Criteria For Interviewees

"Stan" , I think you're conflating the issues of 1) freedom of speech and 2) decisions regarding a) how we're defining the PQ "brand" and b) founders & community decisions (e.g. see the CT & politics poll) regarding what goes where in the forum.

I possibly shouldn't have brought up the question, in the thread about what core subjects are allowed for PQ Interviews, of whether to allow Bauer's HIV-AIDS topic at all on the forum if it's going to make forum members leave, simply in the sense that it possibly led to confusion with the main question which was being posed as to what subjects fit the Official PQ Interviews category. Possibly I should have left that for another time. And I wouldn't want to censor a topic because it will offend some people.

But my point (which I still hold) is that if a non-psi topic, like Bauer's theory about HIV-AIDS, is offensive to forum members who are devoted to psi discussions to the point where it would make them consider leaving the forum, then that topic should be moved to the hidden forum categories - especially given that they would likely fit there more (and this is definitely is the case with Bauer's HIV-AIDS theory) in the first place (!).

You've already made your displeasure known (and you're free to continue to do so!) about the CT discussions not being out and (completely) open in the public (they're still open! one just has to sign up for them!!), but a forum decision was made about that.

I don't see how freedom of speech is being curtailed at all.

I guess that's where we differ. 

How is shutting out certain topics, making them off bounds, freedom of speech? 

If Dr Bauer is good enough to be interviewed, I just don't see how we can honestly deny him the right to put his point of view about anything at all.
But you're right, I've made my position crystal clear. I'll probably hear about it in my life review?  [Image: Smiley17.gif]

Thanks Ian.

[Ninshub]

How is shutting out certain topics, making them off bounds, freedom of speech?

How are they off bounds if they are still allowed to happen, but within a specific subforum (CT)?

So, put up or shut up. Is that what you're saying? I had already shut up, but Roberta didn't listen to the chief of police! 

I think it's a bit late now, as Vortex has already 'pushed his luck' where Dr Bauer is concerned, and he probably doesn't want to muck him about. Also, I wouldn't want to piss off the founder members of the group, as I think they have generally a sympathetic view to your own.

However, I'm not so convinced that the members of the forum would be so sympathetic, but it would be interesting to see if that's right.

What question would you ask? Along the lines of: Should Vortex be able to ask Dr Bauer about his HIV/AIDS theory in his upcoming interview?

Stan, I contacted Bauer once again, and he agreed to be interview outside of the main interview section. He is a man of tolerance (and irony) and thus can deal with fury of others quite easily. Something that I cannot say of some people here.

It is funny and sad (simultaneously so) how my initiative to interview the Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar about science and its current problems turned into angry conflict with people who cannot endure being in the close proximity of someone they strongly disagree with. Even if this "close proximity" is a digital one.

It is funny and sad (simultaneously so) how my initiative to interview the Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar about science and its current problems turned into angry conflict with people who cannot endure being in the close proximity of someone they strongly disagree with. Even if this "close proximity" is a digital one.

That's rubbish and you know it.

Stan, I contacted Bauer once again, and he agreed to be interview outside of the main interview section. He is a man of tolerance (and irony) and thus can deal with fury of others quite easily. Something that I cannot say of some people here.

It is funny and sad (simultaneously so) how my initiative to interview the Science and Technology Studies (STS) scholar about science and its current problems turned into angry conflict with people who cannot endure being in the close proximity of someone they strongly disagree with. Even if this "close proximity" is a digital one.

Thanks for the support and effort Vortex. 

I guess either I'm not very good at expressing things or I'm up against people with very fixed ideas, probably both. I had it in my mind that you weren't allowed to mention HIV/AIDS for some reason, it seems I was mistaken. Apologies to everyone for that.

Thanks for the support and effort Vortex. 

I guess either I'm not very good at expressing things or I'm up against people with very fixed ideas, probably both. I had it in my mind that you weren't allowed to mention HIV/AIDS for some reason, it seems I was mistaken. Apologies to everyone for that.

Vortex knows perfectly well that nobody has objected to Bauer being interviewed outside the main interview section. He knows that the objection is to the discussion of a particular subject: HIV/AIDS denialism. He knows that the reason for that objection is that HIV/AIDS denialism has killed a great many people. He knows that the moderators have moved discussion of HIV/AIDS denialism to the conspiracy forum section.

It seems to me that it's Vortex who has a problem accepting things that he doesn't like.

Posted by Chris on another thread.

"Yes - I was mistaken in thinking you had specified HIV/AID denialism as the subject of the interview. In the Skeptiko thread you mentioned only "his views" and "his position". You didn't specify what views or what position. (You didn't say anything about his "general positions on science".) It was others in that thread who were keen to discuss HIV/AIDS.

But in any case, if you aren't proposing to discuss HIV/AIDS with him, there's no problem that I can see."

So let's get this clear. There would be a problem if Vortex decided to discuss HIV/AIDS with Bauer?  Or did this change?

Stan

No, nothing's changed as far as I'm concerned. If Vortex isn't going to discuss HIV/AIDS denialism, there's no problem. If he is, Ian has just said that should go into conspiracy theories. That's the policy for discussions on that subject, as I understand it.

Ok, so as long as Vortex's interview is held outside the hidden CT forum, he's not allowed to discuss HIV/AIDS with Bauer. 

Yeah, maybe some would consider that free speech. I don't.

[Ninshub]

Ok, so as long as Vortex's interview is held outside the hidden CT forum, he's not allowed to discuss HIV/AIDS with Bauer.

According what Vortex told us his questions were (which sounded terrific, btw), there's wasn't talk of him discussing his HIV-AIDS theory with Bauer. But personally I would have no problem with him discussing that also, but that section of the interview would go into the CT subforum. So there's no censorship, unless one's definition (strangely, IMO) of censorship includes having part of that content in a different section which is hidden from the public only to the extent that they don't sign in to view that section. The public has complete freedom to do that, so I don't see the censorship.