gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) (02/02/91)
In article <823@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> tuann@whiteoak.EBay.Sun.COM (T Nguyen) writes: > It is free society, free speech, but when someone starts using the > profanity language to abuse all the readers it can cause the chaos. The problem is, "profanity" is a matter of opinion. Some of us think socialism is obscene, but for the sake of free exchange of ideas we don't attempt to block discussion of socialistic programs. Instead we provide counterarguments, when appropriate, or just ignore it if it doesn't seem worth a response. Similarly, there are certain terms that many would consider "profane" for which there are no suitable "polite" alternatives. If the situation calls for it, one may decide to use such a term in a discussion. In moderated newsgroups it is up to the moderator to weed out articles that do not contribute anything worthwhile, but there is no obligation to try to "clean up" the language used. In some cases a contributor may be asked to consider rewording his article, but he's not obliged to do so. In unmoderated newsgroups there really is no way to enforce any sort of content policy other than to remove a site from the news and/or mail distribution. When I was an undergraduate, a student was forced by the administration to get rid of her aquarium because another student had claimed that the very thought of captive fish "bothered" her. Well, the thought of such arguments being used to constrain individual freedom bothers ME. I suggest you simply learn how to deal with situations that bother you, rather than trying to impose your values on the rest of us. Thanks..