Embrace the ZOT.
Posted on 10/10/2004 12:21:45 AM PDT by Keyes2000mt
I’ve been a member of Free Republic for nearly five years. During that time, I’ve seen a lot of Zots! What’s a Zot? It’s a situation where someone who comes on Free Republic as an obvious disrupter is banned from Free Republic. In addition, if they started a thread, the thread may be pulled.
Across the political spectrum at Democratic Underground, the same policy is pretty much in effect for Conservative voices.
When I was younger, I had a problem with the idea of banning people who didn’t go by the moderator’s rules or just because they’re a liberal or are treading on forbidden territory.
Yet, as time’s gone by, I’ve realized that the “Zot” and related moderator practices on the Internet don’t violate free speech and those who cry “Free Speech” when they’re banned from a forum for saying something that violates the rules of a community don’t understand what Free Speech is about.
Free Speech gives us the right to stand on a street corner or in a park and speak the truth. It doesn’t give us the right to intrude on our neighbor’s house to make a speech that our neighbor doesn’t want to make. Our neighbor has rights of property and freedom of association.
None of these forums belong to the government. They’re all private property and are governed by private rules and people can either obey those rules or face the consequences.
The truth is that everyone zotted still has the right to freedom of speech. They can set up a blog at any number of hosting services for free and post whatever they want. Of course, they will not have the same audience as they would on Free Republic or Democratic Underground, but the Constitution doesn’t guarantee them the right to be read by thousands.
The practice of limiting debate is now the rule on most respectable forums on the Internet. Several that aren’t about religion or politics won’t allow discussion of them. It’s not just political sites that are getting tough. Just people on political sites are more likely to whine about First Amendment rights when they get punished for posting a story about the debut of “
The internet has grown up. It’s no longer the wild west. Moderators realize they have the right and in many cases for the harmony of their communities, they have the responsibility to choose who can be a member and what topics are germane for discussion on their boards. Those who shake their fists at people who exercise control over their own property are immature.
I'm hitting the abuse button on you, bucko!!!!
Still PLENTY of unmoderated wasteland out in Cyberspace!
Now you can become Moderator to the world.
Embrace the ZOT.
I still picture Johnny Hart's anteater every time I see a "Zot!"
They have the freedom of speech but they don't have the right to be heard or read. Also, I have the same right to disagree with them and that is the part of freedom of speech that idiot liberal hollywierd types just don't understand. As for trolls...zot them all.
Feel the Zot!
Who Zots you baby?
A Zot is a many splendored thing.
And finally, the king,
Jail house Zot!
Thank yuh, thank yuh verrra Zot.
They let the cat outta the bag..
Gonna have to add the article to the Zot handbook.
*sigh*
It's own chapter, or one of the appendices?
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