Ghostfooting

critical reading for the rude

dontcensorme.com

Oh, just shut it.

‘”I hope to hold websites accountable for their actions and re-balance the power that a user has online. Free speech should be global and not just a concept for the outside world. A virtual forum should be no different than a coffee shop. And we wouldn’t stand for someone getting kicked out of a coffee shop because they said Linux sucks.”‘

No. Quit your whining. If you’re in my coffee shop and you piss me off, I kick you out. It’s my coffee shop. I am the proprietor. You enjoy coffee here on my terms, or you take your business (and comments) elsewhere. Freedom of speech in the public square — but in my coffee shop, I will bounce your ass right out for talking smack, and rightly so.

(via Wired)

November 30, 2007 - Posted by | biz, info sci, personomy | , , , ,

3 Comments »

  1. Well, yes. Amazing how some people confuse public fora with private places (even private places that are public). I don’t “censor” comments for disagreeing with me on my blog, but I sure as … well, will for other reasons that I’d guess these folks would call “censorship.” And, as a strong believer in free speech, not give it another thought.

    (I still remember when the sadly departed Wilson Library Bulletin exercised its publisher’s right not to print–or, actually, not to provide free additional copies of–a particular paid column and was accused of censorship by librarians who bloody well should have known better…)

    Comment by walt crawford | November 30, 2007 | Reply

  2. I totally agree. People really need to understand the concept of free speech a little better. Yes, you can say a lot of things, but saying these things carry consequences. As long as these consequences are brought by private parties and are nonviolent then I’m generally ok with that. It’s like that whole Dixie Chicks junk. The government didn’t punish them, their audience did. Likewise, if they had a heckler they could, and should, remove them from the audience and not refund the ticket price…

    Every day in every way I am becoming less and less impressed with the concept of human intelligence.

    Comment by Spencer | November 30, 2007 | Reply

  3. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

    Comment by victoria | December 3, 2007 | Reply


Leave a comment

« Previous | Next »