Re: [Bug-gne]Ideologies vs. Practicality in GNE

[Tom Chance]

What if we drew the line in this way:

*It has to be informative; it must teach us something
that from an academic or practical standpoint can be
useful.

*It cannot promote the harm of others in the present
(but it can offer alternative accounts of previous
sensitive events).

Any other "rules" people can think of? It would be
useful to draw up a philosophy of what articles we
want to allow (leaving legal issues behind for a
moment) so we know quite where we stand!

Tom Chance

--- Hook <address@hidden> wrote: > Tom
Chance wrote:
> > I was just wondering where everybody stands on
> this
> > issue of being idelogically sound whilst still
> being
> > in line with laws and societal "expectations".
> > Personally, I would love to see GNE try to make a
> > precedent by rising above petty differences and
> try to
> > host as much as is possible in the best way
> possible.
> > If in the future we find we a forced to back down,
> we
> > do so, but I don't think we should be shutting too
> > many doors now when we don't yet have any _need_
> (only
> > in some people's eyes a want). What do others
> think?
> 
> In an ideal world, I'd agree with you, publish and
> be damned.  However, I
> really *do* believe that GNE has to be aware of the
> effect on others that
> some material may have. For me, it isn't an issue of
> "petty differences" at
> all, it's considerably more fundamental and
> important than that. I think
> that there's a world of difference between a
> government persecuting holders
> of a view that they don't like (China over things
> like Falungong or Tianemen
> Square), and individuals being hurt as a result of
> published material
> ("howto" articles about date rape, pedophilia etc).
> 
> We've come up with plenty of examples here in past
> weeks of subjects which
> *are* extreme, and the project may never have
> submissions in these areas at
> all. But I think it's useful for GNE to have a
> philosophy explaining what
> happens if such articles appear. It's particularly
> important to cover those
> areas which are illegal in one country or another.
> Regardless of how any of
> us feel about another countries laws (or our own for
> that matter), they do
> exist, can and often are enforced, and can have an
> effect on the reality and
> the public perception of a project like GNE.
> 
> I think that there are some subjects which shouldn't
> be published at all.
> 
> Paul
> 
> 
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