Not OK, w/me!

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by TimG on October 11, 2009 at 9:21pm

You have some good points, Robyn.

But coming from someone who was once (and still is) a moderator for both chat rooms and Natural Health Yahoo Groups, I have to take the viewpoint of what is best for the community, not just myself. I could care less if someone rags on me personally, but when it comes to the "greater good", I have to take action to maintain a degree of cohesion. I couldn't tell you the number of times I've given someone the boot or blocked a message because it violates the basic mores of the group.

We are members. We are the community. But we don't own the board. The owners of the board are well within their right to moderate how they see fit.

William Banks can go do his psychotic ranting elsewhere. Anybody else who feels differently are free to join him.

After all, it's a free world, isn't it.

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Permalink Reply by Robyn on October 11, 2009 at 9:40pm

Thanks Tim, but doesn't that mean "you" determine the -Greater Good-? Shouldn't we each be given the liberty to decide for ourselves what we want to believe or not. I prefer to hear all arguments and gather as much information about something , especially something as important as my health, to make the best possible choice I can. To me what you are stating is completely contradictory to the very issues of freedom of speech Kevin Trudeau accuses the Federal Government and the FDA of perpetrating on us. If this person has not violated the terms of service agreement, on what grounds do you determine whether to "ban" someone?

You and I have had our own disagreements, but they are simply that disagreements. I have gained some very valuable info. from you and hopefully you have gained some from me. But I don't think anyone should be banned because they disrupt "cohesion" I want to hear opinions from as many different sources of thought as possible and this one has just been silenced, because someone else decided the basic mores of the group have been violated. I can't stress enough how "yuk" this feels coming from this community. Censorship, censorship, censorship.

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Permalink Reply by TimG on October 11, 2009 at 11:07pm

Robyn,

Believe me, what you are saying is not new. I've seen this same debate in various forums for nearly 2 decades.

No, I don't specifically determine the "greater good", but I do also have to use my judgement based on the general mores of the group I am moderating. I lay out the general guidelines, and people agree and join. As a result, there is a moral cohesion. If they don't agree with these mores, they don't have to join.

That is freedom.

Were I to own a bowling club and someone joined and began spouting off the stupidity of bowling (and pissing off my members), I wouldn't hesitate to give him the boot.

Were you to own a restaurant and someone came in and interrupted your guests with loud talking, you wouldn't hesitate to tell them to stop or face being removed from the premises. Would his shouting "freedom of speech" change your mind?

In my moderation practices (for chiropractors), if one were to post topics about the joys of antidepressants, I would delete the topic and tell him why. If the doctor argued about it, I'd make the effort to reason with him. If that didn't work, I'd kick his ass out. Peace reigns.

While I agree that different viewpoints are valuable, some are simply destructive to the well-being of the specific group to which its members belong. It has got nothing to do with "freedom of speech" and 1st Amendment rights simply don't apply.

Craig's List, Facebook, MySpace, all message board groups have morals its members are bound to. Violations of these agreements (written or not) are faced with expulsion.

It's just a fact, whether you're a free society or a dictatorship.

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Permalink Reply by Robyn on October 11, 2009 at 11:35pm

Ok Tim as moderator apparently you will have the final say, but I will say this. This is not a restaurant or a bowling alley. This is not Craigs list, Facebook or MySpace. This is a site full of members who are seeking the "truth,"....... answers to our questions, escape from the from the money driven bueouacy of the outside world. We need a place to go where we can trust each other that we are "real" people with real advice, information and suggestions that have not been bought by the highest bidder. When you ban a contradictory opinion you have just banned us from gaining information, the very thing I come to this site for. I can't trust the agenda to be unbiased from anyone or any site that suppresses an unflattering opinion. That makes this site just like all the others. A "product selling machine"

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Permalink Reply by TimG on October 11, 2009 at 11:41pm

I've seen a number of people who've been banned from this forum, Robyn.

What makes this guy any different?

And also, any group has a bias toward its agenda. This is thousands of years old, for gawd's sake! LOL If you can name one group that doesn't, I'll name one hundred that do.

You simply join that group which aligns with yours.

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Permalink Reply by Robyn on October 12, 2009 at 12:06am

Because this is the first one I knew for sure was banned because of a contradictory opinion.
Ones who were hostile, vulgar and sometimes threatening, not debaters, just trouble makers I feel are best dealt with by ignoring them. If no one responds they get bored and go away. But, when you ban someone who obviously has a legitimate, fact based argument against someone else, I think that person needs to be heard. I doubt most of us agreed with William about these things, but he brought up some very good points and I personally am somewhat offended that "the moderators" (big brother is this case), did not think "we" members were apparently capable of defending our own opinions against the "evil" doctor.
What better opportunity to any doubter reading these post than to be able to read our own "real people" responses to Williams criticism. When you ban someone like that from expressing a negative opinion it damages the credibility not only of this site but the credibility of natural healing and cures.
We need to be different than those "other" groups. I didn't join this group to find people who agreed with me, I came here seeking knowledge and truth!

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Permalink Reply by TimG on October 12, 2009 at 1:14am

Robyn,

Honestly, I think you're trying to find a cave you can be comfortable in. Any researcher worth their salt will delve into a number of sources and draw up their own conclusions based on what they have observed is true for themselves.

This is just one source. Not the end-all of natural cures information.

I'm not trying to offend you. I'm only pointing out the lack of realistic approach toward the gathering of viable information.

I couldn't care any less on who agrees with me. I didn't come here to kiss ass, I came here to share what I know and maybe learn something new. If I can't find an answer here, I go find it somewhere else.

That too is freedom.

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Permalink Reply by Robyn on October 12, 2009 at 1:21am

Oops, was that an insult? I don't live here. It just pisses me off when rule makers get caught breaking their own rules and then change the subject. Ok, getting personal cas YOU are pissin me off. I'm out of here for now, so keep talkin "moderator", I won't be back tonight.

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Permalink Reply by Deni on October 14, 2009 at 10:20am

Amen to that Robyn!!!

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Permalink Reply by Jessica on October 12, 2009 at 12:23am

Why don't people who curse at other members get banned? I'm not saying I want them to be, but I am saying that it seems unfair that a guy just stating his opinions gets banned. Was he trying to sell something? Oh wait, that is every other thread popping up trying to sell me a GIN membership, not William Banks. He has even stated that he is trying to learn about natural methods and incorporate them into traditional medicine. Notice that he admits he is still trying to learn. We all have to start somewhere. Five years ago I only had your basic brainwashed knowledge of health and nutrition. Good thing I didn't come here before I was already completely convinced of natural health care. I don't agree with everything the guy says but he does have some valid points. If nothing else he helped me to stop and really think about things; even if I didn't totally agree with him in the end. It's good not to just jump on every bandwagon that comes rolling through. You need opposition to really be logical and debate a belief.

Maybe I'm missing something. What did he post that got him banned?

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Permalink Reply by Robyn on October 12, 2009 at 12:42am

Jessica,
I'm guessing the debate w/Gene over the Hoxey cancer cure. I'm I right Tim? and Jiminy Crickets...if you're going to start banning people for having contradictory opinions I have to assume with my anti-G.I.N tyrants and my growing concerns over Kevin Trudeau himself, I should imagine I have a huge bulls eye on me right now. Should I start saying my goodbyes?

(Did I mention hypocritical enough times yet? Maybe some people need to read the terms of service agreement again, and all those pesky little rules about selling stuff and posting links bla, bla bla)

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Permalink Reply by Rashawn on October 12, 2009 at 12:46am

I remember he insulted Che. Intentionally at least once. Is that a violation of the ToS?

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