Has anyone ever not posted for fear of ridicule from others or for fear of censorship by the mods?

Every so often I wonder whether there are posters who don't make a post because they think what they have to see will lead to ridicule or even derisive comments from others. Or, perhaps, there might be those who don't post a sincere comment lest they find themselves censored by the mods. Has this ever been your experience?

This is not meant to raise criticism of the mods or of ATS/BTS policy. I am sincerely wondering whether this has occurred only to foster better communication between members and mods. It would be a shame that anyone would feel inhibited, beyond the realms of good taste or ATS/BTS policy, from posting their opinions or from asking questions.

[edit on 22-11-2005 by John bull 1]

I've not posted something because I was irritated, or because I was frustrated, but not from fear of being censored, and I'm used to people ridiculing and laughing at me.

Originally posted by benevolent tyrant
Every so often I wonder whether there are posters who don't make a post because they think what they have to see will lead to ridicule or even derisive comments from others. Or, perhaps, there might be those who don't post a sincere comment lest they find themselves censored by the mods. Has this ever been your experience?

This is not meant to raise criticism of the mods or of ATS/BTS policy. I am sincerely wondering whether this has occurred only to foster better communication between members and mods. It would be a shame that anyone would feel inhibited, beyond the realms of good taste or ATS/BTS policy, from posting their opinions or from asking questions.

I in all honesty have never felt too scared to post because of what mods might feel or think about it. I have not posted on many occasion deleted LONG post because i felt i wasn't adding to the quality of a thread or just felt that my personal thoughts were personal attacks on another poster. Even when following the rules strictly, you can pretty much say anything you want. But then again i don't post too often , though I read much of what goes on here on Ats/Bts.

I have invented some very creative ways of speaking my piece in an effort to avoid the wrath of the mods. Sometimes, I have managed to incur their wrath inadvertently.

Other than that, I really don't care what anyone thinks of what I have to say. I always speak from the heart and it is the truth as I see it. Those who disagree rarely present a convincing argument to the contrary.

let me address the

censored by the mods

I do not believe that we as mods/staff censor members unless there is good reason, What needs to be remembered is that many members hail from many countrys, Also we have members who range in ages, we do not want to restrict age so we have to hold ATS to a standered that suits all,

The rules are clearly stated, you signed up to ATS under those conditions, this is a private board remember

If you have a topic that you believe may be on the edge then why not use the gripe and allow us staff to review it, We can always advise on the best way to tackle such a thread,

The only thing that I know of that has stopped people posting is

a) A barrage of extreme right wing "Might is Right" "Your a Pinko" replies, a part of any debate maybe, but a bit too much in some cases. They come and go just like extremists from every side, but they disrupt the flow of topics and turn them into steaming wastes of flames.

The same could be said for the "lefties" I suppose, invading topics with messages of peace and anti-bushisms, it depends which side of the curtain your standing. It just doesn't seem like the "black band" worked much at all, the flames, personal insults and useless back-and-forth arguments are still here.

b) The drugs. We all try to respect the T & C so we don't post about them. I'm sure there ARE topics about drugs that most Mods would find acceptable, and there a certainly a ton of interesting topics and subjects that involve them, but there will always, ALWAYS (or so it seems) be someone to just chime in with a handful of tales of experience and usage and it's locked-down.

So the topics aren't posted, but thats the T&C so there's no changing it, the topics will stay hidden to all but those who research them on their own. Thats no problem for me, I just wish the posts that get the threads locked would never happen, so we could have a decent conversation about it.

I would like to add to what asala wrote.

The rules are pretty clearly defined in the terms and conditions of the board that every member agrees to when he or she signed up.

The other item that many of your council members will attest to is that nothing the staff does here on ATS is done in a vaccume. As with any position, I and every moderator on this board is accountable for the actions we take. Being human like everybody else here (Except for they Grey lurkers.... YOU know who you are) mistakes can be made and if so, the Admin is very quick to rectify the situation. Discussion over items can reach many replies and involve the leadership of the board from the top on down.

Censorship is really a loaded word and I would encourage everyone who has not to listen to SkepticOverlord's podcast ATS.S: Skeptic Overview 15: Freedom of Speech?

Its also a question that almost answers itself. As my grandfather once said, if you question whether you should say it then maybe you should not