Comment Policy Monday

I had really wanted to post on a possible job action, but circumstance demands that I address this site’s comment policy, as it appears to be widely misunderstood by those who are in general agreement with the site’s overall mission, probably due to my tendency to wax poetic a bit when getting my objectivist on. So let me break it down.

1) People who are only here to troll, mock, etc., are free to say whatever they want. Their comments will always be approved. The only circumstance under which I might delete one of those comments would be if they contained potentially libelous or otherwise illegal content, but that holds true for anyone’s post. And anyway, I’m not a lawyer, so what the hell do I know.

2) People who are here to explain why the whole endeavor is doomed, evil, unwise, etc., are similarly free to say whatever they want.  Their comments will always be approved.

3) People whom I see as a potential ally in the promotion of liberty face onerous restrictions. Essentially, you are not permitted to engage anyone from 1) or 2) above. If you find yourself itching to reply to something you see as demanding a smackdown, take a walk around the block. Do not succumb to the temptation. If you do, your comment will be deleted. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a direct fisking or a veiled response, straightforward or sarcastic, confrontational or conciliatory. It has no place here. Additionally, general attacks on “the enemy”, however you see it (“leftists”, “socialists”, “moochers”, etc.), are also not permitted. 

I have endeavored to be consistent in my application of this policy, and I will continue to do so.

There’s a method to my highly arbitrary fascism. Regarding 1) and 2) above, I just don’t care. As to 3), for good or ill, you people reflect on me, and on lovers of freedom in general. And when you engage in comment policy violating behavior, what you are saying is that freedom is primarily a debate club position. You’d rather just rehash the same old arguments for the millionth time than work towards actually developing ways to advance freedom.

I am stipulating that you are right to favor freedom and independence. But you think you are showing the world that you favor them by repeatedly arguing your case while things fall apart around you. You aren’t. You’re demonstrating that the actual loss of freedom is less important to you than the opportunity to type another essay, or to call names.

I’m trying to train you. If you can’t keep your eye on the goal because someone is saying something stupid somewhere, you won’t be of much use in the fight ahead. 

Who am I to be such a hardass? Honestly, I’m nobody. I’m a smart guy, but I’ve got no particular skills when it comes to this sort of fight. But I know that in looking back on the time that I’ve spent engaging in random running battles with cranks online, I don’t think that time was well spent. I’m not speaking of discussions with people I know personally, or people I respect; those have paid great dividends. But the eternal internet flame war has just been a monstrous deadweight loss when judged by the proper standard of actual liberty achieved, instead of by the usual standard of vaguely satisfying snarkiness.

Okay, I’ve said my piece. I will be updating some links and information pertaining to the comment policy. From this point forward, I’ll be leaving moderation on to keep me from being put in the position of needing to delete comments after they’ve already been published. Furthermore, I’ll be deleting offending comments without explanation. You’re smart enough to figure it out. If you’re concerned that your essay will be lost, save it locally first.