Censorship in the Pet section, Parrot thread

I want to voice my frustration regarding the moderators who are so quick to scrub every single post—specifically the ones where I offer serious criticism about buying those pathetic birds, and the one where I used a bit of light irony (without being insulting) to comment on that recent case involving a guy who couldn't even be bothered to do a little research before making a purchase. Even Betty Hayes10 noticed his total lack of responsibility.

This relentless drive on your part to delete every post, even when I provide quite extensive and valid reasoning for my views, is honestly pathetic. I’ve already reached out via DM to tell you that I’d much rather be banned than have my posts wiped away. It is truly tragic how little people understand about how pets are raised in pet shops, or how they just keep cramming cages full of new young birds. You keep this thread strictly limited to sales agreements and then end up "rescuing" clueless buyers who are in distress because they don't understand why their birds are depressed, lethargic, won't sing, won't be affectionate, or just sit at the bottom of the cage. The primary reason they act this way is that they’ve spent months or years in pet store cages with virtually zero human contact and nowhere to fly except in tiny aviaries, often fighting with other birds in the process.

It’s a closed loop. People ask the exact same questions over and over, and instead of stating clearly what the actual cause of the problem is, everyone just focuses on the symptoms by saying "you just need a lot of patience". The real issue lies with the breeders, the pet shops, and the practice of selling animals to anyone who feels like dropping $100$100, without checking the conditions the animals are coming from. Often, they go to terrible homes—to people smoking cigarettes one after another while letting a bird suffocate in the smoke, to those whose birds escape constantly so they just buy another, to those who never let a bird out of its cage to stretch its wings, or to parents with small children who grab a bird by hand the very first day it arrives from the store, etc.

You know, they aren't mindless creatures. They aren't objects, like car keys or a piece of furniture. They are living beings; furthermore, they are social, and larger parrots are provenly sentient beings. Tigers should live like this, and not like this.

There is no need to justify yourselves to me. I know you’ll just keep censoring this thread regardless of what I write. I felt the need to complain because everything mentioned above deeply saddens me, and it is unbelievable to me that someone can be so exclusive and heartless as to consistently favor irresponsible people without listening to the other side—which is vital for all those reading the thread who are still deciding whether or not to get a bird, so they are aware of the reasons not to get a bird from a pet shop.

Now, go ahead and delete this post too. That’s the easiest way out, isn't it?

So, I set up this Pet sub mostly because I just love talking about all our little furry and feathered friends! And since that includes birds—yeah, we're definitely talking parrots too—I figured I’d go ahead and spin off a specific Parrot thread. Just a little space for us to geek out over them!

It’s like any other thread on here, really. You’ve got everyone from folks who don't know a claw from a beak to people who are basically experts on their pets. Everyone’s welcome to jump in, regardless of how much they know. Usually, the ones who are a bit lost just come by to pick the brains of the regulars who actually have the answers. But sometimes, you get a little condescending about what others don't know instead of just giving a straight answer. Like that lady Betty Hayes10 mentioned—she was just surprised that people didn't have more info, especially since they joined the conversation specifically to learn something new!

First things first... did you actually sit down and read even one article about tigers before you decided to go out and buy one?

... but hey, she actually answered the question. Unlike her, though, all you really did to help that guy on the forum was give him an answer:

Betty Hayes10 said:Of course not! I mean, come on... you don't exactly need a manual just to figure out how to play with a toy. It's not like you're trying to assemble a Boeing 747 or anything, right? Haha. Just grab it and go! 🙄

Do you really think this deserves anything more than just a warning for trolling and staying on topic? I mean, you didn't even get a formal strike, but the post was pulled just so we wouldn't discourage anyone else who actually wants to ask questions or jump into the discussion on that PDF from the local community center, you know? We don't want people feeling like they'll just get mocked if they try to participate.

Here we go again. Another one. A lady on the forum asks:

So, I was just sitting here thinking about getting a little feathered friend, you know? And I started wondering... which parrots are actually the best when it comes to training, especially if you don't want to drop more than $500? It’s such a big decision! I mean, I once tried to teach my neighbor's cat to high-five—total disaster, obviously—but birds seem like they might actually have a chance at being smart. Any tips? $233?

I can't even begin to tell you how much I agree with what Betty Hayes10 said earlier. It’s funny, actually... the world around me open the same topic constantly lately, like everyone is suddenly talking about this at once! It reminds me of this one time I was sitting in a coffee shop in Seattle—just sipping on my latte, minding my own business—and two people at the next table started arguing about the exact same thing. It was wild. Anyway, point being, there's just no avoiding it. It's everywhere!

Betty Hayes10 said:I don't know, I just don't think they're that great. Honestly? You're much better off heading down to the local animal shelter and picking up a dog or a cat instead. There are so many sweet pups and kitties just waiting for a home. Personally, I’d just skip the bird thing entirely.

So, since parrots are totally fine to have as pets here in the States, your take feels a little bit off to me. I mean, it wasn't officially flagged as being "off," but it basically got wiped out for that reason. It's just one of those things, you know?

So, just a heads-up, those two posts of yours where you were bashing people for keeping birds as pets got wiped out. Honestly, they were totally off-base and didn't really add anything to the Parrot discussion anyway. But don't worry! All those other times you jumped in with actual helpful advice for everyone else on the forum? Those stayed right where they belong.

Look, I totally get where you're coming from regarding whether people should keep birds as pets or not—you’ve definitely got some valid points there. But honestly? This just isn't the right place to dive into that. It feels a bit off to bring up all that stuff about parrots or any other kind of bird as a pet in this specific thread. What you really could have done was...

So, I was scrolling through that PDF about pets the other day, and it really made me think about how we view our little companions. It kind of opened up the same topic for me—you know, the whole debate over keeping birds as pets. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love animals. My neighbor actually has this gorgeous macaw that just screams every time the mailman walks by, which is hilarious but also... a lot. But it gets me thinking about whether it's actually right to keep birds in cages. Is it fair to them? Some people say it’s like having a tiny, feathered roommate, while others feel like we're just trapping them. It’s such a tricky thing to wrap your head around! What do you guys think? Is it okay to have a parrot, or should they all be out living their best lives in the wild?

The PDF actually brings up the same topic again... the world around me open the same topic.

Speaking of censorship, it hasn't been all that long since the moderators over at Reddit were getting all worked up about your right to free speech on a certain topic, scrubbing away any posts that even tried to challenge what you had to say.

Betty Hayes10, you singled out my last two short posts as examples while completely ignoring my longer critiques. You see, I don't buy into the idea that they don't contribute to the topic. I believe they raise necessary awareness regarding the purchase and breeding of birds. If someone is absolutely determined to have a bird, they should prioritize adoption from rescues over breeders. And if you're going to cherry-pick what you quote, why not just quote all my deleted posts to give the full picture? My recent replies are brief specifically because you delete them. What’s the point of spending ten minutes crafting a thoughtful response just to have it vanish with a single click? How am I supposed to know which of my thoughts you deem worthy of keeping and which ones warrant deletion? Does seventy percent of every post have to be direct advice just so I can counter the other thirty percent of criticism, or what? Maybe even then, one of the three of you would still find a reason to wipe out ten minutes of my effort.

It makes zero sense to start a thread on Verizon because that's not where bird buyers hang out; my goal is to reach the people actually looking for birds, not random readers who couldn't care less about avian care or purchasing. I’m not interested in empty contemplation; I want people who intend to get a bird to think critically about what they are buying. Similarly, opening a new thread in the Pets section won't work because serious buyers won't stumble upon it. The objective is to explain exactly why you shouldn't jump into threads like the parrot in style "I want to get a parrot, but I have two cats." and "I got a parrot from Petco. It's terrified." It is vital that people understand why their birds end up so traumatized. I already explained this in my previous post here.

On the thread you mentioned, Corduroy shut me down right at the start by insisting I link two specific things together. He essentially decided the question was moot and simply silenced me because he could. Those posts you claim were deleted were teetering on the edge of being offensive—one drifted from a discussion into outright insults, and the other responded to my question about dietary supplements by telling me I needed "a healthy brain." It would be truly bizarre if you hadn't sanctioned those. On the other hand, I'm also dissatisfied with the way you handle bad posts by simply deleting them. I didn't ask for you to worry about my freedom of speech. New readers stumbling in might wonder why my tone is a bit sharper (not insulting, just blunt) toward certain members, unaware that it's a direct reaction to being verbally attacked moments prior (deleting a post doesn't erase it from my memory). Instead of deletions, why not use yellow cards or formal warnings? I put a significant amount of effort into that thread to remain polite and reasoned despite the repetitive questioning, and do you know why? Because Corduroy's tactic is to lock the thread the moment the atmosphere gets heated.

I just want to know: why is it that in a thread defined as 1) a discussion about pets—specifically birds in this case—criticism and questioning the ethics of bird ownership isn't allowed? Pets and the industry surrounding their sale and breeding are inextricably linked. You can't have one without the other. Is it really such a crime for people to read about the conditions birds face when coming from Petco just because something is legal doesn't make it ethically sound? I disagree. Plenty of things are legal, much like keeping a little monkey in a cage at a pet store, yet you guys locked the thread on that guy just because he asked about getting a monkey as a gift. Why? You can buy and keep monkeys, and someone might even gift one. He wasn't asking for a wild animal from the jungle, just as bird buyers aren't looking for endangered species. Are we applying double standards based on how "cute" an animal happens to be?

Just like we don't clutter up the dog threads with talk about breeders, smugglers, or people cutting corners—those have their own specific spots to vent—it’s the exact same deal with the cat, bird, reptile, and other pet sections.

If you really want to dive into how certain people are raising their birds—go ahead and start a new thread! Want to chat about why some folks shouldn't be keeping birds as a pet? Start a new thread for that too! Honestly, those "long-winded critiques" would fit perfectly fine in one of those dedicated topics. Bringing them over to the Parrot section was just totally off-base and unnecessary.

Anyway, the moderators aren't here to moderate based on what someone personally prefers, so saying "I didn't ask for this" doesn't really carry much weight here.

For anything else, you can always reach out to the admin team.