Censorship

[Jacob Fox]

We feel that the word smurf should not be banned.

1. It's freedom of speech
2. It's all in good fun
3. It hasn't been used to offend by almost all users.

We think it should be unbanned. However, we are fine with Nope being banned as that is much more stern and has been used a few times to offend.

I don't have a strong feeling on it one way or another. However, I've never really liked the "freedom of speech" argument that claims you can say whatever you want, wherever you want, without any consequences or criticism from others. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say whatever you want, wherever you want without consequence. Freedom of speech means that the government in no way can limit your freedom to say whatever you want. The government cannot make any laws that limit your speech. The government cannot punish you for that speech.

Furthermore, no one can keep you from saying whatever you want. However, the medium in which it is said can have consequences. If you think I am wrong, go to your boss and tell him "Fuck you" to his face and see how quickly the freedom of speech claim will let you keep your job. He can't keep you from saying it. He can't have you arrested for it, but it's completely within his rights to fire you..

In the same vein, a website doesn't have to allow you to say whatever you want. And I am not speaking specifically about WWE Forums and I am not speaking on behalf of them either. This is just my own viewpoint on the manner. There's no obligation to let you say whatever you want simply due to the first amendment.

 

[Roadster]

I don't have a strong feeling on it one way or another. However, I've never really liked the "freedom of speech" argument that claims you can say whatever you want, wherever you want, without any consequences or criticism from others. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say whatever you want, wherever you want without consequence. Freedom of speech means that the government in no way can limit your freedom to say whatever you want. The government cannot make any laws that limit your speech. The government cannot punish you for that speech.

Furthermore, no one can keep you from saying whatever you want. However, the medium in which it is said can have consequences. If you think I am wrong, go to your boss and tell him "Fuck you" to his face and see how quickly the freedom of speech claim will let you keep your job. He can't keep you from saying it. He can't have you arrested for it, but it's completely within his rights to fire you..

In the same vein, a website doesn't have to allow you to say whatever you want. And I am not speaking specifically about WWE Forums and I am not speaking on behalf of them either. This is just my own viewpoint on the manner. There's no obligation to let you say whatever you want simply due to the first amendment.

I understand that, but saying Fuck You to your boss is much more serious than jokingly using a term amongst friends. Saying fuck you to your boss is serious and intends to verbally attack and hurt your boss and his feelings. You're shunning your boss and expressing a strong dislike. Now, imagine your boss and yourself go out on a night out and he makes a remark and you say, in a joking manor, "hey, fuck you!" - it automatically loses it's strong and offensive connotation, and it just becomes a joke.

Similarly, while in the chat, when people use the N word, it is hardly an attempt to hurt the feelings of the person you're talking to. Most people can sense when the word is intended to offend and hurt. The tone, as Dat Kid said, is very easy to distinguish. I don't think it's fair to block the term, because of a few incidents. It's used in a friendly or joking manor by the majority of people, which is what I mean by Freedom of Speech. Due to an incident involving the minority, the majority cannot say it. If everyone said it to hurt and demean people, then the "Freedom of speech" argument will be null and void, but the majority finds it harmless and uses it as such.

 

[Dat Kid1]

I don't have a strong feeling on it one way or another. However, I've never really liked the "freedom of speech" argument that claims you can say whatever you want, wherever you want, without any consequences or criticism from others. Freedom of speech doesn't mean you can say whatever you want, wherever you want without consequence. Freedom of speech means that the government in no way can limit your freedom to say whatever you want. The government cannot make any laws that limit your speech. The government cannot punish you for that speech.

Furthermore, no one can keep you from saying whatever you want. However, the medium in which it is said can have consequences. If you think I am wrong, go to your boss and tell him "Fuck you" to his face and see how quickly the freedom of speech claim will let you keep your job. He can't keep you from saying it. He can't have you arrested for it, but it's completely within his rights to fire you..

In the same vein, a website doesn't have to allow you to say whatever you want. And I am not speaking specifically about WWE Forums and I am not speaking on behalf of them either. This is just my own viewpoint on the manner. There's no obligation to let you say whatever you want simply due to the first amendment.

There's a mixup in the issue here. The issue itself is not speech. Then word smurf shouldn't be banned. If i said DK James is my smurf then that's not offensive. That's like calling him my friend. If i were to say someone go lynch that smurf then it becomes a problem. But even if you were to replace smurf with black guy, a person's name, or in wwef's case a string of astericks, it's still a problem. Banning the word itself does not solve the issue. The real issue, like i said, is the context. The word bitch is still uncensored but if i were to say to a female member of the forum "get back in the kitchen you ugly bitch" then there's a problem. Take out bitch and it's still a derogatory statement. The word in the wrong context is bad, but removing the word does not make it better, in fact is does nothing.

I mean if im gonna get serious on this, the removal of the word smurf is actually the opposite of what should have been done. Black people as a culture have taken that word used to repremand slaves and shouted at people while being killed, and made it something positive, to refer to someone as a brother. Removing the word negates the opportunity to continue to transform the word Nope into the positive word smurf.

 

[Jacob Fox]

I understand that, but saying Fuck You to your boss is much more serious than jokingly using a term amongst friends. Saying fuck you to your boss is serious and intends to verbally attack and hurt your boss and his feelings. You're shunning your boss and expressing a strong dislike. Now, imagine your boss and yourself go out on a night out and he makes a remark and you say, in a joking manor, "hey, fuck you!" - it automatically loses it's strong and offensive connotation, and it just becomes a joke.

Similarly, while in the chat, when people use the N word, it is hardly an attempt to hurt the feelings of the person you're talking to. Most people can sense when the word is intended to offend and hurt. The tone, as Dat Kid said, is very easy to distinguish. I don't think it's fair to block the term, because of a few incidents. It's used in a friendly or joking manor by the majority of people, which is what I mean by Freedom of Speech. Due to an incident involving the minority, the majority cannot say it. If everyone said it to hurt and demean people, then the "Freedom of speech" argument will be null and void, but the majority finds it harmless and uses it as such.

My example wasn't my point, it was just the first thing that came to my mind. I was not making an argument for or against the word being censored here. My argument is simply that the freedom of speech argument is not a valid one in order to have a website not censor you. Freedom of speech is completely a concept in the relationship between the government and the people of the government.

 

[Jacob Fox]

There's a mixup in the issue here. The issue itself is not speech. Then word smurf shouldn't be banned. If i said DK James is my smurf then that's not offensive. That's like calling him my friend. If i were to say someone go lynch that smurf then it becomes a problem. But even if you were to replace ***** with black guy, a person's name, or in wwef's case a string of astericks, it's still a problem. Banning the word itself does not solve the issue. The real issue, like i said, is the context. The word bitch is still uncensored but if i were to say to a female member of the forum "get back in the kitchen you ugly bitch" then there's a problem. Take out bitch and it's still a derogatory statement. The word in the wrong context is bad, but removing the word does not make it better, in fact is does nothing.

I mean if im gonna get serious on this, the removal of the word smurf is actually the opposite of what should have been done. Black people as a culture have taken that word used to repremand slaves and shouted at people while being killed, and made it something positive, to refer to someone as a brother. Removing the word negates the opportunity to continue to transform the word Nope into the positive word smurf.

Again, I am not arguing about the censoring of the word. Roadster said it should be unbanned because it is freedom of speech and I simply said that is not a valid argument.

I was addressing that point and that point only.

 

[TheWUKMaster1]

But let all ban that image of that gorilla having sex with another gorilla please

 

[Pop Tatari]

C U N T is still banned in its proper form. I use it when ever I see a fellow white person. "what is up my C U N T" "hello my C U N T" It is a term of endearment at the end of the day and this is just nonsense censorship you fucking cunt

 

[Stopspot]

Hey @Solid Snake @Solidus .

These guys think this is a democracy

Spoiler

smurf is fine in my opinion. Nope not

 

[CM Punk]

smurf is fine. Nope should have been banned from the get-go.

 

[TMBS]

we should really censor "cats" too. cat spam is a serious issue and all spammers should be banned imo

 

[Pop Tatari]

You bunch of James blunts

 

[Stopspot]

we should really censor "cats" too. cat spam is a serious issue and all spammers should be banned imo

Now this is a cause I can get behind

 

[Solid Snake]

we should really censor "cats" too. cat spam is a serious issue and all spammers should be banned imo

:notsure:

 

[Roadster]

"cats" can be used instead of "c*nts". They will have no choice but to censor it :aj:

 

[Solid Snake]

Anyone else who attacks cats is getting banned. :mad2: :tough: