Author Topic: Thoughts for today - the Ostrich (Read 951 times)

Matthew · « **on:** September 28, 2013, 05:26:02 AM »

I thought of something very profound this morning.

How many Traditional Catholics get upset when I allow various topics to be discussed on CathInfo? I'm sure most members here would be busy for at least a few minutes if I gave them "unlimited delete power" for a day.

But why?

Are we joining the Vox Clamantis (Fisheaters) school of thought, which is concerned with "what people will think of Trads when they come here to explore Traditional Catholicism"?

But here is my thought for the day:

If I delete a thread about topic X, or officially forbid discussion of that topic, will I thereby cause all thoughts on that topic to disappear from the men & women who would have otherwise discussed it here, filling up 20 or more pages?

I could easily forbid discussion of various topics, but I think that would be imprudent and stupid. The whole point of a Catholic forum is the discussion of relevant, interesting topics that people want to figure out, explore, get to the bottom of, etc.

What people REALLY want is for That Topic to disappear everywhere. But sorry, I can only affect less than 1% of the thoughts, discussions, etc. that take place on That Topic all over the world, online and offline.

Yes, that includes race, nαzιs, proper female attire, and spousal corporal punishment. Apparently those topics don't get enough airtime elsewhere.

You don't think many Trad men believe it's all right to corporeally chastise their wives? I'm certain that many do -- I've read their posts. (One of the men who strongly believes in this has about 13,000 posts here) I'm also equally sure that many don't -- probably a majority. But what are we afraid of here, the truth? Let each side give their arguments. Let the chips fall where they may.

If a few people are persuaded one way or the other, that's fine. Those people could be persuaded by the Internet at large, their friends, people in the coffee & donuts hall, etc. In short, they are adults and they will form their own opinions -- no matter how much "mod power" I endeavor to exercise here on CathInfo.

Long story short, I'm not even going to TRY to play god or Daddy here. We're all grown-ups. I doubt a mild-mannered young husband is going to take up wife-beating because of a thread he read on CathInfo. And even if he did, it's between him, his wife, and God.

When a mod gets on such a power trip that he thinks he's a divine assistant, or personally responsible for everything on his forum and any sins that might be committed as a result of reading the posts there -- that's a slippery slope that destroys a forum. Once a person sets off on that road, he could become quite scrupulous.

Yes, I need to delete things that cause temptations (impurity, filth) and outright blasphemy. But beyond that, when it comes to ideas, I don't think anyone reading CathInfo is in a permanent state of "hypnosis" where he is going to read something and immediately internalize it 100%.

Matthew · « **Reply #1 on:** September 28, 2013, 05:32:09 AM »

For example,

Maybe because it was discussed on CathInfo (discussed in the open air, as it were) several women will become aware that some men believe this way -- and they will bring it up with their husbands-to-be. Perhaps in a small % of cases, that husband-to-be will make a commitment NOT to ever raise a hand against his wife, where he might have normally done so in the normal course of events, had it never been discussed here.

You never know.

Is putting one's head in the sand like the Ostrich REALLY ever the solution? No matter how ugly a situation is, or how disagreeable a topic?

I am diametrically opposed to the Ostrich.

I'm the type of man who wants to know if I have "X months to live". No matter how disagreeable, no matter how unhappy the news, I always want to know it.

I remember several years ago my mother's best friend was actually debating on whether to tell her father about the seriousness of his condition (he was nearing death). I think that's quite common -- there are a lot of Ostriches out there.

Moral of the story: Matthew putting on his Burger King paper crown and playing "mod dictator" and forbidding discussion of a topic does NOT make the topic magically go away.

ShepherdofSheep · « **Reply #2 on:** September 28, 2013, 11:00:15 AM »

I have no problem with your policy, Matthew- but ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand. It's a myth that's been around since Pliny the Elder. Although I have seen other animals that seem to think that "If I can't see you, you can't see me", that particular version is not performed by that species.

Matthew · « **Reply #3 on:** September 28, 2013, 11:19:04 AM »

Here is an update --

2 threads on the topic of corporal punishment/domestic abuse have been "unpublished" which means means no one can view them. They might as well be deleted.

I did this because it was brought to my attention that allowing discussion of a topic, and allowing anonymous discussion of a topic are two different things.

Several comments in the threads were certainly made in the spirit of "no one can see who I am! teeheehee!" and were rather juvenile.

Certain topics are too easy for "trolls" or extremists (who amount to the same thing) to post anything without having to worry about the consequences.

I am too busy living my life to sit around and figure out the correct boundaries for everything, every possible topic, etc. Which is why I'm going to have to backtrack sometimes, which I am right now. I don't have absolutely EVERYTHING figured out.

I think that some things are really matter for common sense, and shouldn't have to be discussed publicly with a bunch of laymen.

Another point -- one of the two threads was quite old -- let's just say that not all the participants in that thread are still CathInfo members in good standing. So even if I would permit another thread on domestic violence, I'd want it to be a NEW thread, so various ex-members couldn't participate.

Mama ChaCha · « **Reply #4 on:** September 30, 2013, 04:19:17 PM »

I'd love an 'ask-a-priest' anonymous forum.
It might sound odd, but with so many of us not having any spiritual fathers it would be a boon for our personal sanctity.

2Vermont · « **Reply #5 on:** September 30, 2013, 05:03:53 PM »

Having come from FE where SV was banned, I tend to agree. I think we are all adults and if there are topics or posters that annoy, concern, anger us, we can always ignore them.

Sigismund · « **Reply #6 on:** September 30, 2013, 07:01:21 PM »

Quote from: Mama ChaCha

I'd love an 'ask-a-priest' anonymous forum.
It might sound odd, but with so many of us not having any spiritual fathers it would be a boon for our personal sanctity.

Why? You could just ask the Fathers Moderator. :wink:

But seriously, are there any priests on this forum people could ask?

Lighthouse · « **Reply #7 on:** September 30, 2013, 11:01:45 PM »

Quote

I'd love an 'ask-a-priest' anonymous forum.

They already exist. They're called confessionals.

Matthew, can I have your paper Burger King crown, if your not going to be using it?

Hobbledehoy · « **Reply #8 on:** September 30, 2013, 11:09:46 PM »

Quote from: Lighthouse

Quote
I'd love an 'ask-a-priest' anonymous forum.

They already exist. They're called confessionals.

Yes!

Having an "'ask-a-priest' anonymous forum" on the internet is a recipe for disaster, because anyone could fake being a Priest and give you some horrible advice that may result in serious spiritual detriment/injury. It's like walking into a high school biology class and asking the students to perform emergency surgery on you.

In the Confessional, at least you know you are talking to a real Priest and chances are that some psychopath with some insane urge to impersonate a Priest will not do so in a Confessional that is in a chapel, which is a public place.

Quote

Matthew, can I have your paper Burger King crown, if your not going to be using it?

Aw man, I was gonna ask for it, but you beat me to it.