RIP School Survival Forums
August 2001 - June 2017

The School Survival Forums are permanently retired. If you need help with quitting school, unsupportive parents or anything else, there is a list of resources on the Help Page.

If you want to write about your experiences in school, you can write on our blog.

To everyone who joined these forums at some point, and got discouraged by the negativity and left after a while (or even got literally scared off): I'm sorry.

I wasn't good enough at encouraging people to be kinder, and removing people who refuse to be kind. Encouraging people is hard, and removing people creates conflict, and I hate conflict... so that's why I wasn't better at it.

I was a very, very sensitive teen. The atmosphere of this forum as it is now, if it had existed in 1996, would probably have upset me far more than it would have helped.

I can handle quite a lot of negativity and even abuse now, but that isn't the point. I want to help people. I want to help the people who need it the most, and I want to help people like the 1996 version of me.

I'm still figuring out the best way to do that, but as it is now, these forums are doing more harm than good, and I can't keep running them.

Thank you to the few people who have tried to understand my point of view so far. I really, really appreciate you guys. You are beautiful people.

Everyone else: If after everything I've said so far, you still don't understand my motivations, I think it's unlikely that you will. We're just too different. Maybe someday in the future it might make sense, but until then, there's no point in arguing about it. I don't have the time or the energy for arguing anymore. I will focus my time and energy on people who support me, and those who need help.

-SoulRiser

The forums are mostly read-only and are in a maintenance/testing phase, before being permanently archived. Please use this time to get the contact details of people you'd like to keep in touch with. My contact details are here.

Please do not make a mirror copy of the forums in their current state - things will still change, and some people have requested to be able to edit or delete some of their personal info.

School Survival Forums / The Lounge / General Talk / Philosophy, Politics & History v / Free Speech

Post Reply 
 
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Free Speech
Author Message
SoulRiser Offline
Site Founder

Posts: 18,238
Joined: Aug 2001
Thanks: 2669
Given 1978 thank(s) in 1208 post(s)
Post: #1
Free Speech

[Image: free_speech.png]

http://xkcd.com/1357/

Thoughts?
"If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them." - Dalai Lama
Help & Support - Get help with leaving school, unsupportive parents, and more.
Click here if school makes you depressed or suicidal

Support School Survival on Patreon or Donate Bitcoin Here: 1Q5WCcxWjayniaL92b8GfXBiGdfjmnUNa2
"Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it." - André Paul Guillaume Gide
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." - Albert Einstein
"I'm pretty sure there's a lot of beauty that can only be found in the mind of a lunatic." - TheCancer
EIPD - Emotionally Incompetent Parent Disorder

Push Button for Collection of Useful Links:
Hidden stuff:
04-21-2014 10:34 PM
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: Ky , Trar
SeReNiTY Offline
Champion Of The Oppressed

Posts: 127
Joined: Nov 2013
Thanks: 3
Given 42 thank(s) in 26 post(s)
Post: #2
RE: Free Speech

This is perfect.
"Thou shalt not be an asshole"
-The one commandment of atheism.

SubCulture said
"If you call xcriteria a shithead, he will write a ten page essay on why he is not a shithead, link you to a tedtalk on bullying and the tvtropes page on insults. After reading and watching all that you would evaluate your life and decide to never call anyone a shithead ever again."
04-22-2014 02:44 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: SoulRiser
no Offline
True Scotsman

Posts: 1,238
Joined: Nov 2012
Thanks: 918
Given 474 thank(s) in 299 post(s)
Post: #3
RE: Free Speech

This is basically saying "if you want to express a "wrong" opinion, you must be rich enough to have your own server/TV station/whatever."
Ergo, I must delete another site from my history so I am never reminded of it when I accidentally hit the X key.
Hello, traveler.

This is an ancient account I have not used in a long time. My views have changed much in the intervening months and years.

Nonetheless, I refuse to clean it up. Pretending that I've held my current views since the beginning of time is what we in the industry call a lie. Asking people to do so contributes to moralistic self-loathing. "See, those people have nothing damning! I do! I'm truly vile!"

Because you can never be a good person with a single blemish on the moral record, I thought that simply entertaining some thoughts made me irredeemable. Though I don't care for his writing style, William Faulkner presents a good counterexample. He went from being a typical Southern racist to supporting the civil rights movement. These days we'd yell at him for that, probably.

People are allowed to change their views.

Nevertheless, this period of my life has informed some of how I am today. In good ways and bad ways. To purge it would be to do a disservice to history. Perhaps it will not make anyone sympathetic, but it may help someone understand.

If, after reading all this, you still decide to use the post above as evidence that I am evil today, ask yourself if you have never disagreed with the moral code you now follow. In all likelihood you did, at some point. If some questions are verboten, and the answer is "how dare you ask that," don't expect your ideological opponents to ever change their minds.
04-22-2014 04:41 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
xcriteria Offline
Fanatic

Posts: 3,090
Joined: Oct 2005
Thanks: 814
Given 930 thank(s) in 612 post(s)
Post: #4
RE: Free Speech

(04-22-2014 04:41 AM)no Wrote:  This is basically saying "if you want to express a "wrong" opinion, you must be rich enough to have your own server/TV station/whatever."

You can set up a blog, G+ presence, or the like, for free...

YouTube is free...

It's also possible to find and connect with like-minded people... some of whom might have some money... at least enough to pay for hosting. After all, there are a lot of people in the world. Smile

Finding ones that are a good fit for building a community can be tough, though... I'll give you that.

In your case... what kind of community would you like to have? Lots of people are searching for new places and people to connect with.

(04-22-2014 04:41 AM)no Wrote:  Ergo, I must delete another site from my history so I am never reminded of it when I accidentally hit the X key.

What do you mean?
Peter Gray & allies launching the Alliance for Self-directed Education

ASDE Newsletters: #1 Announcement | #2 History of ASDE | #6 Education Liberation

School Survival & Catalyst Learning Network featured on AlternativestoSchool's blog
“Mom, Dad, can I stop going to school?”
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High
Hidden stuff:
04-22-2014 04:48 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: SoulRiser
Ky Offline
Shadow

Posts: 5,201
Joined: Aug 2012
Thanks: 1794
Given 1469 thank(s) in 972 post(s)
Post: #5
Free Speech

I read that comic on Friday and completely agreed.

It's interesting to note what people think of the freedom of speech. Many believe it to be, or wish it were, a freedom from consequences, but that would defy the entire point.

A government that offers the right to free speech does not prevent people from saying something. Once they do exercise their freedom to speech, however, they do not have the freedom from criticism or the fallout of their actions/words. "It's a free country" is an expression used by those who mistakenly assume that freedom means recklessness, selfishness, or ability to be an asshole, not individual security.

(04-22-2014 04:41 AM)no Wrote:  This is basically saying "if you want to express a "wrong" opinion, you must be rich enough to have your own server/TV station/whatever."

And you have the "right to express" that, but I don't believe that your interpretation is exactly what Randall Munroe meant.

(04-22-2014 04:41 AM)no Wrote:  Ergo, I must delete another site from my history so I am never reminded of it when I accidentally hit the X key.

See, that's fine too. What Munroe did here was "exercise his right" to say something about people's rights to say something. Just as he said that those who speak have no defense against being boycotted, he demonstrates this as well now that you threaten to (or actually do) boycott xkcd.

The point of free speech is that you can say anything you want, but it is absolutely no guarantee that you won't be persecuted for it. If anything, the persecution further cements this right.
Public Service Announcement: First world problems are still problems.
04-22-2014 07:21 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
no Offline
True Scotsman

Posts: 1,238
Joined: Nov 2012
Thanks: 918
Given 474 thank(s) in 299 post(s)
Post: #6
RE: Free Speech

No, it isn't a "cemented right." If someone dislikes what you have to say and "bans you from an online community" or "cancels your TV program" that's the people with the power/money dictating what you must say. Sure you can say it on youtube or tumblr or whatever but the political correctness thought police are starting to take over there as well. And besides who is going to be swayed by one random youtube video? There's enough crap already the internet anyway, people will just say 7independenthought9me and carry on. They aren't entirely censoring you but exiling you to yammer endlessly where no-one will pay attention.
Hello, traveler.

This is an ancient account I have not used in a long time. My views have changed much in the intervening months and years.

Nonetheless, I refuse to clean it up. Pretending that I've held my current views since the beginning of time is what we in the industry call a lie. Asking people to do so contributes to moralistic self-loathing. "See, those people have nothing damning! I do! I'm truly vile!"

Because you can never be a good person with a single blemish on the moral record, I thought that simply entertaining some thoughts made me irredeemable. Though I don't care for his writing style, William Faulkner presents a good counterexample. He went from being a typical Southern racist to supporting the civil rights movement. These days we'd yell at him for that, probably.

People are allowed to change their views.

Nevertheless, this period of my life has informed some of how I am today. In good ways and bad ways. To purge it would be to do a disservice to history. Perhaps it will not make anyone sympathetic, but it may help someone understand.

If, after reading all this, you still decide to use the post above as evidence that I am evil today, ask yourself if you have never disagreed with the moral code you now follow. In all likelihood you did, at some point. If some questions are verboten, and the answer is "how dare you ask that," don't expect your ideological opponents to ever change their minds.
04-22-2014 08:25 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: SoulRiser
Ky Offline
Shadow

Posts: 5,201
Joined: Aug 2012
Thanks: 1794
Given 1469 thank(s) in 972 post(s)
Post: #7
Free Speech

If someone doesn't like what you have to say, you do not possess the freedom from their reactions. That's the point of Munroe's message, and it appears you see some sort of conspiracy behind it.

If someone doesn't like what you have to say, and they can ban/cancel/remove you, chances are they will do that, and there is little to stop them from doing that. Unfair? Maybe, but that's them kicking you out of the conversation. If you insist on saying the same things, either find a different conversation or keep it to yourself; there are plenty of times that I, myself, have to do both.

If someone doesn't like what you have to say, you may immediately assume that something's wrong with them, not you. But is this always the case?
Public Service Announcement: First world problems are still problems.
04-22-2014 08:41 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
 Thanks given by: SoulRiser , Trar
brainiac3397 Offline
Machiavellian Amoeba

Posts: 9,823
Joined: Feb 2013
Thanks: 20
Given 1983 thank(s) in 1428 post(s)
Post: #8
RE: Free Speech

I was expecting an asshole stick figure to get pummeled by a mob...
Personality DNA Report
(06-14-2013 08:02 AM)Potato Wrote:  watch the fuq out, we've got an "intellectual" over here.

Hidden stuff:
[Image: watch-out-we-got-a-badass-over-here-meme-240x180.png]
Brainiac3397's Mental Health Status Log Wrote:[Image: l0Iy5HKskJO5XD3Wg.gif]
04-22-2014 08:42 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Trar Away
R.I.P.

Posts: 1,437
Joined: Jun 2008
Thanks: 1384
Given 189 thank(s) in 125 post(s)
Post: #9
Free Speech

My friend put it succinctly, succinctly enough it earned a spot in Kaiba's signature.
04-22-2014 03:05 PM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread: Author Replies: Views: Last Post
  does free speech extend to private propety iexist 10 5,578 09-12-2012 07:25 AM
Last Post: guts12
  does free speech extend to private propety iexist 0 1,681 09-04-2012 10:32 AM
Last Post: iexist

Forum Jump:


User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Contact Us | School Survival | Return to Top | Return to Content | Mobile Version | RSS Syndication