Some of you may not care and some of you will say I am right there with you. But either way I just have to rant.
I am in major recuperation and will be for a while (health issues) and while I recover I resort to my MMO's / video games online. It is a way to relieve boredom when I can't do much of anything except sit or lay down. I enjoy these video games and have over the past 7 some years been a hard core gamer. I do the Guild thing the weekly raids post on the guild websites and enjoy the comradeship of my fellow guildmates. It use to be you could talk about anything on these guild sites and in the game itself you could talk about anything from news to what is personally going on with you if you felt like sharing.
In addition to all of the gaming I have a personal Facebook and only family/friends allowed on there while we post our everyday happenings and read others idea's, thoughts and everything in between.
I got into this new guild this past month (second one this past year) and in the rules and regulations (on their website) they have you acknowledge and agree to not talk about politics and religion on their boards or in game (not even in general chat). Ok fair enough, albeit in game there is quite a bit of debate and arguing over such topics in general chat outside of guild chat. I have noticed a trend over the past year or so with regard to just plain out censorship though of even the simplest of mundane conversation. It is really starting to bug the hell out of me. I now cannot talk about news events according to this guild for fear of upsetting someone or starting a downhill in game argument. I can't talk about my personal beliefs or talk about my local community events because it might be too political or involve religion or the lack thereof. Just talk about the game period and anything having to do with your characters, raids etc.
Now on Facebook I am noticing more of my friends being censored over what I consider to be just down right silly. I am not talking about someone posting they want to kill someone, or talking about anything dangerous or posting very lewd pornographic pictures but someone who belongs to a Helicopter club (the ones who fly the small remote controlled heli's) who can't post a picture of models in two peice bikini's selling their helicopter products because someone is offended that it is too sexual. I am talking about basic two peice bikin's here. Not some thong or invisible see through bathing suit or something really graphic just the kind of stuff you see on TV ads with commercials the stuff you see everyday. Facebook literally takes it off.
Censorship has become so incredibly pervasive now in this country. I find I just don't even converse much anymore with people online or even in person for fear of offending that person or them not being able to just simply agree to disagree even if we don't see eye to eye on a subject. Has debating and healthy argument become a lost art a thing of the past? Have people forgotten how to engage in conversation even if its a "hot topic" and simply debate without denigrating it down to insults and shouting to the point that everyone now just wants to censor us all (god forbid someone gets upset or it gets to personal)?
Well I have deleted my Facebook account (have to wait 14 damn days for it to disappear) just because of all the BS on Facebook and their censorship rules now including the new hype about what they are doing to censor other people in other countries. I am just tired of having to tip toe around others when I want to talk about anything. I am really tired of the kind of censorship that has taken a hold of us in this country to the point I can't even enjoy a video game with others.
Anyway done with my QQ'ing for now.
GP