A Discussion Regarding Censorship
I have always noticed it in the past, but it hasn't bothered me up until now. You all have probably seen it before in the site talk section. Someone asks a question regarding the site/moderating, a moderator will answer, and promptly lock the thread. This is the usual question-and-response routine. But what I am here to discuss is a slightly more serious version of this situation.
Whenever a user questions/criticizes a moderator or rule, it begins to happen. People will express their views, whether positive or negative, passively or strongly, etc. Then, as soon as negative comments are made towards the moderation team, comments get deleted, and the thread gets locked. You may ask why, but the answer is simple. The moderators are attempting to silence opposition and prevent the spread of negative opinions. This is essentially censorship.
However, I do partially understand the reason behind locking and deleting threads. Wherever and whenever there is negativity, a troll will appear. It's a common aspect of psychology, the mob mentality. The moderators' job is to keep the site clean and friendly, so they have to shut down rule-offenders. But, this is not a reason to close the thread down altogether. You cannot use the possibility of extreme-offenders as an excuse to stop a discussion.
Users should not be restricted to just send tickets that may or may not be read. We should be able to freely discuss our views within the community. And isn't the whole point of the deputy system to incorporate us in the moderating of the site?
TLDR:
To conclude, you cannot use your fear of flames to douse all forms of fuel. You have to give everyone the chance to express their words appropriately, and then act accordingly. I created this thread to discuss the current censorship that seems to be occurring around here.
I respect the moderators, as they are volunteers who dedicate their efforts to cleaning up the site for us. So I hope that in return, they will at least respect me as a rule-abiding user who is interested in the status of this forum.
Thank you for taking your time to read this.
1 Comment • Newest first
The answer as to why that happens is because Mr. Basil has said that's how he wants it handled.
Anyone wishing to express an opinion about their concerns about anything involving Basilmarket is welcome to connect directly with Mr. Basil and let their concerns be known to him by submitting a ticket. But not in the public forums.