Amazing what you see if you ride your bike around some places, in this case Jacksonville in Jackson County.
You know what’s getting old, even older than the vintage Ford above? It’s the childish and incessant sniping by a few of the people who send me comments on this site.
You’d think American grown-ups could make their points, if they disagree on something, without belittling or denouncing the other guy. But I guess not, not all of them anyway.
Some of you have gotten so fed up that you’ve said you’ll quit engaging with others on this forum. This is my fault, because comments under stories on hh-today don’t appear unless and until I approve them.
So here’s the deal. The standards for comments have been pretty loose, so loose in fact that there don’t seem to be any standards at all. And this I intend to change.
The standards are going to get tougher, it says here.
First, unless I’m asleep at the gate, comments won’t get posted unless they keep a civil tone.
Second, comments will be edited based on relevance. Not everything in life is about right versus left in politics, or vice versa. If I post a story about kids opening a lemonade stand and learning a little about how business works, to pick just one example, comments about politics are going to be blocked.
And third, in order to appprove comments, I’m going to insist they be more or less recognizable as English sentences or fragments of such. If I can’t understand a comment or if it sounds like gibberish, you’re not going to see it on this site.
I hope this works and you all agree. If not, you can always ask for your money back. (hh)
Thank you Hasso. I’ve been a big fan of your thoughtful gentle stories since I moved to Albany. I was so shocked by the lack of civility in the comments section that I stopped reading them and certainly never left a comment. What a shame, I thought, that such a lovely collection of essays was routinely degraded by people unwilling to leave their politics at the door. I strongly believe in robust political debate. But the comments here were not that. They were superficial, mean and vile. Hasso celebrates the best of America. The regular commenters represent our worst impulses. I look forward to a better HH Today. Thank you.
Thank YOU!!! Your blog has so much to offer, this is no place for political comments and sniping.
When an online entity like “Hasso Hering” engages in censorship, individuals don’t get to participate in the marketplace of ideas and their speech gets limited to only that which you approve.
Perhaps the time has come to advocate that the reach of the First Amendment be expanded to online comments on blogs like yours.
This will make you and a government actor analogous in regards to limiting your power to restrict free speech.
One can only hope.
Gordon, the first amendment does not nor should not apply to a personal site.
Gordon, you’re a really sharp guy, and sometimes I agree with you (and when I don’t, I can still tell you’re a sharp guy). Here’s a challenge I’ll make to you, if HH allows it (and if he does or doesn’t, that’s his right): How about, sometime in the next couple months, make a comment that’s positive in nature? You must have something nice or otherwise uplifting that you’d be willing to say about someone or something, don’t you?
Hi Steve,
Advocating for expanded freedom and protection under the First Amendment is uplifting and positive in my book. Not gushing, mind you. But definitely a positive response to a negative decision to censor comments.
And thanks for the compliment. I enjoyed your work while you were with the ADH, and I respect your comments on this blog. Hopefully they will continue uncensored in the future.
Gordon
Thanks Gordon. I like to think of people like you, HH and me as fair-minded folks who can arrive at reasoned opinions and agree to disagree when necessary. And as someone who used to spend lots of time moderating online comments for the DH — allowing most, refusing some (for the same reasons HH may refuse some) — I just don’t see that as censorship but rather an attempt at maintaining civil and productive dialogue. Good to hear from you Gordon.
I hear you.
But when a for-profit online service (personalized blog or newspaper) serves a Public function by enabling Public viewing (anyone can view) and accommodating Public responses (anyone can comment), any “attempt at maintaining civil and productive dialogue” will be necessarily arbitrary.
It’s the arbitrariness that irritates.
Either put up with some offending comments, or do what some online services have done (ex: thehill.com) – remove the comment section.
But I get it. It’s a business decision. So until the freedom and limitations of the First Amendment expand, Hasso should do whatever he thinks will boost his bottom line.
I noticed recently that the DH again allows online comments; for a period of time, at least a few years I think, the paper did not.
Thank you! What a welcome development.
I agree HH. Too many times on any public forum, you see the disparaging comments. There are things that have become political that never were before. These days you can see aspects of politics in every day life. Regardless of the subject matter. People are weary of all of the negativity on the news about wars, food shortages, gas prices, school curriculums, higher taxes, homelessness, voter fraud etc. The list is endless, and people are reacting to it. I am not saying they can’t have their own opinions, they just need to rein in the rancor. Speak their piece but do it in a controlled and polite manner.
Thank you.
We have definitely strayed far afield of the “Don’t say anything if you can’t say something nice”. Thank you for your efforts.
So is it no politics? Or just no bad manners? Mixed messages here
U gonna get into censoring…I would be happy with a simple IQ test. What makes me most afraid is when I see fellow Americans apparant stupidity, since I know of no cure for that. If I knew they weren’t idiots I might feel reassured . ..Yes definitely…I would feel better about censorship based on IQ.
Civility – what a nice idea! Thank you, Hasso!
Bravo!!! A modest reduction in rudeness and yelling will be much, much appreciated.
Hasso: I think this is a great idea — but then “Wild Bill” calls his “fellow Americans” stupid idiots. How does that wash?
Name-calling, incoherency, and off-topic rants and politics can be fairly easily eliminated without limiting discussion — and maybe even improving it by attracting more thoughtful participation. My thought has always remained that the old-time newspaper policy of making people use their real names (probably not addresses, though, given modern times) is the best policy for public discussions.
You just made my point for me. I’m against censorship but you don’t get sarcasm.
I didn’t call anyone an idiot but rather made the point that if we must implement such an un-American device let us do based on IQ.
Hasso, your article is well timed and well intended. The title says it all. Childish. Sniping. My Mom always said you can catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar. More and varied site participation will be a worthy goal.
Thank you, Hasso. This change is way past due, in my opinion.
Good for you in rejecting incivility and willful ignorance; as to politics, it’s so important to adult life that we ought to encourage its thoughtful inclusion in our conversations.
As a kid I always heard that “Politics and religion should never be discussed in polite company.” As I grew older I realized that these are where the most important ideas are found, and we all ought to learn how to talk about them with skill and kindness.
There is no harm in making political comments appropriate to the issue, as long as they are well-reasoned, articulate, and without ad-hominem attacks. Surely it is Mr. Hering’s prerogative to pass judgement on such comments on his own blog.
I personally will be glad to see less of the personal sniping which has made reading the comments tiresome.
Thank you Hasso! This is way overdue.
THANK YOU!!
Funny, when I saw the phrase “childish sniping” a couple of names came immediately to mind. I’m happy to report they did not disappoint.
Hasso give honor to some of the great comments backing you as I do for your blog. As most the people commenting listed their REAL name as some people give these ridiculous circus names. Congratulations to all that listed their real name
Spot on Mike. Even folks I viscerally disagree with have more credibility because they’re willing to back their opinions with their real names…
YAY! Hasso, you are not only back on the bike, you are in the driver’s seat.
HH
Thanks for restating rules that many learned before school started.
For those who insist on a “real name”, I use a nom-de-plume for security reasons. No way I want some of the posters at my door.