Another day. And another post gets pulled. Why? The short of it was me poking fun at Team USA Men’s Basketball and Women’s Soccer Teams losing thier opening round games. Nothing profane or cruel mind you. I guess it offended some people with rather heightened sensitivities. I find this rather humorous because I noticed in another topic that our good friend Swiney was giving an impassioned speech defending the First Amendment when some posters didn’t approve some of our Olympians taking the ole knee at the games. Swiney has a history of launching a few offensive bombs himself over the years. Noticed most of his posts are still up. Kinda makes you think doesn’t it? In truth, I knew my post on the Basketball and Soccer Teams losing would get yanked before I typed them out. So why did I do it? As Swiney articulated. The First Amendment. As an American citizen, I have a Right to speak my mind without fear of punishment or reprisals. And yes. That goes for “Private” forums such as this. Forums like this ARE the new town square. I know that the Moderators will use the “Private” Platform excuse as a crutch to squash any opinions they don’t like. I often here from politicians on my side of the aisle say things like “this is not a fight worth having.” or " This is not the hill to die on.". You know what? for me, Freedom of speech is a hill worth dying on. And if I die on that hill alone? So be it.
I didn’t see your post & have no idea why it was pulled. However, you’re way off base claiming your right to free speech is violated. As you note, this is a private forum and the publishers’ right to its freedom of speech trumps your freedom of speech. It has always been that way. You’re free to set up your own board & make your own rules or you can go to one where the rules are more to your liking, but you have no constitutional right to say anything here. The owners have the right to be arbitrary and capricious if they want to be. (Note: not saying they are either one.)
Probably went too much into the political realm is my guess. If so, the moderators exercised their well-published plan to pull it. If not, pardon me.
For the life of me, I don’t understand how people don’t understand the 1st amendment, as well as the rest of the Bill of Rights. They were written as restrictions to the FEDERAL government. That’s it. Nothing else. Not private corporations, social media outlets, forums, etc.
Gentlemen. Thank you for your responses. I would like to emphasize something. It is not language that people like that needs protecting. But language people despise. Again. I was making fun of the Teams losing. Nothing profane, cruel, or even political for that matter. As for Private Corporations. Please note that many Social Media Platforms HAVE accepted Federal Dollar in the past and also cooperate with the Federal Government on multiple occasions. Also, many of these Corporation now have more money, power, and influence than most nations on this planet. The Federal Government and these Corporations now actively monitor Platforms for Disinformation as well as misinformation. But what am I saying. This is all for our own good. Nothing to be concerned about here. Well. Unless YOU post something they don’t like.
I’m not following your last post. Regardless, WHS has a perfect right to censor your posts for any reason or no reason. It’s not the gov’t.
Never thought I would see the day Censorships would be so popular. Or that Free Speech so out of fashion. I know. If I don’t like it here, go to another site. The rules are the rules. I’m sure me going to another site would make some here very happy. But I’m staying. As for the rules, I just wish they would be applied equally across the board. If they are not, they are not rules at all.
As for this part, I don’t disagree with you.
I think that’s a stretch to say it’s popular. Respondents are just explaining what is allowed or not allowed by the 1st Amendment.
This is not the town square, nor is it a bar or any other thing you want to use as a comparison. I didn’t see the post. But I guess if you want to make fun of something, maybe another forum is the better place. You surely can find one that is like the town square or a bar.
I don’t get up in the morning with the desire to read someone making fun of someone else. I guess that makes me different.
Here is my reaction (I did not see nor read your first post).
You are right…you have the right to post anything you want to - here or anywhere else.
By the same token, the owners and operators of this (or any such board) have every right to exclude/remove content that they feel is inflammatory, derogatory, libelous or just plain in bad taste, as they define it.
You are then welcome to stay and post/read, under those circumstances…or to choose to read/post elsewhere.
So, in other words, you have the right to post but no right to complain if something you do post is removed, unless others post essentially the same thing and are and that content is allowed to stay. In other words, unless it’s just a YOU thing and not about WHAT you are posting.
I cannot have a store and say you cannot come in because (pick one or more) of your race, or your gender, or your age, or your religious beliefs. However, I CAN remove you if you cause damage, or bother other patrons, or reek with BO because you haven’t bathed in a month, or are using X-rated language. In other words, it’s not about YOUR THOUGHTS…it’s about your actions. In this case, the forum is “the store” and posts “in bad taste” would be “what you did”.
Simple.
Um no
One last thing before I call it a day. Someday this “Revolution” to end speech some don’t like will end. Those of you who have enjoyed, relished, and participated in getting speech censored, canceled, banned and so forth will go about your business and pretend you never engaged it. I hope one day you will think long and hard about it and resolve to never participate in something similar again.
I think many people forget that other people have rights, too. Mine don’t always trump yours. Sometimes yours trumps mine.
Speech has consequences, and the First Amendment was never intended to remove them. Call your girlfriend ugly and soon you won’t have a girlfriend. Tell your boss he’s a moron, you won’t have a job. You’re free to say anything you want. But then you have to live with the consequences. You’re lucky that the consequences here are just getting deleted occasionally.
And don’t forget, there are laws against slander and libel etc. You do not have the right to say what anything you want.
You’re just upset because you can’t use somebody else’s microphone to say something they don’t want their mike used for. You’re trying make this sound like you’re losing some fundamental freedom. You’re not. Just buy your own microphone.
Do you really think you have the “right” to demand that the Dem-Gaz or the New York Times, or any other paper to print your thoughts/comments on anything? Nope. The owners of those PRIVATE papers can say “not gonna do it.” What the 1st Amendment DOES protect is the GOVERNMENT saying, “Dem-Gaz, you can’t print what lovemyhawgsforever sent you.”
I am NOT in favor of censorship in general, I have had a post or two taken down on this site. I don’t have to agree with HI about that. But it is not, and never has been, a violation of the First Amendment for HI to delete a post of mine, of yours of NEA’s, etc.
I think most of us understand the difference between free speech protected by the Constitution and the rights of a private business to run the business the way they wish and while I do not agree with the basis of lovemyhawgsforevers position that his free speech was violated, because free speech is not required here, I do understand his consternation with how it seems that some speech seems more welcome than others. Yes, I also understand that there are right ways and wrong ways to make points and when addressed can be confused as censorship when it is really more maintaining decorum and those cases do exist. In my opinion other cases exist as well.
I saw the post… it wasn’t the OP that was the cause of it being taken down… it was the usual suspects that took it to a different, definitely political, space… at that point it simply violated the stated rules and the newer effort to minimize the politics on the board. My .02cents