Censorship anyone?

March 20, 2007 1:47 PM

My post "Hollywood or Bust" was deleted because someone thought it was too much like a chat topic. However, you allowed a post on MetaFilter that linked to an article describing the narcissism that threatens to lead a whole generation into the illusion that fame is not only within their reach, but is an unquestionably desirable goal. As someone who lives in this world and is as exposed to the media as much as anyone else, I wished to question this prevailing assumption and thought others might wish to share their thoughts as well. I am not the only one who has had their posts censored. I see a lot of pretentious bullying going on and it will ruin this web community. Have a little more imagination and tolerance, maybe see where things go before you jump in and pull the plug. Perhaps I will not be missed if I leave this site and never return (you have my $5 right?), but I doubt I will be the last one to do so.
posted by melangell to MetaFilter-Related at 1:47 PM (8 comments total)

Sorry, your $5 has already been spent on coke and hookers.
posted by found missing at 2:08 PM on March 20, 2007 [2 favorites]

B++ FLAMEOUT!!! WOULD READ AGAIN (MAYBE)!!!
posted by Asparagirl at 2:11 PM on March 20, 2007 [6 favorites]

melangell, complaints like this never go well - check the MeTa archives. A large reason might be that the following stands out from your post:
My...narcissism...I wished...I am...I see...I will not be missed...I...my $5...I...I.
Let it go, for your own sake as much as anything.
posted by Abiezer at 2:11 PM on March 20, 2007

Your post was almost certainly deleted for a good reason or for a reason that has something to do with a long-view of MetaFilter you might not share with the elders of the community. Bitching about deletion will not tend to garner you much in the way of sympathy even in one of the rare instances that one of the mods acts rashly. This happens all the time and rarely, if ever, do you get a hug.

Your problem (whatever it may be, you have not linked the thread...you can find out how to do this with a little MeTa search detective work) has probably come up, been discussed ad nauseum and snarked to shit twenty or thirty times over the last six years.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

In other words: next time, should your righteous indignation not carry you away forever, don't pull the MeTa trigger. You will be roundly rogered for doing so. Watch.
posted by kosem at 2:13 PM on March 20, 2007 [2 favorites]

You clearly don't understand the rules of AskMe. As someone who lives in this world, you might have read the guidelines before posting.
posted by poxuppit at 2:13 PM on March 20, 2007

Please don't give up yet. Deletions cannot appear absolutely consistent from every point of view. You obviously care a lot about the subject of fame; perhaps it is your deep regard for it that makes this particular deletion so objectionable to you?
posted by owhydididoit at 2:15 PM on March 20, 2007

Link here. You wouldn't be the first to leave either. But don't go away just yet. Get a feel for the site. Read the faq about what AskMefi is for. It's not really for questions that ask for speculation, but rather for questions intended to solve a problem. Granted, it's not a hard and fast rule, but rather a guideline. I'm guessing your post on AskMe got a lot of flags, so it got pulled.
posted by Roger Dodger at 2:15 PM on March 20, 2007

Your question was polling the audience, and doesn't really seek any answer to a problem.

Take a look at the thread again for the deletion reason.

Here's the FAQ entry about "chatfilter".

And if you want to leave and get a refund, email me.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:15 PM on March 20, 2007 [5 favorites]