I’m offended by the intimation of a need for censorship

In the past several days, the bits and bytes flowing between the participants on this forum constituting words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs and complete diaries have sometimes been formed in such fashion as to offend another. Is that a problem? To some, it may be. To others, probably not. In any case, should the actions of some be censored so as not to offend anyone who may read what transpires across this open medium? For the most part, the answer to my posed question is a resounding NO!

On vulgarity: Gratuitous vulgarity is something that I can do without. Personally, I always find the use of four letter words to be necessary and appropriate when my golf swing does not match my intended result and my ball goes flying-off into the adjoining fairway. In writing, I try to use vulgarisms more sparingly.

On inflammatory remarks: Inflammatory language meant to disparage a race, ethnicity or even the motives of someone who does not share your point of view should also be limited if not extinguished completely. However, only the writer should exercise this self-discipline, self-censorship. It should not be the practice of the site to intervene except in the rarest of cases. Freedom of speech is an important freedom …even misguided speech.

So how is a site to operate if it invites the free-flow of ideas, arguments, opinions? Is it necessary to monitor and censor a person’s expression? In my view the answer is no. People are afflicted with their own idiosyncrasies. They express themselves in a particular way. Oftentimes, vulgarity meets their needs for full and accurate expression of their ideas. We, as readers, have the option of not reading those whose prose offends us. Our mode should be the free expression of ideas. If a diarist and/or commentator on a diary is so ill-equipped that one cannot discern the message from his or her posting of inflammatory and/or vulgar remarks, that diarist will soon loose his audience. A writer with no audience will soon become the proverbial tree falling in the forest with no one to hear …soundless.

So, let’s don’t take the audited approach wherein some set of “administrators” sees it their duty to censor someone’s offerings. Censorship, blacklisting, expulsion of a diarist should be rare and only used in the most flagrant and most extreme cases of poor taste …to protect our host from legal liability, etc.