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Re: Moderation
Since the posts are deleted, there's no way to argue
about their propriety. I can only say that I believe my
posts were appropriate, and that yanking them
prevents me from being able to defend their propriety.
More than that, I now don't feel comfortable responding
to offtopic throwaway assertions by other posters. I now
have to let them stand, because challenging them means
I'm offtopic and subject to deletion.
I suppose you could argue that if I don't post
anything that is wrong, then I have nothing to fear.
However, since the wrongess of the posts cannot be
disputed after their removal, all that is left is that
I was wrong, end of discussion.
Speaking for myself, this has a chilling effect on useful
contributions to the site. You seem to be assuming
that deleted posts were non-contributory flames. I
strongly disagree. Even where the posts discussed the
suspected motivation of a poster, this was done with the
poster's lusty participation in the debate. Good points
were raised, and though the main focus of the thread
was being left behind, my suggestion was to split the thread,
not delete the tangent. Well, the result now is that
the posts are gone and those who participated are
(apparently) presumed to have all been engaged in
violatory behavior.
I have a printout in ghostscript format. I've been doing this
on occasion, figuring at least *I* would have a record of
the discussion. I'd offer to post it so everyone could see
what I'm talking about...but then that's exactly my point.
Should it really be necessary for people to set up private
caches of threads so that their deleted words can be defended?
That's a bad precedent, and tends to reward the unscrupulous.
I'm all for moderation. I engage in it. I don't advocate
"complete freedom" when posting.
I'm stating that normal debate involves questioning premises and
motives, it involves tangents and forks (to different threads,
if necessary). Hose off contributions that edge past a railroad
plot, and you turn me off. If that's ok with the site, then that's how the
world will turn, I guess.
-Crat
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