Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!snorkelwacker!spdcc!merk!xylogics!world!bzs
From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: What constitutes abuse ...
Message-ID: <1989Dec27.050047.2113@world.std.com>
Date: 27 Dec 89 05:00:47 GMT
References: <7312@ficc.uu.net> <3507@harrier.ukc.ac.uk> <45062@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Organization: The World @ Software Tool & Die
Lines: 32
In-Reply-To: ckd@bu-pub.bu.edu's message of 22 Dec 89 02:54:41 GMT


If I could communicate one thing to newusers it would be to please
refrain from screaming censorship at every opportunity.

Censorship is something a government does by invoking its police
powers. It's conceivable that some institutions (such as academic)
have such power over what ideas do or do not get to see the light of
day that their power approaches that of censorship, but even that is
stretching the point. One is still free to exit the institution and
express that opinion and they don't throw you in jail (academic
freedom being a serious and separate issue, but it's not censorship!)

Specifically, moderating a group is not censorship, it's not possible
to "censor" someone by simply eliding their message.

It's editorializing perhaps, and perhaps it makes you angry as all
get-out or is even ill-conceived. But it's NOT CENSORSHIP! No more
than it's censorship that you can't take some time on TV network news
tonight to air your favorite gripe or get a front page column in the
New York Times to speak your mind.

Denying you access to a particular medium is not censorship, denying
you the right to express your thoughts in *any* media, a priori, is
censorship. And that takes police powers.

Too many people have suffered and died over real censorship to have
the concept sullied in the fashion practiced on this net.
-- 
        -Barry Shein

Software Tool & Die, Purveyors to the Trade         | bzs@world.std.com
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