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by decibe1 2335 days ago
I don't think we should try to stop it. I like discussion groups where the only thing moderated is spam. Yes, you'll get a lot of noise - but they can also be the only source of discussion that lies outside the overton window.

I've found it easy to ignore content I don't like, but it is getting harder to find open discussion forums.
1 comments
duxup 2335 days ago
>outside the overton window

I feel like what you describe here ... is the noise.

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AnimalMuppet 2334 days ago
Not everything outside the overton window is noise. It sure isn't all signal, though. It almost certainly has a higher proportion of noise. But it's also where the new directions for society are going to come from, for good or ill.
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duxup 2334 days ago
There's a "outside the overton window" description (and similar descriptions) I hear folks talk about when it comes to the value of internet un-moderated discussions and .... honestly I've found it mostly to be poorly thought out at best, often painfully ignorant as far as the motivations go.

There seems to be some folks who talk about really valuing novel ideas and how they can't show up on moderated discussions but I just see a lot of noise that might not be "overton window" but are mostly pithy garbage.

I find that anything mildly thought out usually fits inside even the heaviest of moderated type discussions.

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AnimalMuppet 2334 days ago
> I find that anything mildly thought out usually fits inside even the heaviest of moderated type discussions.

Depends on the moderation. Here, if it's well thought out (and expressed in a non-antagonistic way), it usually fits. Not every moderated place will that be true, though. And even here, certain topics may not run afoul of the moderators, but users may still downvote them to oblivion. (For example: There is some suggestion that autism may be caused, in at least some cases, by gut bacteria. But if I were to link that idea to the suggestion that the measles vaccine might, in some cases, cause gut issues, I would expect to be destroyed by downvotes, no matter how good of an argument - or even evidence - I had.)

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