This web site is dedicated to the Board Game of Diplomacy, which has a long and rich history...it existed before most of you were born, kind of like Monoploy. But, being a web site, it is natural that discussion threads are part of the site.

Generally speaking, the discussion forums focus primarily upon very emotional issues: Religion and Politics. Socialism and Conservatism. Aethiesm versus Christianity. I'm right....YOU are wrong!

Recently, the "Mute" button was instituted. Apparently, to the best of my understanding, somebody was so offended by a racial epitath that the Mods decided to institute a "Mute" function so that the offended individual could eradicate his offensive poster.

There are *many* problems with this solution.

First, and perhaps the most important point, is that the *incredibly* offensive person, who posted something so heinous that the free-speech advocating Mods finally instituted a Mute function.....is still a member of the site. He is still free to vomit forth with his vile racial hatred. The only difference is that someone that is so offended by his words is no longer able to refute him because he muted him....and can not see his hate-filled spew! In short....by the offended party choosing to Mute hsi offender, he --- who is perhaps the best argument *against* the hate speech --- is now totally incapable of defending the WebDip site by offering a different point of view, because he has choosen to ignore the hatred, instead of confront it.

I will be disgustingly obvious here: Europe, in the late 1930's was sick and tired of war....and thus, when Hitler rose to power - based upon an ideology of hate - Germany, and then Europe as a whole, turned their backs and ignored the problem, because....for the time being...it didn't affect them.

On a much more practical level, the Mute option has made the political discourse ridiculous at times. Person A (who has person B muted) posts something. Person B responds. Then persons C, D and E respond to B's post...and then A responds *completely* inappropriately because he doesn't know what B said.

The idea of the forums is that we have a *free exchange* of ideas....not a delimited exchange. The idea that I can respond to a thread and have *no* idea who has heard what idea from who makes my response...at times...ridiculous. If A mutes B, and B mutes C, and C mutes D....and B responds to A....and then D respoinds to A, and then C responds to...I trust you can understand that the virtuous concept of freely exchanged ideas is completely nullifies when one never knows who has heard what...

Mute was a terrible idea. I have seen anecdotaly in discussion threads how it can so easilt distort a discussion...