[Imc-web] The No "Home" Button, Jack Ryan, etc.

[Paul Bengt Riismandel]

I'm just getting caught up -- been away last Friday through today.

I think one of the most problematic things is that every discussion on a
"controversial" topic turns into a debate on our website policies and
"censorship."  In some ways that's as damaging to the discourse and as
much a discouragement as when Jack et al make snide, insulting, sexist
remarks.

I think we should simply hide these messages out of hand, even those
posted by aliases that aren't identified with Jack Ryan -- they are
off-topic if the original article isn't about website policies. 

That said, Mike, I think it's really important that none of us post
responses to whining or complaints about our policies. Just hide them
and let them be.  If we respond then we say it's OK to turn a thread
into a debate on our policies, even if it's off-topic. 

Then, shortly I will post an announcement about our web work meeting to
the site, and if they want to hijack that thread, fine, since it's
ostensibly about web policies. But it will also be their opportunity to
put up or shut up.

--Paul

-----Original Message-----
From: imc-web-bounces at lists.cu.groogroo.com
[mailto:imc-web-bounces at lists.cu.groogroo.com] On Behalf Of Mike Lehman
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 10:36 AM
To: Sascha Meinrath
Cc: UCIMC website work
Subject: Re: [Imc-web] The No "Home" Button, Jack Ryan, etc.

Sascha,
I'm pretty uncertain at this point that what is going on with Jack Ryan,
et al is really debate. I should point out that the Feature acquired a
group of negative comments within a limited timeframe, ostensibly from
different posters (yeah, right), and including TWO by NRA4, before I
took an axe to the whole bunch of 'em. Then I ended up with just ONE
complaint, from NRA4.

I guess it comes down to whether we are going to let one person make it
apepar as if there is some vast rightwing majority of users on the site.
Most of what was hidden, taken individually, could slide under the
guidelines. Taken together, the group of comments amounts to an
intimidating presence that makes the website a very unfriendly place for
many users, our target audience.

These people aren't intersted in a debate. "They" (if you can call it
that) want to replicate the tyranny of the majority. What is going on is
far closer to, as I put it in my comment to NRA4's plaintive whining,
nothing more than "a dog marking his turf". My call for some unique and
new commentary does not preclude this person posting, just letting them
know that they need to give the repetitive BS (which it all was) a rest.
Mike Lehman

-----Original Message-----
From: Sascha Meinrath <sascha at ucimc.org>
Sent: May 18, 2004 9:54 AM
To: Mike Lehman <rebelmike at earthlink.net>
Cc: UCIMC website work <imc-web at ucimc.org>
Subject: Re: [Imc-web] The No "Home" Button, Jack Ryan, etc.

On Tue, 18 May 2004, Mike Lehman wrote:



> Speaking of problems, the Jack Ryan complex jumped all over our new
> feature, just as I suspected he/they would. I have mercislessly
cracked
> down, as well as leaving a brief response as to how it is. Perhaps I
am
> pushing the limits here a bit, but I am simply tired of wading through
> so much blah, blah-rightwing-blahity, blah, blah. It's all rather
> pointless and I would like to put a pretty harsh line down here,
before
> we have yet another story that is two-thirds repetitive rightwing BS
> that everyone has heard before, which seem to be the soul point.

i would probably have left up the information posted by NRA4Freedom -- i
may not agree with it, but it's the stuff of debate.  i think it's
important that we allow for the debate to continue on the site while
taking a firm stand against anything that is directly harassing,
attacking, etc.  we still need to be able to justify every one of our
posting decisions and i think NRA4Freedom's rants should probably be
unhidden.

--sascha

> BTW, just a clue to this whole deal perhaps, but last week while doing
> battle with whomever this is, they ended up with a post to the
Newswire
> (in a fit of apparent fury at the crackdown, since they have otherwise
> stayed judiciously away from that), which was some kind of Ayn Rand
> whining about being censored by having some papers with their ad in it
> stolen at some university in Cali -- but this all happened two years
ago
> (which I found by googling the cited facts), so what's the
> point...except Jack Ryan fits right in as a Randist uber-mensch.
>
> Mike Lehman


-- 
Sascha Meinrath
Project Manager & President      *      Project Manager
Acorn Worker Collective         ***     Eggplant Active Media
www.acornactivemedia.com         *      www.eggplantmedia.com

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