The issue of "Freedom of Speech" on ATS

Originally posted by GringoViejo
I don't really care. I act how I act and if the Mods or whoever else have a problem with it, they can ban me.

"Terms and Conditions" are only important to those who write them, in reality they are meaningless.

In summary, I have the right to act how I want. Just as the mods have the choice to disallow this profile from posting anymore.

Much simpler in my book

That's actually quite apt. The T&C is an agreement between the individual member and the site. Violate it and the staff will have no other alternative than to act on the desecration of said agreement. Thanks for pointing that out.

Originally posted by intrepid
That's actually quite apt. The T&C is an agreement between the individual member and the site. Violate it and the staff will have no other alternative than to act on the desecration of said agreement. Thanks for pointing that out.

It's nice to see that in today's economy, people are still working.

But really, this isn't the place to try and use 'freedom of speech" as a defense.This site doesn't represent just one country (or its laws), it represents tons of countries.

Plus, if you get banned think of it as trial and error. Come back to the site, but don't do the last thing you did

Try, Try Again

Originally posted by GringoViejo
Plus, if you get banned think of it as trial and error. Come back to the site, but don't do the last thing you did

Turns out quite a few people do that. Some of them return only to head right back to the scene of the crime and get banned again. Heck, a few people make a career of it. Rather creepy, really, but such is the Internet.

Others return and start over as new members. Some of them go on to become some of our best members, in my opinion. Once in a while, we'll discover such cases, usually by accident or because a member will ask about getting the old account restored (which we rarely, but occasionally, do). If they're cool about it, we want to be cool about it, too.

Some folks are banned, shake the dust of ATS off their feet and never return, even as guests. If they can't get past it, that's probably for the best.

ATS definitely isn't for everyone, or most people, for that matter, but for those who do like what we have to offer and are willing to play by the rules, we want you to be happy here.

Yeah, okay, so you can't talk about absolutely anything you want on ATS. There are limits. But for anyone feeling too chafed by that, please just take a casual stroll through our forums. Better yet, make a point of checking out all of them.

The range of things we can and do talk about every day is absolutely incredible.

Take advantage of it!

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


I tend to think of ATS and any other websites a persons "digital home". And like any home, you decide what's allowed under your roof. ATS isn't some random iStreet in public domain where anyone can shout nearly whatever they want.

But people don't tend to realize this so they get their panties all up in a bunch and claim you're anti-FoS. Only on the information super highway.

This is probably my favorite website. I come here every day to at least read. I learn something new about topics or people and thoroughly enjoy it.

I'm responding for the above reason and one other, which wasn't so agreeable.

I believe the "rules" are of course very subjective. You can choose to allow or ban anything based on your personal beliefs and get away with it. It's just a fact.

I posted an article about my experience as a white person with reverse racism. It was banned and destroyed by a mod with what I took as a flippant "take it or leave it" attitude. Citing the T&C for me didn't convince me I had stepped outside anything.

Why do I have the feeling that if I were posting from the other perspective I would have no problem posting?

I believe a "liberal" ideal is sort of expected here (not necessarily a bad thing by any means), and that includes a bit of "white guilt" unfortunately, which to me explains what happened. I got the feeling that the content and tone of the discussion just didn't matter, the topic just wasn't going to be allowed because that idea wasn't appreciated here.

So while I still enjoy the site very much, there is a certain slant to it here and there and while it's a "private" site, when your popularity becomes so great and an identity is established by users, maybe it becomes a little more "public' than anyone wants to admit.

This website certainly IS NOT what it used to be. Freedom of Speech is a right granted to every FREE-BORN AMERICAN that is held sacred and is IMMUTABLE.

I have been on the internet for 35 years before it became the internet...while it was mainly BBS, government & university communications...before there was commercial-based and fodder-based BS like it is today.

I must state as a 13 year veteran of ATS this site has went straight down, content down...reliability down...PURPOSE STRAIGHT DOWN!

Now, ATS is basically an outlet for people with serious issues which btw they should take to health professionals instead of a CONSPIRATORIAL BASED FORUM like ATS WAS.

I guess money does change everything...

reply to post by maestromason


Really?

reply to post by intrepid


Yes intrepid, really!

Originally posted by maestromason
Freedom of Speech is a right granted to every FREE-BORN AMERICAN that is held sacred and is IMMUTABLE.

That's not correct.

The constitution guarantees no laws will be initiated that infringe on your freedom of speech.

ATS is privately owned. While we support free expression, absolute freedom of speech was never a guarantee here.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Marvellous! Thank you, was gonna raise the issue today, as last night just showed how brain dead nasty cowards use the Freedom Of Speech to Troll issues they often know very little, if anything at all about

Back in the 90's , I had to admin a BB very much like this one i.e 10's of thousands of users from various countries and conflicting views .

It never was an easy job and the freedom of speech issue has always been the ONE issuen that has kept creeping up into the conversations between the mods .

One can never please all of the audience , unfortunately .

Originally posted by Decronite
brain dead nasty cowards

I guess you missed the part about taunting language...

Originally posted by maestromason
This website certainly IS NOT what it used to be. Freedom of Speech is a right granted to every FREE-BORN AMERICAN that is held sacred and is IMMUTABLE.

I guess money does change everything...

Your first assertion is patently false. There are slander and libel laws. Perjury laws. You can't make false police reports. That's criminal.

The second assertion needs to be looked at more deeply.

Money comes from traffic to the site. Traffic to the site comes from the site being a good user experience. The owners of the site have every inventive to provide the best user experience possible, and this game is measured in money.

If you want to create a different user experience you are free to start your own forum, or use another forum. In my experience, this forum is BY FAR the best forum I've used in terms of the mods, owners, and staff creating a great user experience for thousands of people all over the world, with differing opinions on just about everything.

This site is an example of the evolution of culture and global community in the new digital age, where self-policing is the norm, raising everybody's standards individually, and as a group.

I just trashed a ridiculous thread about the topic this very informative thread covered years ago. SO, if you found this looking for the ridiculous thread, GOOD! Read this one instead.

For those who want to deny history, the holocaust of WWII specifically (again) go do it somewhere else. We seek to DENY ignorance here, not embrace it.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

So many people have been conditioned to be abusive or malicious to obtain a pulse of glee. This is sad evidence for that person's lack of joy in their life. I have even seen lead sociopaths train those around them to anticipate a pulse of glee in this manner. It is like food for dark disciples. They offer a substitute fulfillment in exchange for fellowship and the support of their own narcissistic delusions. Some have now even forced the abuse on the public under the guise of "free speech". Is this psychopathy really necessary for the human race to progress? If not, illuminate and discard them!

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I've got no beef with any of that. Any time I am warned, I figure I probably deserve it.

You should be aware of the common loopholes, however.

A lot of posters use weasel-words, which contain all of the negatives you describe, and imply a connection to anyone who opposes their argument. They do this so that they can slander, vilify and name-call those in a thread they disagree with, without getting warned or banned.

It's chickensuck behavior, but it exists, it is real and it is functionally the same thing as violating the TOS.

Examples are readily available in any thread which promotes "men's rights," or seeks to vilify "feminazis," or LGBT, and it happens every single day.

Their favorite word is "cuck," they are terrified that their masculinity is on trail or under attack, and they always claim to represent a "dying breed" or "real men," whatever the hell that means.

Best,

0z.

This thread showed in the recent list despite no post today. Stated as 1 hour ago. Before this post, obviously.

Invisible touch to a thread by the staff?

a reply to: roadgravel

Perhaps it was done so as a reminder about Freedom of Speech on a privately owned website.

Maybe...

a reply to: roadgravel

Most likely.

Been a lot of people yelling "FREEDOM OF SPEECH!" lately due to certain events here on ATS.

The OP of this thread should serve as a good reminder that this is a PRIVATELY OWNED web site.

People just need a reminder once in a while.