What's on Your Mind

[CellarDweller]

In the US we constantly hear claims of free speech rights being violated in online forums, including on that site some of came from, when someone has a post or thread deleted or a profile is banned. Sadly, many Americans are very mistaken about their free speech rights and believe they are much more encompassing than what they really are. They forget, websites are not a government and when you are on a website, you are really a guest on someone's private property and when you're on someone's property, they make and enforce the rules including limitations on your speech. There is a reluctance on that other site to enforce its own rules for fear of sending the trolls and troublemakers away since they now make up so much of the site and hearing people scream about their misinformed rights to free speech.

Thank you!!!

One thing I would like to add, (and this is not directed to anyone here) freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. If you want to open your fool mouth and shoot out some stupidity that will make others mad, that's your right, but that also means that others can exercise that same right to criticize you, and if you make your speech somewhere like a forum, you can be banned for it. You are not being censored if you are banned. YOu can still say what you said before, just not where you said it before.