h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

How about pooling your resources and incredible knowledge to create a document for an alternate/better solution to this situation?

Petitions are all well and good but are flat - use the support you have to produce something constructive that could possibly be implemented at a later date.

*That* is what h2g2 is all about.

Good point!

F118784?thread=259249 ?

Frankie
STW

Have you seen this on the hub: F94020?thread=258677 ?

Tango

I've got another suggestion.

I was driving home last night through the town of Kegworth. Standing outside the pub was a little old lady: she was about 60, but she had been standing there for ages *with a placard* against the war. Drivers tooted their horns and she waved back. It was a fairly safe bet that no government-employed thug was going to come and drag her off so she could be beaten up in a police cell somewhere.

I don't support the anti-position in this war; I think that the removal of Saddam would be greatly beneficial to the people of Iraq, but I don't see many pro-war marches to join. But what I would enjoin people to do, if they take the opposite view to mine, is to get up *off their backsides* in front of the computer, stand *outside in the cold* like this woman did, and exercise a basic right to disagree publically with the government, for which our ancestors fought hard and long in a bitter and bloody Civil War and for which many people throughout the world are still fighting (and dying) at this very moment.

Those who seek to portray the people that run this site as repressors of free speech seem to have forgotten that (in common with those people in less privileged nations who do not have access to the Internet) they have mouths and legs which they can use to great effect. Then the *rest* of us who retreat to h2g2 as an island of calm away from the current mayhem and carnage can do so in peace. I support the Italics fully in their policy: as demonstrated yesterday there are plenty of places for protest, but I don't see why h2g2 should have to be one of them.

As was my intention when I produced it, your argument can be answered straight from the article: read the second paragraph of the "community" argument against.

Yes, some people are saying this is repression and whatever, but I don't think that's most people's main beef with this. When we're discussing life in general, and the things that are uppermost in our lives - when we're writing our personal journals, or rambling away in social threads - we want to be able to talk about the same things we'd talk about to our friends in "real life". While this policy is in place, we can't do that - and that has nothing to do with whether or not we *have* a strong opinion, let alone how we express it.

And finally, you rather disproved your own point by mentioning your own views on the matter in the same post. The fact that everyone who has come across it has decided not to yikes it is simply luck - technically, you are not allowed to air that opinion here, and I will stick to the rules and not rebuff it.

Part of your point is almost valid - those who feel the need to protest don't need to do it here. But thats not a reason for the rest of us - *including you* - not to discuss our views like adults.

[IMSoP]

My point is perfectly valid: most people who come to h2g2 want to use it for its orginal purpose which is growing and discussing the Guide, not as a soapbox. There are myriad avenues of protest outside this one: since this one has been declared off limits, mightn't people's energies be better focussed on protesting via those that haven't been closed instead of whingeing about this one? You see, if I want to have an argument with someone about the war, I go down the pub with one of my friends who is very anti, and we have a good ding-dong and consume lots of nice beer in so doing. If I wanted to give the Government a kick in the goolies over this, I can do so at the forthcoming elections.

If I want to get away from all of this, I go onto h2g2 and discuss the many entries that have come up recently that have nothing to do with the war. Thank God for that, and for the fact that *I* have a life outside h2g2 as well.

Oh, and by the way, the reason my point *hasn't* been yikesed because it contains an opinion is because I use the latter to illustrate the former, *not* as a point in itself. I don't particularly want to make my views about this war know here as they have (a) been thought through on and off over a period of about ten years and not liable to be changed and (b) making them public would be more likely to generate more heat than light. So what precisely would be the point of bringing them onto this forum? Most people have deeply held opinions about this issue, and the resulting debate would resemble trench warfare rather than anything else.

Felonious,

After all the times I've repeated this for people who mischaracterize the "original purpose" of this site, I almost have this quote memorized, but not quite.

"You can create your own Guide Entries containing anything you want, from your opinions of world events to a description of your home town, and it all goes to make up the h2g2 Guide, the sort of guide which was not possible before we had the means of live, shared information resources."

That's from DNA's Welcome and Thank-you message, 8 Sep 1999.

People coming to this site expecting to relax and talk over light-hearted topics like the Joy of Socks should not be surprised to see people discussing politics on h2g2. Those are the people who misunderstand the original purpose of this site.

There are myriad other avenues for people to discuss politics, but please don't claim that h2g2 was not originally intended to allow politics.

Agreed, but in this case there is the danger that that's *all* the site will end up being. Besides, there are other considerations involved (such as a 'careless talk'), and I can wholeheartedly sympathise with the Italics for not wanting to be overburdened by dealing with these.

Yes, there are all sorts of other things to take into account. That's why there's been so much debate, and why it was worth me taking a day to try and summarise that debate.

Supporting the decision is entirely up to you, but claiming you know what "most people who come to h2g2 want to use it for", and equating wanting to talk about politics with wanting to protest, strike me as gross generalisations - and on the face of it rather egocentric ones, since you have instantly assumed that you are in the majority here.

I'm sorry if this strikes as you as being more of a rant than is warranted, but that's the way your posts have begun to strike me. If you want to add to the debate, say that you think it's good to find somewhere you can avoid the topic and the high feelings it's bound to raise. I personally won't agree that banning discussion outright is a good way to create that, but neither of us should claim that we are "right", or speak for the majority of Researchers.

Well, you can think what you like of me, I really don't care to be honest. I would however draw your attention to the first paragraph on the page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/Welcome. This is what I expected when I joined h2g2, and I think it's a pretty fair assumption that most other people who join realise that this is what the site is primarily about.

If you want some really adult discussion, of a decidedly non-cosy nature, with someone who is *not* going to agree with you but who is also *not* going to try to change your viewpoint then you can email me at [email protected]. There, you will get my perspective and I will get yours, but there will be no browbeating, I promise. We will have a 'frank exchange of views', which I believe is probably the best anyone can hope for regarding such an emotive issue. If you choose not to email me, then I can only assume that your idea of adult discussion differs somewhat from mine.

What, the paragraph that says "...and talk to other people..."? Also, it looks like that version of <./>Welcome</.>'s only been there a few months (the older version being preserved at A896466), so the majority of people on-site probably *haven't* seen it.

But we're both getting too emotional about this. The point is just that while there are some people who want to go out of their way to debate the topic - and can do so by going elsewhere - there are also some who just want to mention it in passing. The current policy makes no distinction between the two.

Finally, I'm afraid I won't be able to take up your kind offer of a debate by e-mail, because I've got revision to do - which is also why I haven't updated my summary all week. Please don't mistake this for not *wanting to*, but I'm afraid circumstances won't allow me the commitment required right now.

OK, I understand. Best of luck with your exams. Thank heavens I don't have to do THOSE anymore.