[ExI] Moderation on the ExiCh list

[Dave Sill]

On Sat, Dec 5, 2009 at 1:23 PM, Damien Broderick <thespike at satx.rr.com> wrote:
>
> ... But to rehearse the obvious, this list is not a public
> square, yet anything posted here can be read by anyone on the planet now or
> in the future. Since the list owners and most other transhumanists don't
> wish to be associated with outrageous proposals to (say) nuke or poison all
> the Muslims in the world or even in a given country, or to forcibly banish
> blacks and other "non-white" people "back to their own countries", it is
> very reasonable to step in and remove or block posts making such
> suggestions--even as thought experiments. If only on the same grounds that
> one is well advised not to make bomb jokes while boarding a plane.

Sorry, but I can't agree with that. The list owners and participants
are free to state publicly that they disagree with or find offensive
anything posted to the list. Removing messages from the archives is
censorship and indicates weakness on behalf of the owners/moderators
because it suggests that their pets ideas aren't viable on a level
playing field.

I'm OK with blocking users who continually disrupt the list by posting
spam, gibberish, personal attacks, etc. But I really don't think
merely "offensive" ideas should be discouraged.

Anyone ever read A Modest Proposal?

-Dave