Closing and deleting threads?

[DrKym]

I will hoard up on carrots and other nummies...... I am destined to be foiled at each theft attempt of the regal Bun.....................maybe I should change my poster name?? To Miss Hoppy Devotee?

[Karen]

Nah, she somehow knows a medical or veterinary professional on first sniff - then *chomp*! The name won't help! She's a very smart bunny, and a very determined one at that. She loves us, though, and we love our precious brown bunny!

[Miss Z]

Thanks for answering my question

[gwen]

Personally I think it is very undemocratic to close any thread, people should be able to express their views freely regardless if it runs off topic or not. As all of the people on here seem to be hail from democratic countries, I cannot understand the censorship of often intersting threads. I am from England and freedom of speech is a highly held value, agree or disagree with someones opinion surely they have a right to express it. From my own personal point of view, I am an aetheist but I do not object to all the mentions of your Gods, I could as this is a pet forum, but everyone should be allowed their own views good, bad, right or wrong. We all have freedom of choice if we dont like where a thread is leading dont read it simple really.

[Karen]

I am American, and all for freedom of speech, but expect people as part of Pet Talk to remain polite and civil towards each other.

If you want to continue a thread that has been closed, you can always start your own, sometimes that's the best thing to do when a thread starts to veer off topic - start a new thread with the actual topic it is transmogrifying into.

I will close threads that have gotten hurtful, or have become repetitive arguments between a couple posters that no one else is interested in slogging through.

[Sophist]

Personally I think it is very undemocratic to close any thread, people should be able to express their views freely regardless if it runs off topic or not. As all of the people on here seem to be hail from democratic countries, I cannot understand the censorship of often intersting threads. I am from England and freedom of speech is a highly held value, agree or disagree with someones opinion surely they have a right to express it. From my own personal point of view, I am an aetheist but I do not object to all the mentions of your Gods, I could as this is a pet forum, but everyone should be allowed their own views good, bad, right or wrong. We all have freedom of choice if we dont like where a thread is leading dont read it simple really.

Even in democratic countries, there are boundaries inside free speech made to deal with disturbing the peace and hate speech, for example.

Disturbing the peace may get you a closed thread.

Hate speech may get you a deleted thread.

It doesn't make Karen and Paul censorship-loving, Democracy-hating commies.

[gwen]

In democracy there are no boundaries to free speech it is just that free speech, you may not agree with what is said but they have every right to express their opinion. I dont think that the analogy of hate speeches is relevant on this forum as this is a 'pet forum' and I have never read anything vaguely close to such a thing. I just see that if people disagree with the general concencus of any given thread the thread is closed eg. any debate that dicusses the pro and cons to pit bulls it gets closed, open and frank dicussion should be encouraged not thwarted. (I use this only as an example I dont have any particular opinion about pit bulls.)

People should be more tolerant of opposing views right or wrong, good or bad. While as in this instance, I disagree with what you are saying, I would absolutely defend your right to say it.

[Lady's Human]

First off, this forum isn't a democracy, it is a benevolent dictatorship, with the ultimate arbiter being a fuzzy brown rabbit.

Second, there ARE limits to free speech. You cannot, for example, incite riot in the US without charges being brought against you, and I'm sure the same holds true in the UK. As this is a private site, not a government run site, the first amendment doesn't exactly apply.

[Karen]

Gwen, you are pretty new here. Do a search on pit bulls and you'll see countless threads about the same subject. Most of them go on and on and on and on.

Also some of the very recently closed or deleted threads had to do with untruths being told within them, or people getting very, very upset.

I do the best I can to keep this place civil and peaceful, keep in mind that people here represent everyone from age 13 up, and people of every political stripe and leaning imaginable, as well all different religiouns, ethniticies, countries of origin - you name it!

[Sophist]

In democracy there are no boundaries to free speech it is just that free speech, you may not agree with what is said but they have every right to express their opinion. I dont think that the analogy of hate speeches is relevant on this forum as this is a 'pet forum' and I have never read anything vaguely close to such a thing.


People should be more tolerant of opposing views right or wrong, good or bad. While as in this instance, I disagree with what you are saying, I would absolutely defend your right to say it.

You don't think the analogy holds? Possibly it is because the whole whole PT/ right to free speech/ censorship analogy you started doesn't hold. I was just trying to work with what you gave me.

Also, I dare you to look one of the pit owners in the eye and tell them that someone railing on that their furkid should be banned as a natural born man-killer is not hate speech.

And I defy you to start a thread on the merits of Old Roy dog food without disturbing the peace.


Nice Voltarian-esque closer, though. I disagree with plagiarism, but I will defend to the death your right to loosely paraphase.

[jennielynn1970]

Even in democratic countries, there are boundaries inside free speech made to deal with disturbing the peace and hate speech, for example.

Disturbing the peace may get you a closed thread.

Hate speech may get you a deleted thread.

It doesn't make Karen and Paul censorship-loving, Democracy-hating commies.

And the USA isn't as democratic as you'd think.... right now we have a president who wasn't really elected the first time, and is pretty much a putz and not the greatest public speaker. it's pretty embarrassing. If he could control everything, I think he probably would. He's very small minded.

Free speech aint always free.

I think Karen's explanation is a good one. Why have a post stay up that is nasty or insulting.