Alright @Al_Kafir, it’s time for us to come clean.
We’re US agents. Part of a new division of the NSA created to monitors message boards for anti-government discussion. We use the classic good cop/bad cop tactic to sway opinion quietly, subconsciously, which is where my background in advertising comes in handy.
I use my real image as a way to seem sincere, genuine, while @Al_Kafir uses an avatar image to appear more anonymous, strategically meant to cater to both sides of the spectrum.
We spend most days with our feet up on our desks, eating donuts (@Al_Kafir is always getting french crullers while I prefer the old fashion donuts. Why he eats those, I’ll never know). One thing we can agree on is coffee: black, one sugar.
Due to our original, albeit unorthodox, tactics, we’ve found that we’re rising in the ranks fast, but making some enemies on our way up at the office. Could be jealously, could be ideological difference, who knows. And while @Al_Kafir and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on things (or on donuts!), we’ve got an equal dislike for our boss, Harry Fleck. That guy is a ball buster like you wouldn’t believe, and sometimes we gotta bend a few rules to get our job done.
Or, we’re two guys who have never met and just share some opinions.
I can agree with this. Initially, when I came here, I was searching for info on farming setups and other technical stuff. It was harder to find because of all of the topics above it! I’m not sure how this particular forum software works, but it seems a little disorganised. Is the membership here beginning to outgrow the front-page presentation, perhaps?
I disagree here, somewhat. If someone was, say, to suggest we omit certain content from the SAFE network, then I, for one, am going to want to hear some pretty solid reasoning on the part of that person. This may stray into political discussion of rights, force, etc. I also would like to present my alternative view, with logic and reasoning, instead of assumptions based in ‘normality’. I don’t think it’s off-topic. I think it’s exploring the heart of the issues. But on the other hand, having it categorised and not blocking access to the more technical side is fair enough.
Also, I don’t think they are strictly opinion. Having a meaningful discussion, for me at least, means helping myself and others strip away those parts of our thinking that are merely opinion, and looking at fundamental axiomatic truths.
Agreed about the clutter. I don’t think many people would be scared away, though. Some might. I think we may attract a certain type of people. This might be an up-side, or a down-side. In my view, if it’s positive, respectful and thoughtful, it probably won’t scare anyone off. But again, no problem for me with perhaps organising the front page in a different way, if it’s possible. It’s kinda jumbled up.
I wouldn’t say its omitted. Censorship isn’t helpful for anyone. It’s just accessible in it’s subcategory space so it doesn’t clutter the front page.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the purpose of an Off-Topic forum? I assumed it’s purpose was a place for everything from “Here is my crypto-anarcho-democratic-communist-libertarian manifesto” to “What sort of ice cream does everyone like?” So if you’re putting it in Off-Topic, you’re doing so with the understanding that it doesn’t pertain to Maid-Safe.
If you have a thought that is related to MaidSafe, but it doesn’t seem to have a home, it goes in Uncategorized. Then that could be the discovery of a new category.
People really like discussing politics, so it’s going to naturally get more attention. So maybe it deserves to be hidden from the front page and stays in a sub-category? It’s not censorship as much as it is organizing so that this doesn’t turn into a forum about politically-charged revolutionaries discussing ice cream flavors.
Specifically, I was referring to a thread on this forum where someone posted an idea to restrict the content on the SAFE network. And that I didn’t think that political discussion surrounding the ethics/morality/practicality of censoring the network, was off-topic.
I didn’t post the original thread, but was responding to the idea with reason and logic that included political ideas. For this, I was told that my contribution to the thread was off-topic. I don’t think that it was.
Yes, I can understand you thinking this, however it is because I more than personally dislike it - I find it offensive and hence acted in response to that. I have conceded my opinions/beliefs/reactions may not be commonplace or even understood, but I can assure you they are rational. I could expand and explain myself further, but I feel it inappropriate in this thread. I would avoid proselytising in a general tech forum, but would debate in a philosophy section. If I see others as proselytising or misinforming or making fantastic supernatural claims without the corresponding fantastic evidence, then I will jump all over them. It is who I am to the core of my being -analogous (very loosely. and not really) to my belief system or religion if you will. …lol.
It’s just that these topics particularly (politics/religion) raise many emotive issues for people who perceive harmful consequences are occurring and that others are encouraging it. We feel we have the answer - if only others would listen and we are all guilty of this I think, that’s why these topics warrant special consideration in my view, away fro the mainstream Safe stuff. Let’s keep this in context here guys, I don’t think this forum is going to degenerate into a bitcointalk muppet show anytime soon. Harsh words were spoken, nobody was crucified and at least i didn’t detonate myself,