(Merged) Are the moderators getting ... & Censorship

[Bagpuss]

Anyone else believe the moderators (excellent job that they normally do) seem to have been a little to hot to close some topics recently.

Seems that you can't have any sort of debate on some issues.

I refer to the Dragon 300 threads that seem to be closed before any real heat has got into it let alone a flame.

Obviously they are free to censor as they see fit. Whoops I mentioned the word censor, probably have this topic closed now.

 

[SemperJase]

I agree. I thought it was a little hasty. For the most part, there was good exchange.

Lets not be oversensitive that someone might somehow be offended. Conflict free boards = boring boards. Encourage civil disagreement. That was happening in those threads.

 

[pensiv]

:::sigh::: I have nothing against the moderators exercising their powers as they see fit, but I am a little annoyed that the Comics Code discussion got closed before I was able to suggest that people actually read the code before making any judgment of it. It does make for a very interesting read.

 

[Mistwell]

Censoring a topic about Censorship

Today Ashtal shut down a thread about censorship in the RPG industry, and I think this is a disgrace.

The claimed reason for the shut down were twofold. 1) It was a topic somehow related to another thread that had been since shut down (though the censorship thread was started prior to that shut down, was not started to go around the other shut down, and was not directly related to the other thread); and 2) "censorship issues are very political", according to an email from Ashtal.

I think the first issue is a starwman. The thread really didn't have anything to do with any other threads today. Sure, family value issues were mentioned in other threads, as was the Comics Code Authority. But this thread was strictly about that Code, and people were not referencing anything else other than that code. Perhaps Ashtal was already having a bad day with other threads, and I can understand that. But that is no reason to shut down legitimate threads.

The second issue is more important, I think. I agree with Ashtal that, if we were discussing censorship just as an off-Topic discussion, then it would be a political discussion that should be shut down. If this had been about censorship in the recording industry, I too would be asking for it to be shut down. However, that is not at all what was going on. The subject was this: Should we bring back the Comics Code Authority to the RPG industry.

That subject is VERY on-topic. What standards we should apply to the RPG industry are both on topic and important issues.

If we cannot discuss this kind of topic here, where can we discuss it? This is where the people are who would be impacted by such a change in standards. This is the place where people would want to discuss that kind of issue, where those who would want to voice their opinions on the subject are to be found. This isn't about politics in the world at large - this is about the RPG industry itself.

And it isn't like this was a subject going back and forth for hours and hours with no thought, no analysis, no resolutions, and no thought-provoking posts. This was a topic that had gone on for about an hour, with a LOT of interesting comments and analysis.

It is wrong to shut down that kind of thread. It wasn't politics. And it's shameful that the weapon of censorship was used to shut down a discussion of censorship in this industry.

 

[Ashtal]

That would have been me.

I stand by the two Vile threads I closed. As I've responded to another poster who has emailed me, if another mod wishes to open the Comics Code one, that doesn't bother me at all, but I won't be the one to do it.

 

[SemperJase]

Actually, I am REALLY disappointed

It is sad that a thread encouraging (note - not forcing) people act with a higher standard of behavior is closed because it is too controversial.

When moral behavior becomes offensive we have lost our way.

 

[Ashtal]

I closed it because the topic was a heated, quasi-political one that was spawned by a very dicey thread.

 

[Tsyr]

I would like to call for someone to PLEASE re-open the comic code thread.

The other two, yes. They went the way of Dante's Inferno, and for good reason.

I can't find a single thing in the comic code one that's against the rules here, and it was a good discussion of facts, not mudslinging. It shouldn't really have been closed.

 

[Ashtal]

As I have said to the gentleman who has emailed me, and in the other thread on this topic (which I will merge so people can complain about my draconic standards in one neat little thread), if another mod wishes to reopen the topic, they do so with my blessing.

IMHO, the thread was going to lead down the same road as the others, with two camps of very opposed opinions after discussions on the related topic had already been heated, and required both editing and closing.

 

[Piratecat]

Look, guys. I don't know why it is, but everyone is sniping at everyone else today.

I agree that the concept of censorship in comics and games is an important one. I also agree with Ashtal that it was in a downwards spiral. Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it. The thread wasn't closed because of the topic... but that's already been made clear.

I'd like to invite you folks to reopen another thread on the same topic in a day or two, once people cool off. For tonight and maybe tomorrow, though, please let the subject lie. It can wait a few days.

Thanks.