Friday, February 01, 2008

MYSpace Exiles Atheists

By Wendy Kaminer

        MYSpace has deleted the 35,000 member “Atheist and Agnostic Group” in response to complaints from people who are offended by atheism, according to a press release posted by the Secular Student Alliance. Group Moderator Bryan Pesta stressed that the atheist and agnostic group had not violated any terms of service, adding, “when the largest Christian group was hacked, MYSpace’s founder, Tom Anderson, personally restored the group, and promised to protect it from future deletions.”

        Rupert Murdoch, who owns MySpace, is not the government: he is not constrained by constitutional strictures against religious discrimination, which include discrimination against atheists, (although he could conceivably be bound by a contract or civil statute;) and while the non-theist movement is growing and becoming more visible, it’s not exactly a market force worthy of Murdoch’s notice. So, if he can delete atheists from his social networking site, he can delete any religious, racial, ethnic, or demographic group that he doesn’t need to cultivate. The exiling of atheists should not be a concern for atheists alone.

        Obviously, it demonstrates the perils of encouraging people to believe that they have a right not to be offended. I can’t think of a good reason for anyone but atheists to care that atheists have a presence on MySpace, but people are entitled to their sensibilities, however foolish they appear to me. The trouble is, they feel entitled to impose their sensibilities on others by restricting speech; and even, or especially, our higher education system seems partly devoted to imbuing students with this anti-libertarian sense of entitlement (a trend we often decry here at thefreeforall.)

        As this belief in the right to suppress “offensive” speech is coupled with increasingly centralized, private control of both new and old media, it poses increasing and potentially overwhelming threats to free speech. We can stand out on street corners and preach to passers-by, but our access to venues in which we might be heard becomes dependent on the whims of Rupert Murdoch and other gazillionaires; our constitutional remedies are moot.

        De facto, marketplace censorship is not a new problem for free speech advocates. Some hoped that it would dissipate in cyberspace, where anyone can publish virtually anything, for distibution worldwide; and the Internet remains a realm of possibility. But obscure websites are simply the virtual equivalents of street corner leaflets, while MySpace has an estimated 70 million users. Whose standards of offensiveness should rule them?

censorship | cyberspace | free speech | religion

2/1/2008 11:45:41 AM by Wendy Kaminer | Comments [12] |
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Monday, February 04, 2008 12:39:09 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

It will finally teach atheists and agnostics not to use the evil MySpace. Also, it is very difficult to spam market people who doubt. I think it is best for everyone.

Kmuzu

Monday, February 04, 2008 1:41:49 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Maybe people wouldn't be so offended if Atheists weren't such assholes !

Aion

Monday, February 04, 2008 2:37:08 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

I'm a born-again Christian and I find this to be an incredibly stupid and inconsiderate move by MySpace. Deleting a group just because it's "offensive" to you reeks of stupidity. The Christians on MySpace apparently need to grow up if they're going to cry over the existence of a group they don't like.

MySpace is stupid, so is FOX anyway; atheists and any other people who want coolness should leave it :P

I did and I'm glad. Custom pages are hideous.

David

Monday, February 04, 2008 2:38:38 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

That being said, I think it should be completely within his rights to delete it. I just think it's an asshole thing to do and they won't be getting my business any longer.

David again

Monday, February 04, 2008 8:34:40 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

"They won't be getting my business any longer."
Were you paying for your myspace service??? Unless you regularly purchased things from them, you weren't "doing business." And besides, myspace has gone to shit anyways, so who cares?!

I am an Atheist and, well, I don't give a flying fuck. Moral of the story: Don't Use Myspace. Seriously, there is no reason to use myspace.... It sucks.

Cody

Monday, February 04, 2008 7:20:27 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

See, this is why I'm leaving MySpace. I've spent a lot of time there over the last 2 and a half years, and it has become increasingly apparent to me that not only does MySpace not appreciate its' users, it controls their activities and communication.

Now they want to start mandating beliefs?

Screw that.

Join Yuwie instead! http://r.yuwie.com/theladymarie

Lady Marie

Tuesday, February 05, 2008 12:17:55 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Its interesting to note that when the majority groups especially dealing with religion get offended, repressed or limited, they're just being "babies", "religious zealots" or even that they're being offensive for practicing their beliefs (thanks aclu) but when religious minorities face oppression its a travesty.
Muslim and Christian beliefs have somehow been offending people for years for their accepting the existence of a god. so why shouldn't it be offensive for people to negate such? If I, as a Christian or Muslim, offend you for praying to God, why on that logical path should it not offend me when you say God doesn't exist.
Before i finish off my rant here, i want to accentuate the good point the writer had when she said, "it demonstrates the perils of encouraging people to believe that they have a right not to be offended." The only right people have to not be offended is internal. We as humans have the right to say or do basically anything that doesn't infringe upon the rights of others. Tough noogies those of you that are thin skinned

anon

Tuesday, February 05, 2008 8:07:06 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Religion sucks, myspace sucks, god must sucks if he wants people to be offended for having different beliefs

anonymouse

Wednesday, February 06, 2008 3:36:03 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

I'd like to hear what they were offended by. Should be some good warm-hearted complaints.

John

Saturday, February 09, 2008 9:13:18 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

What about all the people who are offended by Christians? Will Tom delete all of their groups? Of course not.

pip

Saturday, February 09, 2008 12:38:26 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

The problem with free speach, is that we all have a tollerance level by which we think no other should cross. The courts rule, that we cannot stand in a theater and yell fire. Some agree that we should not allow zealots and warmongers to intice war, death, and terrorist plots. So, just where on the span of complete free speach to zero tollerance do we choose to make a stand? Oh, and I should have free speach for the things I believe in, but I don't want you talking about that.

John

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 9:38:49 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Dear MySpace,

I am intensely offended by bad camera phone pics. I would ask that you kindly remove any and all Myspace pages with this offensive material.

thanks.

Roger

Comments are closed.