expressed my position, and feel it's pretty reasonable.

I'm controlling what I wish to be exposed to, without forcing that on anyone else.
I also agreed that Admin is free to do as they see fit, since it's their site.
What's the problem?

3

Here are some controversial population facts. To date, there have been about 160 thousand COVID-19 deaths. Meanwhile, the world's overpopulation has increased by more than 24 MILLION since the beginning of the year.

That is so sad - this species is going to breed itself into extinction, and unfortunately take just about every other species with it. I mean, it's estimated we've only got 60 years or so until all farmable soil is lost the world over. Can you imagine how many people are going to die from starvation? But people just keep poppin' out babies. 😟

@Nunya Quite agree. It seems to me that, apart from automatic babies that are a result of non existent birth control conditions, the Western approach is wanting to have a baby, not a child, not a human being, a baby.

It seems they frequently despair at 2-3 years and again in adolescence, worry when they leave home and then feel guilty when the world they introduced them to closed in.

A halt on new births for a year or so might help the problem might help but that’s not going to happen.

More people, diminishing resources.

What could go wrong?

2

People keep saying that we arent entitiled to free speech in a non-governmental site, but fail to realize that we arent talking about the law, but the principle behind it.

There will always be new powers that will grow to be as or more powerful than the government in certain areas. These powers need to beld to the same principles, legal or not. Thus rights matter, whether legally protected or not - especially if they are not! Just because it isn't protected now doesn't mean it shouldn't be protected. Doesn't mean those rights don't matter. In fact, it matters more! I honestly cannot believe the draconian behavior some people have toward laws. Laws aren't a moral or ethical guideline! That should be obvious!

Free speech matters! It matters! It matters! Especially if you are representing a marginlized group like this site does.

There are several other options than deletion that this site can do. Add warnings about topics. Add age restriction. Blur photos unless permission is given. Add tags, add choices to ignore people if they start abusing the messaging system. There is never ever a need to delete a message. Ever. That power should only be excerised by the OP, not the admins.

I say the admins should let him say what he wants. And we, as individuals, can decides wheter to censor him from our feed. We don't nanny-admins (shudder). They surely have better things to do. My take is if people request censoring a member...point them to instructions on how to block a member.

2

The internet is overrun with people complaining that they have been banned or muted, that somehow the world has done them an injustice and they want to kick up a stink. They sometimes invoke "censorship" or "free speech" or imaginary rights and entitlements (to courtesy, good manners etc, when they have none themselves) without in the least understanding what these things are. I see it over and over, and the bottom line is that nobody owes them a platform and nobody owes them an apology nor so much as an explanation.
An adult just cops it and moves on.

2

If you want no censorship, create your own site and then don't censor it. Don't jump on someone else's site and claim you have been harmed when you haven't. "Censorship" applies to the free press - not to someone's website which has an obvious bias toward atheism. Would you complain if a religious rant had been deleted with no explanation? Probably not.

There is a limit to "controversy" as well. If you cross the line from bad taste to being stupid, then the owner of the site has every right to delete your post from his site with no explanation. And no, YOU don't get to decide what is stupid, unless YOU own the site. So, if you don't like your shit being deleted with no explanation, start your own site, collect thousands of followers and never censor.

See how easy that is?

2

A joke about population control given the current health crisis and the remarks of several idiot GOP regarding their idea that a certain percentage of our population is expendable to save their stock portfolios is tasteless and cruel. I'm glad it was removed.

2

Did you label it as satire (IMO, that would/should make a difference) ?

I've never labeled any post, neither has anyone else. Also it posted a ludicrous idea along with several nonsensical bits that were clearly not to be taken seriously.

@Sgt_Spanky I have labeled posts as OPINION, as (joke); comments as (soapbox), (bragging), (kidding), others.

1

Once I manifested that I disagreed with someone here and I ended up being told "fuck you", being called an idiot and something similar. I think I showed my position in a respectful manner and this kind of answers I got are unacceptable. I might have been blocked by that individual but I don't care, a person that goes that way to discuss a matter when someone disagrees isn't worth any respect. I'm not here to be insulted as well. These are things that the administration must look into. In your case, I don't know what happened, so I give the benefit of the doubt to you and to the administration of this site.

@SeaGreenEyez, well, I don't start telling others to fuck themselves nor calling any names, especially when I know they don't know me at all, that's the point I'm making about being insulted. The posts, if I find them interesting, I react. Is that taking too seriously? I think it's basic manners and respect, that's all. Full consensus will not happen, I agree, which is great. Now, would you tell someone who you don't know to go and fuck himself/herself because he disagrees with you?

@SeaGreenEyez, I really liked your answer, despite I agree or not. It's normal people not to agree. However, I think there's no need to go vulgar just because you don't agree. When I'm unhappy the way someone treats me, usually I cast that person aside, unless I'm proven it was just an unfortunate attitude from him/her. It seems to me that there are people who don't know how to take a different opinion. There are people around here with interesting points of view, many are very worth to have the attention. However, here it's quite good, people use great language (which is great for me, English is my second language). Any football (soccer if you're in the USA) forum would have a lot more aggressive language... Lol!!!

@Paddypereira If being told to go fuck yourself upsets you, you haven't lived in the real world very long. I would have expected someone in Ireland (especially Ireland) to be able to deal with online 'fuck you's like an adult, not like a victim.

@AtheistInNC, from a friend, I don't get bothered about it. From someone who puts something that would be open to discussion, I don't take it, especially when it's someone who's a complete stranger to me. I used to work in retail and, when a customer would tell me that, I wouldn't serve him. Believe me, I worked almost 10 years in a rough area of Dublin and I got too much of it. I don't know but it's a sign of not having proper arguments when someone disagrees. In the least, that's the way I see it. I already had good debates with people and we would never agree but we never started telling the other to fuck himself or calling names. I do curse, believe me, but I don't think there's really need to go that way and starting insulting the other part because you disagree. If someone like me who is using his second language can do it, I think there are no excuses for native speakers not to be able to do it as well.

@SeaGreenEyez, thanks for this reply, it was lovely. I have to absolutely agree that what they reply, and how, it's their reflection, not mine. Unfortunately, we all have to do a "double game", moderating what you say at work and be more relaxed with friends. Nothing we can do about it. I do curse quite a lot, especially when I'm watching a soccer match with my friends. The referee is the main target of my foul language... Lol!!! We have to keep a balance between it all. 😉

@Bobby9, in terms of what they reveal about themselves, as SeaGreenEyez mentioned, I can see where you come from. However, if someone posts here something open to discussion and someone disagrees, I think it's very bad to give a "fuck you" as an answer and being called "idiot" or whatever. If the person wants to show that his/her arguments are shite by acting like that, well I don't have the power to stop them. I don't think I have to take it. I told this before, I already had debates with people where we didn't agree but we never started abusing the other because of that. If I can do that using my second language, a native speaker should be able to do this easier. This doesn't imply being politically correct, just using correct language, that's all. If I'm being a bit idealistic? Perhaps. If you tell me despise is a better reply? You might be right. So far, it was only one piece of shite going that way, so I better not complain too much...

@Bobby9, thanks for your support. After thinking better about you said, I don't need to grow a thicker skin, I need to get an armour... Lol!!! Have a great day, let's try to keep in good humour...

@SeaGreenEyez I find your views intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I never understand why so many get upset about mean words from people they don't know. Even most people they do know. I remember sitting at the pub with a friend who, like me, had recently married a Japanese woman. A few tables away a couple of buzzed up guys were laughing about some asian or other and were talking loud enough for us to clearly hear them. I had to keep him in his chair because he took it personally. I couldn't give a damn what those assholes thought about anything. I wouldn't waste the effort to figure out what percent of the other seven billion people I don't care about they were. But he was livid. There isn't room in my head for more than the handful of people I do love and respect. It took a few times having an eye blacked to realize most people don't feel the same. I just don't get it.

@burnhippiesfor, that people don't feel the same, it's fine. In the situation I described, the guy decided to go that way with me, which I didn't find correct from him and, according to what I defend, it was a sign of weakness and lack of good arguments from his side, which is really his problem but I don't think I have to take it the way he addressed me. Now, when people want to talk shite about me I simply don't care. In the early years of starting listening to heavy metal many people accused me of being gay, being a junkie, being a Satan worshipper and many other things. Funny how the rotten true stories never were about me, it was always about people they thought were the respectable ones... so it depends on the situation.

1

I hate censorship and have suspected what you are saying but I have no proof. It's sort of like when you cannot explain or find something. At that point your mind usually makes something up. I have lots of items that I lose, for example, and later I find them right there in plain sight.

1

I'm not sure why, but there seem to be a lot of people who do not understand that irony/sarcasm/satire inherently does not translate well on the internet. You should not expect people (many of whom don't know you at all) to know that your satire is "obvious", unless it is so totally labeled that way, that it cannot be mistaken for anything but satire. Further, even if it is obvious, it may be in such awful taste in the opinion of others that I can see a board admin deleting something that should not have seen the light of day in their view, even if they are wrong in the opinion of others.... if they have retained the right to do so in how they have framed the terms of service.

I didn't read your post and don't know exactly what's going on, but probably they should have explained things to you. Still, if you were going out of your way to be offensive (and it sounds like you were) then I can see them blowing off the task.

It's possible that if I knew more I would be offended at the local non-governmental censorship, but so far that's my initial reaction to what you wrote out above.

I did read your post as to wanting to figure out ways to get more responses, but my belated response on that is that we are coming from a different place and I can't imagine just deleting my work because it did not get some sort of quick response. Still, if you are that concerned to get quick responses, I suggest joining some groups where people clearly are into some of the same things you are, and are friendlier than the usual random-strangers aspect of things, and perhaps you will get more good responses and feedback.

kmaz Level 7 Apr 19, 2020

Good point. If I see a very controversial post I automatically assume that it is meant to be ironic, unless it is by a member of the conservative group, but since I have been banned from that group I am denied that pleasure now.

@Moravian

These days I assume if I see a particularly nasty post, to my eye another possibility is that it is someone deliberately (consciously or unconsciously, I"m not sure it matters) taking advantage of confusion over un-labeled irony/satire/sarcasm to spout nonsense (whether malicious or otherwise) and then, if challenged, to hide behind the idea that it "obviously" should have been interpreted as irony/satire/sarcasm. When such a challenge and response happens, the additional confusion is that there is no way to know for sure if the author originally meant fully what was written. The author themselves may not even have allowed themselves to know. As I said, I see some folks as just taking advantage of the confusion to do this. I usually default to taking it literally/seriously, and if the author doesn't like that approach, and if they then may want to respond to me that they were "obviously" being satirical, then how is it obvious if I don't know them? If they then want to hide behind the idea that no thinking person could possibly mean such things literally, and my failure to understand their post as ironic is a sign of a lack of sharpness on my part, my response is that I still don't know for certain if they meant the things they said or wrote, or partly meant them, but that they are now additionally guilty of pretending that the internet is not filled to the brim with all manner of nonsense, a lot of it, if challenged, half-hiding behind claims of sarcasm. Not that I have actually carried out this conversation, I'm just saying, that's the chain of thought, on my end.

This is a part of why fake news continues to thrive - because the authors sometimes are able to hide in the muddy waters of claims (ingenuous or otherwise) of satire. It also probably relates, at least in some part, to how the more ridiculous aspects of supernatural beliefs have continued to survive in human culture.

1

I'm not a fan of censorship, however this is the admins sandbox and not ours. They make the rules. It is a free social media platform. I've had a few of my posts sensored before without explanation....sometimes that's just how it is.

1
There is NOTHING that will drive me away quicker than censorship. If that continues unchecked, I'll be looking for a better place to meet my non-believing friends.

Bah Humbug, he probably just forgot to hit that final "post" button.

this being a private site and the site having rules, usually just regarding not hurting one another, the site has a right to decide what may and may not be said on it. you have the right to do exactly what you said, find another venue, if this displeases you, but there will be precious few (if any) sites of value that don't have rules, and most of the rules will be stricter than the ones you encounter here. it takes an awful lot to get censored here; ag got com doesn't do it lightly.

g

@genessa Thank you. I'm glad to hear that.

1

Youve been a member here for awhile. Im sure youve seen the thin skinned in action here before. Theres lots of them. Tbf i actually understand the fear that this site could become like 8chan (overwhelmed with predatory trolls and conspiracy theorists and wing-nuts), but i do agree with you.

Very few people care to understand the brutality of dark humor, even if the pay homage to its existence. I keep thinking itd be best to have a group where people could excpress themselves like that, but then i look at the mini feifdoms and dumpster fires that exist as groups now, and realuuze my folly. So, at anyrate, here we are,

Censorship has never been an issue here before. The site was better for it. Now someone has decided to make it a thing. It's a bad precedent to be set. Even without it no one ever posted any overtly repugnant content. Do we suddenly need a babysitter?

@Sgt_Spanky its been an issue since day 1 here, and ive been around in one form or another for almost that long. Overall, id say the level of butt hurt whiners here have decreased, but admin/whoever works for him, has actually gotten more aggressive about monitoring the content of posts. Anyhow, ive had all sorts of stuff deleted, most of it was petty AF. Thats one of the awesome features of people who are either volunteers or do gooders- the have all kinds of feelings of emotional superiority that allow them be little tyrants. Cre a vie

1

We have a new Administrator on the site. He needs some breaking in. Lol

I was thinking the same thing.

I think he or she is doing a great job...and I appreciate the space provided to all of us "heathens".

1

You may have been reported by people.

Wasn't up long enough for that. At any rate, Admin put it back and I've deleted it since they've poisoned it beyond redemption. I felt it was a good piece of dark satire but whatever.

@Sgt_Spanky I’m a moderator in another realm, believe it or not 😕 It’s not easy enforcing the rules and not stepping on a toe or two.. I’ve appreciated your posts, if they haven’t required too much thinking… And, you’re taking it well 🙂

@Varn Thanks for that. 👍

1

With the Coronavirus killing thousands people are probably sensitive about population control.....especially if you are over 65 years of age with health problems.

I like the way the "congress-critter" ( R ) from TX (during the Bill Mahr video posted today) put this : "I try not to be offensive, but I try harder to not be offended". 🙂

My concept of population control is limiting births, not getting rid if the old.

Yes....as an older person I understand this concept. @dahermit

1

Guess you got what you wanted, post back up--hopefully you take what the admin said to heart or maybe to brain.
p.s. per the comment above me, it's their site and they can do as they please. I guess your comment may serve as a warning to people though that if they post about killing people they may get censored.

lerlo Level 8 Apr 18, 2020

The post is gone. I deleted it. Admin poisoned it beyond redemption. My post was a clear absurdism based on some Rs in Congress advocating foe the elderly to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the economy. I just took that position to its outlandish conclusion.

@Sgt_Spanky as you're probably aware, social media is the most difficult place to try and show or determine a sense of humor. Might I suggest many happy faces emojis or laughing faces after the next post if that's your intention. Might work

@lerlo I disagree...we have lots of humor here but if your post is offensive to the masses, it will get reported and/or deleted. Grow up and move on if you cannot handle it.

@ReadyforaChange you are exactly why they have the block feature on this site "grow up?" You probably get offended waking up in the morning and have zero sense of humor which is not surprising. I'll let you read this and then I'll block your lack of sense of humor ignorant being

0

Perhaps it was posted in an inappropriate group or category? I was barred for posting something in the Deviant Sex group. So..........

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