Quote:
Originally posted by CDSmith
you are talking about a freedom of online expression issue, plain and simple. How it breaks down is this way.....
CJ has the right to say or post or print whatever description they want on that link (as long as it does not counsel others to perform an illegal act).
YOU have the right to state publicly that you dislike/hate what they said/posted.
And that's pretty much where it ends. Crying publicly for a boycott or banning or anything will get you nowhere. Adding people to your "list" will accomplish nothing either. I've been in this business for nearly 6 years now and you and I have never interacted beyond this message board.
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This isn't "a freedom of online expression issue": it's an exploitation issue, because the site is there to make a profit by deliberately pandering to some of the worst elements in our world.
Nor is a comparison with porn valid. There is a huge difference between the voluntary participation of adults and - whether it be a cat or a prisoner - the suffering of a helpless victim. And however hypocritical people may be publicly, the size of the adult entertainment market - online and offline - says loud and clear that (the majority of) porn does not in truth conflict with community standards. Try to rent a cat-burning or a beheading movie from your local video store...
You are also wrong when you say "You have the right to state publicly that you dislike/hate what they said/posted. And that's pretty much where it ends". Anyone who is offended by anything, not only in respect of this issue, also has the right to use any legal means at their disposal to attempt to stop the activity in question. I would go further and say that anyone who is offended by something and does nothing about it, is effectively condoning that activity.
There is a series of ads running on TV at the moment. One has a bunch of people standing around discussing a tap running into an unused sink. Someone walks up and simply turns the tap off. Another group is debating some litter on the street and after a few moments a passer-by picks it up and puts in a garbage can, barely pausing in his stride.
Unfortunately few issues are that easily resolved, but the point is self-evident.