Posted by Rick Denney on May 23, 2002 at 12:04:52:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: San Fransisco audition posted by tubajake on May 23, 2002 at 10:09:53:
Every time I hear this "free country" argument, I cringe.
Sure, it's a free country. What does that have to do with what is appropriate for discussion on an online forum? If it's free for you to write something that offends Dale, it's just as free for him to complain about it, and for you to complain about his complaint, ad infinitum. At some point, politeness takes over, and we voluntarily make decisions about how we use our freedom. Others can try to persuade us to make those voluntary decisions, without limiting our freedom. Freedom is the ability to choose to do the right thing.
Dale has a point that most of the folks who listen in here are nothing more than curious, and those with a legitimate interest in the audition process in San Francisco have, or should have, better avenues of information than Tubenet. I'm curious, too. But there's a fine line between curiosity and idle gossip. When the information is official, it is no longer gossip and then we will all welcome it. Some, like Dale, may feel that endless idle speculation runs the risk of doing damage, and I happen to agree with him.
Of course, Tubenet is not a free country, but a privately run Internet forum. I have not seen our generous host remove any of the audition-related messages, and I think that's the extent to which any of us can speak for him one way or the other. The topic is apparently okay. But I also haven't seen him remove Dale's complaints.
Rick "who is glad that personnel matters in his industry are not the subject of endless public kibitzing" Denney