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

What worries me about moderation is peoples reactions to it.

When I go into a conversation, and see that a post has been removed, you can guarantee that there will be many more posts crying out in indignation at the fact that someone has been supressed. Therefore the post has generated a far bigger response than it would have originally.

With me so far? I'll try to keep to the point.

What people are so cross about, is that someone has been denyed his right to a point of view, no matter how ludictous that point of view is.

Lets assume he is a racist. Now I'm not condoning racism in any shape or form, I have friends of all different races. But my point is that this racist wrote about his point of view. And it was moderated out of existance.

Suppose, for a minute, that it had been left there. Now the majority of users wold have ignored him (I hope). A handful would have had a go at him. And perhaps one would have agreed with him.

Now, supposing, as would really happen, that he was moderated. He is cross about this, and posts later saying that he has had his viewpoint repressed.

What happens? Everyone immediately rallies to his aid. The support him, as a rebel, without really knowing what he stands for.

See, when people are denyed their rights, they tend to assume that they are victims.

By denying racists etc the oportunity to make their views known you deny them freedom of speech.

This means they assume that their rights have been violated.

This means they assume they are victims.

Therefore they tell someone else they are victims. Someone else sees that they are. Someone else then spreads awareness of their campaign, fights for their freedom etc etc., thus giving them far more publicity and a far wider following than they would otherwise have got.

This actually does happen.

ie. In Canada a whle ago some boy wrote a story about shooting his classmates. Now, if this had been left alone, his classmates would have just though 'loony' while no one else in the world would have heard about it.

However, the local authorities intervened and arrested the boy.

Next thing you know, there's a national campaign to release the boy.

What better way to spread your propaganda than fall foul of the censors?