A word about censorship

Community
1

Hello everyone!

I feel obliged to respond to the recent posts regarding alleged censorship on Overgrow.

The ban on political topics has been in place for some time now, and for good reason. However, we need to repeatedly remind ourselves why these bans were implemented.

Imagine if we welcomed activists who are opposed to marijuana to participate in the Overgrow forum. They might engage in trolling and disrupt our discussions, leading to a cluttered forum. I believe that you wouldn’t appreciate having to constantly defend yourself against their viewpoints on a daily basis. Overgrow would become meaningless.

By introducing another divisive ideological topic (be it politics, conspiracies, covid, chem trails, etc.), we would be creating an uncomfortable environment for members who do not share your particular worldview. At Overgrow, our aim is to steer clear of ideological discussions, except for one - our collective support for complete cannabis legalization.

Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy and harmonious community, I kindly request, with utmost respect, that we refrain from introducing topics that may polarize our members and potentially cause unnecessary tension. Let us focus on cultivating a friendly and inclusive atmosphere centered around our shared passion for cannabis.

The discontent of some members affects moderators the most. They definitely do not deserve criticism. Rules are primarily the responsibility of the administrator. Moderators are in the difficult position of enforcing these rules.

We should be grateful to moderators for maintaining a friendly atmosphere and overseeing the essential rules of decency and netiquette without which the community could not exist. It is a work that never ends. The livelier the community, the greater the burden on moderators. If they want to be fair and impartial in their judgments, they have to read many time-consuming discussions in which they wouldn’t otherwise participate. And because they are not dictators, they must patiently explain and justify their decisions on a daily basis.

Often, it is truly a job and a choice between two evils. Therefore, do not be too harsh on them and take the opportunity to thank them for their time and effort.

Lemonade Joe

172 Likes
2

Beautifully said @LemonadeJoe
Happy 4th to you and your family!

15 Likes
3

Thanks @LemonadeJoe and @moderators for keeping OG a mature and civil place to talk and learn more about Cannabis!

22 Likes
4

Ich habe kein problem mit das

I don’t even turn left or right at intersections I just go straight through. Makes for a long trip sometimes.

But yes, kudos to the mods

19 Likes
5

Thanks Joe, I think we needed that…

I remember the Shark Tank… and the discussions about the pros and cons of keeping it.
I was ‘on the fence’ initially but there was a definite improvement in the ‘atmosphere’ around Overgrow. and that convinced me it was the right call.

Cheers
G

29 Likes
6

I like it!
Hearing ya loud and clear bud. :+1:
Thank you for everything you and the team do! :slightly_smiling_face:
:peace_symbol::heart:

7 Likes
7

agree !! the old saying: Politics and Religion never argue over (no reasonable answer to) glad this stuff is being moderated. the OverGrow site is for cultivation - if one need to discuss subjects that are not allowed - there are sites out there just for that specific subject Sure we have moderator but in the end it’s the members responsibility to adjust to guidelines. There is one cultivation site that get very political and it cast a shadow on that site ( negative vibes)

6 Likes
8

It’s pretty simple really.

Pub rules: no politics no religion no race.

21 Likes
9

Theres extremely troubling collectivism language in that post when it concerns people who don’t all share the same POV if they value being an individual. I’m probably coming around less…sounds like that M word to me…

2 Likes
10

Thank you Joe and all the mods, no need to even explain yourselves, just delete shit that doesn’t belong and call it a day. It’s very simple rules that make total sense and they work.
Plenty of other places people can go to with non-cannabis related nonsense.
Thank you for keeping this place friendly and clean, it’s mostly thanks to your keen judgement that this great community is what it is. :green_heart:

12 Likes
13

Thanks for this @LemonadeJoe and @moderators …but it should not have been necessary.

People KNOW what this group is about, and they agree to the rules in order to join.

If they want drama, there are PLENTY of other sites they can frequent… and leave the intentional discord elsewhere!

OG is more than a forum…it is a FAMILY-- one that Welcomes new members with open arms–only to occasionally get punched in the gut… that is when the Mods are forced o step-in and play babysitter.

Shouldn’t be a thing, but some folks just can’t play well with others.

19 Likes
14

Thank you Joe, I really don’t appreciate individuals threatening to hold others and the site hostage to their tin-foil-hat lunacy. Then re-posting their spiel after the first post was flagged instead of working with the mods and community towards an agreeable solution. I would break out the ban hammer, OG is too good for this

5 Likes
15

ill just quickly express agreement with this thread, and thank the mod team, specially those who i frequent the most: G-Pas, Loki, and Toasty.

May not always agree with them, but always appreciate their time, effort, and help.

7 Likes
16

Thanks @LemonadeJoe . I have always said that the @moderators have a tough job that can feel pretty thankless. They do it for the benefit of the site and members on their own time. I for one am very grateful to them, @TeamOG and to you @LemonadeJoe . I made OG my online home and it amazes me to see the years now clicking by. If my time here has shown me anything, it’s that there is a ton of work going on in the background to ensure this site remains the place we know and love.

The moderation of threads can often lead to conflict where some feel they are being sensored. The moderation team tends to take the brunt of the anger from these actions which has got to be tough some days. I think it would be good for users to realize this and that the closing of certain topics is not personal. It’s just that those doing the closing have much experience in moderating the site and can usually recognize topics that tend to deevolve into arguments and issues. They try to get ahead of these threads before they cause too much discourse.

All in all I feel they do a great job and I am thankful to have them here. I would sugest to all that if you have a topic closed down, don’t take it personally. Try to see if from the perspective of the MODs and know that they are just trying to do what is best for the site as a whole.

Anyway enough of my rambling. A huge thank you to all involved in keeping OG what I consider the best Cannabis site in the works. Happy growing OGers. :v:

24 Likes
17

Stoners always want to talk about this stuff its only natural

I agree straight politics is no fun…here or most places

Theres a lot of other conspiracy and other oddity type stuff …Dont you have a ‘smokers den’

Or a off topic rant section?

Stoners love an off topic rant…We just cant help it

Right indeed…Its true

Decisive topic can mess up the scene

Who’s setting the standard? Better question who’s deciding what to enforce ?

Can we be a little more relaxed about killing these threads?

Kill all of them…Or set a space for it to happen

My 2 cents

8 Likes
18

there is a thread about ancient angels and aliens. but some of these threads do have political background/context where these fringe theories cook, and thats why they get shut down.

There was the attempt to have such a space with the shark tank (idea i actually support) but apparently it didnt work either hahaha.

8 Likes
19

Thanks @LemonadeJoe & @moderators !

:hugs:

7 Likes
20

For my life too. Politics is great and all until you learn that the loudest are just paid actors, and the news is their stage. Puppeteers for your life, if you let them get away with it.

Cut the cable, cut the news, cut the strings. Life’s great.

25 Likes
21

Thanks, @LemonadeJoe
Really, this place is truly a gem on the web and i think the strict rules of no politics is what keeps this community amazing.

There’s a million places online to talk about whatever political things you want. Sometimes those places work, but I’ve watched so many degrade into hostile cesspools.

Staying friendly and kind is our magic here at OG.

9 Likes