Update 12-15-2008

I have written before about looking through various public blogs online and being disgusted by some of the things I read. In a public forum open to everyone, anyone can say anything. This, on the surface, seems like a good thing. Upon further examination, I think it is not.

People can and do say anything they want in a public forum. They can make remarks that are insulting. They can make remarks that aren't thought out well. They can make remarks which have nothing to do with the actual subject matter. These remarks distract from the forum topic and prevents a true two way (or multi way) conversation or discussion. They, in fact, inhibit free speech.

I am becoming less of an advocate for "free speech." If the definition of "free speech" is that anyone can say anything they want to, I think I am not for that. My opinion is that speech should be a conversation, or dialog, between people. I don't advocate that we should all have the same opinion. But let's at least have some ground rules that people will stay on topic and not be uncivil to each other. Otherwise, it all becomes noise.

I write this because I was reading an open blog on the San Francisco Chronicle in which the subject was supposedly art and one artist's experience in creating art. Instead, as it so often does, the forum became a place where people inserted their own politics and insults, which had nothing to do whatever with the topic at hand. It was impossible to hold a cogent discussion because the forum was hijacked by attack and rhetoric.

I guess I still expect people to respond to the subject at hand and perhaps bring something unique or personal to the conversation. Maybe my problem is I think a forum IS a conversation, rather then a soapbox.