Imagine if this place had an ignore button

[trish]

An ignore button is a great way to limit free speech. If you don't want to hear someone's argument just.....hey!....what are you doing?....don't click ....

[trish]

Of course no one who advocates free speech would use one.

[ef9hatchman]

An ignore button is a great way to limit free speech. If you don't want to hear someone's argument just.....hey!....what are you doing?....don't click ....

I think the concept is that block users that irritate the shit out of people.

[trish]

Nah Nah Nah Naaaahhhh Naaaahhhh! I don't hear you!

[ef9hatchman]

Nah Nah Nah Naaaahhhh Naaaahhhh! I don't hear you!

its a good thing ur reading something instead of listening through a speaker..... heh heh heh

[dgs925]

An ignore button is a great way to limit free speech. If you don't want to hear someone's argument just.....hey!....what are you doing?....don't click ....

How does it limit free speech? I am an advocate of free speech, so I need you to explain that a little. Free speech is important in the real world where unpopular opinions often get stifled. But the right to ignore others is just as fundamental. Case in point: Fred Phelps. I believe totally that he should be able to say whatever he wants, but I also think that we should all ignore him

You can say whatever the fuck you want to say, but I don't have to listen. Sometimes I want to read a thread, but just don't care to read the divisive comments posted by some member here. That's when it would come in handy.

Besides, this is a privately owned internet forum - so it isn't free speech. If you say enough shit that is against the rules then you get banned.

[trish]

Free speech involves the right to respond to claims and have those responses heard by those making the claims. You can still easily choose not to read those responses. Making them vanish from your screen just strikes me as childish and cowardly.

[dgs925]

Free speech involves the right to respond to claims and have those responses heard by those making the claims. You can still easily choose not to read those responses. Making them vanish from your screen just strikes me as childish and cowardly.

Ahhh you're objection is that you think it is childish and cowardly, and not really on "free speech" grounds. That is a valid point, but I could really care less if I'm considered childish or cowardly - I just don't want to be bothered by a few select trolls here (at least I consider them trolls).

[trish]

Free speech is an intellectual concept. The legal construction we have in the U.S. or in other nations, are just various realizations of that concept. Though it is not bound by the legal construction, I would like HA to respect the spirit of free speech, when reasonable. My objection is quite definitely based on the concept of free speech. Let me repeat it:

Free speech involves the right to respond to claims and have those responses heard by those making the claims. You can still easily choose not to read those responses.

It also happens to be the case that ignore buttons are childish and cowardly when used to ignore responses to political or scientific or other kinds of claims.

To the MODs working on this I propose a compromise. Since people in the General Forum are not usually involved in the kind of speech I'm describing, design an ignore button for the General Forum. On the other hand the Politics and Religion Forum is a different story. I wouldn't use it there because I think it would be cowardly and intellectually dishonest. I wouldn't want it to be used on me there, because in a political discussion, I think everyone should have the right to address their dissenters directly. So I would suggest in that forum we not have the option of a vanish button.

[dgs925]

Free speech is an intellectual concept. The legal construction we have in the U.S. or in other nations, are just various realizations of that concept.

YES!! Absolutely, The law is not what is sacred here, but the fundamental right to say whatever the hell you want to say

Free speech involves the right to respond to claims

I'm still with you here.

and have those responses heard by those making the claims.

I'd never thought of this, but it doesn't strike me as true. You can say whatever you want, that's fine, but you cannot demand that others listen to you.

It also happens to be the case that ignore buttons are childish and cowardly when used to ignore responses to political or scientific or other kinds of claims.

Hell yeah that is childish and cowardly. Just cruise on over to FSTDT.com to view the effect of ignoring political or scientific claims that don't agree with your principles. But don't those fundies have the (not god given) right to bury their heads in the sand and wait for the rapture? It's when they try to infringe on our rights, for example by teaching half-truths in public school science classes, that we need to take them to task and call bullshit. But if they want to sit around in private groups talking about what a satan-worshiper Darwin was then that's their right.

To the MODs working on this I propose a compromise. Since people in the General Forum are not usually involved in the kind of speech I'm describing, design an ignore button for the General Forum. On the other hand the Politics and Religion Forum is a different story. I wouldn't use it there because I think it would be cowardly and intellectually dishonest. I wouldn't want it to be used on me there, because in a political discussion, I think everyone should have the right to address their dissenters directly. So I would suggest in that forum we not have the option of a vanish button.

However the mods do things is fine with me, I wasn't even asking for this to be implemented I just wanted people's opinions. I don't see what the problem is with someone ignoring you, if they choose to ignore you they are the only ones being hurt. If it went too far everyone would ignore everyone else and it would turn into a ghost town.

I wasn't thinking of the politics and religion board when I proposed this, I rarely go there. I was thinking of the times I was looking at a thread, enjoying some pics or perhaps reading about someone early in their transition, and then come come a couple of pages of hate spewing followed by fag calling. And wouldn't you know it, it's the same person starting shit over and over.

Then just the other day I (for the fist time) visit this other forum that shall remain nameless, and I see all these people who used to post here but for one reason (you know who she is) or another don't come here any more. I thought, "that's a shame".