SCN Board Candidates and alt.sex.your.worst.nightmare

[George Goodwin]

>In a recent posting <199506012104.OAA06165 at scn.org> Bob K. said:
>>  I would like to request that the alt.sex.* groups be part of the SCN
>>  newsfeed.  [...]
>>  [...]                                                        SCN practices
>>  what it preaches and does not censor the newsfeed.  [...]
>>  [...]
>>  I sincerely hope that when faced with its own real world decisions on what
>>  were previously theoretical commitments to free speech that SCN does not
>>  waver.  Protecting controversial speech is the first principle in the SCN 
>>  policy statement.  If we water down our free speech commitment, I would be
>>  in favor of just deleting it altogether from the policy statement.
>>
>
>Well said, Bob!
>
>Apropos of this, Aki recently posted in
><9506012225.AA08793 at grace.rt.cs.boeing.com> a list of nominees for the initial
>SCN board.  I think it important that the candidates be *explicit* or at least
>truthful about the boundaries of what they consider acceptable discourse in
>public-access computer systems.  I urge voters to take note of waffling,
>vagueness and dogmatism, as well as wisdom, thoughtfulness and experience.
>
>Questions to be asked of prospective candidates might include:
>o	To what extent do your personal views on controversial discourse
>	influence your role as director of a public grouping?  What conflicts
>	exist, if any?  Why or why not?
>o	What constitutes "harmful speech"? What does not?
>	Is there any difference between bodily injury, hurt feelings and/or
>	offended sensibilities?  Are the differences, if any, of degree or kind?
>o	Would you defend advocacy of activities or views you disapprove of?
>	Does legality or illegality make any difference? Why or why not?
>o	What are examples of legitimate intervention? illegitimate
>	intervention?
>
>-- kurt

I feel that free speech is important, both in practice as well as concept, 
but if we are to have a group composed of age groups that are diverse and 
varied, we either put up barriers based on age ( censorship_) or we don't 
provide everything.  If we provide alt.sex, then we must provide all of 
the other forums, over 10000, and our disks will choke.
I would propose that even if we want to add someone's particular desire, 
that in a diverse group, the group can act on it.  If someone wished to 
have downloadable QuikTime movies of "Deep Throat", we would not consider 
that as an application of censorship if the organizatiopn declined to 
carry it because of:
	Storage space
	Access to Minors
	Offence to other members

Where should we draw the line.  SCN is a new and still struggling 
organization.  It would be nice if we could pay for everything, but 
consider that our net access is via the Seattle Public Library, not some 
client or user.  We may decide in the future that we have the resources 
to add all of alt and all of sci and all of art and all ...
but we are not there yet.  I don't think that this is an issue for the 
Board-of-Directors at this time for the same reasons as above.!


--
......This Message sent, 
                        By George      Goodwin
gsg2660 at scn.org