Slog - Comments on Postman on Language http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language I don't envy David Postman for having to police the language in the comment threads of his Seattle Times blog, Postman on Politics. But by cracking down on cuss-words and uncivil discourse, he's creating an interesting experiment (in addition creating a lot of work for himself). First, an example of all the extra work that policing comment threads creates: Yesterday, when a commenter called "skeptic" used the term "bullshitters" in a comment thread, Postman responded: Watch the language please. When someone, in the same comment thread, then used the phrase "you idiot," Postman weighed in: When we get to the... Copyright 2007 Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:52:12 -0800 Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:04:21 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Happy Friday! It's all just 1's & 0's....

I like The Stranger's Hands-off policy!

]]> Happy Friday! http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445283 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445283 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:03:59 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle I don't know, that way leads to a lot of trolls.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445287 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445287 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:11:50 -0800 Comment by Napoleon XIV That's some serious messed-up shit, yo.

]]> Napoleon XIV http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445297 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445297 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:23:09 -0800 Comment by Levislade All republicans are idiotic religious trolls. Trolls are evil and must be abolished. Israel is merely protecting itself against trolls, and we should all get circumcised and drive our Priuses to Whole Foods whenever possible.

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445298 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445298 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:24:48 -0800 Comment by Particle Man Will, please clarify. Do you think Postmans intended decorum leads to a haven for trolls?

]]> Particle Man http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445303 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445303 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:30:29 -0800 Comment by Matthew It's not just political subject matter that causes the profanity to fly. People get into it no matter what the topic is...we live in a vulgar, coarse society. Which is as it should be.

]]> Matthew http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445305 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445305 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:32:25 -0800 Comment by flamingbanjo I've been wondering for a while how long before the Slog's comments threads are so overwhelmed with trolls that some sort of moderated commenting is instituted.

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445306 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445306 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:32:53 -0800 Comment by Josh Bush is the most pro-troll president we have ever had. America needs to stand strong with trolls now. The Stranger has gone against conventional Seattle wisdom and been anti-censorship. Bush is the best American president trolls have ever known, and many in the Seattle Jewish community appreciate what Bush has done for trolls.

]]> Josh http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445312 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445312 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:47:32 -0800 Comment by konstantConsumer i wonder the same, flamingbanjo. as long as i get approved, i'd be okay with it. if i'm good enough for gawker, i should be good enough for the stranger.

as to the topic, there are times when swear words are the only appropriate ones to use.

]]> konstantConsumer http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445314 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445314 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:50:00 -0800 Comment by Will I had my own issues with Postman's blog when I called someone a "douchebag."


http://pikeplacepolitics.blogspot.com/2006/08/obscene-liberals-conservative.html

]]> Will http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445318 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445318 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:58:50 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle no, I meant our way leads to a lot of trolls.

it's his blog, he can prune it, although one would hope he does something like his warning beforehand.

Now, just for that, I'm going to walk home past the Troll tonight and then say hi to Lenin and the upcoming Space in Fremont statue.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445334 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445334 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:26:23 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Fuck you, Eli, you fucking fuck! I mean that in the nicest possible way, Eli; you're terrific. But please don't take my swear words away, I'll be helpless like a little baby.

There is a place for measured discourse, and there is a place for letting it hang out. It's natural to use different language in a bar than on the floor of the Senate. I rather prefer the bar, myself.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445346 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445346 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:50:38 -0800 Comment by Gurldoggie I really appreciate the Stranger's no-moderation policy. Too many blogs tend toward editing and conforming to some nebulous policy, and in my opinion it leads to mediocrity. There may be a troll or two sneaking around the slog, but the level of discourse is generally pretty high, owing largely to the paper's open mindedness. I vote for maintaining the status quo.

]]> Gurldoggie http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445365 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445365 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 15:22:28 -0800 Comment by Daniel K I think that since the blog is hosted at the Seattle Times it is appropriate for David Postman to try to moderate the comments and language - and appropriate for him or the Seattle Times to ban comments and commenters. I appreciate being able to mostly read through the comment threads without being objected to a hug from Roger Rabbit or hateful bigotry from JCH, such as one is at HorsesAss.org.

]]> Daniel K http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445378 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445378 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 15:35:55 -0800 Comment by Ivan Cockrum The vast majority of trolling could be ended here by moving to registered accounts backed by real world contact info. Then, all us honest chickens could swear to our fucking hearts' content, and the moderators could kick trolls off the system. It works everywhere else.

That said, let's send all our fucking trolls over to Postman's site. That'll show him!

]]> Ivan Cockrum http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445444 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445444 Politics Fri, 11 Aug 2006 17:04:48 -0800 Comment by Noone I feel better after a good fuck. Others would, too, if they weren't so uptight and knew one when they experienced it.

]]> Noone http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445606 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445606 Politics Sat, 12 Aug 2006 02:25:35 -0800 Comment by Dan Fan No censorship. I appreciate the free rolling thunder that is the sound of Citizen Slog. Some anti-semites may object to Shoshana's pro-Israel ranting, but hey controversy and dialectic is how we all grow and change.

]]> Dan Fan http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445775 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445775 Politics Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:55:40 -0800 Comment by skagit I like a good debate peppered with some profanity to make the point but the mediocrity to which Gurldoggie refers is rapidly achieved when the debate is reduced to ad hominems and base language.

Then, it is time to find another more mature site where thinking and reflecting really occur.

Go for it, Postman. You've got yourself a site for intellecual debate. Don't let it become an arena for the incessant mud wrestling that Slog and HorsesAss have become.

]]> skagit http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445814 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c445814 Politics Sat, 12 Aug 2006 17:58:02 -0800 Comment by TJ I just got done rewatching Star Trek IV (the whale movie); as they pointed out (20 years ago, OMG!), "Well that's simply the way they talk here. Nobody pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word."

Anyone who can discuss politics without cuss words has no soul.

]]> TJ http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c446151 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c446151 Politics Sun, 13 Aug 2006 23:17:34 -0800 Comment by Gomez I personally get tired of people hurling "You're stupid... you're (blank)... you don't know what you're talking about (failure to explain why)...." in lieu of responding to the point with actual points or reason. I think such crap has become too commonplace here.

]]> Gomez http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c446786 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c446786 Politics Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:01:55 -0800 Comment by Gomez Also, this isn't about profanity, it appears, but insults. "You're a fucker," adds nothing. "Why the fuck is Bush telling us that we're making progress when four years later Iraq still lacks fucking stability," does. I think the point here is to cut comments where the only point is to name call and personally insult somebody.

]]> Gomez http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c446794 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/08/postman_on_language#c446794 Politics Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:04:21 -0800