Holy Moderation

[Team GAK]

I do not appreciate the subject matter of some of the posts lately.

[Hammock Hanger]

It is very disheartening. HH

[Lugnut]

Unfortunately, maybe the time has come for the forum moderators to prescreen the posts. Maybe WF was driven to his method by what we are seeing here. So much for free speech.

[Dirtyoldman]

Im sure sgt rock will take the time to say something to the offender(s) when he has a chance. In the mean time please just ignore the threads.

[SGT Rock]

You can ignore any users that constantly post stuff you don't like, that is always an option.

I don't want to dance around the subject, I'm sure you mean Dave/Easy. I talk to him about it and he stops for a time, but occasionally he hits a mood where it humors him to poke people in their sensitive spots on the net.

I could ban him, but since he strarted this site and sacrificed his copyrights and licenses to give the site to the community, I feel it would be in bad form to ban him. Besides, I consider him a friend and couldn't do him like that.

On the other hand, you will run into people on the trail that occasionally piss you off. Easy is that hiker on this board.

[Ann]

Sgt. Rock wrote:

I feel it would be in bad form to ban him.

I agree Sgt. In addition, it really serves NO purpose to ban anyone. They can simply re-register under a different user name, using a different e-mail address and they can be posting again in minutes. I feel the best way to deal with any posts that are viewed as material "in bad taste" is to simply ignore them. Without adding any fuel to the fire they will die out.

Just my 2 cents.

[Youngblood]

Ann,

I agree with you 100%...ignore them.

Youngblood

[rickb]

I am confused as to the best way to respond. Ignoring such crap is probably the best way to make it go away fastest in a forum like this, but at the same time I feel a need to denounce it, and the people behind such bile.

We'd all do that in our every day lives, right? In real life we wouldn't just ignore such comments and move on, right?

Perhaps its good to be reminded that the Trail is not immune to the ugly side of human nature. I just read "On the Beaten Path" and was similarly disgusted by Ryming Worm's recount of hiking with an otherwise OK hiker who puntuated his constant banter with vile racist comments. So, I gues what I am saying is that while it may be tactically appropriate to ignore such comments here, it wouldn't be appropriate to ignore them most anywhere else.

Rick B

[MOWGLI]

Originally posted by SGT Rock
I could ban him, but since he strarted this site and sacrificed his copyrights and licenses to give the site to the community, I feel it would be in bad form to ban him. Besides, I consider him a friend and couldn't do him like that.

The last time Easy posted a racist diatribe, I responded with a posting that said that I could do without A-holes like him. I found my posting privledges revoked as a result. This was after Easy/Dave was no longer Admin for the site.

So.... it seems to me that what's occuring here is more than just tolerating Easy/Dave because of his generosity to the "Community". Seems as if he is being encouraged. Yet, people still rail against Wingfoot for moderating and censuring some posts. Here, the racist is not censured, but the person complaining about an off-topic, rude, offensive and immature posting IS.

Why aren't most of Easy/Daves posts from yesterday deleted? What does the **** Pushers thread have to do with the AT. Does the curent Administration of this site agree with the sentiments expressed in that posting?

Betcha I'm banned again for having the audacity to speak the truth.

[RagingHampster]

You could atleast delete the racist/homophobic posts.

Everyone should be free to post what they want, but they should also be free from racist/sexual persecution. Just as we have the freedom of speech in America, we also uphold the rights of equality and freedom to live without fear.

When a newb comes here and sees the topic "White is Right", I'm personally ashamed of having my name in the members list. A doctor who has done wonderful things for people does not have a license to kill due to his good-deeds.

[Lone Wolf]

When one registers to use this site one agrees not to use profanity and sexual themes if I remember correctly.

[Sparky!]

As a "newb" here, I was a little taken back at the comments Easy made and the number of comments on the site. I do see where some of them are deleted. Thank you! This site was HIGHLY recommend to a large group of prospective thruhikers to go and get great information and was toted as a genuine "warm campfire".

I am a bit shocked that what we are told is to ignor the comments. Sgt Rock, you KNOW this is wrong and you KNOW that the mantle that you hang many of your career accomplishments on as well as what you claim to be part of your trail name would not tolerate these comments for 1 micro second. To ignor it is not solving the problem, but by igoring it we as a GROUP, not idividuals, are encouraging the problem and letting it go unchecked and out of control.

Stepping off my soap box... ( shaking my head )

Sparky

[SGT Rock]

Well, I neve have banned anyone, and I don't think Troll ever has, so I don't know how TNJED got banned. What was your old ID? If it is the same as what you use now, then it's been fixed I can look into it. And no, I wouldn't bann you for having any audacity

Also, I don't remember any site rules about sexual or racist comments. I tried to make a list once called the 10 general rules about posting, but it was decided by the community at the time that we didn't need rules. They were pretty plain and simple.

I wasn't on to see the comments by dave/easy - there are a lot of y--z left where there was once text, apparently they have been edited out by the owner. I honestly don't read every post because I don't have time, especially when I'm out of the net so to speak. I personally feel that self editing is the best policy, but I gusess adding some new words to the filter could be done. When we first started this site, the few of us around decided that we could ban or edit, or censor posts, and run the risk of being just like HMNBN, or just letting them stand to allow the poster to make himself or herself known as to what they truely believe of think. We decided to go very lightly on the editing/censor/ban buttons.

I do not condone racist comments at all. I have a number of black NCOs and officers I work with, and have had several roll models as I have been progressing along on my career, I can think of several black officers and NCOS and a few of other ethnic backgrounds. One of my best role modles is currently the Sergeant Major of the University of Nebraska Army ROTC program, and he is a black man.

About Easy/Dave. I feel extra uncomfortable since he did create this site and without any coersion give it freely to the community. I don't agree with a lot of what he posts, but on the other hand I don't want to be a heavy about it. I still consider him a friend. I've talked to him about stuff similar to this before and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I really like the fact that the community rails against things that makes them uncomfortable or makes them very pissed off. On the trail the same thing happens to hikers that make themselves unwanted.

So I guess my point is I can become the guy that has to read and approve all posts, y'all can use the ignore button, or we can continue the way we are going. I personally don't want to end up censoring stuff, because we get to the point where someone gets edited and complains that someone else said something similar without editing and I'm forced to defend every decision, or I end up like HMNBN and start deleting anything I feel I need to without any explination and we stifle conversation.

Balls back in y'alls court.

[MOWGLI]

Originally posted by SGT Rock
Well, I neve have banned anyone, and I don't think Troll ever has, so I don't know how TNJED got banned. What was your old ID?

Thanks Sarge. Old ID was MOWGLI16. Trail Name = Little Bear.
Check it out please.

Just curious, why don't you want to clean up Easy's nonsense postings? There's one stating that there will be a relo around GSMNP next year, and a bunch of others that are waaaaaaaaaay off topic, and actually pretty wacky. I understand its your call. This reflects poorly on the site IMO.

FYI, he logged on this morning and edited all his wacky postings. I guess he realized what a jerk he made of himself.

[SGT Rock]

I found a MOWGLI16 that has never completed registration and the e-mail isn't a valid address. The e-mail has to be responded to for the account to be activated. My guess was you were never truly banned, but I can't say for sure. Looks more like someone changed your access then monkeyed with your e-mail so you couldn't re-activate it since that ID also has 38 posts. I didn't see any posts that you would have got banned over, but that could have been deleted by whoever messed with your account. I supposed al this happened around the site temporary meltdown.

[SGT Rock]

Oh, and about the site. I am super reluctant to edit anyones posts. I think it is better if people say how full of crap someone is LOL. A few months ago one of the e-mail lists I belong to had a discourse about such wierd actions from a member that was obviously lying about a great many of things and very deragatory to many people, they decided the best method to deal with him was to allow himself to show his own ass (so to speak) and let others decide what to think of him.

I'm seriously thinking about bringing up those 10 rules.

[Sparky!]

Steve the Hiker Staated "If you disagree, why not follow the old maxim taht the best way to combat a bad thought is with a good thought. Censorship is the way of cowards and tyrants." in a topic simular to what we discussed here.

To be honest, after reading in and reflecting upon it... I believe Steve has a point. Censorship is the way of cowards and tyrants. So I have rethought my position and I agree that censorship is not the way to handle this... Why the change?

1) Well, to be honest, we now know EXACTLY where Dave/Easy stands on some issues. We would not have known the multitudes of facts that Dave/Easy wanted to share with us last night...
2) I think that the way the posters were upset and took time to post shows that is the way to handle it. I think enough voiced out, like I think we would on the trail, that maybe Dave/Easy might rethink his positions. ( A take off of Sgt Rock's Post )
Sarge, I did not see the logic until I read Steve the Hiker and read your post about three times.

Sparky

[Sparky!]

LOL... Yup, Sarge... some people just want to show it to world...

Sparky!

[Dirtyoldman]

At least a few of us appreciate the position easy has put you in,which is to say difficult at best. Im sure more then a few here have done things which we later came to regret as I am sure easy does. While Easy should probably make a public appology for a few of his posts, I am glad you refrained from banning him as he mostly does contribute to the site in a positive way. I have always hated having to disicpline people when I have moderated and feel you are handling this well.

just my .02, hope I made .01

[chris]

My, my, what a little bit of excitement we've had here since I've been away. Already a ton of replies. I don't think that posts should get edited or people banned for what they post, even if it concerns subjects not usually brought up in polite conversation. Easy likes getting liquored up (who doesn't) and then spews forth whatever happens to be on his mind at the time. Don't like it? Don't read it and move on. I think that Sgt. Rock is doing just fine.