Hello All,

It’s been a while since I’m posted an article on Joeuser. I had gone to venture on my own but recent events have forced me to put my own personal blog on hold as I resolve some personal issues and some personal blog issues as well. Let’s just say my blog is closed for remodeling purposes. In the mean time I would like to hang out around here again. Well, I never really left I was just commenting from time to time and not posting articles.

Anyways, one of the reasons I wanted to start posting again is because I had this strong urge to point out something that was debated a while back and it seems it needs to be revisited again. I’m talking about the blacklist feature these forums have. Now as many of us know this feature works across all of Stardock’s forums from the Elemental forums, to Wincustomize and even on Joeuser. This is a feature that has both a good reason to have it and a sad reason that it exist.

It’s my opinion that the reason such a feature exist is to get rid of people who normally just spam peoples articles with garbage such as ads and repetitive useless comments like “what ever” and such. It’s also a good feature when you have people who are abusive and become extremely insulting and disrupt the flow of the comments and do this consistently on a particular persons articles regardless of topic. People like this deserve to be banned from the site period as it’s one thing to disagree consistently with someone and maybe even insult them a bit and becoming verbally abusive to the point of obsession. This is what I believe this feature was truly meant to be used for.

Then there are those I consider cowards. I’m sorry if this offends some people but I feel the need to be honest about my opinions and this to me is the truth. There are those who use this feature simply to keep those who disagree with their opinions from commenting on their articles. While I know “Freedom Of Speech” does not apply to a place like these forums or blogs, I’m still a firm believer that people have the right to their opinions and by me creating and posting articles on a site that allows people to comment on what I write I am basically asking for opinions from all sides and as so i should learn not only to respect these opinions but also to accept them and simply respond to them accordingly. If I disagree then I make my argument against it, if I agree then I simply add to it. But some out there like using it to block certain people from commenting because they can. These are the ones I call cowards; give them some power and they simply abuse it. The fear of facing a person that might be right, that can take their words and turn it against them, that can contradict their opinions; that’s a no-no and should not be allowed. very similar to the tactics used by the current administration who has created programs and websites designed to take away and/or punish those who disagree with their opinions and policies. It’s a scary thought how much that resembles a dictatorship.

In all the years I have been on this site I have never used this feature; heck as I write this I have to actually check where this feature is and how to use it as I don’t even remember. Why? Because I don’t fear the opinions of those who may not like what I have to say, I don’t fear that someone might actually disprove my opinions, I don’t fear debating a topic because that’s why I come here and that’s why I post. I may not like what some people have to say but that’s OK because I believe in peoples rights to believe what they want, even if I think they are stupid, ignorant or morons for doing so. That’s just my opinion. I remember one time Brad blacklisted me, I basically asked for it (literally) as I disagreed with him on some topic and I specifically stated that “feel free to blacklist me” if he felt it necessary. it was a time when I figured people abused this feature because I had experienced this type of abuse on a previous forum I use to hang out at where the moderator disagreed with my political views and would delete my comments and even ban me from time to time. Brad only had me on there for a short period of time because he did it based on the fact I had asked for it and he felt obliged to please me.

So to all you “cowards” out there who like blacklisting just because you can. Grow some balls, toughen up and take it like a man. Learn to debate instead of how to blacklist. You’re given the right to post your articles, why do you take away peoples right to disagree with you?

Feel free to comment below. So long as you don’t become abusive you need not to fear the blacklist feature here. Have a blast.