Censorship Debate Of The Day

This Is Very Disappointing
As most of you know, I'm a big advocate for freedom of expression, particularly artistic expression. So it pains me to show you this discussion that took place some time last year at iComposition, months before I arrived. particularly distressing to me was this exchange here:

PowerMac99:@ Mon Jan 26, 2004 7:50 pm

Okay, hi. To those of you who don't know me, I'm powermac99 and I own this site, domain name, and server. Because I own it, it is my decision what goes up or not. Basically, you have no rights to use my server but I give you those because I want to create a nice place for people to discuss GarageBand and to upload their creations. Heck, when I first thought of the site, I didn't even know that GB had support for vocals.

You're welcome to go to MacJams or MacIdol or MacJukebox but they have probably adopted the same policy. We will not be changing our policy on this (but if you stop griping, we might add some way to upload obscene material in its own category).

Chezedog:@ Mon Jan 26, 2004 8:08 pm

You keep sidestepping the question.

If whatever YOU feel is offensive is to be deleted, then people should be informed as to what that might be. Saves time for everybody that way.

If you're going to enforce a "policy" it'd be nice to know what that policy is exactly.

Not everyone is offended by the same things.

My song, for example, is not offensive in my own opinion, so how was I to know it would offend you?

Some people find entire genres of music offensive.

Myself I'm more offended by censorship itself than a few so-called "dirty" words.

So if you'd just spell it out... state exactly what is not allowed... it'd save everyone a lot of trouble.

The fact that you can delete whatever you want for any reason whatsoever is not at issue.

We as users need to know what's allowed and what's not, it's that simple.

jlgerk: @ Mon Jan 26, 2004 8:25 pm

In my small opinion, this subject has gone on too long. Might I suggest that content should be acceptable by, your mother, your grand mother, your little sister, your teachers, your ministers, the cop on the beat, the lady at the grocery store, that little old lady you should help cross the street. I understand all to well, how some might want to express them selves the way they like, and that's OK. You should be able to know when and where you should use questionable content. However, you should be able to understand the guide lines, accept them, or not, abide by them, or not. I don't see all the Hub Bub............................But then I'm old, and grew up to try and have some manners in public. I have 4 grown sons, and have delt with this prob. from time to time, not always with success...............Just my opinion.

It gets a lot worse as the thread goes on.

jlgerk:@ Mon Jan 26, 2004 9:07 pm

My self, I'm not offended by anything, except the host of a party not get'n enough beer to go around. It just seems that too many people are making too big a deal about this. I think perhaps the Admids. have a clue what will go over with the widest possible viewership. A commen sense thing,,,,,,,,,,,that's all I got to say,,,,,,,,,,,, Mabey your grand ma wasn't a good analogy, I'm trying to make some sense of it all too.

Chezedog:Censorship is a very important issue to a lot of people.
As it should be.

You shouldn't be surprised when a "big deal" is made when you practice it.

jlgerk: @ Mon Jan 26, 2004 9:26 pmYou CAN do anything you want in some places
You CAN"T do anything you want in some places

Censorship is not being able to do anything you want anywhere
my opinion

Chezedog:@ Mon Jan 26, 2004 9:38 pm
I know what censorship is.

Let me try this another way.

Driving through town at 120 mph is a bad idea. ALMOST everybody agrees.
But somebody might do it anyway.
So they pass a law and POST A SPEED LIMIT.
Thus everyone knows that you can't drive through town at 120 mph.

I'm not saying I want to do whatever i want here.
I am saying that I want to know what i can and can't do.

If you read it, you find that eventually the site-owners relent and they make the 'explicit' tags available. Which is to say, they came up with a good compromise; but all the same, I find some of the attitudes expressed by the site conveners really puzzling:

powerMac99: Re: new auditorium @ Tue Jan 27, 2004 9:33 am What you obviously didn't pick up on was that I was trying to say that I'm not going to pay for it but if you want to, you're welcome to. And yes, I'm getting to the point that I'm irrateted with this entire subject and I don't see why you guys can't mute the TOS Violations in your songs before you upload them or go someplace else.

Gravity:doesn't matter @ Tue Jan 27, 2004 10:57 am

I heard you loud and clear. I picked up on your point.

However, This issue is only going to grow. You're growing. You're going to experience growing pains...and it's going to be about censorship. You're going to need more moderators and you're going to have to establish specific standards and an effective means for content management.

By creating an age-appropriate auditorium for racier stuff, you're going to have an easy way to manage content that everybody can accept. It will become your only way to avoid controversy and confrontation.

Short of banning dissidents....which becomes ugly unto itself.

Your irritation with this is understandable, but you do need a plan. Creativity and censorship are not good bedfellows, and you can't force them to be.

"You gotta keep 'em separated" (quick, name the song)

I don't recognise Gravity or Chezedog. Presumably Chezedog walked away, and I can't blame him. I don't know what happened to Gravity. Can't imagine they came out of it unscathed. The guys at iCompoisition are pretty damned undeveloped when it comes to the discourse of censorship, and that was probably what is so distressing about this thread. Anyway, I just wanted to share just how creepy it can get out there in the big wide yonder of internet music. :)