Richard Dawkins' forum run by prefects with swagger sticks?

[Drewish]

Any thread that can't appreciate hate speech even when it's REALLY funny just isn't worth the effort.

[Animavore]

I think I did lose the head at some pro-Israeli posters on there a long time ago who were throwing around the anti-semitic charge at ANYTHING uncomplimentary about Israels policies,

I know exactly who you're on about. I used to have a run in with them all the time. I guess its natural for Irish people to stick up for the oppressed.

[maddave42]

I was in RD forum few days ago..got banned. My wife posted some information regarding the need to investigate the UFO phenomenon. Many people commented but a couple of clown shoes, usernames: tokamak and hackenslash were being very dense and cursing..I created a username and posted some comments..never cursed or called them names..other than that they were both an embarrassment to thinking people. I used the username maddav42 there as well.

My coworker also signed in and added some comments under my voice81...

When hackenslash (who by the way has 7500 comments to his credit..and actually used that as part of his argument ..lol)..got thoroughly beaten (which by the way was no great feat...as his stance is not a very defensible stance, not with his level of debate skills anyway) He was saying all testimony and eye witness testimony has no value..to anything..lol..... I am pretty sure that he spoke to the moderator and had this IP blocked and permanently banned..This Ip probably serves all of Taguig which is a part of Metro Manila.

They banned this IP for multiple user accounts. I sent 3 emails to explain that we all have only one account each. I received no response and still not have at this time. When I tried to log in again it now says permanently banned for spamming.

The original thread was do atheists believe in alien life..I think the thread got split. but you can see the argument..tell me if what we did is wrong... My friend did ask him.."how many people have to tell you that your zipper is down before you take a look? Oh yeah, you dismiss eye witness testimony as grounds to investigate". I think that pissed him of and he went crying to a moderator to have him banned..when they discovered at least 3 ID,s with same IP they banned the whole IP.

By the way hello everyone..I am an atheist..My wife is a humanist that believes in the Teachings of Jesus as well as God. So when Boniknik signs in here please do not ban us..lol . I have seen some valuable posts in RD forums but am very disappointed in the close mindedness of people who claim to be skeptics. Many there are worse or at least as bad as the religious counterparts of know-it-alls. I have been an atheist for 25 years, I am against organized religion having control of my rights..very much against it..but I am not against people who practice the religion they choose. I am embarrassed that people like hackenslash and tokamak defile the name of atheism. You can read some of their self righteous garbage when they are speaking to other people too.

Thanks for reading

[Beelzebub2]

Welcome!

[Faithfree]

By the way hello everyone..I am an atheist..My wife is a humanist that believes in the Teachings of Jesus as well as God. So when Boniknik signs in here please do not ban us..lol . I have seen some valuable posts in RD forums but am very disappointed in the close mindedness of people who claim to be skeptics. Many there are worse or at least as bad as the religious counterparts of know-it-alls. I have been an atheist for 25 years, I am against organized religion having control of my rights..very much against it..but I am not against people who practice the religion they choose. I am embarrassed that people like hackenslash and tokamak defile the name of atheism. You can read some of their self righteous garbage when they are speaking to other people too.

Thanks for reading

Welcome maddave42!

Perhaps make a post in the "Welcomes and Introductions" sub-forum.

[devogue]

[irreligionist]

...aren't most of the mod/admin staff from rdf members here? It's weird to have so much rdf discussion on this forum.

[devogue]

...aren't most of the mod/admin staff from rdf members here? It's weird to have so much rdf discussion on this forum.

It's great. We can acll them all the cunts of the day and then go and share knob jokes with them.

[maddave42]

A follow up to my previous post. Not long after I posted here I was contacted by RDF moderator. The moderator had researched and was satisfied that we are not sock puppets. The mod explained that a mistake had been made and our IP had been dumped into the spamming bin.

Perhaps I was little harsh in my initial post. Although using the names of the users was not necessary I still believe that the moderator who banned my IP was acting on behalf of a User.

There is no opinion I hold stronger than that of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is the foundation of every liberty we have or strive to have... if it crumbles all freedoms that rest upon it will also crumble.

When I first met my wife we were discussing religion and various other topics...she asked me.."What do you believe in"?
I answered "freedom of speech, and everything else is debatable". Although glib...it sums up the importance I place on freedom of speech.

I rarely get riled...but this topic is one that will surely rile me.

I apologize if I have offended anyone, and I understand that many moderators work here as well as at RDF.

Thanks for reading.

And thanks to those who welcomed me.

[charlou]

Hello and welcome maddave42

A follow up to my previous post. Not long after I posted here I was contacted by RDF moderator. The moderator had researched and was satisfied that we are not sock puppets. The mod explained that a mistake had been made and our IP had been dumped into the spamming bin.

Perhaps I was little harsh in my initial post. Although using the names of the users was not necessary I still believe that the moderator who banned my IP was acting on behalf of a User.

There is no opinion I hold stronger than that of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is the foundation of every liberty we have or strive to have... if it crumbles all freedoms that rest upon it will also crumble.

I rarely get riled...but this topic is one that will surely rile me.

I apologize if I have offended anyone, and I understand that many moderators work here as well as at RDF.

Thanks for reading.

And thanks to those who welcomed me.

I prefer minimal censorship and manipulation wrt to speech freedom too, particularly wrt to subject matter. I do think there must be a degree of moderation guiding how our members address one another, though, and we have guidelines to that effect, ie "playing nice".

The moderators who work at RDF do not 'work' here, but quite a few and a couple of admin are members of this forum. Other rationalia members moderate and admin this forum.

I'm glad your situation at RDF is being addressed and hope things turn out well for you.

How did you find rationalia?

[maddave42]

Thanks Charlou,

My wife wanted me to add this to my previous post to illustrate my point..so it was edited after you commented.

When I first met my wife we were discussing religion and various other topics...she asked me.."What do you believe in"?
I answered "freedom of speech, and everything else is debatable". Although glib...it sums up the importance I place on freedom of speech.

[charlou]

I've edited my previous post for clarity before reading your reply, so you probably missed the edit. Here it is, again ...


I prefer minimal censorship and manipulation wrt to speech freedom too, particularly wrt to subject matter. I do think there must be a degree of moderation guiding how our members address one another, though, and we have guidelines to that effect, ie "playing nice".

The moderators who work at RDF do not 'work' here, but quite a few and a couple of admin are members of this forum. Other rationalia members moderate and admin this forum.

I'm glad your situation at RDF is being addressed and hope things turn out well for you.

How did you find rationalia?

[maddave42]

I found Rataionalia by looking for links that discussed RDF Moderators and banned users. I found the link: Richard Dawkins' forum run by prefects with swagger sticks?

[Hermit]

There is no opinion I hold stronger than that of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is the foundation of every liberty we have or strive to have... if it crumbles all freedoms that rest upon it will also crumble.

Welcome to Rationalia, maddave42. I hope you enjoy the more relaxed, convivial and less uptight atmosphere here.

I appreciate your passion for freedom of speech, but that is not at all what the fora run under the auspices of the Richard Dawkins Foundation is about. The motto is An Oasis of Clear Thinking, not an oasis of free speech. The first sentence of the Forum Users' Agreement makes the site's raison d'être quite clear: "The purpose of this forum is to encourage discussions on topics related to reason and science." This implies a limitation to freedom of speech right from the outset. Indeed, not long after the forum was established preaching, witnessing, evangelising and proselytising became forbidden forms of expressing opinions. A bit over a year ago discussions of personal sexual issues, desires, or problems as well as images, descriptions or discussions of sexual acts became forbidden. They were perceived to threaten the charitable status of the Richard Dawkins Foundation in the UK and the USA. Most recently any posts deemed to be racist, homophobic or sexist became prohibited on the grounds that "this creates an environment that is hostile to the reasonable exchange of views." When someone asked: "Does this mean that the topic of racial intelligence differences is forbidden?" the reply was a resounding yes: "Every time it has been discussed here, it has attracted racists who have an agenda to prove that "blacks are less intelligent than whites". RichardDawkins.net will not foster or support racist bigotry and therefore these sorts of threads are unlikely to gain approval from staff." At he same time discussing the merits of a particular member's banning was also forbidden. The reason for that was to forestall an avalanche of gloating by those members who were glad to see him gone, but of course they were not the only ones prevented from voicing their opinion.

There are many justifiable reasons for limiting freedom of speech on internet fora, the most salient of which is that they are mostly privately owned and that they are attempting to promote a particular point of view. If you insist on total freedom of speech, I suggest you participate in usegroups.

This was my case for the way RDF is run. For my case against, I suggest you read the opening post of this thread and quite a few others that I sent to RDF's tech section.

[lordpasternack]

When someone asked: "Does this mean that the topic of racial intelligence differences is forbidden?" the reply was a resounding yes: "Every time it has been discussed here, it has attracted racists who have an agenda to prove that "blacks are less intelligent than whites". RichardDawkins.net will not foster or support racist bigotry and therefore these sorts of threads are unlikely to gain approval from staff."

With respect to my bolding there - so fucking what? If their views are unscientific, they can be adequately proved such and dismissed. And if they are scientific, then it surely should be discussed on RD.net. Or does RD.net bend with political correctness in its devotion to reason and science?

I personally find it grossly offensive that people might consider coming onto RD.net to try to justify child abuse in the form of male or female genital mutilation. Do I want to gag them? Doesn't gagging them almost concede that I can't actually argue against them and my only recourse is to shut them up because I can't bear to hear them give coherent arguments?