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With the air of anonymity brought forth by the internet, I’ve noticed a very disturbing trend. The ability to lie and make disparaging remarks about certain races, religions, and even political parties without a face or name attached to these posts is causing more and more people to become emboldened to participate in this behavior. The obvious web sites that allow this type of thing are well known. My Space seems to be in the headlines repeatedly for this type of thing. Juicy Campus is another one gaining notoriety for this type of behavior as well. Another site that seems to suffer from this problem is the 30 seconds feature at the Evening Sun. The name calling, fear mongering, and racist comments that are posted in 30 seconds don’t reflect at all the feelings of the masses that actually reside here in Chenango County. The trouble is that it’s a vocal few that are allowed to be the voice of the area, since these types of things are posted on a regular basis.
I’m sure those who argue for these types of postings to be allowed will decree that this is permissible thru the first amendment, which it is. But does that make it okay? What is the difference between these postings and a person on a corner yelling these same lies and racist comments to all those who pass? Is it volume? If the person on the corner is allowed to do this daily, eventually people will walk on the other side of the street to avoid him to avoid his rants. If the person ranting on the corner positioned himself in front of your house, would anyone want to move in next door to you? What happens to your property value with neighbors like this?
I’m not saying that 30 seconds is a totally bad thing. I’m all for a public forum that allows for a wide array of topics and varying views to be expressed. I think the forum on this site is a perfect example of how this can be done in a positive way. The issue I have with 30 seconds is that there are very few rules, and even fewer things which are off limits in regards to what can be said. 30 seconds, in its current state, is a horrible (and inaccurate) reflection of the area. If I was thinking of moving here and came across this section of the web site, I would think twice about moving. There is a reason why Jeff Genung, the editor of the paper, refers to this section of the paper as "The Tyranny of the Minority."
Myself, I love the Evening Sun for a variety of reasons. Being that Chenango County is a small community, the larger papers in the area ignore us to a certain degree. The Evening Sun gives us who care about this area the information the other papers don’t think is worthwhile. I’m also a follower of the local high school sports, and Pat Newell has done a wonderful job giving these teams the coverage they deserve. In its current state though, the paper provides quality information, with a scent of Jerry Springer. What concerns me is that the odor of Springer is growing stronger and stronger….
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6 comments on this topic:
I would also add that many of the comments in 30 seconds as well as the ES forums serve to perpetuate the stereotype of rural people being backward and ignorant. Not only do I find the racist comments disturbing, I am also disgusted by the level of elitism and overall meanness displayed by those who feel it necessary to bash those less fortunate.
In terms of free speech, I do think that the Evening Sun as a newspaper entity also has the right to determine what it will or will not publish. It reflects poorly on the Evening Sun that there appears to be no oversight of what is considered worthy of print. Our newspaper should reflect our community. Placing no limits on 30 seconds or various forums, actually empowers those who choose to spew venom. Common sense should provide a guideline as to what is mean-speech versus free speech.
Beyond that, I am always happy to peruse the various ES forums to learn more from the grapevine about local topics and to see what people are thinking about behind the scenes.
That said, I'll agree that sometimes I'm more judicious than others in regards to what does see 'print.' Were I to edit everything I deemed stupid, racist, ignorant, silly or downright insane, the column would most likely be blank. I'm not a fan of '30 Seconds,' but it does have its place -- and certainly its following. I'll attempt to be more vigilant; it would also help if more users would submit intelligent, thought-provoking, honest, humorous and even congratulatory comments.
on a side note, just checking out the 30 seconds section today, I have no qualms about what's posted in there. I didn't see one "dim-bulb", "whacko repubs", or "Loony Libs" comment, nor did someone post something like "Obama wanting to take over the White House to put all whites into slavery". It shows that people can post things without resorting to the idiotic.
I have stopped reading 30 seconds because of the stupidity. I will read 30 posts, and usually only one or two will make any sense, or will have an actual issue that is written in an unbiased, intelligent manner. Plus, the spelling is atrocious.
I am appalled that this is how the majority of Chenango County is represented. I know there are many educated, intelligent people here, but reading these posts, you would never know it.
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