Has anyone else noticed that conservative views are censored on this board?

I have noticed that if you post threads that have a conservative slant or even a pro-US slant they are trashed or removed, yet if you post "Busdh is satan" it is left alone. I have also noticed that pro-american sentiment is often censored as well or at least discouraged.

I do not have a problem with freedom of expression or thought until one group is favored over the other. You make yourselves instant hypocrites by censoring ideas which you disagree with.


What do some of you think?

I don't recall anything being censored exactly.
It does seem that those views aren't awfully popular here.
Hard to tell really.

I wonder if "the other side" has the same perception though?

I think that you miss an important issue, been against the policies of governments, is not been anti American, been a patriot doesn't mean agreeing with everything government do.

Our constitution encourage criticism of government that is also part of free speech.

Just because some criticize our government like me it doesn't mean criticism of the nation.

I love my nation as much as any other American.

But loving a nation doesn't mean that I am going to kiss up to the government and keep quiet because misguided understanding of what patriotism is all about.

Been conservative has lost its meaning since the members of the party that supports that term not longer follow the rules that the party was founded under.

Is no good to cling to ideologies that no longer has any meaning by the people that preach them.

Originally posted by XphilesPhan
What do some of you think?

Before I respond, I wanted to make it known that I, like Marg, take issue with the fact that you seem to be conflating conservatism and nationalism. Two different concepts, though they sometimes overlap.

On topic: I agree with you, that there aren't nearly enough 'conservative-oriented' threads, but I bet I reached my conclusion by a different route than you did.

Initially, I noticed that the same few (ostensibly conservative) posters kept popping up in threads that, based on their opinions, I didn't think they would click on, much less post in. They would derail the topic to such an extent that I found them to be disruptive. IMO, they didn't simply disagree with the opinions stated in the threads (which may have also caused them to be disruptive), but that they disagreed with the very premise, that we were giving it any serious thought at all. That led me to wonder why they didn't just start threads of their own. It seemed like they enjoyed derailing us.

If you're suggesting that it's an ATS conspiracy, that gives me another angle to ponder.

First and foremost, let me say this: Every ideology is welcome here without fear of official discrimination or official tolerance of member-to-member abuse.
PTS seeks to be an active, successful discussion board with a civilized atmosphere and interesting, intelligent content. Controversy is a big part of where the interesting and intelligent content comes from, so we don't censor ideas.


Anywho...

I think a lot of the percieved slant is just a reflection of public opinion. The balance is upset right now, most people disapprove of the Republican party.

I started the Bush admin as a neocon. I have not disowned many of the premises which led me to the neoconservative conclusion, but I have applied those premises more specifically as I continued to learn and as I witnessed the faults of a neoconservative administration in action.

As such, I have posted some very neoconish things on ATS, and have at times have been applauded tremendously for it. I was never censored or treated unfairly either by staff or members for it.

As I've adapted my position to better align with my ever-growing understanding of the world, I have taken more liberal stances in some areas. I believe it has helped my popularity, but I have not been unduely favored in any official way.


Now, I sorta think that maybe the far right gets itself in more trouble around here than the far left, although I can't prove it and I haven't got all the numbers, but I don't think that's a product of prejudice.

In my own experience, although not necessarily in reality, it seems to me that the far left can be very immature and very annoying, but they have a childlike ability to play the same frustrating, ridiculous game for hours and hours on end without crossing the line.

The far right, on the otherhand, seems to me to be a little more high strung. For some reason, I think I have observed that Republicans snap and break the rules a little easier.

So while both sides have their bad eggs, my own incomplete experience, as I recall it all, suggests that one side's faults are less egregious to the T&C as a matter of coincidence.


Finally, conservatives, unfortunately, have some allies that most of them probably wish they didn't have.

Conservatives do not seem like bad or unintelligent people to me on the norm, and I don't think they want the support of unsavory groups, but they get it.

Some people, though hopefully not many, are on the conservative side when it comes to the war on terror, homosexuality, immigration, etc not because they have weighed the merits of conservative philosophies of government and seen the wisdom of a conservative position but because they hate somebody who that particular conservative policy is bad for.

Even though these malefactors would not be accepted as allies by most conservatives, they get lumped in with conservatives because they have jumped behind a conservative policy, just for less honorable reasons.

I certainly do not think that any part of the percieved disparity that arises there constitutes a bias against conservatives. A guy who gets banned for using slurs, promoting violence, or attacking another member is not a censored conservative; he's a parasite leeching credibility from a legitimate political movement just so that he can feel better about himself at the expense of some minority.

Now I may be going way out on a limb here. Possibly pushing a stereotypical view along the way. But, in my opinion, there are "far" more conspiracy theorist types that hold liberal left wing views. I mean it's almost a conservative thing to laugh at people that push conspiracy theories right?

As far as conservatives getting into more trouble? I have to agree. It can get frustrating on here when you get outnumbered and overwhelmed by the liberal majority. Some people slip up once and that's all it takes.

Originally posted by LostSailor

It can get frustrating on here when you get outnumbered and overwhelmed by the liberal majority. Some people slip up once and that's all it takes.

I agree with you on that statement, lostSailor, I have seen also how different groups team up to target some issues.

I also feel frustrated when that happen to me.

But like anything in our nation when it comes to very specific issues and topics, including politics we are indeed a divided nation.

Even here in ATS we have become divided.

I do not believe conservative views are censored it is just that there are more posts with a liberal approach because conservatives are outnumbered here. I try me best to bring balance.

[edit on 3-1-2007 by spinstopshere]