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Writers' Showcase - Mature Content?

Darren

Darren

Active Member
A recent thread in the writers' showcase has brought up an issue I hadn't really thought about as the site has evolved.

Mature content:-

I'm not talking porn, but rather strong language, sex, violence.

Should writings like this be allowed, even with a warning in the title?
Should they be in "spoiler" tags?
Should they be in a separate sub-forum which people have to request access to?

It also raises a question about our library database - should this contain adult literature such as erotica?

Let's have your views...
 
Well i dont mind it personally, but if i had kids im not sure i'd want them having access to that sort of thing before a certain age.

I dont know how many young members/guests we have here - but probably quite a few!

Phil
 
Personally I don't see a problem. Of our media we have film certifications, as do some computer games, and music can carry the Parental Advisory sticker.

Books aren't subjected to any censorship in this way and that's something to be thankful for.

If people get offended by words that are in a standard dictionary then they need to get their head rewired; it's defective.
 
Originally posted by Darren Lewis
Mature content:-

Should writings like this be allowed, even with a warning in the title?
Should they be in "spoiler" tags?
Should they be in a separate sub-forum which people have to request access to?


Let's have your views...
Click to expand...

Personally I'd prefer the idea of a PG-13 friendly 'family orientated' forum. The request access forum sounds reasonable to me, though how you'd police access I don't know- it could easily degenerate into a forum inhabited almost exclusively by teens bragging about their 'experiences' or just using the forum as an excuse to liberally use as many swearing words as possible.

I don't think the warning in the title thing works, and the spoiler tags don't make it any more acceptable.

The other option is to set up a thread where a writer can post something akin to:

'Hi there I've got a new short story poem I've written. Unfortunately, it contains adult material, and thus isn't suitable for me to post below. Would people who are interested in reading/looking through it and giving me feedback use the personal messaging system, and I'll send it to them'
 
Originally posted by Mile-O-Phile
Personally I don't see a problem. Of our media we have film certifications, as do some computer games, and music can carry the Parental Advisory sticker.

Books aren't subjected to any censorship in this way and that's something to be thankful for.

If people get offended by words that are in a standard dictionary then they need to get their head rewired; it's defective.
Click to expand...


Well said! :D

People devolve responsibility too much. I trip ed over that cable, sue em. My parents did not do this or give me that and it's their fault I'm so messed up. Mac D made me fat. Those lyrics made my son kill himself. That movie made that guy go crazy with a shot gun. You know what? Its CRAP. We are ALL responsible for our own actions. If you are a parent then it's YOUR responsibility to keep that child away from material you would not want them to see. And I would be not too worried about them seeing a naughty world I MEAN ITS WORD for Christ sake!!!! Shall we tell Picasso that he cant paint a nude? Shall we tell Hemingway he can't say bastard? Sorry, but its pathetic. I feel very strongly about this. Freedom of expression should have NO limits and if anybody is offended by a WORD then they really have a problem. What kind of world are we creating when we do not have the freedoms of speech and action because we may offend a person or a group? You know what? F*&! em. I don't CARE if you they are offended. Tough. You don't like it? Tough. There are a lot of things in this world that offend me, personally. There are a lot of things that people do and say that I don't like. You know what? Tough. It's my problem. I know, instead of lots of rules about what we can't do. Lets just have some tolerance, shall we? Let's try not to ban everything we don't like Arrrrrrrrrg. This really gets me dammit. Books and art are pretty much the last untouched bastions of free expression... for now. I can just see the day when they cover up Michelangelo statues because you can see a mans naughty bits and a kid might see it. PATHETIC.

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." — Voltaire

And I will too. EVEN if i hate what somebody says, I would NEVER restrict their freedom to say or express themselves in any way shape of form. I will defend my right and every man, woman and child's right to freedom, especially artistic freedom.

I would hate to see this forum become PC where we have to watch what we say all the time, especially writers showcase.

THERE, now I feel so much better :)

Regards
Martin.
 
i dont agree with you Wabbit
First let me make my views clear. i dont mind such stuff. i love a joke if its a good one and anything in writers showcase if its good will always be appreciated by me even if its contents are controversial.

but you cant just say "if you are offended with such stuff then you have a problem". some people are more sensitive than others and we have to consider their sentiments.

look , YOU dont have a problem because you are a mature adult. but kids of age below 13 are unable to form the exact boundary between the bad and the acceptable. at that age your minds are EXTREMELY malleable and it is upto us to monitor their mental and sexual progress. we cant just shout about 'Freedom of expression ' and give a clean chit to anything they do

you said "you are responsible for your own actions" . but at a juvenile age we all are irresponsible arent we? so wont it be a crime if kids' lives are permanently spoilt because of their immaturity? parental guidance is essential for them

nobody wants to curb your freedom of expression. but we have to censor a few things so that kids dont read the wrong things at the wrong time

i am talking in general , not about any thread in this forum
 
I say give a warning label and that's it. This isn't a pornographic site. It's a site that a writer should feel free to express him/her self and hopefully grow in the process.
There are much worse words than SW used in his piece and if you'll forgive me saying so Darren, I think it's your job as owner to decide on the intent of the language that is used.
Let readers be warned but don't give an artist a half a box of crayons and expect a masterpiece in return.

My 2 cents worth
(what's the exchange rate now days any way?)

Bill
 
Personally, I love swear words. I think they're gradely and I swear like a trooper. But I know lots of people who don't like the naughty words I use and so when I'm around them I curb my tongue as a matter of common courtesy. And so, for the forum, I don't see that's there's any need to set up a separate area for swear words, but by all means, if your post is somewhat explicit, pop a warning on it and let people make up their own minds.

Freedom of speech has to go hand in hand with freedom of choice. And if your work contains swear words (or other such filth :D) you should be able to post it, but if you disaprove of those words you should be given every opportunity to avoid them.
 
Originally posted by piedro
i dont agree with you Wabbit
First let me make my views clear. i don't mind such stuff. i love a joke if its a good one and anything in writers showcase if its good will always be appreciated by me even if its contents are controversial.

but you cant just say "if you are offended with such stuff then you have a problem". some people are more sensitive than others and we have to consider their sentiments.

look , YOU don't have a problem because you are a mature adult. but kids of age below 13 are unable to form the exact boundary between the bad and the acceptable. at that age your minds are EXTREMELY malleable and it is up to us to monitor their mental and sexual progress. we cant just shout about 'Freedom of expression ' and give a clean chit to anything they do

you said "you are responsible for your own actions" . but at a juvenile age we all are irresponsible aren't we? so wont it be a crime if kids' lives are permanently spoilt because of their immaturity? parental guidance is essential for them

nobody wants to curb your freedom of expression. but we have to censor a few things so that kids don't read the wrong things at the wrong time

i am talking in general , not about any thread in this forum
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply and I respect it BUT I have to say I strongly don't agree with you :) I

n fact I CAN say that it's their problem. Turn the argument around the other way. By your logic you are saying they should not have to look at a naughty word of something controversial. OK, answer me this. Why should I NOT be able to express myself or see a naughty word or look at something controversial? ITS THE SAME. What is the difference?

I'm sorry, there should be NO limits to freedom and especially artistic freedom of expression. Also, as I stated, it is about personal responsibility. If you have a child and you don't want them seeing or using a naughty word then its YOUR responsibility to police your child. Its not mine or anybody else. I didn't ask anybody to have a child. I did not impose those values or belief systems on that child. Why should I or anybody else be oppressed and gagged because of somebody Else's views that I do not hold? I would not force my values on somebody else If I had a child I would have no problem with them seeing or using a word. And are you REALLY trying to tell me if a child sees a naughty word it will spoil their life?? come on...

I'm sorry, censorship is WRONG no matter what reason you give or what shape it takes. It's simple. If you don't like it. Don't look at it. Simple. Simpsons said it best "OH, won't somebody think of the children." CRAP.

Like I said, instead of having rules about what we can and can't write/say/do then let's just be tolerant?

OK, I don't like that I won't look at it. It's that simple. There is nothing in this world that would offend me enough that I would say you CANT say or do that. Why should somebody tell me what I can and can't do?

I'm sorry, it's wrong :)

Regards
Martin
 
i am sorry to say that i dont agree with you:D

Originally posted by SillyWabbit


Why should I NOT be able to express myself or see a naughty word or look at something controversial? ITS THE SAME. What is the difference?
Click to expand...

Nobody is telling you to stop expressing yourself.anyone can write any bullshit here(as long as it is within forum rules). the restrictions are not on you but on the kids who will view it.

Why should I or anybody else be oppressed and gagged because of somebody Else's views that I do not hold
Click to expand...

oppressed and gagged? honestly!!
all that we are asking you to do is to maintain predefined security measures for the benefit of kids who are too immature to decide whether they want to see such stuff. by doing so , the kids will have to consult and take help of an adult to view such literature and thats what we want. why should anyone have a problem in doing that?

And are you REALLY trying to tell me if a child sees a naughty word it will spoil their life?? come on...
Click to expand...

Its not about a naughty word. i am talking about sexually explicit vulgar ,offensive,harrasing stuff that is specified in the forum rules. are YOU saying that such stuff doesnt affect childrens' lives?(to what degree is not the point) if not then why would it be banned?the maximum it can do to us is leave a bad taste in the mouth but for kids it can do much more

Why should somebody tell me what I can and can't do?
Click to expand...
if everybody starts to think like that , i think there wont be room for any laws in this world
 
Originally posted by piedro
i am sorry to say that i dont agree with you:D



Nobody is telling you to stop expressing yourself.anyone can write any bullshit here(as long as it is within forum rules). the restrictions are not on you but on the kids who will view it.



oppressed and gagged? honestly!!
all that we are asking you to do is to maintain predefined security measures for the benefit of kids who are too immature to decide whether they want to see such stuff. by doing so , the kids will have to consult and take help of an adult to view such literature and thats what we want. why should anyone have a problem in doing that?



Its not about a naughty word. i am talking about sexually explicit vulgar ,offensive,harrasing stuff that is specified in the forum rules. are YOU saying that such stuff doesnt affect childrens' lives?(to what degree is not the point) if not then why would it be banned?the maximum it can do to us is leave a bad taste in the mouth but for kids it can do much more


if everybody starts to think like that , i think there wont be room for any laws in this world
Click to expand...



I think we will have to agree to disagree here :) You are just going over the same agument again and again. As I stated before, its the PARENTS responsiblity to police their childen, not mine. AND even if it is not. Your view or somebody else view aboutt "whatever" is harmful. Why should we abide by YOUR views?

Anyway, I think we both disagree very strongly, so i'll end it here and say no more :)

I think most people have agreed in this thread that it would be fine to post such material as long as its clearly stated that the content is mature :) Can you agree with that with me at least???? :)

Best Regards
Martin
 
i personally dont have a problem with mature contents so posting it with the warning label is fine with me.

but still , i would like to go with fluffy bunny and ashlea . i cant think of a better way to do it and as of now this looks the best way
 
Using the Private messaging system to mail people your writings kind of defeats the purpose of a forum, doesn't it?

I have no problem with posting things like Wabbit posted in the Writers Showcase forum, as long as it's meant to be literary, not just f*ck for f*ck's sake (if you know what I mean).

I'm not gonna be the parent of the world here, everybody has to take care of himself, and if a kid sees a warning and decides to go on anyway, then that's his/her mistake.

Cheers, Martin :D
 
so darren
you took a consensus.the opinions were pretty varied. whats your decision? how are we to go about posting mature contents?
 
piedro said:
so darren
you took a consensus.the opinions were pretty varied. whats your decision? how are we to go about posting mature contents?
Click to expand...


Yes, I am waiting lol :)

I do hope that we will be free to post with freedom in the writers forum. As long as there is a warming, I don't see a problem.

Thanks
Martin
 
I'll be posting a formal announcement later, but these are my thoughts so far.

Marture content is a part of literature. Look at DH Lawrence for example.
The PM system is not designed as a private forum system, and will exclude the large number of non-registered visitors who browse the forums.
If threads have a content warning, people will then have the decision whether to proceed to read the thread or not.
Children under 13 years are not allowed to register on the forum without formal parental consent (ie in writing to me), to compy with COPPA.
There are many types of books and literary works which people may be offended by or not wish to read (eg horror, occult, religion), and we cannot and will not exclude those from the forums.
I have no right to impose morals/beliefs on anyone. What is acceptable in one culture or society may not be acceptable in others.
This site is governed by English Law, so will comply with that.
 
That was a tough call Darren. You could have taken the easy choice but you have not. I salute you.

Regards
Martin
 
He made the right decision, though. (In my humbelest of humble opinion, of course.)

Cheers, Martin :D
 
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