CITOKATE

[Olin Elliott]

I agree.  I often don't participate in conversation threads online (including on this forum) for precisely that reason, because they seem to degenerate too easily into name calling and other nastiness.  I like having a moderated forum, but the problem is always how to draw the line between moderation and censorship.  At the extremes its easy (usually) -- the totally whacko responses are generally obvious.  But the closer we edge in toward the center the more dificult it becomes to tell crazy criticism from truly valuable criticism, and I always have to aware of my own biases and anxieties.  Is this criticism really crazy or does it just make me uncomfortable for personal or ideological reasons?  Am I rejecting it for legitimate reasons or am I just protecting my belief system?  It is never an easy line to draw and I think we have to err always on the side of letting in more criticism, not less.  As much as I hate it ....
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Pat Mathews<mailto:mathews55 at msn.com> 
  To: Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion<mailto:brin-l at mccmedia.com> 
  Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 7:55 AM
  Subject: RE: CITOKATE



  Some of the criticism I get on a forum supposedly dedicated to intellectual analysis of a theoretical book has so often degenerated into name calling that they set up a special Flame Wars thread just for that. Did it work? No. 

  So be prepared to filter out a lot of "Fascist!" "Well, you're a Liberal, so of COURSE you hate America!!", not to mention sexual innuendo etc. 

  I think most criticism needs an On Topic moderator.

  http://idiotgrrl.livejournal.com/<http://idiotgrrl.livejournal.com/>






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