[ ARC forum 2 ]
Written by Ivan at 17 Dec 2002 14:15:43: Exactly
As an answer to: Re: A suggestion: written by Rood at 17 Dec 2002 06:07:59:
The price of freedom is noise, in all its various forms. But when only just one voice is allowed, either very little actually gets said (e.g. AJ's circumcision forum) or there is an awful lot said which reinforces the least healthy attitudes among the approved views (e.g. Circlist). Granted, there are a few voices here who have contributed nothing positive, and I don't mean AJ - I disagree with much he says (telling people to turn every health concern into a medical inquiry when most concerns are not appropriate for medical intervention), but except for his obsession with Jim, he is at least expressing a viewpoint: others can disagree with what he says, but it is a point of discussion. I think the lack of contribution applies more to BJ, a name which seems to have arisen two or so weeks ago and under which I do not believe there has been anything expressed but commentary on the people, rather than on the ideas. I suspect that BJ is one of the regulars here who got tired of the snipiness of many of the naggy personal comments of AJ et ilk, and decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.
Still, as Rood points out, you get information by hearing all the viewpoints, seeing who has sense, facts and wisdom behind what they say, and coming to your own conclusions. "Test everything: retain what is good" is advice from St. Paul (I believe in Thess. II, chap. 4). To 'test everything' you have to be able to consider everything, and that means exposure to the cacophony of ideas. It's messy, but wonderful for it. There's a wonderful story which I have seen as an animated video called "Rainbowland" about how wonderful it is to live in a society which can be stable and yet flexible and vibrant because it allows a plethora of expression and modes of living. God bless Western liberal democratic republics! (Opps, sorry if I went overboard at the end there - I know there are threats from within to our freedoms, but as long as we can discuss and criticise them, we can rectify them, and we won't be too far gone).