<this censorship theory fails occam's razor in a big way>
I have only read a few of the last several hundred messages, but thought I'd step in here with some brief, unorganized thoughts.
I don't think that Jeff/SI's decision to do this check thing (which I call the "Amati Shakedown", and which I told Jeff I will have screened onto the back of my SI shirt) is intended as "content" censorship by SI staff.
Having acknowledged that, I take issue (call it libertarianism if you like) with two points - the intrusive way this witchhunt is being conducted (the last 100 people who happened to post to Amati) and the conditions under which it was elicited (meathead Amati true-believer whiners sending complaining emails to SI staff). I could pretty well guess who several of the complainers were, and I would put money that not a single Amati "detractor" sent a complaint. Self-righteous Amati true believers are the whiny group that put Jeff in this conflicted position (though he certainly did not have to follow through, and even then, not in this manner).
He did maintain SI would be flexible with time and form of proof, and he does claim to want SI to be an open forum. But if someone can trick the registration process, they can surely print a fake check, so what is the point?
My objection to him last week was that if SI is going to do a witch hunt at the behest of some whiny Amati true-believers, they should enforce such a hunt across ALL groups.
I asked him if he thought he would lose many people on principle if he did that, and he acknowledged that he would. I further asked if all 100 turn out to be "ok", would he then permanently oust the complainers. He said he hadn't thought it through that far. I also asked him if he made that condition known to said complainers, whether he thought they would withdraw their complaints. He did not respond.
He did suggest that perhaps limiting the number/length of SI posts might minimize the complaints he gets, but I don't think that would be any better of an idea. Posts can always be clicked past. Most of the Amati posts have some relevance to Amati or at technology. The PAIR thread is a lost cause (IMO) with the great number of mindless meandering posts.
Clearly, I am a guest in SI's space, and I respect that. But you and I and everyone else participating have done more than our fair share of making SI a great forum for discussion. Like DOS, a standard is converging, but not necessarily as a result of any overwhelming features here. An SI could happen anywhere people gather to discuss.
I believe that if this Amati witchhunt were made more public on SI, there would be an even wider feeling of loss. I only wish the maintainers of this space could see and act with a consideration to the larger issues at hand here - openness and tolerance.
Not that many of the posters here would miss MY critical comments, but I am considering ending my posts to SI as a result of this fiasco. I HAVE sent in my check, and my parting words, if I decide to stop posting here, will be AFTER the cutoff period.
Inquisition all or inquisition none.
A few of my several cents on this topic.
Steve |
