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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J. C. Dithers who wrote (47660)	5/16/2002 11:46:28 AM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Good post. But I see an obvious difference. The postings to Poet are highly personal and sexually tinged, the threatened release of personal informaiton was well beyond the pale of decency. These are not offensive opinions....

To: J. C. Dithers who wrote (47660)	5/16/2002 12:18:17 PM
From: one_less	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

How far are you prepared to carry that argument? Who has the final say in the various definitions? Two examples: ”What if I tell you that as a Catholic, I have been devastated by these assaults on my religion? That it has traumatized me? Do these posters, including Poet, bear a responsibility, perhaps even a legal one, for my suffering?” If these comments are to you and personally about how you perceive things to be then these posters do have a responsibility to you. First, I would suggest that it is your responsibility to let them know that the nature of the dialogue is causing you some pain, and that you are begging out of it. Other people have the 1st Amendment right to any opinion the want to, regarding the Catholic Church. They don’t have the right to invasively beat you over the head with their opinions on this subject. You have various resources available to you that limit their ability to do so. On the other hand if you are posting your opinions about the Catholic Church or your opinion that other people cannot post negative commentaries on the Catholic Church to a Boxing Ring thread, then you are making your self available for debate on the topic. ”Should it be my right to tell Poet that I demand that she stop posting negative commentaries on the Catholic Church?” Of course you have the right to make this demand. Others have the right to challenge your authority to demand such a thing as well. ” It is easy to imagine such people as being traumatized by seeing anti-Jewish posts. Should the poster in question be held responsible for any such psychological damages? Can one or more of the offended readers demand that he cease making such posts?” Of course such demands can be made and have been made. It is a directive with a moral imperative that appeals to one’s sense of humanity…we hope. Yes, the poster in question is responsible for his effects on others. The poster in question has been confronted many times in this regard, and reasonable sanctions have been imposed as a consequence. ” Do each and everyone of us bear accountability for how our posts affect others?” We have responsibility for owning our intentions. When an effect is occurring that is not represented by our intent and we have reason to believe the effect is harmful, we have responsibility for our behavior. For example: If our behavior was meant as a playful tease but we find that the target of the tease was hurt we have the responsibility to stop the tease, apologize for the misunderstanding, and make every effort to insure that the target knows we do not support the harmful impression that was mis-communicated. That is the end to the accountability. If the target of the tease does not forgive that is their right. Teasing is risky behavior. I support it but only where the teaser is fully aware of the risks and their responsibilities. ”Do each of us have the right to put a stop to posts on themes that offend us or frighten us?” Well, we definitely have the right, even the obligation, to take every reasonable action to stop such things. We don’t always have the power to “put a stop.” For example if Larry Flynt (publisher of Huslter Magazine), were running a campaign of slanderous lies against the Pope on the boxing ring, I would try to put a stop to it. If someone was advertising teen prostitutes on the boxing ring I would try to put a stop to it. If Larry Flynt starts his own thread, I would probably not go there. I hope that I have satisfactorily answered these excellent questions.