Feb. 19, 2017 Staff Report
The comment section of the Sunnyside Post is likely to change following an increase in the number of mean-spirited responses in recent times.
The Sunnyside Post’s comment section has rarely been moderated and that was largely because of the belief of “free speech,” as well as the sheer volume of them on a day-to-day basis. Between the Sunnyside Post and the other sites that are part of the Queens Post, more than 100 comments come in per day.
A new comment system is likely to be put in place by March 1. Before that is done we would like your feedback.
To complete the survey, please click here.
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Testing out the new comment system. The only reason i read sunnypost online is for its meanspirited comments.
Rip local news blog
Geez, who has time to read all your thoughts? Survey, schmervey. Let idiots be idiots. Let the comment section be free from censorship…and good taste.
Yu arr all berry stupee peoples, my contree iz beter That yoo
if you mandate a registration many people will lose their voice here
i’m in hr…believe me, social media and comment sections are scoured if you are applying for work in a big company
i have no social media presence for that exact reason
be very careful
you think its just spouting iff on a local blog but it could cost you your next job or promotion or co op applicational approval or bank loan or date
Wow. That is awful. That is censorship in its worst form! That forces people to censor themselves, to stop thinking! Jesus we live in a sick society.
Thanks for posting that. You should repeat it up above, in case nobody makes it down here. We live in a divisive country. It started with Bush, and is now complete with the dumpster. It’s made whole by the digital revolution. O’s and 1’s, likes and dislikes, thumbs up and thumbs down. Nothing in between. Even a mildly offensive comment here, through facebook or any other social media platform, can bury you.
Yes and Ohbama trashed MLK’s legacy by not applying content of character to black people. He set race relations back 40 years….what was Tryavon’s content of character anyone know? PS: pretty horrible
Is it too difficult for you to focus and stay on topic? Oh, and you’re an idiot. Hows that for self censorship?
Be nice to your comrade.
@rikki Nice alternative fact posting.
Your mischaracterization of Travon Martin is despicable. He was a kid. You lack character at all.
He was NOT a kid he was a thug criminal, functionally illiterate, way behind in school work and was suspended…..pretty rotten content of character.
And Lets nor forget a GAY basher…yup Rachel Jeantel told the world trayvon circled back to attack george not because the was white but because he thought george was a rapist….aka GAY!!!
anyone watch and listen to the trial??? i did!!
Just dont read the ssp anymore, and dont comment if you feel you have to read it. Why you would have to read it i have no idea ,but boycott the comments. F the ssp, no big deal
Stop people like phil of sh!t. Long no factual theories
Anybody who reads USA Today or most major papers can tell you that using FB as your comment system does NOT decrease trash comments. If anything they proliferate because the barrier to commenting is lower. Instead, just focus on blocking the following types of comments:
1. “Trump people” for whom every comment is a variation on “build the wall,” “stupid liberals” or “go Trump.” These comments are moronic in any case but especially out of place on a hyper-local blog.
2. People who clearly do not live in Sunny/Woodside anymore/are obviously motivated by racism/complain (with no further substance) that the neighborhood is not how it was circa 1962.
3. Concept/”character” comments that talk about themselves in 3rd person and, appallingly, actually consider themselves humorous.
If users persist in these kind of comments after a warning, just block their IP. The vast majority of commenters in these categories do not know what an IP is and will not be able to get around such a block.
MEAN spirited comments are what makes a great board, they are easily disproved or generate a real discussion….sanitized boards will cause you TO LOSE A LOT OF VIEWS and with that any advertising money……….
Just like get over complaining about the sardine commute on the 7….think out of the box and reverse commute….nothing will change in 25 years unless by some miracle the LIRR will have a sunnyside stop ( NOT at the QB bridge what a long walk to get there)….and possible shuttle service from say 43rd st to GC to alleviate the problem………that’s what you should be fighting for…..
Rikki: Please go away somewhere. Your comments make no sense and neither do you.
The fact is if I wear my MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN hat around the neighborhood I live and love, I will be attacked. I want to feel safe but Im not. This discussion board at least allows people to comment and not be beaten by mob of left wing nuts.
Cool fact
PUNK!!!!!!
Just get rid of comments, no big deal who cares. 90% of the comments are nonsense anyway.
People should sign up through facebook but not have their profile information displayed here. Just their first names and possibly last initial. They can still say whatever they want, but they will have to own up to it. Linking with Facebook means they can’t sign up for a hundred different accounts.
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This is easier and better than moderation because 1) it requires no extra work from the admins, and 2) people can’t claim that they are being “censored” like they would be if they were moderated
I’m yet to read a single comment on the SSP that has contributed something valuable to the discussion. I’d just get rid of comments altogether. You’re just giving trolls and haters a platform.
People tend to be more respectful in disagreement when posting with their name displayed. I’ve been part of the Sunnymoms board for over 8 years and can count the nasty incidents on one hand.
Also, here is the definition of Free Speech: The right to speak without censorship or restraint by the government. Freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Kristin:
Your comments rarely make sense. Do everyone a favor and stop writing on. Ok?
What’s the big deal people? They’re not saying you can’t voice your opinion here. They’re just saying you need to put your name on your opinion. Nobody should have a problem with that. Unless, of course, you want to be able to put people down an insult others without being accountable for it. Or maybe you don’t want your significant other or your children or neighbors to know that you’re the shitty person who keeps making nasty comments on the local newspaper. In thatcase you deserve to be quieted.
Wow, trolls sure are sensitive.
Att: – Anus o’minus- your comment has some validity to it, but yours sound exactly like the comments that your trying to silence. Have a nice st pats day now that you can walk with your lgbt pride banner. Took long enough so have a wonderful day
The comments are the only good thing about this place!
Most of the comments on this site are pathetic whining from hasbeen losers who cannot accept their time has passed. They shit on the new restaurants because they don’t like the food or can’t afford it. They shit on the beautification projects because they like the neighborhood when it was a dump. They use every article, even one about something totally unrelated, as an excuse to complain about how women and people of other ethnicities have ruined their lives. Start your own online news magazine instead of spreading your uneducated feces opinions all over someone’s else’s hard work. You do not have the right to comment. This is a private business. They have every right to kick you off. Your pointless comments (which are too stupid and misspelled to be offensive, really) are like vandalism on SP’s wall. You are costing them advertising because you are driving away visitors to the site. But that’s what you like, to shit on others peoples success. Because you’re miserable, bitter, sad sack losers who can’t get it up unless you’re putting someone down. There is youth and vitality in this neighborhood and you cannot bear it. I see you all drinking coffee that’s served to you by immigrants that came here and opened businesses. Then you come home type about building the wall. You are a pox. You are a parasite. Get off SP. Move to Florida. Move to Arizona. Move out.
You need a whole lot of help, Ann. Hatred has taken hold of you and made you see enemies where there are only people, just like you. Just like you, just a whole lot more experienced, able to think through things, able to see the big picture. You are full of sound and fury and you signify nothing.
Ann – Sunnyside was never a dump. I have been here 76 years and without hesitation can tell you, you are uninformed.
Half the joy of reading this site is all the angry Muppets in the comments section. Leave the system as is!
Provide one and only one posting ID to each underlying E-Mail address submitted requesting a Sunnyside or any other Queens post posting handke. This will prevent one person from pretending to be many commenters and posting bogus responses to their very own posts.
They should limit the paragraphs people post. Make your point and move on, i dont want to read a book, like theorem ox over here, or pat doofmans long asssss comments
Brevity is the soul of wit and I admit I that haven’t mastered it yet. Beg your pardon, your highness!
You could use the spell checker to make your insults more effective. As it is you seem unschooled. Get literate then we can talk.
the issue wi all the mean spirited comments is all the anti trump BS. the people on the left are not open to any viewpoint but their own. they cant handle it.
The people on the right suffer from a psychological condition known as projectionism. And this is not an alternate fact.
Thank you. I rarely see the right doing anything but name calling and then accusing the left of it. On ANY platform.
Moderating comments is a slippery slope. Leave it open and free.
How about a “flag” icon that brings an offensive post to the attention of the moderator ? Seems more reasonable to review a post after..let’s say five flags…than it does to scrap a forum where people can have their say and actually argue the direction of their community. That’s just censorship.
As an occasional commentator (admittedly I have not posted here recently although I have been lurking and reading the whole time since), I’m generally NOT in favor of any of the proposed changes that the survey is markedly pointing towards.
Yes, the general direction in which the survey is pushing the respondents towards is quite visible to anybody that’s paying attention.
I view mandatory identification and/or forced Facebook usage (which I am phasing out and will discontinue use soon) as de facto censorship. Some of the well-known comment platforms such as Disqus seem to have adopted a collective “thought police” function more recently – Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Those of us who are more open-minded in terms of where we stand and do not take offense at every little thing that we personally disagree with are finding civilly written comments disappearing en masse when the viewpoints don’t match exactly with those of the “moderators.” (That’s if we aren’t banned outright for a single apparently “unforgivable” offense). Any real dialogue and progress in improving our lives will never happen as long as certain topics are perpetually off-limits for a sincere discussion.
My opposition to the idea of mandatory identification/platform-linked commenting are further colored by the fact that I know personally people who have faced real-life retributions in different manners just for saying something online that a few other people happen to strongly disagree with. From what I could tell, the commentator originally said it in a civil manner and the nature of the comment wasn’t particularly disrespectful or offensive either. Perhaps something you would observe that person actually saying in real life at the right situation. But the minority took it upon themselves to bring misery upon the person who dared to express their sincere thoughts online.
Some of the “troll comments” on Sunnyside Post were indeed amusing (especially to those who understood the humor or sometimes when the sarcasm could be noted). Sometimes they were groan inducing and other times, they were just baffling. But it was part of the charm of reading Sunnyside Post online. Occasionally, it may have gone out of hand, but those were fairly rare and isolated cases from what I could tell.
If Sunnyside Post wishes to join the mainstream media online in neutering the comments section, you may count me out of the readership roll. The content and tone of the articles will eventually reflect the echo chambers of the comments (and that also includes outright suppression) in due time.
Unfortunately, I have had the misfortune of observing too many of my favorite print publications and websites/blogs that have gone down that road over the last two decades. If they haven’t folded outright, most of them are now a shell of their former selves and some have lost their credibility along the way.
it is ridiculous and intellectually dishonest to compare this to censorship. if this board were heavily moderated by an administrator, that would be censorship. but if we just start associating accounts with individuals, and that alone causes people to start toning down their awful opinions because they are too cowardly to put their name behind it, that is their own problem. how can it be censorship if they are still free to post their nonsense if they choose? if they do censor themselves, that is their own choice and nothing to do with this board or its admins and thus should not be compared to censorship, even “de facto”
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with something like Disqus the person can still be anonymous here. it would also be possible to have people sign up through facebook but not display their profile picture, or last name. for me the main benefit is to prevent people from commenting under 20 different names and overrunning these conversations with their nonsense, which is often ridiculous and unhelpful. there is no benefit to that that i can see. if someone has an opinion they would still be perfectly free to express it under their Disqus username, which can be anything. no censorship involved whatsoever.
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however, ultimately, this is not our site. it is the admin’s site and they can do as they see fit. it is their right to create any kind of community they want to see here. if their final decision seems to you to be censorship, you are perfectly free to stop frequenting this site.
I don’t have facebook, and I don’t want facebook. I don’t twitter or instagram either. Facebook is the same as the communist party. If you don’t belong, you are left out of society. Assimilate and conform, or you won’t be part of the community. Definitely no to the facebook thing. If it’s required, I won’t ever return to sunnyside post.
No, I don’t think I’m being “intellectually dishonest.” I call a spade a spade – I know what I see when I see it, many times even when it’s obscured with subterfuges. After reading your comment, I suspect you’re either naive or otherwise have trouble seeing the forest beyond the trees.
I actually do have some faith in the Sunnyside Post admins and mods. I’ve seen that they generally tread lightly on moderating comments. However, the faith doesn’t extend to other platforms that allow commenting. While I haven’t gone as far as producing dossiers, I’ve seen firsthand and secondhand evidence of outright censorship or (even worse) tampering with comments on those platforms. If SSP hitches their wagon to those platforms, the end result of censorship still applies even if SSP admins/mods themselves had no hand in it otherwise.
Incidentally, I agree with your last point. That said, they did solicit our opinions on this and I obliged. I’ve read some good, level-headed suggestions posted by others here that wouldn’t run afoul to what I wrote while still helping the admins get a better handle on things as needed. I think I focused too much on the state of commenting at other media websites on mine. Nonetheless, I stand by what I said and am prepared to act on it depending on how things go. Wouldn’t mind dealing with egg on my face than to see things unfold as predicted.
Yes I spoke a little too harshly. Probably something I wouldn’t have done had I been signed in through Disqus or Facebook or whatever. Then we could have had a more honest and to-the-point conversation. I agree about the laissez-faire moderation here. In fact my favorite comments I see here is when people angrily shout about being censored because “I typed a comment and it won’t show up what the hell is this Liberal crap website stifling my speech!!!” but in fact it just hadn’t been moderated yet, and then both comments show up. Of course, both of their comments suck and don’t belong here and make it more difficult for me to have a conversation with my neighbors.
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Your argument seems to rest a lot on “outright censorship or tampering with comments on those platforms” which I haven’t seen anywhere and which you offer no proof of. Of course I don’t expect you to compile a dossier or something, but I’ve been reading the comments on e.g. Gothamist (uses Disqus) for years and the worst thing I see happen is that someone’s comment is downvoted heavily and it collapses to say “awaiting moderation.” You can still read it though…kind of like how Reddit works. Do you consider that censorship? I would say it couldn’t be censorship if the comment is still there and can be read by anyone with a simple click. I like this because hateful or ridiculous comments don’t clog up the conversation I’m trying to have with my neighbors but if I want to feed the troll I can just unhide his comment. Easy.
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You also mention sites that have been changed by apparent censorship, or self-censorship, in their comments. I don’t deny that’s possible. But I do think it would be “intellectually dishonest” (I mean it this time!) for you not to mention the many, many more sites, forums, bulletin boards, etc. that have been brought to their knees by trolls that destroy the community it took them years to build. Something Awful is one of the few examples of a forum that was assaulted by Nazi trolls but was able to fight them off. They fought for *years* to remain a good community, but they still have problems. And they’re a long-running website with thousands of active members. We’re just a local blog. I just don’t see why a site administrator for a local neighborhood blog — or his readers — should have to spend his entire day reading a bunch of garbage spam comments from MAGA trolls that have nothing to do with what we’re talking about and probably don’t even live here.
i’d also point that even the comments section on breitbart uses disqus, and there’s not much in the way of censorship there, to say the least.
NPR used disqus when they had comments and it was heavily moderated. And I mean heavily. So much so that it had no rhyme or reason. Mean spirited and bigoted comments were allowed as long as it fell within their bias while fact based comments were deleted. It depends on the moderators and what bias they have. Breitbart doesn’t want to censor it’s vile bigoted rants at all because that is fundamentally their base.
facebookless – yeah, that’s what i’m saying. theorem ox seems to be under the impression that these services inherently encourage censorship, or “thought policing” and i’m saying they don’t. if they did, Breitbart would not be Breitbart
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it depends on how the site uses it. theorem ox says he already “has faith” in the mods here as they are very laissez-faire, and i agree. so what’s the problem in having a comments platform like Disqus that automatically collapses the noxious/downvoted comments so i can have a real, useful conversation with my neighbors? i can still read them if i want, and i imagine all but the most vile or illegal comments will be allowed to stay, like they are now.
There exists comment posting website software that allows a comment to be temporarily hidden, by default, without completely erasing it from the website. (I don’t remember where I’ve seen these, but will post if I remember them later.)
Then, if the reader decides to view the comment, that reader simply presses a little button to show it, and can hide it again if they desire.
That way, the comment is not displayed by default (it’s not “thrown in your face”) — but it is also not destroyed, and anyone wanting to see all public comments can do so.
In addition, the decision itself – made, ironically, by anonymous editors – to “mute” it is available for public inspection.
Why not do that here?
Why, you could even use it to hide double posts. 🙂
There is comment posting website software that allows a comment to be temporarily hidden, by default, without completely erasing it from the website.
Then, if the reader decides to view the comment, that reader simply presses a little button to show it, and can hide it again if they desire. (I don’t remember where I’ve seen these, but will post if I recall them.)
That way, the comment is not displayed by default (it’s not “thrown in your face”) — but it is also not destroyed, and anyone wanting to see all public comments can do so.
In addition, the decision itself – made, ironically, by anonymous editors – to “mute” it is available for public inspection.
Why not implement that here?
Notmcoring- The editing of comments almost never has anything with the topic at hand. Almost always comments with profanity and undefined terms like “libertards”, directed at individuals posting. These people who do this do not know the meaning of discord, debate or freedom of speech, it’s all a form of cyber bullying. Read the user manual for this on line intimidation it’s called The Lousest Voice In The Room. This is the very reason many on line publications have done away with their comments section.
Mel –
Who judges whether this “editing of comments” – I assume you mean their removal – “almost never has anything with the topic at hand”? Who judges which comments are offensive? Are these judgments available to the public?
That’s why I said an editor should apply editorial judgment, by hiding (not removing) a comment that is in that judgment both offensive and useless. That way, the comment – not the process – is hidden, so that we can all review that process whenever desired.
Otherwise, when an editorial judgment is hidden from public view, the writer does not necessarily know why it was rejected (although, sure, many cases have obvious reasons). Meanwhile, the readers have no clue which comments are being censored and why, or that they even existed in the first place. Any ulterior motives of the editors, if applicable, are simply not visible.
Just as with voting machines, an audit trail matters for trust and participation.
Heywood- you nailed it, they already made up their minds. If Ssp doesnt like your opinion, its sensored. If they dont agree with it or it is critical of one of the little darling council members, its sensored. F ssp. Dont need it
First decent comment el loco ever made
This is NYC. Leave it. I’m sure Rick Duro, Pat Dorfman and the SUNNYSIDE Chamber of Commerce have threatened to pull their funding. This blog in its present form brings joy to millions of home bound Sunnysiders. Keep it.
Pull what funding loco? We give no $ to SP. I’m all for keeping the comment section the way it is. It’s like street theater-funny, tragic and, sadly, predictable. The trolls need to up their game.
I’m telling you there will be blood running in the streets in SUNNYSIDE if the comment section is changed.
Just kidding. Relax. But seriously leave it be and Ricky D. – I’m just messin’ wit ya. Calm down. You’d really be surprised if you knew who I was behind my fake name.
You want some better comments Richard? I’ll give you some better ones. 3 dogs walk into a bar. No, no I meant a rabbi and a priest walk into a bar. Ha, ha.
loco, when you make comments like you did above,with less truth attached to them than a trump press conference, sorry, gotta call u out on it.
They didn’t say people couldn’t keep making their shitty comments. They just said you have to do it using your name. Why is that so tough for everyone? Unless you’re saying inappropriate things that you need to hide from nobody should have a problem with this.
I made up a name, used a falsified account. That makes me accountable? Do you understand how flawed your logic is?
I don’t think anyone’s advocating against free speech, but it feels like the comments section has needed to be a curated or tidied up for a while now. Often it seems like it’s the same 4-5 people posting from their mum’s basement under different pseudonyms.
Agree – think there should be “troll patrol.” It’s crystal clear it’s the same bunch of people over and over again.
If people use profanity, make personal threats against anyone, then yes, they should have their comments removed. But plenty of us know that this is likely an attempt to silence anyone who isn’t in lockstep with political correctness or the liberal agenda, or, heaven forbid, has anything negative to say about Van Bramer.
Rocky Most publications have removed comments because ignorant and immature people abuse the privilege.
It’s obvious the decision to censor the comments section has already been made. The survey is just a con to make readers think they have a say in the matter.
In the words of the irrepressible Malachy McCourt, “Did I not tell you that all traitors are conservative and all conservatives are traitors?
Oh look. Sensitive liberals again. Feeling so hurt.
Cultural appropriation so bad.
Oh look an idiot spouting idiocy.
Did the staff have their pink hats on as they came up with this idea? Pathetic!
You clearly fail to understand a lot of people in life. Wearing a pussy hat is an act of courage not a pathetic act.
Courage is storming Omaha Beach on D-Day.
Courage is rushing into the Twin Towers on 9-11 to save people.
Wearing a pussyhat is not.
6-6-41 and 9-11-01 are past. By your definition no one can be brave. Voicing your opinion can get you jailed or killed in many parts of the world. Voting is not legal in various countries. Not taking advantage of such rights doesn’t make you a coward or a hero if you do but you will be wasting the blood that was shed on Omaha Beach or in the Twin Towers for these very rights.
Yes it is. Courage is defined as being afraid and doing it anyway or having strength in the face of adversity. People who want to keep anonymous comments are the same jerks who want to cut you off when you’re on the road because they’re simply shitty people who don’t want to be held accountable for it. They are like-minded to men who beat their wives or bullies in the schoolyard. True cowards who would never understand courage anyways.
Did you do any of those things or read about them somewhere?
Speaking out against tyranny and standing up against a rapist is courage. By your definition only singular acts take courage. And that makes your ignorant.
God fearing – God told them to do it.
no JVB told them to –
The folks talking about free speech are morons, as that’s not how free speech works. But you should take to heart that a lot of your readers come to read the ridiculous comments, and your views will go down if you crack down on comments here.
People seriously can’t say a word nowadays without someone being offended. When did everyone lose their balls?
They lost their balls with the rise of 3rd wave feminism and political correctness.
The “offended response” is a subversive way to take away The 1st Amendment. If someone is offended they should simply use tolerance. KEEP ON SPEEKING FREELY!!
There is a difference between having your say and excoriating people. The comments section is the written equivalent of a vicious bar fight. That is not constructive public discourse. You can love Trump and disagree with JVB but tearing into people’s character when you probably have never met them is a shameful and ugly thing to do. If you wouldn’t have the balls to say it in public right to his or her face you are “bearing false witness,” which some people may remember is on the list of the Big Ten Bad Things to Do In Life.
Your letter is ridiculous. I think I speak for miilions of SUNNYSIDE residents who love being anonymous and hide behind their computers and rip into people who can’t do anything to us. On this blog I’m a tough guy. In real life most women could beat me to a pulp.
In the interest of inclusion, diversity and multiculturalism, shouldn’t the Sunnyside Post articles also be written in Spanish, Korean and Arabic? Why is the SP discriminating against non-English speaking people. They have rights too.
-Pamls Write your own blog loser. Put your money where your ignorant mouth is, loser.
Putin, You have enough problems reading and writing in English, your so called native language.
Leave it the way it is stupid! I’ve never read anything mean spirited. The problem is most of the readers of this digital rag are morons! You want to make it into some pansy little kissy, kissy blog. Blah, blah.
Mean spirited comments = anything critical of JVB, anything positive about Donald Trump, any comment that points out the fact illegal immigrants are in fact, here illegally. You get the idea.
Conservative are always crying victim. Crybabies. Regressives.
Is this post an alternate truth? Hahah Stupid Regressives.
Jimmy thinks the world loves him. His mommy told him so. And don’t you dare to disagree. If you do, the welovejimmy trolls will get you.
Its our right to voice our opinion. Whats the matter, jvb trying to silence his critics.
You are entitled to your opinion, but this site isn’t obliged to publish it. Deal with it.
No one is obligated to stifle Free Speech either!
Speak your mind! On your own website.
You have the right to your opinions, but no one is obliged to give you a platform.
tell that to JVB –
No one said you couldn’t voice your opinion. You just have to put your name on it. I don’t know why that should be such a big deal unless of course you just want to be able to say nasty things without having to be accountable for it.
Its a big deal, Sue, because many people have been thrown in prison for uncovering the truth and saying it. Its beneficial to the People to know how you’re controlled to blindly believe in your masters and to eliminate all threats to them. They’re really a threat to your mind. Anonymity will one day protect you.
Discovered the truth and are in jail for it? Like Chelsea Manning?
It’s a local site about restaurant openings, public services and community events. Unless you are meeting Deep Throat under the 7 line (and I’m sure you could be) nobody is silencing anybody. Get off the stage.
Why does one have to be accountable? I can stand on a street corner and say whatever I want. It doesn’t mean the cops can ask for my ID. Unless I am inciting a riot or disturbing the peace. Why should it be any different here? You want peace? Don’t visit the site or read comments.
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So I make up a fictitious name and email account. How is that “accountable.” You seem to be in favor of self censorship for fear of what? Found out? “They” will know where you live? Send the police? Track you down at work and “tell” on their boss? What does accountable mean? Nothing. You want accountability because its a rule you play by, and want to impose it on others.
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Besides, allowing people to make up usernames fosters creativity. Titles can be made that are comment specific. It’s entertaining.
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If there is something to fix it’s the like, dislike system. People clear cache and cookies and vote multiple times. It give a false sense of the demographic when one person votes 30 times for restricting diversity and multiculturalism. This is not what sunnyside is.
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The easy answer is more moderation by unbiased individuals.
Guess the people that marched from L.I.C to Trump tower are all for free speech until it becomes critical of them…They now find it hateful and mean spirited..What hypocrisy!..Register to comment?..no thanks I’ll pass and so will some of the advertisers here
Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. it thus exemplifies the purpose behind the bill of rights, and of the first amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation– and their ideas from suppression– at the hand of an intolerant society.
“the right to remain anonymous may be abused when it shields fraudulent conduct. but political speech by its nature will sometimes have unpalatable consequences, and, in general, our society accords greater weight to the value of free speech than to the dangers of its misuse.”
– mcintyre v. ohio elections commission 514 u.s. 334 (1995) justice stevens writing for the majority
Notice how this survey can be taken multiple times. I wonder how many people took it several time in hopes that SSP stifles ideas and free speech.
Trolls have more time to waste than normal folks to take a survey multiple times.
Besides, is it not my constitutional right to take a survey as often as I’d like?
i seriously hope they do not consider facebook as registration for comments. facebook is forcing people to provide them with government issued documents, such as passports and social security cards to verify accounts. i just laughed at them and let them close my account. my life doesnt revolve around them. please use Yahoo or Discus instead.
They didn’t say people couldn’t keep making their shitty comments. They just said you have to do it using your name. Why is that so tough for everyone? Unless you’re saying inappropriate things that you need to hide from nobody should have a problem with this.
@Sue: Anonymity protects The Freedom of speech from a tyrannically majority. Anonymity protects unpopular speech from retaliation. The Freedom of Speech is not to talk about the weather, its to disclose corruption and violations of the Constitution. To give names because its “mean spirited” is just a ploy. The benefits of the anonymity of The Freedom of Speech FAR OUTWEIGHS the dangers of it. Dangers meaning calling someone a doo doo head and the hilarious like.
I agree completely. People don’t seem to realize this country is headed down the totalitarian slippery slope. Any discussion of politics is frowned upon. People are being ejected from airplanes for expressing their opinion. Schools are being told to take down posters that celebrate diversity for fear of being “political.” Pretty soon nobody will be able to talk about the president, government, or politics that “disclose corruption and violations of the constitution.”
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This is what is was like in the USSR, Cuba, China. Dictators do not want dissent, and anonymity protects the individual from retaliation when blowing a whistle, or highlighting these violations to fellow citizens. It also prevents people from education their fellow citizens about understanding the difference between fake news, alternate facts, and reality without having to disclose personal information. But I understand in this state of fearful paranoid security, some people want to be able to track your every move. Those that sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither.
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And not everybody has facebook, but plastering an opinion on a local website and having it reflected to your entire social circle and more doesn’t give you the free choice to say something you would NOT say in public. This is called freedom. The last thing I want is to be asked for my “papers” when walking down the street while talking to a friend or acquaintance. The requirement to log in through social media is the same thing. Anonymity insures censorship or self censorship is not a threat.