Ah well.
You know, it's sort of ironic. I was leaving class tonight and thinking to myself: "Hey, I should start using my livejournal again. Get back in touch with the circle."
Then what's the first thing I see when I check my friends page tonight? The LJ-Admin has banned a bunch of blogs with no warning or apology because they "failed to meet standing policies" or some such rubbish.
Now, to be clear, I am of the understanding that many of those sites were dedicated to creepy fandoms like lollicon and incest, but not *all* of them were. Also, why "out of the blue" has LJ decided *now* to enforce these "policies" without even so much as a warning to those who might be offenders?
I am calling shenanigans.
The content of the blogs is not the point. Free speech is not the point.
The point is, LJ as a company has decided to slap paying customers in the face without so much as an "I'm sorry". As I mentioned in a reply to a friend's journal, LJ has for years now exuded an air of tolerance that people have come to expect as the norm. After all, as long as a journal is not breaking any laws (like actually posting photographs of child pornography), then who cares what creepy stories the shota fans tell each other over the internet? The non-sexually derranged amongst us are perfectly capable of ignoring that those blogs even exist, and banning their authors from our own blogs should we feel the need.
"Standing policies" or not, Livejournal made a grave miscalculation by treating their customers in this fashion, especially *paying* ones. Maybe it will all blow over and people will forget about it, but even so the entire situation leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Shame on you, Livejournal, for caving in to the whining of moral majoritists who really should know better. Shame on you twice for not acknowleding your actions or apologizing to the bloggers you deleted.
I suppose I will just stick to AIM for now to keep in touch with friends. Reworking my blog to be friends only and double checking with everyone on my list to make sure I'm still able to read their journals after they lock their's as well seems like more trouble than this site is worth, personally.
It was fun while it lasted.
Then what's the first thing I see when I check my friends page tonight? The LJ-Admin has banned a bunch of blogs with no warning or apology because they "failed to meet standing policies" or some such rubbish.
Now, to be clear, I am of the understanding that many of those sites were dedicated to creepy fandoms like lollicon and incest, but not *all* of them were. Also, why "out of the blue" has LJ decided *now* to enforce these "policies" without even so much as a warning to those who might be offenders?
I am calling shenanigans.
The content of the blogs is not the point. Free speech is not the point.
The point is, LJ as a company has decided to slap paying customers in the face without so much as an "I'm sorry". As I mentioned in a reply to a friend's journal, LJ has for years now exuded an air of tolerance that people have come to expect as the norm. After all, as long as a journal is not breaking any laws (like actually posting photographs of child pornography), then who cares what creepy stories the shota fans tell each other over the internet? The non-sexually derranged amongst us are perfectly capable of ignoring that those blogs even exist, and banning their authors from our own blogs should we feel the need.
"Standing policies" or not, Livejournal made a grave miscalculation by treating their customers in this fashion, especially *paying* ones. Maybe it will all blow over and people will forget about it, but even so the entire situation leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Shame on you, Livejournal, for caving in to the whining of moral majoritists who really should know better. Shame on you twice for not acknowleding your actions or apologizing to the bloggers you deleted.
I suppose I will just stick to AIM for now to keep in touch with friends. Reworking my blog to be friends only and double checking with everyone on my list to make sure I'm still able to read their journals after they lock their's as well seems like more trouble than this site is worth, personally.
It was fun while it lasted.