Ab Censorship.

[birdie1971]

Hello AB.
On 02:26 Sun 10th Mar 2019, I posted the following question to the Editor's Blog:

“Why Do You Shut Down Active Threads?”

I then went on to explain why a thread involving me and a false allegation about me had been locked down, preventing any further debate. I received no reply.

Now, a week or so later, I return to see if the AB editors had anything to say on the matter. And lo and behold, the entire exchange on the Editor's Blog has been eviscerated from the site. It's as though my question was never asked. The original question thrown down Winston Smith's “Memory Hole” in true 1984 totalitarian fashion.

Nice one AB. Nice one. Censoring legitimate debate about the matter of legitimate debate. You must be so proud. I hope you sleep well at night in your beds, safe in the knowledge that you are the true custodians of morality and righteousness and that all opinions that differ from your own are illegitimate and morally deficient.

You censorious ***-wits. I don't normally swear on forums such as this but seeing as this post will likely be immediately deleted because of the criticism of AB rather than the profanity, I simply don't care anymore.

[Peter Pedant]

if this thread were capped
I would say - hally-loojah

everything that cd be said - has been - several times !

[dannyk13]

Ludwig, how do you know that that is the reason members have left? Surely it is more likely that the changing of the site has played a part in this, and there may be other reasons too.

[jno]

naomi, birdie may claim that a false allegation was made against him, but (a) we've only got his word for this; and (b)nobody knows who he is, since he writes under a pseudonym, so he can't claim to have been defamed. That's the way the internet goes; he's as free to throw allegations around as anyone else is (and he does) and suffer no personal comeback.

[Khandro]

jno; //nobody knows who he [birdie] is, since he writes under a pseudonym,//

I know who he is, and can vouch that he is a figure of immense probity.

[jno]

but I don't know who you are.

[ummmm]

I don't want to know who all the MOD's are. I'd like to interact with users without thinking I might be banned or suspended.

[vetuste_ennemi]

//if this thread were capped
I would say - hally-loojah//

I replied to your request to give the ECHR judgment on the E.S. v Austria blasphemy case, Peter.

I would like to hear your opinion on the verdict.

[Zacs-Master]

You'll probably find it in here, V_E:
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1629498.html

[Khandro]

jno ; //but I don't know who you are.//

That's right, but some do :0)

[hereIam]

Good post birdie and I fully agree with you. naomi, as usual, has hit the nail on the head. I despair of the many 'answers removed' on threads that I haven't had time to read and the feisty ones, in my opinion, make the site far more interesting. I think the Site Rules need tweaking a little ..

[Spicerack]

Ha. Great thread to link to, Zacs.
There was a disgraceful example of a moderator abusing his position on that thread.

[Zacs-Master]

That wasn't why I linked to it. But yes, a rather nice 'bonus' effect.

[vetuste_ennemi]

Yes, the thread reminded us that there are always proper bounds to speech. Defamation of the living is one. Offending Muslims is another.

[naomi24]

Jim, //Pretty sure that in the thread that started this whole thing birdie was just trying to wind up people who disagreed with him//

That isn't true. When that thread was closed for no legitimate reason Birdie was waiting for your response .... and so was I. It's there for all to read.

[Gromit]

AB is policed by moderators at the weekend (and other times).

If a false allegation was made, and there was an ongoing row (not debate), then the correct action to take would be stop anymore posting on the thread, and Report it to the AB Editorial team to look at on Monday morning. If they then decide to delete the entire thread, that is their prerogative.

[-Talbot-]

Removing your own post is a handy tool.

[ummmm]

Moderation is OTT in my opinion.

[sanmac]

Excessive moderation is quite often accompanied by excessive verbosity.

[spathiphyllum]

Are you claiming to be a mod Sanmac?

[spathiphyllum]

I aint judging i just need to know who to butter up and who i can offend without loosing too much sleep at night.