Site and Freedom of Speech
This is a quick blog. I am upset; a favorite friend of mine and a good person has been banned and I know almost nothing about it. I did read a blog and then it occurred to me that our freedom of speech may or may not exist in here. It is one thing to make rules, but it another thing to have those rules be fair and equitable.
I wonder about what language is offensive when we are given the abbreviation WTF by the site owner to use on the site in the chat room. That is pretty far out for me. If we can use the abbreviation, can we also say the word? Would spelling the word be permitted, but if we spelled it here, that would be the same as saying it. Maybe we could hyphenate the words and then we might be okay.
I usually take no offense where none is intended. If I am offended, I deal with it. I either return in a like manner, or just figure the person is beyond rationality and just ignore them.
People come in many shapes sizes, varieties, and inclinations, and I like them that way. I have learned generosity, kindness and tolerance on this site from members here. I will keep coming, but I hope the site does not run off more of my favorite people, and make changes that don’t even seem to work, don’t seem to be an improvement, or just a bundle of changes all at once.
I think members are due more considerations than we are getting. I think I am a respectful enough person, but I now fear that I may be breaking some rule that I have not learned or misinterpreted.
Quite agree with you Rose, seems what one can get a way with another cannot, I can recall Pat getting publically abused for many many weeks on the home and activity page, nothing was done, and Pat is an admin, so what chance do the rest of us have…….and someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this man Flika left of his own accord and was not banned….xx
Starlette, I value your opinion and appreciate your support. There are people who just go along and that is fine, but I have never been one of those people. I speak about what matters to me and respect other”s right to do the same. One episode should not ban a person, we seniors could be on some crazy medication at the time or just having a very bad day.
With you there Rose
thank you way. I value your opinion.
excellent, roseinbloom, thanks
Thank you jutta.
Rose, This is an excellent blog and thanks . I like so many member’s who don’t come into the chat room on a regular basis am sorry to read what has happened to this member who I don’t know. The changes made to the chat room where we can now read what everyone is saying in there well think it should go back to the old chat room setup but I know Rob will do what he thinks is best for S,C, and all the member’s that come into the chat /community room.
annemarie, you are a nice woman who is generous to everyone. I do know Linda, and I cannot believe that all these changes are rational, so I question any of them. I know I jump to conclusions, but I know Linda and she is a delight and a nice person.
She uses plain language, and if she is riled, she may disgust someone who doesn’t know her well. I have never riled her so I wound not know. I try to see beyond words to what the real message is, or who the person is. Some people are very snobbish about language, and I see language as a tool of communication. When I first heard some words like “bugga” I was shocked, but then I learned that is just a common word for many and means little. I am hoping that most of it was a big misunderstanding. I hope a lot of this site gets back to some normalcy where icons work and boxed don’t bing and pop up.
when people are writing or even the spoken expletives by the use of abbreviations I personally think it is in bad taste, common too use of abbs are often used in the SC room. Abbrs being used is in my opinion you might as well the full word, because you abbreviated a word you really mean the full word, very naughty. and not necessary, I read one chatter a few days ago complaining, wtf whats it got to me. nice so much for lovely people. I also notice that the blog has shut on more blogs on the L saga, definitely censorship rife. Was Rob getting to his head to it with all the blogging, or was we getting a massive following, hmm I wonder, 44 blogs stopped, I recall one blogger getting for over a hundred replies. beats me, isn’t that the point of people blogging to to formulate a point.
Yes ted….was wondering where all those opinions have disappeared to….so now its just swept under the carpet and forgotten….dont think so!!
Comments are still open. Maybe it was a caching issue…
trddyted, if we all used only formal language what a boring world this would be. Words do not have to be vulgar to be mean and cruel, yet we cannot take a snippet and prove that person is a menace. People need a lot of latitude to have freedom and to enjoy themselves. I may be considered rather prudish, but Linda has never offended me and I think she liked me as much as I liked her.Same is true of a lot of us. We go into chat and have a lot of fun translating for each other. The real test of language is having enough words and skill to express yourself well to a broad spectrum of people. Linda, evidently failed that test, or maybe she succeeded beyond her wildest expectation. LOL
Good blog Rose, I am with you.
Rose, I just learned about Linda. I am floored. Something seems terribly wrong when someone like her can be banned. She was one of the chatters here on SC I felt was “real” sincere, and a delight always to chat with. I will miss her. Another disappointment with this site.
dande, we all feel the same way. I worried that I may be unfair to Rob, but if he knew Linda as we know Linda, I don’t think he would have banned her. She brings so much to this site, that she has to be more positive than negative.
When any one is banned from Senior Chatters I assume there is a very serious reason for such action. I have not seen it stated anywhere what action might justify this type of exclusion. Very few of the total Senior Chatters membership is actually involved with day to day chatting. When a member is known and liked by other members it is because that member has joined other SC Members in the chat room. The apparent reason for Senior Chatters. For someone in SC to lose a friend and not know why can cause unnecessary anger, disappointment, and frustration. SC management does have the right to ban any SC Member for grave cause. I recommend that reasons for a possible banning from SC be clearly stated and uniformly applied. Making new friends is a wonderful reason to be a member of Senior Chatters. This goal is frequently achieved. But banning someone from SC without consideration of the negative consequences for Senior Chatter Friendships is not a positive action. Only a very serious infraction of clearly stated SC Rules should justify such action.
I know I don’t visit the chat room often, but now I will be inclined to do so even less, when I go into chat it is anticipation of some open chat and laughs, but no way am I going to be walking on eggshells, watching my Ps and Qs in chat, just in case someone is lurking in the background to pounce on me……nooooo thanks…
So all of this was due to a member saying something about the owner of the site. My my my. I can’t say what I want to say.
I,m certain we will all miss linda , a true charactor , in this world these days where nearly everyone conforms to the so -called Norms….
this charter of Rights on Senior Chatters, is spelled out for all to see and take notice of when we join…
I do feel that if the button colour changes were automatic as to wether one is in the chat room or not would be beneficial to everyone ,, it would savE wondering now if someone was lurking wating to pounce, copy and paste what we are sayinge
No-one is infallible as Bloom says , we all have our good and bad days, when something may slip out, or a cross word when we are tired, most Chatters have a lot of understanding, and just dismiss this as a senior moment , and have a laugh later.. i cant comment on the paeticular banning of anyone this past week as I was not here and didnt see or hear what was or was not said , however i do wish that Linda could return, i,m sure if she inadvertantly said anything she shouldn,t she would apologise and we would all welcome her humor back with open arms …..
Members have stated their opinions and unhappiness .
Now ,I think is time to accept reality and move on .
If someone comes to my house and bad mouth about me because she/he doesn’t like the way I re-arranged things . I would ask that person to leave ..
As simple as that !!
there are plenty of people in here who say things I don’t like, also plenty I don’t like which is why I don’t comment on things I know nothing about.
Fair play nmod, but if that someone had PAID to be in your house, would they not have some rights of comment?
Not really ! My house is always my house .
Nmod, you are usually always right, but this time you are wrong. Guests in your home have rights and paid people have rights also that you must abide by. They have a right to reasonable treatment and do not suspend their human rights or obligations when they enter your home. I am sure you are a fair and gracious person, but I would think twice if I travel a great distance to see you, like 10,000 miles and you just told me that you had changed your mind for some reason.
Sorry Rose,but I think there maybe a misunderstanding here ,because what you are saying doesn’t make sense to me .
“If I decide to make my house an open house and invite everyone to come in and use all what’s available in the house ,but I ask for a contribution towards the cost of running the place .
That doesn’t make my visitors co-owners of my house ! It’s still my house and I have the last say .
If some of the regulars are not happy with the way I manage my house and say or do things that deeply offend me ,I have the right to ask them to leave.”
This is not about Linda , because I like most of the people who ever chatted with her got to like her very much . and of course I’m saddened that she had to go …
This is about what’s right or wrong , and if someone does me wrong in my house , I have the power to decide what to do about the situation , and not anybody else .
nmod. I hear you nmod, and maybe I am in danger of being asked to leave. I just understood that there are rules of reasonableness, and now I find that you can be banned for anything that is a detriment to this site. I never use bad language, or aggravate people, but I guess if I am on this site, my freedon of speech does not exist. We Americans may interpret freedom of speech differently, it is in our Bill of Rights.
If you were a guest in my house, I would do my utmost to see that you were provided all that you could reasonably expect and more. I would not move the furniture around if it were not absolutely necessary, and I would explain the changes and no that you may not like them and you would be free to give me your opinion in a civilized way.
A guest is treated in a very special way at my house.
Rose,
I think I know how you are feeling .
I’ve been a member on here for about 5 years. Over this length of tine I’ve met and befriended a lot of people.
Some are still here ,others have left and some were asked to leave .
My chatter friends who left ,and /or were asked to leave I still remember with fondness .
It’s the nature of the site ,I think . People come and go in droves but some of them stay long enough for us to make deeper connections ,and then when they go ,we feel the loss.
Freedom of speech does not give me the right to offend or hurt others.
Neither do I have to put up with ill treatment from others , is just common sense .
I always feel free to say whatever I need to say on this site . I do however ,take care and try to choose the words
that will highlight the issue without attacking the person .
“Giving our opinion in a civilized way ”
You’ve said it and I agree with you .
nmod, I appreciate your thoughtful reply. I think I have expressed myself too often already.
I’m fully on Norma’s side. SC maybe is ROB’s vision which he brought to reality. Any kind of right are on his side. That’s the way I handled my own business.
It is absolutely not my right to make any proposals or suggestions to ROB,
only one consideration appeared in my mind;
The first yellow card is a warning, the second yellow card is there to say; one more of this fault and you get the red card which means banned from this side. No much explaination or discussion should be answered, only a apology will be excepted.
That could work.
Miichael. I am a freedom loving person. Maybe I am out of line. I contracted for a site embership and I like everything I saw. In our laws we have a right to reasonable treatment in doing business. I don’t think all these changes are reasonable, I don’t think it is good for the site. Things that simply don’t work are a nuisance. Evidently, I can expect changes, every time I get fairly comfortable and if I am gone a short time, I will have to learn things all over again.
I think I will keep quiet from now on about the site. I don’t think it makes a difference and I just waste my time.
Rose this is a business as well as a hobby. To keep it upgraded and working correctly costs hence memberships which enable this to be done. Even professionals charge for their services so they can upgrade whether it be their minds or their facilities. Would you dare to tell them how to run their businesses and if or when to make changes just because you pay for their services.
Fay, I always respect your opinion? Would I dare…..? It depends on the circumstances and what risks I was taking. I appreciate opinions, and I give mine freely. Changes need to be made for many reasons. I accept that. I also accept that the owner can make changes at will. I apologize if I have been offensive. I do care about the site and I care about its success. This is not any business. It is a chat site and People express themselves. We are only talking about how free they feel to express themselves and not whether they should.
I am happy to see that some people who never went into the chat room are venturing in and it may attract new members, but the chat needs more work. We may need a public chat and a private chat room like our old one. Since, I have been a member, every time there are changes, people stop using what is changed. I hope all works as Rob hopes..
I think it is still a work in progress when it comes to chat. Still even now, there are quite a few using it. I guess Robs list is long for the things that need doing and time is short. Sooner him than me when it comes to getting it all sorted to the majoritys satisfaction…OL
My last comment on this…we can talk about this til we are blue in the face…..it seems that we are talking to a brick wall…doesnt matter what we say….apparently, if we dont like it…tough!