The Invisible Editor, My Foot!

i guess both females and males are harrassed...so why not banned interactors from both side??

i agree with Godot (#32)...after all it`s all about freedom!

We cannot make chowk admin ``manage`` UP just because of the few who are engage in profanity!

we have the right to express our views without censorship! (although some of you think this right allows them to post filth..unfortunatley

Godot,
“The problem is that if managed, people cry “censorship.” If you “manage” UP, it’s only natural that you become biased in favor of some interactors.”

In that case you don’t filter comments out either as that would be deemed censorship. But really Godot, the issue is much larger than mere censorship or chowkidari as you call it.

An editor is responsible for the whole magazine. The UP section falls under the editor’s overall policy and the current policy is to not manage UP. My first instinct would be to agree with the editor and just leave it the way it is as no one is interested in meddling in the sewer.

If your goal is to improve the site and you are taking the right steps to improve the outlook of the site then you need to look at the problems in all area of the publication. You may not have an answer to everything right away but you mustn’t shove the problem under the rug and ignore it completely.

I know that the previous management tried to manage the UP aggressively but relied on some people who were themselves party to the escalating problem at UP. I am glad that they are not in charge anymore as they were using their privileges to harass people. The experience must have made the new management unsure of who to trust.
Fixing UP is not an immediate problem but it will need to be looked at as it is going to spillover sooner or later.

Talking about manager’s bias...

I would not have really cared but when FV wrote above, “It is only when there seemed to be a semblance of order that I approached M. V. Kamath” and follows that up with “I want to reassure some people here that whatever be my personal beliefs and political views, all kinds of voices will be heard.”

This, to me, is Harold Raines defense. The site has pretty liberal and progressive bent. It seems to me that the new policy is to change that to create a “Balanced” site. It is like the newspapers or the TV when they have to present both points of views to balance the report or a discussion.

Is Chowk headed the path where it would attempt to balance every Povs? In general, posters on this site represent all shades of opinion and so far chowk has managed to balance without expressly or editorially attempting to balance. Mostly posters have performed the balancing act and the site was able to maintain its liberalism. Now it seems to me that this will change and we will see more writers from the other side of the left right divide.

My issue: is the new editor looking to change gears to switch chowk to a new identity? A balanced identity?

And yes, I still stand by my stance that the article written by Atif would not have been published a month ago.

Forget the sexual content, it has no literary merit. It isn`t even funny. It`s something I`d expect to see in an Ilog or on a thread in Unplugged.

It doesn`t take a journalist to know a good article from a trashy one.

Godot,

Do you support the harrassment of women on this website? If not, why are you supporting the culprit of multinick harrassment on chowk?

Farzana,

Unplugged is a part of Chowk, disowning it won`t make it less of a part of chowk.

Do you support the harrassment of female interactors on this website? I would think not.

If you want our respect, please show us some respect by taking charge of the abusers and making them answerable for their filth.

Complaining about our complaints is not a very `editorial` thing to do and does not accomplish anything. Chowkies don`t have anything under their control, you do. So use the power in positive way instead of giving a laundry list of what you have done and what others have said.

We will appreciate you for it.

Re: # 36

... i strongly support this point by raw-dust....then charmin won`t have to worry if he writes under salim-chauhan or his other nicks...

Re: # 35
charmin...you forgot to write under your salim_chauhan nick...;)

vaise... i like your idea that Unplugged has a handful of interactors who are responsible for all the filth there...namely, scout, saminasha, atif2, JG and I...i suggest to the editor-in-chief, infact challenge her to test this theory and post choicest sewer language used by all these interactors in the last one month or six months or one year and also post yours and let the other inetractors decide who is the filthiest... i don`t know about others, but i shall leave chowk forever if i am found to be indilging into sewer talk...any takers?

Godot #various
Have you considered that if you are telling off other interactors and `taking over` this thread(and the previous one) not on Editor`s behalf, but on your own, then you might be putting her in a difficult position ? With friends like you who needs enemies key maafiq.

Re: # 28

Namard, you brought up the term-now what did you mean?

Chowk.com growing more nonsensical by the hour...

farzana Ji:

Thank you for joining Chowk. Over the years, your matter-of-fact honesty and bluntness has been refreshing and even liberating. I hope you will consider allocating some space to Urdu and Hindi verse on the front page. It has been difficult transliterating urdu poetry into English. Since you accept all viewpoints, why Chowk would not accept other modes of expression?

Best Regards.

Mohammed Amjed
(A deposed Chowk Associate)

Godot, #35 was by Salim . :)

chowk.com can do away with anonymous posting. Instead, providing verifiable personal contact information should be made mandatory for member registeration. the website chould choose to keep that info to itself. Personal abuse and harassment would come down alot, i figure, as peeps will know they would be literally removed from the site. This would also take out any need of having moderators for the boards.

cheers.

Godot, #34,
Thank you for your advice, my friend. I will concentrate on FP and who knows, I might even get to write an article one of these days. I appreciate your guidance. :)

Re: # 33

Salim

I have always believed you are a good person caught in a vicious cycle with those who live in a sewer. Take a deep breath and get out of it. As evident, many at FP admire your intelligent views.

Godot #34, {``However, I must say that it’s only a handful of people (maybe about 4) that are the real problem at UP.``}

Godot,
Like you, I have given up any expectation of UP becoming anything but a sewer. I blame myself for not having quite UP just as you did. The handful of people are can be listed as Scout, Saminasha, JG, Khamkhwa, and at times, Atif2. Yes, I contribute to the filth by continuing to retalitate against these people. If you notice, when I leave UP and stay on FP and despite my polite interactions, these persistent and vulgar people come to FP and try to bait me into altercations. I agree with you that censorship will not work. That only invites charges of unfairness and nepotism - just witness the last regime. I am going to try and stay away from UP - wish me luck.

Re: # 31

HP

“UP has become a cesspool... UP should be the most strictly managed area of this site because the management has made it a privileged area... the UP section should be shut down... Ignoring a problem is not managing.”

The problem is that if managed, people cry “censorship.” If you “manage” UP, it’s only natural that you become biased in favor of some interactors. If you don’t manage, it becomes a cesspool. By letting people at UP what they are, I believe Chowk has a point: You are adults and you should know what to do with your freedom. If you shut UP down, the same people will bring their garbage on FP (not that they already try their best to do that.)

Again, “managing” is just replete with bias. No Chowkidar can be so neutral. I say leave the UP alone and let be those who hate each other express their hatred in any language they feel expressive and comfortable with. After all, that’s real world.

FP should be managed. If you don’t like the cesspool UP has become, just stay away from it. After all, sewer is a necessity of living. How many of us care to look into it? I used to participate at UP. After I saw all the dirt and filth thrown my way and that I started to behave exactly the way they do, I quit UP. However, I must say that it’s only a handful of people (maybe about 4) that are the real problem at UP. At UP, the bad has thrown the good out.