Inkanta
Group: Admins
Posts: 1453
Joined: Feb. 2000 |
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Posted: Mar. 14 2011, 19:40 |
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Matthew and I have been discussing this thread for the last day or so, and I agreed to respond to some of the points. Many of you know that I am a librarian. As such, over the years I have helped libraries craft materials selection policies and respond to book challenges. Inevitably, library books are challenged, often for sexual content and language (did you know there is a little naked lady in Where's Waldo??  ); other times for racism, graphics, religion, or gender bias. Inevitably, someone doesn't like something. It occurred to me last night that this forum topic is a bit like that. It's not a book, but it is under "challenge" from some of the members who are finding it offensive, lewd, inappropriate, and downright awful. Our guidelines are rather like a "selection policy" in a way. They give us direction when examining material or posting it. We admins act like an advisory board that would be reviewing a book challenge. With book challenges, the books usually (but not always) remain on the shelf after all is said and done. Of course not everyone is happy, but when you start banning books, where does it end? The admins and tubular.net members come from many backgrounds, generations, and we are gender diverse, too. In a book challenge, the sexual content, situations, and language are generally not enough to cause the book to be removed, but racist/sexist books are very seriously considered. Generally, a public library or school library is not going to retain blatantly racist or sexist material (and there are checklists, workshops, diversity training, etc. that helps librarians to tell the difference). A university library may very well have a collection of books that many would deem downright racist, for example, with the thought being that students need exposure to them--some courses require examination of such things. It's always a slippery slope in a way, and we often live with ambiguity. Here is the link to the American Library Association's material on intellectual freedom (includes a list of frequently banned books! . Anyway.......
In our forum guidelines, we state:
Administrators will remove posts deemed inappropriate. These may include posts that are:
off topic or otherwise irrelevant,
inflammatory or disruptive,
excessively profane or vulgar,
containing racist or sexist material or other material of a discriminatory nature,
relating to illegal transactions or links to places where they take place, pornography or other overtly sexual material.
relating to personal information about Mike or his family,
This applies not only to posts but to avatars and signatures.
"Excessively profane or vulgar" is open to interpretation. Did this topic go too far? Not everyone would agree and your administrative team is pretty liberal.
Syd B--you had said, "@ Inkanta: You do realize we're not really sexist or racist, right? This is all in good fun." . I am sure you're right; however, some really bad things have happened over the years all in good fun (I don't mean here on tublar.net, but in society at large). There is huge controversy surrounding the use of "sqaw," for instance. As a non-Native person who has been involved with Native causes for a very long time, I tend never to use it--or the word "brave" for that matter. Here are some readings for you, which may help you to see just how complicated the issues are: http://nativeappropriations.blogspot.com/ (Blog by a Cherokee student); http://www.oyate.org/ (check out the "Living Stories" section); http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_res....t.html; http://www.nativeweb.org/pages/legal/squaw.html; http://www.nativeweb.org/. Just a few sources that could be helpful in understanding the issues.
Now--no one is required to read any topics or to participate in them. Moreover, the "meet and greet" section is where members carry on about stuff not pertaining to Mike Oldfield. It is the one place that can be "off topic or otherwise irrelevant."
But I ask again, where do we go from here? Can we continue without us admins having to edit, clean it up, or otherwise bin it?
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"No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From: Moongarden's "Solaris."
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