"Just because you're quoting someone it doesn't make it less offensive"

[fidgettt]

Yes, I think it does make it less offensive actually!

Do we really need to have threads deleted (I'm speaking in general rather than about a specific thread) because they make people aware that some individuals are horrible racists / sexists / homophobes? Surely we are all adult enough not to need to be shielded from the knowledge that this sort of thing exists!? The BBC are happy to allow us to watch programs discussing these issues, ditto newspapers, other media. See use of a certain 6 letter word in "12 Years A Slave". So why does MN censor so heavily?

Its TOTALLY different from actually saying those things yourself. Obviously hate speech shouldn't be allowed on MN!! I'm quite happy for gratuitous quoting that is a bit to also be deleted.

@tendergreenbean

Ah ok, that makes sense regarding the RTFT part.

Where should the line be drawn, I think where people are quoting to be goady or quoting so much and so gratuitously that it makes you wonder if they can only be doing so for trolling purposes.

Censorship I reluctantly agree with where someone is inciting hatred, violence / terrorist acts. I think if we lived in a world were everyone ignored these horrid people it wouldn't be necessary but sadly it is.

I find the current obsession with censorship to be far too heavy-handed. Not only is it overly precious and patronising to readers, but it's often used as a cover for shutting-down difficult conversations or opinions that are otherwise perfectly legitimate. Israel/Palestine, for example.

I find it profoundly ironic that many of the proponents of such censorship consider themselves to be progressive, yet are also often the most shrill and offensive when on their favourite hobby-horses.

I'm often surprised at the vitriolic content on the Feminism boards in here both directed generally at men and specifically at the trans movement. In any other context, MN would remove these as hate speech. I'm guessing it will soon have to anyway if only to retain a veneer of 'fairness'.

Like religious fundamentalists, extreme ideologues usually ultimately find themselves on the receiving end of their own campaigning.