Obsolete Beliefs Halt Progress in the 21st Century

Important Message to Yahoo! and Yahoo! Users

    I've been a Yahoo! fanatic since 1999. I've loved all the interactive and interconnected services that Yahoo! has provided for over 6 years now. On a nearly daily basis, I've waited for Yahoo! to release an update or a new service for me to play with. When I heard about the forthcoming Y!360 I was elated! Since its release I've been using Y!360 to meet new people & express myself through the included blog. Then I heard about Yahoo! answers & thought it would be a great way to show off what I know, help a few people and express myself publicly & freely.

    Unfortunately, I've read from many other Y!360 users that they are having their pictures or blogs removed or had their accounts cancelled for expressing themselves. Furthermore, both my wife and myself have had posts deleted from Yahoo! Answers even though these posts had been innocuos and well received by many Yahoo! Answers users.

    Yahoo! is clearly walking on dangerous ground and encouraging a horrifying trend of internet censorship. This is Americe and it is claimed that we are "the freeest nation in the world!" However, we are expected to walk on eggshells and disregard many facets of life whenever we are in a public forum and all, supposably, for the children. Children are a minority in this country and yet the rest of us are under severe restrictions, as if we were all children.

    My advice to the Parents who are fearful for their children: take better care of your own kids. They are YOUR responsiblity. YOU are stripping away the rights of adults. YOU are making the phrase "America is the freeest nation" into a LIE. YOU may have a hard time sheltering your kids from the world, but your LAZINESS should not impede the rights of adults who are just as important as your kids.

    My advice to Yahoo!: You have been an example of greatness for years. You seek to be considered synonymous with "the internet" and until recently I have thoroughly supported you. The internet is the only remaining forum of free expression remaining, in America. I don't beleive that I or any other American that TRULY loves freedom can support a brand that claims to be a vehicle for personal expression, & yet censors its supporters. If You seek success and want to be the "portal" of choice you must either improve your system of excluding children or, preferably, put the onus where it belongs, on the parents.

    My advice to those that have been censored or who are otherwise offended by these violations of our rights of expression: Make yourself heard. Post often against these offenses & let it be known that they are intolerable. Allow your patience to be limited; don't hesitate to speak up but if Yahoo? does not listen, abandon ship. I NEVER thought I would advocate a mass boycott of Yahoo?, however if they produce an inferior product they must be made aware. If Yahoo? continues to censor, move on to better & freer things. Allow the Yahoo? community to be made of nothing but anti-expression, freedom-hating lazy parents & fundamentalists. Yahoo! will see that that community is too small for their bottom line.

2006-01-09 21:40:54 GMT

Comments (4 total)

Author:trittpace

While I agree censorship of any kind is wrong, I have to tell you that your rationale concerning yahoo is wrong! In any business, especially dealing with mass communications a company that transmits info over public airwaves (and that does include the internet) is regulated by law by the FCC. The FCC has clearly defined rules and laws governing content. While some may claim this is a breach of censorship, the masses have spoken through the courts that certain content must be restricted in order to protect the public at-large. Im sure this includes content that you have commented on and pointed out Yahoo's regulations regarding exposure to children. While I agree that parents ( I am a parent of 3 myself) should take more of a responsibility regulating said content that they feel may be harmful to their children, these same companies (like Yahoo) are held by the same responsibility by the government and have been for over 70 years. Granted , we all have our right to voice our opinions but we also have to be careful that we do not impose on the rights of others. Certain degrees of content that we may feel are fine, can be offensive to others. It is our responsibility to insure we do not violate others rights as well. I know this whole business is a really fine line.

2006-01-09 23:59:01 GMT

Author:Jon

The FCC originally was an organization established to monitor the technical aspects of communications. One radio stations frequency may not interfere with another stations frequency, etc. Anything beyond that is impeding public freedom. Beyond that, I don't believe that the FCC does monitor the internet.
Besides that, the public does not need to be protected. Adults have the right to not view what ever they don't enjoy & they have the responsibility to keep their children ignorant of whatever stimulus they deign inappropriate. It is unjust to have this monitored by any state agency.
That, however, is besides the point. I appreciate that we are both against censorship. It shows a desire to make our own choices. My intention here is not to cause havoc to Yahoo!. I am not exagerating when I say that I check daily for new services & updates. I get quite excited when something new comes about. However, I believe that Yahoo! should perfect its product. That said, Y!360 will never be acceptable as long as its members blogs, photos, etc. are discarded simply because certain people beleive that what they find objectionable should ceise to exist.
You mention how we need to "be careful that we do not impose on the rights of others". This is all I'm asking for. I would never consider imposing on a persons right to change the channel or look away from the monitor long enough to change the website. I do not want my right to express my self fully & freely imposed upon. Either of these impositions are qualities of a land that can definately not call itself "the freeest nation in the world."

2006-01-10 01:12:38 GMT

Author:vmgreen111

I totally appreciate what you are saying, however, like Tom has mentioned - there are laws that companies have to abide by whether they agree with them or not.

The law (including the FCC) *does* have lots to do with what happens on the internet - especially lately - and those laws are increasing with strength. Do a search on any search engine with the words, "online stalking" and see what comes up...lots of legal sites...many of which address the legality of one's right to express themselves in a manner which is against the law! Do another search for "internet predators" - that's a whole different ball game, but it *does* have something to do with our discussion here. If what you are saying is completely true - that ADULTS have the right to express themselves in any way that they want; then do you mean it's perfectly okay for these so-called adults to say sexual things to children? Where is the line drawn? Do you see my point of view - even a little bit?

And yes - I TOTALLY agree that it's up to the parent to moniter their child's internet useage - I am a parent and I am *very* over-protective of my child when it comes to the 'net. But not all parents are like that. Some are, but can't always be there (i.e. working parents, broken families, etc.)....so some of these laws are in place to PROTECT the children.

2006-01-10 17:50:42 GMT

Author:Jon

There were three blog comments that I've erased here. The first was by a guy who suggested I be patient with Yahoo! Answers, since it is a new product. His mesage was reasonable, but otherwise the comment held little of importance so it was deleted. The other two were written by a rediculous bitch, whose entries were comprised of nothing but unintelligible gibberish and baseless "insults". If anyone questions my motives behind deleting this imbeciles comments... some shit you just have to figure out for yourselves.
On to better things, V I totally accept that there is a line that can be crossed. I do believe that children should be protected against physical dangers. That was not the sort of thing I was referancing. I was refering to any sort of sexuality, which, apparently is the sort of material that can be removed. One guy did mention to me the possibility that these are technical glitches causing these erasures, but I have a difficult time believing that they are the only cause.
As far as children go, I don't believe that all adults should suffer for other peoples children. I do know that some parents may have a hard time. I get that. But there are certainly other ways to fix the problem, other than depriving the rest of the population. This is why I called these parents lazy. Its laziness that inspires these parents to rob adults of there rights, because its easier to do so than to figure out a better solution.
I do however, definately appreciate your stance, V. You are a responsible parent that bares the responsiblity privately, while accepting the rights of others to express themselves.

2006-01-10 23:24:02 GMT

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