RESPECT

Site owner's views on the matter

For those who are interested in this thread, see "Khodemun's" blog called "Questions" in which he interviews Jahanshah Javid, who voices his ideology, if you will, on "free speech." It seems the post on this thread entitled "u r all missing the point" is spot on. Any further discussion of moderating this forum is purely academic.
Also,if you go to that blog you can skip my long post to "Khodemun" if you like. It is somewhat tedious. :D

Sorry for cursing,

but let me put this way: Maryam is my queen and I would follow her so she can destroy the Mullahs and free all of us. She has more support in Iran than anybody else. She has influence in Europe and in America and in Israel. Zendeh bad Rajavi! Marg bar Mulla-ha! Bomb Bomb Iran!

I love Maryam and Masoud Rajavi

All I am asking is for the Iranian people to allow us to fvck the mullahs in the asshole, that's all.

Oh, Alabama......

...I absolutely concur with you. America is WELL on the way to destroyng my country, with W. Bush expediting the process. I am third-generation American of European extraction. If you are really American AND not of Iranian extraction, Alabama, you are to be lauded, as you are one of a handful who actually know who Maryam Rajavi is. All the more reason for the U.S. to intervene in Iran, ignorance being considered a justification for action under the current administation.
But assuming you meant America will destroy IRAN and not "my" country, you are quite right on that one too. Installing Rajavi would DEFINITELY destroy Iran very quickly (although we must give credit where credit is due; her sense of color-combining is unparalleled...)
As for no one caring about "this dump," apparently you do.
Cheers, :D
Rosie

Rosie... you're right on the issue

I've read and re-read all these comments and from one to the next, I change my mind!  This has been an on-going and open discussion in our home.  Both of us defending our position of "free speech" versus "accountability".  And I still can't make up my mind!  I totally support free speech.  But I also am offended by the language.  I was recently told by a Persian regular to this site that as a non-Iranian, it was none of my business how "you spoke to one another".  But I'm saying it anyway!!!  It was pointed out to me that tone reflects even more than intent or content.  And how true that is.  I think there's always the time and the place for a little "forceful" language... I've used the "f" word myself before, for god's sake!  But the extreme... the truly vulgar... it's just counterproductive.  And worse... just plain childish and silly!!!  I expect it from the rednecks of Alabama.... (Lord I apologize) but I sure hate to see it here. 

As far as Nazanin is concerned, no matter HOW friggin annoying she is, nobody deserves that kind of disrespect.  I never said anything really ugly, I just said I wanted to bitch slap her.  I know I know... if a MAN said that, look out!   Double standards... yeah I guess so! 

This might be the best article I've read so far.  I'm enjoying this to the max!

Art of discussion

Thank you for this well-written piece.
The interesting social experiment of this website is bringing out the reality of our culture and the true (sometimes horrible and vulgar) spirit of some people. It must be, as another reader suggested, that unfortunately we as Iranians have not learned how to discuss matters freely and (as you suggested) criticize the idea instead of attacking the writer. Perhaps in time more people will learn to exercise their freedom of speech with dignity and logic, not vulgarity and pointless slogans.
Meanwhile I hope Jahanshah could find a way to help us readers identify what we read a bit easier, maybe with a writer-imposed rating system. For years, I was very happy with the intellectual, funny and thought-provoking ideas in Iranian.com, but have been disappointed recently with dirty sites and mean comments from readers. Please do something to revive the wonderful forum you have created.

F-U Rosie, no one cares about this dump

America will destroy your country and put the first female President in History in charge of Iran. Ms. Maryam Rajavi is a moderate Muslim. She knows what to do with Mullah lovers like Ommani and Qumars. She will be our angel in the region. Long Live America and God speed!

How do you like them apples?

Still not a question of censorship

The issue of whether the offensive postings should be deleted is open to debate and ultimately the decision of the website owner. (Perhaps JJ simply doesn't have the resources to do so as he is already overextended in running the website). However, if he should choose to delete posts, or hire someone to delete posts, calling a writer an ugly dog and talking about her (or his) genitalia, whether that writer is a pacifist or a member of MKO, JJ will not be engaged in censorship. The forum will simply have changed from an unmoderated to a moderated forum, to weed out what in "Netiquette" are called SPAM and FLAMES. I can understand why some Iranians might construe this as censorship but I assure you, it is not. Again I suggest the best course of action is either to ignore these posts or to challenge them without resorting to the infantile, harmful tactics of the offenders.

President Bush is NOT going to

back down from his declaration of the Islamic Republic of Mullahs as the main axle of the Axis of Evil. The terrorist regime of the Islamic Republic, their terrorist thugs, their terrorist supporters such as Qumars Bolourchian, Ardeshir Ommani, Soraya Sepahpour_Ulrich, et al must be destroyed at all cost.

Mark my words, US will bomb the Islamic Republic and its terrorist infrastructure for the good of the civilized world. God speed!

May God Bless America

I so agree with you Rosie

I so agree with you Rosie T.
But the litmus test would be of no use since these people who write these vulgar and foul at best comments, would never in a thousand years repeat these things in front of their mothers of any family member!
They know it's "Baaad", but the anonymity emboldens them so much, that they hide behind it like the cowards that they are!
Let me tell you I'm sure many of them are the same person with different initials or net-names!

NO Censorship

Although many (and I mean MANY) of the comments and responses that have found their way to this website are without a doubt offensive, disgusting, classless, vulgar, and so on, we have to remember that this is one of the "prices of admission" for living in a free society. In Iran, we don't have such freedoms, while here in the U.S., it's safe to say that they are taken advantage of, if not abused outright.

Part of the reason we have so many Iranians who are using a vocabulary commonly found in prisons is because these people do not understand that freedom comes with responsibility. As it has been said so often, free speech doesn't give you the right to yell "FIRE" in a crowded cinema. The balance between freedom and responsibility is an alien concept because it is alien to our culture.

Nonetheless, if these people wish to use objectionable language, I think that eventually, they will become exhausted from all the energy they spend, with no one truly taking them seriously.

There is some confusion here...

...between censorship and moderation. Off-topic irrelevant posts, whether serial pornographic fantasies or tips on home gardening, are subject to deletion in a moderated forum. It has nothing to do with censorship. Deleting vicious ad hominem attacks is also not an issue of censorship. It is an issue of standards of "Netiquette" which are pretty much universal for moderated open forums. I try not to be offensive but I don't believe it is offensive to call these types of posts "garbage." Anyone who mentions a writer's private parts is writing garbage, and knows it, too. Here is a good litmus test: if a posting would cause its writer to be physically removed by security were it said at a public forum say like Barnes and Nobles, it probably isn't an issue of censorship.

I personally doubt this garbage is written by Mossad or other agents, as has been suggested. A lot of it could just as well be written by twelve-year-old pranksters. Nonetheless it does damage. Oh, it sounds so good to just ignore it but sometimes the SPAM (irrelevant) and FLAME (abusive) posts become so overwhelming that people get discouraged and abandon the thread. Those who choose to challenge the garbage, please don't stoop to the level of the offenders. Avoid foul language. Challenge through example.

Freest of All: Get a life, loser

Whoever is going to rescue Iran, it won't be a "past fetrat" coward like you. Your understanding of "freedom" is "attack with impunity." Like a 5 yr. old kid who doesn't want to take responsiblity for his actions, you want a free platform to throw your filth at those who do have some integrity. I was wrong actually. We really don't need censorship, even for garbage like yours. With every unfair and unsubstantiated attack, you and your kind are being exposed as the cowards you really are and the stature of those who you attack goes higher and higher. So bring it on!

Idiot, have you ever asked yourself what "freedom" is good for, if even here in the US you are scared s$%less of using your own real name? Don't lecture me about freedom when you don't even understand the concept. You're going to "hunt me down" ? You and what army? I am never bothered by the word of cowards because they are so afraid of their own shadow that the only thing they accomplish is wetting their bed on daily basis.

***

To everyone else, I apologize for making this personal. There is a very small group fascists who lurk on this site and attack people. They can't stand real freedom of expression and constantly seek to intimitate others into submission. SAVAK is over, get used to the concept.

The supporters of the Islamic Republic: Your days are #ed!

Those who want censorship on this site are not content with censoring, keer, koss, and koon. What they really want to censor is anti-Islamic Republic sentiment on this site.

The supporters of the Islamic Republic and the mullahs must know that we are not become quite until they are compeletly annihilated from the face of the Earth.

Qumars Bolourchian and Ardeshir Ommani better watch out! We will hunt you down and bring you to justice ro bring justice to your!

u r all missing the point: -

u r all missing the point:

- this is JJ's site and he does as he pleases. he seldom listens to readers (from what gather). his house his rules.

- JJ likes the explosion of commentary on this very subject. in his eyes, his obligation is to inform the public. if someone says k**, JJ will leave it on, he is informing the public.

- JJ is not going to engage in a debate about "nothing is sacred", freedom of speech, journalistic ethics...he may sometimes answer some questions but he refuses to sit and talk to all of us about his view. even if did, he won't relent if he is faced with a valid argument, he will dissapear.

- but it IS his site. maa inja chi kaareim? if you don't like it. leave.

:)

In Defense of Censorship

We all know what expletives are. We have all heard them. We all know what sexually degrading comments are, too. Nobody will be deprived of the chance to engage with valuable ideas if this type of material is simply deleted by the moderator.
-----
This site, Iranian dot com, is not a free country. It is a web-journal privately owned by free citizens. Our national constitution prevents governments from prosecuting us for what we say, but it does not give us the right to say whatever we like, whenever and wherever we like (especially not on privately owned websites).
-----
The moderators of Iranian dot com have an obligation to their readers (and their writers) to delete offensive materials. In fact they should delete anything that is not substantively related to the arguments in a given article; and they should make clear their criteria for deletion.(Consider it a form of editing).
-----
Free speech is not some divine revelation. Free speech isn't sacred. Filth isn't sacred. Censor this site, and raise the intellectual bar in our Iranian community. This site should be about the free exchange of ideas, not the unrestricted exchange of verbal feces.

To SAND digger below:

I heard that news on CNN too, INDIANS are WHITE, so to say the "first non-white" is wrong! They should have said "first non-US-Born", "non-nigger", "non-white-Trash", or just should have shut up and said nothing.

So, don't let yourself in the same trap as the CNN. And do not call your fellow countrymen Sanddiggers or whatever!

profanity,vile language

profanity,vile language should be banned all together. The editor of this site should delete all comments that violate this policy. This is very simple. Freedom of speech does not mean irresponsible journalism!

Hey Sandniggers!? An Indian (Hendi) became a governer!?

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal became the nation's youngest governor and the first nonwhite to hold post in Louisiana since Reconstruction when he carried more than half the vote to defeat 11 opponents.

My proposal to JJ is to come

My proposal to JJ is to come up with some basic editorial guidelines. We have a blog section, leave that untouched. But for feature articles, be choosy based on some principles or policy. How is anything featured if everything is featured?

As for comments. People should be free to leave any comment they want. Those who read seriously pay no attention to anyone that says gooz or chos or anything else.

If Nazanin writes a political piece in an anonymous forum, she should expect all sorts of response from good to bad. It comes with the territory.

I have several candidates

I have several candidates for the "Iranian of the Day" section,
(by chance, and thru research I have found these great Iranians on the internet, one was even introduced to me by a very admiring American friend)
but for fear of putting their pictures on
this site and possibly exposing them to truly
reprehensive comments of the foulest nature,
I will NOT submit their pictures, unless I am somehow able to get their permission.( which I doubt they may grant me this permission , if they know what may be said about them, they would perhaps rather remain unknown to many!)
You may call me a coward, but I fear for their reputation and status rather than my own!
-- had it been on the old iranian.com I would have introduced them to the whole Iranian community here!
What a shame that a few++ can foul up a good online magazine!!

I am nuts too

So its ok.

Iranazad

You are nuts.

Just ignore them

I agree totally that the rude comments are very abrasive and totally reprehensive. I also believe that they are meant to discourage the writers for being active in what he/she believes and it comes from both side of the isle, though seem much more from the anti IRI then IRI supporters. I personally just ignore them and move on to the next comment, that deals with the issue with some objective arguments not by insults. And I think if we all just ignore them and don't get into a tit for tat or dialoged with them, that would be the best treatment that they deserve and slowly they will move on, knowing that their rudeness and being a thug does not discourage our participation.

Mehrdad

to ari

not worrying but u are like most mard irani. mard irani are iran problem. all just want to talk about sex and killing oppositon to shut up, especially women. this is america, we can make challenge for people who say they have solution or politics for other country. also it helps when can laugh. u take too serious and so u should be happy dont worry! if she is garbage u show that u have a better plan or not garbage. until that, u ari are adding garbages.

What ever. Just repeat your

What ever. Just repeat your broken gramaphone record.
You don't seem able to understand.
What ever makes you happy, baba jan.
Don't worry. Be happy.

(She is still gonna get what she deserves, and that is all very very good!)

ari

u are the problem. just anger against people who disagree. they have no way to sue her u are just wrong. this is opinion and rude comments not same as comparing politics to theives. politics and men in politics = all thieves. ALL. even pahlavis even mullah even rajavis. just relax and handle opinion instead tell shut up aria.

There is no difference

There is no difference between her writings and the comments she gets. Stop this "they can sue her" pseudo-arguments. Of course they can, they don't need you to give them the permission. They just have better things to do than go after garbage like that.
The is besides the point. It has nothing to do with the fact that what she writes is stinking personal insults and attacks, and that is precisely the same as what she gets in response. She deserves it and much worse.
She doesn't want toget them she should just shut up and not reveal to the world the stinking garbage that lies inside her soul.

Kappish? stop whining.

ari

That canot be not incrimination. that is movie and comparison also just opinions not crimes. if they are crimes in her writing, they will sue her! just handling opinion mature ways and not agreeing does not mean make rude sexual jokes of her.

She deserves it

Not true Iranazad.
She commits the worst kind of personal attacks and insinuations in the nonsense rubbish that she writes.
Take a look at this:
//iranian.com/main/blog/nazanin-ghasemian...

It starts with the title itself.

She deserves all she gets and much more.