"How did we get a host?" a locked thread asks? Here is the answer.

[freshwest]

154. You're reading way too much into that. He's a nerd, thinks, talks like one.

Probably walks like one, LOL. (Just kidding, dude.) This world needs a certain percentage of nerds, but I appreciate the actual point I see him trying to make, without judging the conclusions.

I think you are giving him *way too much power* from reading his comments. If he was not passionate and didn't have a certain viewpoint, he would not be employed to define it, which he says he is. Some of us are more neutral, more removed.

Most humans identify greatly with their jobs. Like policemen, who others may regard as the bad man, it is what years of training taught them.

None of that gives the right to deny others their right to speak, which a comment on a board does not do, but a host could do. At this point, other hosts could argue with him *off the board.* I did percieve a certain level of trolling on his threads in the past by people, that term being used by me to describe people who would not explain things to him in the way he expresses himself. I don't speak technical lingo.

Arguments over sources have not had the power to *move* me unless I was overly emotional on a subject. On DU2, there was a lot of concern about Japan's nuclear reactor problem, but I've pretty much given up caring about it, although my region is being impacted.

TPTB have decided, rightly or wrongly, our opinions don't matter and they will continue on as they please. This is a function of corporatism and should be identified as such. Things affecting untold numbers of people should not be held hostage to someone's profit and loss statements. It's against the democratic institutions that I believe DU is set up to support. It's not solely a technical issue.

Often times thought processes as Kristopher is working out here are offensive to people. This is always a problem on internet message boards. We can't see the possibility that the person is trying to express what they think is sacred without seeing their face, without knowing they are searching for an answer as they type these things.

Disagreeing or stating one's life experience with another is not calling for blocking, locking or deleting. Alerts can take care of those functions with juries. He said nowhere in that post he would abuse his position as a host to remove dissenting views.

I understand his viewpoints may have hurt someone's feelings, in fact there are a few people I had on Ignore on DU2 because I thought they were rude and intolerant, but reading them here on DU3 has made me decide to not put them on Ignore again. I'm seeing more facets than what previously caused me to write them off, as we agree in other important areas. I also recognize that not all posters are articulate, but their intent may be good.

I agree on one particular point in the comment you linked, that we should explain our positions, but believe it be done without shame attached. Some posts I saw on DU2 supporting nuclear power devolved into shouting matches because no good reasons were given, obviously button were pushed. Then some posters revealed they were or had been employed at nuclear power plants.

That's fine, people don't go to work for companies they feel are evil because that would mean they are bad. But their beliefs or loyalty to their company does not supercede the rights of those who are making the case that some industry is harming them. This falls in the negative and positive freedom argument against libertarians. One's liberty does not extend to everyone else's home and life. Business is not the answer to everything.

I would argue for more inclusion and looking to a bigger picture in all these discussions than what is seen as simply practical. We can't afford to stifle any views about the survival of the species on this planet. Because what we did to make money, or a win for us, will be judged very harshly by history if we don't protect their environment. I hope it won't get to the point that future generations look back at us with hatred for all we've done that reduced their world.

The infinite diversity of life on Earth deserves to be loved and cherished. I don't see anything in that post that argues against that, or really any post here that goes against what is important.

Ramble over...