Censorship and derailment

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Can I just point out that reporting a post is not "telling tales", it's expressing an opinion that a post is inappropriate in some way. Everyone is entitled to use that facility, and it provides a way for posts to be identified that cause concern without the need for flame wars in the threads themselves. We don't need to have a witch hunt after the fact to establish who complained. Those people were entitled to complain, if they felt there was something to complain about.

[TripleS]

Can I just point out that reporting a post is not "telling tales", it's expressing an opinion that a post is inappropriate in some way. Everyone is entitled to use that facility, and it provides a way for posts to be identified that cause concern without the need for flame wars in the threads themselves. We don't need to have a witch hunt after the fact to establish who complained. Those people were entitled to complain, if they felt there was something to complain about.

Well obviously I'm not an independent observer, but in my view there wasn't a reasonable basis for complaint, and certainly I don't like the anonymous aspect of it. Whoever they were I think it was a pretty poor show. Possibly they were the sort of people who can't bear to hear views contrary to their own.

It's probably right to have the option of reporting obscene or seriously offensive posts, but in this case I think it was misused and it seems to have ended up causing more ill-feeling than the simple comment that gave rise to it.

It might partly be me getting frustrated and grumpy in my old age, but when I believe things are going wrong, and they are of sufficient concern to me, I can't help but try to suggest what I feel to be a better approach. Thursday presents us with a very rare and special opportunity to start putting right a mistake that was made above 40 year ago, and I hope we shall have the courage and confidence to do it. Life is not just about economics.

Best wishes,
Dave.

PS - hopefully a harmless one this time TripleS means Swift, Smooth, Safe. The 'system' is my own, and may not be fully compatible with others.

[Gareth]

Well obviously I'm not an independent observer, but in my view there wasn't a reasonable basis for complaint

In my view it was a reasonable basis for complaint, in that the sentence didn't in any way fit into the existing thread, even taking drift into account. If you had started a new thread to express that opinion then, in my view, it would have been perfectly fine.

For what it's worth, one of the standard reasons for a complaint is that a comment was off-topic which, in this case, it was.

[Silk]

Can I just point out that reporting a post is not "telling tales", it's expressing an opinion that a post is inappropriate in some way. Everyone is entitled to use that facility, and it provides a way for posts to be identified that cause concern without the need for flame wars in the threads themselves. We don't need to have a witch hunt after the fact to establish who complained. Those people were entitled to complain, if they felt there was something to complain about.

In that case, I'm entitled to my opinion of them, which I will keep to myself.

[jont-]

Can I just point out that reporting a post is not "telling tales", it's expressing an opinion that a post is inappropriate in some way. Everyone is entitled to use that facility, and it provides a way for posts to be identified that cause concern without the need for flame wars in the threads themselves. We don't need to have a witch hunt after the fact to establish who complained. Those people were entitled to complain, if they felt there was something to complain about.

In that case, I'm entitled to my opinion of them, which I will keep to myself.

Feel free to share. We have thick skins....








... and ban hammers

[Silk]

Can I just point out that reporting a post is not "telling tales", it's expressing an opinion that a post is inappropriate in some way. Everyone is entitled to use that facility, and it provides a way for posts to be identified that cause concern without the need for flame wars in the threads themselves. We don't need to have a witch hunt after the fact to establish who complained. Those people were entitled to complain, if they felt there was something to complain about.

In that case, I'm entitled to my opinion of them, which I will keep to myself.

Feel free to share. We have thick skins....








... and ban hammers

I'm not going to take the bait. I've made my point. Do with that as you will.

[TripleS]

Well obviously I'm not an independent observer, but in my view there wasn't a reasonable basis for complaint

In my view it was a reasonable basis for complaint, in that the sentence didn't in any way fit into the existing thread, even taking drift into account. If you had started a new thread to express that opinion then, in my view, it would have been perfectly fine.

For what it's worth, one of the standard reasons for a complaint is that a comment was off-topic which, in this case, it was.

Well in that case I simply disagree with the way this situation is treated.

If an off topic comment is going to be seen as a justification for a complaint, this place is too intolerant for me.

[akirk]

This place is very tolerant...
That doesn't stop people complaining
Alasdair

[TripleS]

This place is very tolerant...
That doesn't stop people complaining
Alasdair

Yes, I agree that on the whole it has appeared to be very tolerant, but I think we've hit a problem here if we regard off-topic comments as justification for a complaint which will, moreover, be instantly upheld and acted upon, and without any reference to the original perpetrator.

Anyhow, I think we're all pretty tired of this now. Just remove all my posts and ban me; that'll fix it best. I mean that, so please do it.

Best wishes for the future success of the improved forum,
Dave.

[hir]

Well obviously I'm not an independent observer, but in my view there wasn't a reasonable basis for complaint

In my view it was a reasonable basis for complaint, in that the sentence didn't in any way fit into the existing thread, even taking drift into account. If you had started a new thread to express that opinion then, in my view, it would have been perfectly fine.

For what it's worth, one of the standard reasons for a complaint is that a comment was off-topic which, in this case, it was.

Well in that case I simply disagree with the way this situation is treated.

If an off topic comment is going to be seen as a justification for a complaint, this place is too intolerant for me.

Or, more generally:

"If an off topic comment is going to be seen as justification for a complaint", most topics would never get beyond three or four postings before they got locked by the men with the keys.