Why should audiophile deniers be allowed on an audiophile forum?

@wturkey 

Perhaps Audiogon has a chance at “free” speech unlike big tech?

Absolutely.

Our predecessors fought many a long hard battle to overcome censorship for a certain freedom of expression and opinion.

So why stand back and allow these precious rights to be taken away by those who would seek to rewrite history and to oppress, ostracise and silence all contradictory opinions?

There are important questions facing us all now in this age of information. I would argue that intolerant fascism, from either end of the political spectrum, will always be an anathema to freedom. 

I think we all have a pretty good idea where such intolerance and smug self belief can eventually lead to, don't we?

@mahgister

am not in the minory relatively to a party or in the majority , i despise political borderline because they are UPROOTED from reality... BIDEN/TRUMP affair means nothing anywhere on the globe now...

Correct

[I was behind Nobel prize winner Luc Montagnier and Didier Raoult FROM THE BEGINNING, not Fauci monstruous action clear for all eyes to see now...]

Correct

[This is a reflection about Trump/Biden parties not about REALITY IN THE WORLD...You are so politically deluded you really think Trump/Biden are real and not puppets...]

Correct

I'd also like to think that it was patently clear by now that there are forces operating above the accepted Left/Right dichotomy, but alas apparently not.

Nevertheless, I can't remember anything that Biden has ever said that seems worth committing to memory but that tweet of Trump's still resonates.

"In reality they're not after me, they're after you. I'm just in the way."

Perhaps in order to understand just why censorship is bad we should take a look at its most ardent proponents, the extreme right and especially nowadays, the extreme left (some might argue the moderate left too).

Perhaps also a sense of perspective should prevail, no one is advocating mass murder, ethnic cleansing or racially based conspiracy theories.

Look upon it how you will but you simply cannot put discussions about the efficacy of sample rates, cables, fuses and blind listening into the same category.

In any, case I've never witnessed a fight breaking out a hi-fi show, although I did read that Quad's Peter Walker once got a little shirty with some over inquisitive imbecile.

@tylermunns

These days, both sides of the aisle are advocating censorship. It’s one thing to get it from one side, but now we’re getting from both sides. This is a disturbing trend, to say the least.

I consider it quite fair that someone, in light of these trends, would be alarmed to see people willingly and eagerly advocating censorship, regardless of the venue and their policies.

It’s one thing for the managers of a venue to implement restrictions on their patrons’ behavior, but it’s another thing to see the venue’s patrons REQUESTING a loss of freedom. It seems self-defeating, masochistic…I dunno…stupid? “I couldn’t help but notice there’s not enough censorship here, Mr. Director, may we please have some more?”

I will challenge this kind of thinking regardless of the venue, because I think it is bad and indicative of an accepted mode of thinking in our population that is more than complicit in the erosion of our freedoms.

-----

Me too.

It’s an unfortunate fact that because of the pyramid-shaped way that power structures are usually arranged, it’s often all too easy for unrepresentative pressure groups to have an unwarranted influence upon the way that policies are formed.

You could even argue that it’s directly lead to "cancel culture", an oxymoron if ever there was one. Speaking of which, yes you @nonoise, there do seem to be some among us here who appear to be constantly shouting.

Therefore it might be interesting to have someone from the forum administration to also chip in with their opinion on this subject.

For example, just how seriously do you take the OPs complaint?

Are some of us about to be ’cancelled’?

Is this forum about to be transformed into an advertising agency?

Questions, questions...

@djones51

"If the American Empire falls the world falls with it."

Can you expand on this a little, please?

When Britain lost its empire it took several decades before most people here even realised.

Somehow they were lead to believe that they had won the war.

I’m fairly certain that people in Russia and America didn’t see it that way.

In any case the American empire soon took over the vacuum left by the fall of France, Germany and the UK.

@emailists 

But in the same way people get the leadership they deserve, I suppose people get the audio forums they deserve.

Didn't want to disagree once more but aren't you making a mistake here in assuming how democracy actually works (compared to how it should perhaps)?

In the US you have a choice between Democrats and Republicans, in the UK you can have either Labour or Conservative, and in Russia you can choose Putin etc.

Some might argue it hardly matter who you choose, it's those with the financial clout that will remain in ultimate control.

At least here in Audiogon forum I'd like to think we have a little more choice in all of the ongoing debates.

I don't have a particularly good memory and as a consequence am unable to hold any lasting grudges against my fellow forum posters with whom I might not always see eye to eye.

Take for example @mahgister - whilst I find his posts interesting I don't always agree with them. I would expect that half the time we're seeing things the same way (namely I suspect because I don't have, or even want, his background in philosophy) and the other half perhaps quite differently.

Nevertheless it's a privilege to have access to differing opinions, and it's one that should be encouraged and not censored.

As an adult, when it comes to reading anything, I prefer to be my own censor.