Dear Listers,
First may I state that I am totally opposed to censorship.
Next, I apologise to all the sensitive people who had to be suffer the vitriol engendered by my attempts to confront what was in reality a clear musical issue, regardless of how unacceptable the recipient may have found it. At the risk of fanning the flames I find it rather tiresome that the person involved should represent it as a 'disagreement' of the type to be expected on an uncensored list. It was an unrestrained attack intended to create maximum damage and can be identified as the internet equivalent of ' road rage'. I make no apology for defending myself in a moderate and controlled fashion nor do I withdraw any of my assertions.
My final most moderate response was blocked so I guess censorship already exists. I think there are two major problems with censorship.
The first is the uneasiness created in subscribers about tip-toeing around content and finally discarding their ideas rather than taking the risk of being forthright. That, is counterproductive and will ultimately destroy the value of the list.
The second, is that censorship always involves value judgements. If you apply US judgements to an International List there are bound to be serious anomalies and restrictions are in themselves an anomaly on a list that purports to welcome a free and open interchange. We are not perfect and knowing when to turn the other cheek can sometimes be difficult.
Regards Reg. : )
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