Letters to the Editor
Matty D.
Published Letters: 126 Editor's Choice: 3
-
Moderation not needed, when there are so many effective alternatives.
[Read the article: Death threats dog female blogger]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This'll be my third post in four years of subscribing to Salon. What I've found resonant in this thread were the posters (apologies as I'm going to cop out of wading back through the filth to get your names) who made analogies to the freak rage phenomenon as well as the big-city phenomenon to describe internet discourse. That was food for thought and thanks for that.
Also the people who've written their opinions about their own conflicts between valuing unmoderated speech and the practical result of it on teh intarwebz, which is that the trolls turn it into a sewer--which is yet again illustrated by this very thread. I thank you too. Good to know I'm not alone.
There was much more about this following the recent Kamiya article about reader feedback, but I continue to be baffled at why Salon hasn't acted on it. They've always had this sort of minimalist UI, but jeez. If I were King, I'd just turn the radio buttons at the top into checkboxes and give four filter choices: Editor's Choice, Subscriber Responses, Non-Subscriber Responses, and Anonymous Responses. All checked by default, and then you uncheck the ones you don't want and those preferences are saved for you next time you view any letters thread. I could code that in my sleep, for crying out loud.
Were that to exist, seems to me that it'd eliminate 99% of the crap for the people who are tired of the crap. The crappers could still come and crap, but the nonidiots wouldn't be forced to wade through it unless they felt like they needed to be punished for their sins that day. Because generally speaking, those with the cojones to subscribe and/or name themselves are generally far more rational than those who have not those cojones. Also more interesting, insightful, yadda yadda. Coincidence? Must be.
For a couple of years I was admin on a game-community site. It's utterly fascinating how the discourse and the psychological phenomenon visible at work is exactly the same. The same smart rational people being dragged down by the trolls. It transcends content.
So no surprise to me that a perfectly innocent Javascript blogger got targeted for this. Seen it before. And yes, with regard to the specific topic of this thread, it's over the line, disgusting, infuriating. Yet nowadays commonplace, which is also disgusting and infuriating.
Another lesson I learned there is how the simplest deterrents steer away trolls. I cannot even tell you how many I saw trying to post drama and then stopped cold at the prospect of having to have their IP address logged, or go through a confirmation process that required a functioning e-mail, both minimal, minimal barriers to entry, and so easily spoofed! Yet even that was too much! It was like cockroaches scattering from the light; it was truly amazing.
These cockroaches will scatter too. Put them either in a position where they have to put something on the line and can't be a disembodied voice, or remove their food supply--which is the knowledge that others are being forced to read their shit with no other option. And they'll go away. No moderation or infringement of "free speech" (as if this is a public space; it's no more a "public space" than a hotel lobby is) is necessary.
-
Anonymous thoughtful reflective right-winger
[Read the article: Fox's Ann Coulter 2.0]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I haven't read the Wolfe you reference, but if these topics are of interest to you (genetic determinism, yadda yadda), highly recommend you check out Steven Pinker's "The Blank Slate", as it addresses that very thing at some length.
And I think fairly leftily, but of course that's for you to decide. Nonetheless based on what you wrote I think you might find it a good read.