Word censor

midget patrol · Dec 24, 2006

I posted an email that was sent to me here (http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67174). Many words were censored that ARE NOT, by any means, vulgar or profane. Without going around the swear filter, i can't tell you what they are, but I imagine that you can get the idea from reading the above post.

Also, please delete this topic that I started and no longer need (http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67175)

Alison · Dec 24, 2006

Thanks for the feedback. The word that is edited had been used in offensive ways in the past which is why it was added to the censor list. Remember that while the term may not be offensive to you it can be to others.

midget patrol · Dec 24, 2006

But it's history! It wasn't just the **** regime that was censored... the word for the german secret police was censored as well. I mean, yeah, it can be offensive or insulting, but so can anything else. I could say that the policies on this forum make as much sense as those of the Bush administration, but that isn't censored, is it? That would be offensive to some, but it displays fine...

My point is that this is part of our history, mine especially. I find it offensive that it can't be shown.

hobbes28 · Dec 24, 2006

I understand where you're coming from. I do also see where members of the forum are and were insulted by the words that we censored. I guess you can call it a first come, first serve on that one. Truthfully, by you bringing this up after being on the forum for almost a year already makes me think that you have been looking for something to argue about and you finally found it. If you admire the word so much, I would think you would've noticed it long ago.

Secondly, bringing your political views into this discussion is really showing me the lack of respect you do have for the rules here. Rules are rules and they're made to be followed. Period.

midget patrol · Dec 24, 2006

Listen, i'm not looking for a fight. This is my heritage though. And it's everybody's history. I've never run into this before on this forum -- because we're not allowed to talk about it -- which is why i've never brought it up.

Moving on, I absolutely do not "admire" either of the words that were censored in my post. I abhor what they represent (considering they tried to kill my grandparents and all that. Not to mention the genocide of 10 million people including 6 million other Jews). However, I do respect them for what they are: words. The Holocaust happened. Those words became part of the world's vocabulary. Let's not forget that this is the internet. If people can't take what they read on the internet with a grain of salt, then we have bigger problems than which words we're censoring.

How did these words get banned in the first place? Did somebody get annoyed and decide to call another member some names?

Is there a place within this community that we can talk about this? Why not an entirely separate subforum with an appropriate warning?

hobbes28 · Dec 24, 2006

Unfortunately, we can't ban a word from one setting to another. If we ban it from being used in a bashing sense, it has to be banned in everyday posts. We are very selective about the words we do censor as to not take away the vocabulary from the members here. Those words in particular were used more than a few times against other members of the forum and upset a lot of people.

Sorry for the vague details but, again, we are very selective about the words we censor and if we do it in one part of the forum, it affects all of the forum. As for the separate forum, I think the only way you can get that is from a different forum all together. There are many members here that are members of other forums so they can get all of the history/politics/hot topics out before coming to our photographic community.

midget patrol · Dec 24, 2006

Well, thanks for the prompt responses. Much appreciated.

JamesD · Jan 7, 2007

Okay, I understand the desire for word censors, and I hate to beat a dead horse, but the word censor here on TPF seems a bit odd to me.

For instance, taking out letters in the middle of a word. And letting other entire words through which, at least here in the US, are very rarely used in anything other than an offensive context. I'm not familiar with the vBulletin software, but it seems that some consistency could be achieved.

Note that I'm not saying anything for or against censorship of any given words or phrases. I don't make the policies, and agree to follow them by continuing to use TPF (something others might like to keep in mind). All I'm saying is that it would be nice to have some consistency. And, not have words mangled because they have certain letter combinations within them, but have no relation to the potentially offensive letter combinations.

Chase · Jan 8, 2007

The filters here aren't "smart" filters, they just do simple pattern matchng... so if we filter on a series of letters, it will catch those letters wherever the may be, even if they are within another word. It can be annoying, but there is no way around it.

PNA · Jan 9, 2007

Danny.....I support your position regarding the use of "the word" within the context of your historical article. "The word" was used to identify a specific group within a group and history has recorded it as fact regardless of their actions. Any form of censorship which alters the facts of history or does not allow the full truth to be known is wrong.

On the other side, I understand and respect TPF's position enforcing censorship rules, but feel the rules are not applicable in this instance. Would you expect words like Crusader or Hun for example to be censored knowing their history? ? I, for one, am from the old school and am disgusted with the term "politically correct". Growing up, freedom of speech meant something to me and was respected whenever and wherever. Today we're labeled and pigeonholed. It doesn't work for everyone. Real truths are being avoided.

TPF....after reading Danny's article could you have reinserted his words? And I fail to see where this was a political issue, it was a page in history regarding a camera company. I'm not sure how you could read it differently.

His article was not offensive, it was historically factual.

Paul

hobbes28 · Jan 9, 2007

acsonpg said:
Danny.....I support your position regarding the use of "the word" within the context of your historical article. "The word" was used to identify a specific group within a group and history has recorded it as fact regardless of their actions. Any form of censorship which alters the facts of history or does not allow the full truth to be known is wrong.

On the other side, I understand and respect TPF's position enforcing censorship rules, but feel the rules are not applicable in this instance. Would you expect words like Crusader or Hun for example to be censored knowing their history? ? I, for one, am from the old school and am disgusted with the term "politically correct". Growing up, freedom of speech meant something to me and was respected whenever and wherever. Today we're labeled and pigeonholed. It doesn't work for everyone. Real truths are being avoided.

TPF....after reading Danny's article could you have reinserted his words? And I fail to see where this was a political issue, it was a page in history regarding a camera company. I'm not sure how you could read it differently.

His article was not offensive, it was historically factual.

Paul

If you'll read the post two up from this one by Chase, you'll notice that we don't have "smart" filtering and can't just override the words as we see fit. I do understand where you are all coming from with it being a part of history and part of the Leica but the words we have censored were also used in an "assaulting" post and was very offensive. With that being said, the words are and will remain censored.

PNA · Jan 9, 2007

Hummmm.....Am I to understand that because of one individual's misuse of a word, any word, it's added to your censorship list????

hobbes28 · Jan 9, 2007

acsonpg said:
Hummmm.....Am I to understand that because of one individual's misuse of a word, any word, it's added to your censorship list????

When it offends the number of people this one did, yes.

LaFoto · Jan 9, 2007

Sorry, Paul, yes.
And it was me who wanted it there.
The post in which it was very badly used was one of very, very few here on TPF that upset me to extremes. So it is me who was the "first there, first wins" person.

I know that my history does involve the time when the N-A-Z-I-S were there and did all this bad. And maybe it is silly of me to still feel deepest shame about this, even though it all happened before my parents were even old enough to think about "making" me, and still ... and I don't do well with those who make FUN of it (which happened in that long ago post).

Nothing wrong with midget_patrol's article, and I'm sorry the word got censored and become little asterisks only. But well... you see.

Blame me.

PNA · Jan 9, 2007

Understood......I am not for allowing anyone to be offended, and Corinna (if I may) you should never be embarrassed or feel guilty of issues out of your control. However, that does not mean the issues cannot be discussed intelligently to bring about solutions that benefit the majority. My point is that to often the actions of one force changes which affect many, i.e. Danny's article. Censorship is a very serious business and those with power must realize and understand the context, issue and intent.

My two cents for the day.......

Paul