I haven't really posted on this topic before, but I just had to weigh in.
Charles Ross3 said:Bradley Sanders4, with all due respect, I wasn't actually addressing you, but rather the moderators.
It simply isn't possible to separate those two things, whether it's on this specific thread or any other topic here.
If the policy on ZK is so strict that mentioning the political system we lived under just twenty years ago is deemed "improper"—under the guise that someone might feel offended, hurt, or belittled—then where is the consistency? We often see the moderators explaining that bringing up politics leads to people losing their cool, and let’s be honest, it’s pretty obvious that some forum members really do struggle with anger management. If that's the reasoning, then why isn't it understood that bringing religion and faith into the mix to the level of mockery, disparagement, and outright insults is just as problematic? Why isn't that treated with the same level of scrutiny when similar topics pop up on ZK?
So, my stance is simple: either we allow political discussion, or we ban religious bickering as well. If we go the latter route, shouldn't those users who are itching for those kinds of debates be directed toward appropriate PDFs or dedicated threads focused on politics, religion, and such?
Exactly.
People are overdoing it without any filter at all.
When you talk about human rights, that includes the right to faith and human dignity. If there's a right to love whoever you want, which there is, why is the right to believe suddenly less important?
Attacking the gay community is called homophobia, but attacking and insulting Catholics is just called being "liberal" and "open-minded." Yeah, right.
This is what greeted me yesterday in a chat I write in:
Totally out of nowhere, people just started losing their minds over something with a Catholic vibe.
In three years of chatting with Bradley Sanders4, Yevgeniya, Bios, etc.—people I totally disagree with—I've never seen such an unhinged, baseless meltdown.
Basically, intolerance and hate speech toward believers have been quietly slipped through the back door while everyone was busy focusing on the rights of every other group.
Debates, questions, healthy humor, sarcasm—that's all fine. But this general mania of "let's crucify the Catholics" is just way too much.
So, I'm either for allowing (i) politics or banning the religious bickering entirely, so that users who want those kinds of debates can head over to the appropriate subreddits or threads on politics, religion, and stuff like that.
I'm not a fan of bans.